Biopiracy is a compound word consisting of ‘bio’ which is a short form for ‘biology’ and ‘piracy’. Biopirates are those
individuals and industries/companies accused of one or both of the following acts: (i) the theft, misappropriation of, or

The world is presently facing two energy problems in the medium to long term approach – climate change and peak oil.
Compared to new discoveries, news about depleting oil fields is more in focus now. (Correspondence)

Invasion of lionfish Pterois volitans and other reef fishes in the Vellar estuary, Parangipettai (lat.11°29′N, long. 79°46′E) southeast coast of India, is a cause of concern as it may affect the local fishing communities and the estuarine ecological conditions.

Original Source

For proper management of a wildlife reserve, it is essential to get estimates of occurrence, abundance, density and biomass of herbivores that in turn determine the density of carnivores. The Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT WLS) is a critical conservation region as it is a living bridge between the Eastern and the Western Ghats of southern India.

The present study on the plant nematodes associated with Bt cotton crop growth in northern Karnataka, India covered several aspects like a nematode random survey in Bt cotton-growing areas of the state, nematode community analysis, pathogenicity and biology of a dominant nematode and reaction of Bt cotton cultivars and hybrids to that nematode. A random survey undertaken in the Bt cotton-growing districts of northern Karnataka for the associated nematodes in

Phytolith occluded carbon (PhytOC) which is stable in the soil environment is considered to be an important
fraction of soil organic carbon and substantially contributes to the terrestrial carbon sequestration for long periods (millennia). Phytoliths are silica bodies produced by plants as a result of biomineralization process. During this process, occlusion of carbon also takes place within the phytoliths. Some of the major agricultural crops like barley, maize, rice, sorghum, sugarcane and wheat are known to be prolific producers of phytolith and PhytOC. In India, an estimate

It is well understood that the evolution of the Earth with its plurality of environmental elements is the resultant productmix of geological and biological processes coupled together. Any natural environment reflects an interactive dynamics
of mineralogy–biology–chemistry. Consequently, with temporal evolution, the milieu tends to change. Aquifers in the

Conservation of natural resources by traditional societies across the globe seems to have arisen out of the age-old practice of animistic religious belief systems. Such belief systems are fundamental aspects of people’s culture, which strongly conditions their use of natural resources.

Traditional knowledge (TK) related to the use of natural resources including medicinal plants has been recognized as one of the important assets inherited through generations by the local communities. (Correspondence)

Original Source

Climate change is widely recognized as a significant man-made global environmental change and is also treated as a
threat. The impact of high temperature, erratic precipitation, extreme weather events and rise in sea level is felt at
local, regional and global levels. The importance of forested areas in carbon sequestration is well accepted and documented. Carbon in the form of CO2 is accumulating in the atmosphere at the rate of about 3.5 billion metric tonnes per annum as a result of fossil-fuel combustion. (Correspondence)