Keystone Foundation

This paper provides insights into the ecology and conservation of Apis dorsata (Giant Honey Bee) which are integral to the ecology and livelihoods of those living in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR). Rather than directly comparing nest densities across regions and seasons, our study integrates scientific approaches with Indigenous knowledge to examine changes in nest locations, nesting behaviors, and seasonal patterns across three decades. Social surveys indicate that there has been a decline in wild colony populations over the past 10–20 years. This underscores the critical role of sacred sites and protected areas in conserving Apis dorsata populations. This research aims to inform future conservation strategies and policy frameworks, highlighting the value of interdisciplinary approaches in understanding and preserving wild bee species.

Species introduced from elsewhere are known as alien species. They may be introduced as crop plants or ornamental plants, or for timber. A small proportion of introduced species can become invasive thereby spreading at the cost of native species and habitats, negatively affecting biodiversity, food security, and human wellbeing. Despite the growing recognition of the threat of invasive alien species, we still lack information about the distribution and abundance of species widely accepted to be invasive. To address this information gap regarding invasive alien species distributions, we initiated a pilot citizen science effort to create an atlas of invasive plants in the Moyar-Bhavani landscape of the Nilgiri District. We aimed, through this pilot effort, to develop and test user-friendly mapping protocols and develop an interface for citizen scientists to use. Ultimately, we hope to create a model that can be scaled up to large conservation landscapes, such as the Western Ghats, the central Indian Highlands, and the Himalaya.

We report in this paper, the structural and I-V properties of ZnO nano needle-like structure synthesized by Co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) result shows that the ZnO nano needle-like structure with hexagonal phase and no secondary phase was observed. The crystallite size has been calculated by Scherrer’s equation which was found to be in the range 40-60 nm. SEM images reveal that ZnO nano needle-like structure has the length of ~5.5 µm and base of ~5 µm are consistent with the results from SEM investigations. I-V characteristics have been carried out to study the conducting behaviour of the prepared ZnO nano needle-like structures.

Ginalloa andamanica Kurz (Viscaceae), endemic to Andaman Islands is recollected from Little Andaman Island for the first time after a gap of 136 years. A detailed description, line drawing and a distribution map are provided.