As the Tatas battle on in Singur in the wake of protests against their Nano car plant, industrial houses should take comfort in the fact that the Indian government is solidly behind them. It’s just those ignorant farmers, fisherfolk and tribals who don’t know what’s good for them who’re standing in the way of a shiny new India, says Ashish Kothari More...

All of us hate the idea of hunting or killing wildlife, writes Ashish Kothari. But with villagers across India facing increasing attacks by wild animals, conservationists must realise that in the interests of both wildlife conservation and people’s livelihood security we must look beyond the narrow ethics of individual animal protection to a broader one of survival of species and ecosystems More...

By Ashish Kothari

'Western' science has treated the knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities as a resource to be exploited. Now, a more collaborative relationship between the two is being forged. The most remarkable development is the return of 420 potato varieties to the Quechuas of Peru by a scientific establishment More...

The Convention on Biological Diversity set out to significantly reduce, by 2010, the rate of biodiversity loss, and simultaneously contribute to poverty alleviation. Fifteen years on, the only significant achievement may be the setting up of many new protected areas which, by restricting access to community resources, could end up further impoverishing communities, says Ashish Kothari More...

The Indian government is planning a major initiative to document all traditional knowledge on biodiversity and natural resources in order to safeguard against biopiracy. Notwithstanding its many potential benefits, without inbuilt safeguards this move could prove to be the undoing of traditional knowledge, says Ashish Kothari More...

The two petitions that have been lodged with the Supreme Court against the Forest Rights Act 2006 could undermine not just the FRA but many of our conservation and environmental laws, undoing decades of hard work by conservationists, says Ashish Kothari More...

Over 100 gharials mysteriously died in the Chambal river recently, possibly poisoned by toxins. This points to the fact that wildlife conservation will simply not survive if we concentrate only on a few islands called ‘protected’ areas, writes Ashish Kothari More...

By Ashish Kothari

We are beginning 2008 with a heady mix of tigers, tribals, state terrorism in the guise of ‘development’, and the occasional triumph of the public will. What will prevail as the year unfolds? A new monthly column by Ashish Kothari on the politics of biodiversity will assess whether we’re moving further towards, or away from, ecological suicide More...