western ghats

Recalling Madhav Gadgil’s seminal Western Ghats report, and opposition to it

January 09, 2026 1:48 pm

Despite the report’s fate, Gadgil continued to champion the cause of protecting the fragile mountains from mindless development. The recommendations are brought up to this date, whenever ecological disasters occur in the Western Ghats.

Madhav Gadgil, ecologist who championed conservation of fragile Western Ghats, passes away

January 09, 2026 8:15 am

The report submitted by Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, later known as the Gadgil Commission, recommending strict safeguards for the fragile Western Ghats sparked political and public debate across six states.

In Western Ghats under rotting logs, a predatory camera & the disappearing frogs

January 06, 2026 7:28 am

Hopefully, there are some more out there, away from the predatory lens, under a rotting log.

Why Western Ghats are classified as natural site of ‘significant concern’ 

November 19, 2025 7:22 pm

The Western Ghats, also known as the Shayadari hills, have outstanding universal value due to their exceptional biodiversity, endemism, and role in maintaining vital ecological and climatic processes. But why has the IUCN red-flagged the Western Ghats? What major threats to the loss of habitats and species in South Asia has it highlighted? 

Eastern Himalaya, Western Ghats 'worst affected’: IIT KGP study finds steady decline in India’s forest health

September 17, 2025 12:57 pm

The researchers say forest photosynthetic efficiency has dropped 5% in the past decade, raising concerns over biodiversity loss and carbon storage

Eco-sensitive Western Ghats: Centre's forest panel declines final nod for Hindalco’s mine in Kolhapur

August 17, 2025 3:11 am

Mining prohibition in eco-sensitive areas of the Western Ghats and the mining lease location in a conservation reserve were among the reasons cited by the Forest Advisory Committee for not considering the Hindalco mine proposal.

For renewal of Western Ghats, put people at the centre

June 30, 2025 12:37 pm

The process of democratic decentralisation should help in the region’s ecological revival

In a first, researchers on a mission to study microclimate across Western Ghats

April 09, 2025 2:51 pm

There is an urgent need to document microclimate niche of plant species for saving the crops and trees around us, says one of the researchers, Balachandra Hegde of Kuvempu University who started Microclimate India project in 2021.

Pune research team conducts first-ever study of vegetation on Western Ghats cliffs

February 28, 2025 9:55 am

Slope direction plays a crucial role in determining tree cover and canopy height in the Western Ghats: Study

February 04, 2025 8:28 pm

The research paper highlights the importance of considering slope direction when planning biodiversity assessments, protecting endemic species, or increasing tree cover in the Western Ghats.

Meet the 'dancing' frogs of the Western Ghats

May 10, 2014 9:13 am

14 new species of so-called dancing frogs have been found in the jungles of southern India.