Author: Vijaylakshmi
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COVID-19: A Long Pending Break for Nature?
Vijaylakshmi Suman It has been 10 days since Delhi went under lockdown. The enormity of COVID-19 became evident when the World Health Organization declared it as a pandemic and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The outbreak will certainly be remembered as one of the most devastating events in the history of mankind…
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The Last Migration
Vijaylakshmi Suman Cities are considered to be concentrated centres of production, consumption, and waste disposal that drive land change. They have also been spaces of several global environmental problems. Most of the cities have historically been established along rivers and deltas in order to have easy access to water. These waterbodies have been modified and…
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Alternate Urban Green Infrastructure
Vijaylakshmi When we think of green spaces in urban areas, we generally have in mind parks, forest remnants, and water bodies like wetlands and lakes in and around the city. Depending on their size, habitat heterogeneity and expanse, these ecosystems are believed to conserve urban biodiversity in varying capacities. If given an opportunity to add…
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Wetland Restoration through a Cultural approach
Vijaylakshmi Suman Ecological restoration can be understood as an ensemble of practices from the natural sciences, the social sciences, politics, and technology. The objective of this article is not to overload readers with jargon from ecological restoration, instead, to generate a discussion that focuses on the concept of wetland restoration as a cultural phenomenon. Despite…
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A Bird’s Eye View
Vijaylakshmi Suman With the growing influence of the field of urban ecology, issues pertaining to discourses of urban justice and equality are drawing much attention. These discourses particularly look at the relationship of people and nature in terms of differential access to the benefits offered by ‘natural spaces’. Urban nature is entangled with several social…
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Saving the Remnants
Vijaylakshmi Suman Recently, the Haryana government moved a bill to amend the 118-year-old Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) – a law which inhibits construction activities in large sections of the Aravalli’s. While the PLPA is not applicable to those areas falling under Master Plans, the bill allows the continued existence of those unauthorised constructions that…
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Water is the New Gold
Vijaylakshmi Suman How believable is the claim that World War III will be fought over water? NASA’s satellite data revealed that out of 37 of the earth’s largest aquifers, 21 are recognised as “overstressed”, with almost no scope of natural replenishment. However, these facts may not be hard to believe considering the present drought situation…
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Rising Garbage Mounds Galore
Vijaylakshmi Suman How particular are you when it comes to throwing waste in a dustbin and not littering the surroundings? Most of us are very careful about it, and dumping waste at the right place gives us a sense that we have fulfilled our duty by keeping up with the basic etiquettes we learnt in…
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Role of Citizen Science in Ecological Restoration
Vijaylakshmi Suman The human dimension of ecological restoration, in the form of public awareness, participation, and the incorporation of their values in the project has become an important component of most successful restoration projects. According to Allen (2003), restoration is not only about the science of ecology, rather, it also includes societal decisions on issues…
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Can you tell…?
By Vijaylakshmi Suman It is almost two months since NGT imposed complete prohibition on the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags, to be specific those whose thickness is which are less than 50 microns. The effect of ban is being followed by almost all established shops. Nonetheless, I have witnessed small vendors still continuing to sell…