Adani Port and Pulicat Fisherwomen

Pulicat's fisherfolk are fighting Adani's expansion of the Kuttapally Port with a seafood festival at the Chennai Kalai Theru Vizha over the weekend, in collaboration with InSeason Fish. To learn how seafood can be consumed in a way that supports sustainable fisheries, follow InSeason Fish for more informtion.

Cheetah Reintroduction in India

 Envisioned as early as 2011 by the then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, the proposal to introduce cheetahs to India had been rejected considering the lack of habitat and prey for the savanna cats, which have been extinct in India for 70 years now. But now the Supreme Court of India has cleared the plan to reintroduce Cheetahs from Namibia to India. While most conservationists feel that this is a case of misplaced priorities and that India should instead be focusing on preserving the already existing cat species and their habitat, some argue that cheetah reintroduction could save grasslands, otherwise largely ignored by conservation policies. Another point to note is that Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary which has been prepared and assessed for the establishment of a second population of Gujarat's Asiatic Lions imperiled by inbreeding and disease, could be a site for the reintroduction of the cheetah, which would leave the fate of our Asiatic Lions suspended in uncertainty.

Cartoon from my column with RoundGlass Sustain.

Uses of the Jaguar's Rosettes

Uses of the Jaguar's rosettes. Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Panjim- an Urban Biodiversity map

A biodiversity and heritage map of the Goan capital Panjim, commissioned by ICLEI South Asia. Situated on the banks on the Mandovi River, Panjim is dotted with a rich network of estuaries and mangroves, which are home to diverse coastal flora and fauna. Migratory waders throng Panjim's beaches and mudflats along the Ribandar causeway and the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, which is also home to estuarine reptiles like the Glossy Marsh Snake. The mangrove ecosystem along the coast host many commercially important fish, crustaceans and the elusive Smooth-coated Otter.  Goa's proximity to the Western Ghats ensures that a variety of endemic insects and herpetofauna make Goa their home, including the Goan Shadow Dancer perched on the title of the map. The star of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin dwells where the estuaries of Panjim meet the sea. Innovative but endangered traditional livelihoods which Goan communities have evolved such as the Goan salt-pans and sluice-gate fishing, are depicted on the map.

Some of Panjim's most important heritage buildings also feature on the map. The illustration style itself pays tribute to Goa's iconic Azulejos tile art, which came with the Portuguese and became Panjim's visual identity. A Goan rooster perches on the map's compass. As Panjim grapples with rapid expansion as Goa's capital city, the illustration is meant to serve as a reminder of what the city must preserve and coexist with.

A huge thanks to my dear friend and Goan conservation biologist Nandini Velho, my partner and ICLEI's Assistant Manager Rithika Fernandes, Sayeesh Pirankar and Hycintha Aguiar (ICLEI) and Goan tree expert Dr. Usha Desai for their generous help and inputs for the map (and for some lip-smacking food recommendations!).  Thanks to ICLEI for commissioning a series of delightful, exploratory and experimental map projects. The illustration is available in a high resolution here. 

Here are a few close-ups from the map:

The Mined and the Undermined

Here are two of the many examples of gross environmental misgovernance in opposition-led states: Chhattisgarh and Odisha, both in ecologically sensitive regions prone to man-animal conflict. While clearances were granted for these projects by the MoEFCC, the respective state governments have not done enough to stop these projects, despite promises to the native communities. As protests rage across the country against the central government, let us not forget the protests brewing in these regional pockets against incompetent and ineffective oppositions. Cartoon from my column with The Hindu.

Bolsonaro and Modi exchange Republic Day notes

India's chief guest to the Republic Day ceremony, the Brazilian far-right ecocidal leader Jair Bolsonaro exchanges some notes with our honourable Prime Minister. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Vogelkop Bird of Paradise

A Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise takes the Linkdin-Facebook-Instagram-Tinder challenge. Take that! Prints and merchandise available here.

Spoonbilled Sandpiper Conservation

A comic poster on the conservation of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper or 'Spoony', done for Birdlife International and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Group. The poster was also translated to Cantonese, and is being translated to multiple local languages for various Spoony range countries.

Printed Agreements and Sustainability

Dear organizations who still haven't found a way around printed paperwork: please wake up; it's 2020. Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

The Cheetah's Race with Extinction

Cheetahs already face a lot of conservation threats, and now there's social media to add to that. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Exploratory Drilling Clearance

Remember the time when the UPA Government put the Minister for Oil and Natural Gas, Veerappa Moily, in charge of the Environment Ministry? Fortunately for the Indian electorate, which still had a patriotic conscience intact in those years, this brazen move came just a year before the General Elections of 2014, just in time to kick the UPA out of power. But another brazen move, this time by a puppet MoEFCC under the NDA, exempting oil and gas firms from seeking environmental clearance for any onshore or offshore exploratory drilling, comes at a juncture where the ruling party's second term has barely begun.

PS- The fish in the cartoon is a Knifetooth Sawfish, endangered because of human interferences along coasts, and perfectly capable of drilling a bureaucrat's head when the electorate fails to do so.

Art Tips by the Signature Spider

Some art tips for me and my fellow artists from the Signature Spider, from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

The Great Hornbill uploads a Profile Picture

From my column with RoundGlass Sustain.

Australia Camel Cull

A question for Australia, where 5000 camels have been culled as part of their climate action strategy, but coal giants like Adani are given a free hand.

Revised Species Names after Australian Bushfires

Some revised species names after the Australian bushfires. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Yankee Doodle Feat the Yangtze Paddlefish

A jingle to remember to Yangtze Paddlefish that was declared extinct last week. China has imposed a 10 year ban on fishing since the declaration, but dams and pollution continue to threaten the Yangtze and its denizens. Recent casualties to extinction prior to the paddlefish have been the Reeves Shad and the Baiji Dolphin, while the Chinese Sturgeonfish and the Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle, both on the brink of extinction, are expected to perish next.

Brahminy Starling

The two sides of a Brahmiy Starling. From my column with RoundGlass Sustain.

Alarm Calls for the Government

As protests against the ruling government heat up across the country, here's a reminder of one of the ways it has tampered with the constitution for years now. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Sumatran Rhinos and Captive Breeding

Inspired by a recent true incident in the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia's Way Kambas National Park, in which a female rhino refused to mate with her mate after he was paired with a second female to boost the population of Sumatran Rhinos. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Pelagic Birding

Don't forget to take your sea-sickness pills before a pelagic birding trip! A gentle reminder from a pair of Skuas from my column with RoundGlass.

A New Decade

A new decade that will make or break the future of the planet. Good morning, 2020.