Gaoli pastoralists in central India assert their traditional natural resource governance against fortress conservation. Ajinkya Shahane, Pandhari Hekade, Kanna K. Siripurapu, and Prafulla Kalokar   The Melghat region of the Satpura Range in central India is renowned for its lush green forests, its tigers, and the Korku Indigenous tribe, who once lived in the forest

A Maasai man tells the story of his splendid and diverse territory of life in Tanzania. WORDS, IMAGES, AND VIDEO Alois Porokwa   I didn’t know why Ndakaji Leyian was so perplexed when, back in 1978, he asked me where I was studying. Ndakaji is a Maasai Elder, now about eighty years of age. In

In Rajasthan, agro-pastoralists defend their sacred landscapes from “green” development. WORDS AND IMAGES Rudrath Avinashi . Orans are sacred landscapes that are conserved by Indigenous and local agropastoral communities in Rajasthan. They mostly encompass arid and semiarid regions of Rajasthan and are now gaining recognition as biodiversity hotspots in the region. Their sacred character stems

Indian nomadic pastoralists sound the alarm against historical injustices and draconian colonial laws. Saurabh Hatkar with Kanna K. Siripurapu . I was born into a Dhangar family, belonging to one of the traditional nomadic pastoralist communities of India. My native place is Hiwarkhed, a village in a hilly, drought-prone area of the Vidarbha region of

A photographer and filmmaker shares a portrait of an Amazigh woman and her story of courage and resilience. WORDS AND IMAGE    İnanç Tekgüç   Hello, I am a photographer, filmmaker, and visual anthropologist from the island of Cyprus. As a part of my craft, I enjoy portraying people of diverse backgrounds. In my most

WORDS Liza Zogib, Divya Venkatesh, Sandra Spissinger, and Concha Salguero ART Almudena Sánchez Sánchez, Ana Trejo Rodríguez, and Inés García Zapata What follows is the story of One Square Meter — a story of how a creative art piece can make a compelling case for conservation in an entirely different way.   DiversEarth is one

Kanna K. Siripurapu The sacredness of the cow in India, especially to the vast majority of Hindus, hardly needs an introduction. According to the Hindu scriptures, all cows are descendants of the mythical cow Kamadhenu (also known as Surabhi). Born of an ocean of milk, Kamadhenu generously provides good things to anyone who asks. Her

Story by Somnath Dadas (Dhangar), age 22, India, with Kanna K. Siripurapu Chasing My Dreams I’m Somnath Dadas (22), a young Dhangar (shepherd) man, and this is my journey of self-discovery, a story of chasing my dreams and returning to my cultural roots. I’m a native of Kothale village of the Indian state of Maharashtra,

Text by Liza Zogib, Divya Venkatesh, Sandra Spissinger, and Concha Salguero . Artwork by Almudena Sánchez Sánchez, Ana Trejo Rodríguez, and Inés García Zapata . What follows is the story of One Square Meter — a story of how a creative art piece can make a compelling case for conservation in an entirely different way.

Text by Liza Zogib, Divya Venkatesh, & Sandra Spissinger Photographs by Stamos Abatis (Greece), Gema Arugaetta (Spain), Wassim Ghozlani (Tunisia), Bariş Koca (Turkey), Asaad Saleh (Lebanon), Younes Tazi (Morocco) . Mobile and nomadic pastoralists the world over share a common language—the language of the landscape, of the changing seasons, of the plants, of their animals.