Biodiversity and Conservation

7 mentions in the news, newest first.

• 2026-09-09

  Supreme Court refuses Aravalli panel's extension request, sets 30 November deadline

  The Supreme Court on 7 September 2026 rejected a six month extension sought by its own high powered committee tasked with defining the ecologically fragile Aravalli hills and range, and directed the panel to submit its final report by 30 November 2026 instead. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, hearing the committee's plea for an extension until February 2027, remarked that it appeared to be waiting for his retirement and said the court would not allow further delay. The Supreme Court had earlier constituted the committee to recommend a uniform definition of the Aravalli range and measures to regulate mining in the region.

• 2026-09-07

  16th National Meet of State Biodiversity Boards held in Chandigarh

  The 16th National Meet of State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils opened in Chandigarh on 6 September 2026, organised by the National Biodiversity Authority over two days to discuss implementation of India's biodiversity governance framework. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the National Biodiversity Authority has so far shared over Rs 200 crore in Access and Benefit Sharing funds with farmers, local communities and research institutions, and urged states to make the more than 2.76 lakh Biodiversity Management Committees functional and effective. He linked the effort to India's updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2024-2030, which is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's target of conserving 30 percent of land and sea by 2030.

• 2026-09-01

  National Biodiversity Authority disburses Rs 5.68 crore under Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism

  The National Biodiversity Authority disbursed Rs 5.68 crore to State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils under the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism, primarily linked to the commercial use of 139 varieties and 28 hybrids of Okra, along with Cucumber and Watermelon varieties. Gujarat received the largest share among states at Rs 88.79 lakh, followed by West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. The Authority also disbursed benefit sharing funds to a CSIR National Chemical Laboratory unit in Pune, linked to an ABS amount received from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.

• 2026-08-30

  Tamil Nadu notifies three elephant corridors in Hosur Forest Division

  The Tamil Nadu government has notified three elephant corridors in the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary in the Hosur Forest Division, enabling the trans Cauvery migration of elephants and other large mammals between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The notified corridors, the Jawalagiri Ulbanda Thaggatti corridor (18.50 km), the Jawalagiri Panai Anchetty corridor (20.90 km) and the Bilikkal Jawalagiri corridor (2.20 km), were among 41 corridors that an expert committee had earlier identified for recognition. The Chief Wildlife Warden's recommendations followed proceedings before the Madras High Court, which had been informed that the notification was in its final stages of consideration.

• 2026-08-29

  Assam's Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation completes 25 years

  The Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) at Panbari, near Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam, entered its 25th year of operation on Friday (28 August 2026), having been established on 28 August 2002 as India's first dedicated facility for hand raising, treating and rehabilitating orphaned and injured wild animals before their release into natural habitats. Jointly run by the Assam Forest Department and the Wildlife Trust of India in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, CWRC has responded to more than 10,000 wildlife rescue cases over 25 years, with nearly 68 per cent of treated animals successfully released back into the wild. The centre has also contributed to conservation programmes including the reintroduction of rhinos into Manas National Park and the rehabilitation of Asiatic black bear cubs and rescued wild buffalo.

• 2026-08-17

  Three new cascade frog species described in Northeast India

  Researchers led by Professor S.D. Biju of the University of Delhi described three new cascade frog species of the genus Amolops after more than 15 years of fieldwork: Amolops ammachi from Tripura's Jampui Hills, named after Kerala social worker Padmini Varkey, Amolops sendenyo from Nagaland, and Amolops bella from West Bengal. Cascade frogs are typically found around rocky waterfalls and fast flowing forest streams.

• 2026-08-17

  New deep sea shark species found off Kerala coast

  Scientists at the Zoological Survey of India described Apristurus drona, a new deepwater catshark found at the Kollam slope off Kerala's coast at depths of 400 to 650 metres, as part of the Deep Ocean Mission under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It was distinguished by more than five per cent genetic divergence from its closest relative, well above the usual threshold used to classify a new species.