Author name: Farhan Nazir

Anchar Lake plays a silent but critical role. It absorbs excess water during heavy rainfall. It supports migratory birds. It stabilizes the local climate. Its loss would ripple far beyond its shoreline. At first light, Anchar Lake looks calm.  The water barely ripples, trapped beneath thick mats of weeds and floating waste. Located in the

Unlike fire-adapted ecosystems, most Himalayan forests are ecologically sensitive to repeated burning. Pine forests, in particular, accumulate thick layers of dry needles that act as surface fuel, allowing fires to spread rapidly during dry and windy conditions. Climate variability has further increased the flammability of forests. Forest fires have emerged as one of the most

Sparrow’s disappearance has not been a sudden catastrophe. It is a slow erosion, unfolding over several decades, driven by changes in housing patterns, food availability, agricultural practices, and possibly electromagnetic radiation. What makes this decline particularly worrying is that sparrows are an indicator species — their well-being reflects the health of local ecosystems. When these

With the ecological changes in the lake, the livelihoods of fishermen have also transformed. Their profession remains, their skill remains, their devotion remains, but their days are longer, their searches wider, and their catches lighter. Dal Lake is more than a postcard of Kashmir—it is a living world of memories, livelihoods, and quiet moments that