Tag: Nature in the Anthropocene
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Life in the Fastlane: Roadkill in the Anthropocene
Ajay Immanuel Gonji My first close encounter with roadkill was during fieldwork for my Master’s internship, way back in 2013. I remember seeing the bloated body of a large male nilgai, fully intact, on the footpath of the Aruna Asaf Ali Marg – a 6-lane highway bifurcating the Sanjay Van city forest and the Jawaharlal…
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WATER QUALITY OF THE YAMUNA RIVER DURING THE FIRST LOCKDOWN
Divya Mehra and Shiwani The Coronavirus pandemic which has affected almost every part of the world is considered to be the biggest economic and health crisis of the present time. To contain the spread of the Covid-19 disease, in the initial phases of the pandemic, many countries went into lockdown, resulting in the temporary suspension…
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Where Access is Denied
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Introduction Urban ecology is an evolving framework which integrates society and the environment at multiple scales. And while urban ecologists look for commonalities across urban ecosystems, in recent times, there has been much focus on the local and unique contexts which shape the socio-ecological character of each city (Grimm et al., 2015).…
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Reclaiming Lost Ground
Divya Mehra On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 or Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak as a ‘Pandemic’. As the number of COVID-19 cases increased manifold outside China, where it first originated, soon the enormity and seriousness of the COVID-19 threat dawned on most human beings on the planet. According to…
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Animal Movement and Human Response Amidst the Lockdown
Shashank Bhardwaj As most people around the globe sit at home to fight the global pandemic (COVID-19), the hustle and bustle of most city streets are missing. To curb this pandemic, many countries have adopted social distancing measures, including partial and complete nationwide lockdowns. While such drastic measures may be important, there’s no denying the…
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Monkey Business: Expressing Intentions and Emotions
Rashmi Singh* & Ajay Immanuel Gonji A few days ago, an email thread on the student mailing group of Ambedkar University Delhi, Kashmere Gate (henceforth AUDKG) was particularly interesting. The subject of the discussion was not academic, political or social in nature, but was actually over food! Apparently, a plate of noodles was left abandoned…
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Human-generated Food and Urban Wildlife
Ajay Immanuel Gonji In an earlier blog post that I had written, I talked about how urban wildlife depends on a unique combination of naturally occurring and human-generated food. In most cities of the globe, it is not uncommon to witness birds and mammals benefitting from anthropogenic food resources. This food may be derived either…
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Camera Trapping in Dheerpur Wetland Project Site
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Every year, during the monsoon season, the Dheerpur Wetland Project (DWP) site undergoes a drastic transformation in its appearance. Torrential rains and stormwater flowing into the wetland from surrounding areas lead to flooding in most parts of the wetland. During this time, the DWP site also serves as a habitat for a…
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Dodging the Dog
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Annoyed and slightly dejected was I as I dragged my feet back to the entrance of the Sanjay Van forest patch of the Delhi Ridge. Early morning that day my friend Amit and I visited the city forest hoping to spot the elusive golden jackal and capture the animal on our cameras.…
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Nature in a Dynamic World
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Cities represent unique landscapes experiencing rapid and continuous transformation. Cities also represent the most domesticated landscapes on earth (Kareiva et. al., 2007) where every element of the environment has been tailored to suit man’s desires. As a matter of fact, many scientists have said that we now live in the era of…