Lakshadweep versus Maldives

Lakshadweep versus Maldives. Cartoon for The Hindu.

Here's hoping that the tourism make-over of Lakshadweep, which is already grappling from mass coral bleaching and crashing fisheries, will have sustainability at its core. 

Bonus marks to each one of you who identifies the bird in the cartoon correctly!

Green Turtle and the Bottle Cap Challenge

Step aside, Jason Statham and Akshay Kumar, a Green Turtle takes the #Bottlecapchallenge! From my column with RoundGlass Sustain. 

Follow the page for some refreshing new articles on wildlife from India and around the world (and also for my weekly comics!)

Sea Turtle Navigation

On sea turtle navigation from my column with Roundglass Sustain. Happy World Turtle Day!

Green Turtle lays eggs on Maldives Runway

A Green Turtle in the Noonu Atoll of the Maldives returned to her nesting site recently, only to find a newly constructed runway. The helpless turtle, whose instinct guides her to the same nesting grounds year after year, was forced to lay her eggs on the runway.

Research in Translation- Green Turtles at Lanyu Island

The first comic in my series with Current Conservation magazine, 'Research in Translation', that aims to re-tell scientific papers in the form of comic strips, deals with a rather complex issue. Green Turtles in Taiwan had been having a relatively peaceful time owing to a cultural taboo of the Yami/Tao indigenous people, who perceived them as evil, and avoided any contact with them. However, recent conservation measures have back-fired, provoking the ire of the Yami community. 

Credits for the paper: Tzu-Ming Liu. 2017. Unexpected threat from conservation to endangered species: Reflections from the front-line staff on sea turtle conservation. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 60:2255-2271.

Prof. Andrea D. Phillott is a sea turtle biologist teaching conservation biology, ecology, and environmental studies at FLAME University in Pune, India.

Are you a conservation biologist looking to simplify your study for the layman? Follow the steps listed here and have your paper converted into a comic. 

(With thanks to Manini Bansal, Nandini Velho and Kartik Shanker)