Brexit and Bees

The UK has temporarily reversed the ban on bee-killing pesticides containing the neonicotinoid Thiamethoxam, which is banned in the EU. Available as a stock cartoon on my Cartoon Collections page on toons.to/rohanchakravarty . 

Neem, Ants and the Olive Ridley Turtle

Researchers Anuja Vartak and Sumedha Korgaonkar have figured out a novel, eco-friendly way to protect Olive Ridley Turtle nests from ant infestations: neem-based sprays! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. Read more about their work here. 

France and pesticides

France's love affair with pesticides has taken a huge toll on its bird population, with the once common species like the Whitethroat, Ortolan Bunting, Eurasian Skylark and the Meadow Pipit (depicted here) having almost disappeared.

The comic appears in my column with Sunday Mid-day.

The Real Scarecrow

On pesticide from my column with RoundGlass Samsara.

Bees and Us

Why should we worry about bees? Here's why.

From my column with Mid-Day today.

Zika Pesticide results in Bee Genocide

A pesticide spray meant for Zika accidentally resulted in the death of over three million bees in South Carolina recently. This comic appears on my Gocomics page today.

The Smooth-coated Otter

Being a smooth-coated otter is no smooth ride!

Here's my 50th comic strip for my column with the Hindu BLink.

Bees and Pesticides

A cartoon on bees and pesticides that appears on my Gocomics page today.

Sarju and Sajni- Sarus Cranes for WTI

Among the recent, very exciting projects I have been doing for the Wildlife Trust of India was a poster on Sarus Cranes and their role in the ecosystem. Sarus Cranes are the tallest flying birds in the world, and mate for life, and are hence revered in Indian mythology as symbols of marital fidelity. As the poster points out, the cranes face several conservation threats,. The poster is scheduled to be distributed to government schools in Uttar Pradesh, where the Sarus is the state bird. The Hindi translation of the poster by Jugnu Shardeya (I love the closing line!) can be seen here- 

Conservation Threats to Frogs

Frog populations are facing steep declines worldwide. Being amphibious and having porous skins, frogs are susceptible to the most drastic impacts of climate change, which along with the Chytrid Fungus have been reported to be the major threats being faced by them today. Several other factors have also contributed to their extirpation, such as pollution, pesticides and rampant destruction of their rainforest habitats. 

This cartoon appeared last weekend in my fortnightly column in The Hindu's 'Blink.'

(Thanks to Keerthi Krutha for correcting the spelling of Chytridiomycosis on the comic. Keerthi studies frogs and that disease in Western Ghats in India).

Monsanto and the Nobel Prize of Agriculture

If you're a fan of bizarre news, this one's for you.

Monsanto winning the Nobel prize equivalent for agriculture is not just expected, but also very delayed. No single company has done more to make sure that agriculture, the definitive development that made the nomadic humans independent for their food and served to make civilization possible, is now as nature intended- dependent on greater forces of existence, namely large corporations. Their benevolent 'creations' include, amongst other feats of marvel, bio-pesticide producing seeds. These seeds produce chemicals that are so effective that they kill any Insect that tries to feed on them. It is democratic, so that it practices no discrimination. Crop destroying pests, symbiotic life forms and bees that are responsible for pollinating huge percentage of crops- Monsanto ensures they all die. Who could deserve a Nobel more? (Text- Pallavi Talware)

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

GMO, OMG!

Genetically modification of lifeforms can be given many mythological allegories that all say 'Tread with extreme caution.' The technology is Pandora's box. Yet no matter how hard it is tried, only more evil seems to appear out of it. The hope-as it might have existed at time of Mendelian genetics, is long corrupted due to prolonged association with the other evils that have come. Genetically modified food is an even more intimate connection for humans as it enters our systems. Its impact needs to be studied for generations together before some extent of validity can be attributed to it. (Text- Pallavi Talware)

Growing scientific evidence proves that GM crops are a threat to the environment, biodiversity as well as human health. Read Greenpeace's Shivani Shah's article- http://in.news.yahoo.com/blogs/thewatercooler/gm-crops-and-the-food-security-fig-leaf-095615402.html

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.