2025 among warmest years despite relief from 2024 extremes

 

SAM PAUL A., 

KOZHIKODE, The Hindu 4/2/2026

Kerala experienced its 13th warmest year on record in 2025, with the annual mean land surface air temperature reaching 25.82°C, about 0.22°C above the Long Period Average (LPA, 1991–2020).

According to the Statement on Climate for the State of Kerala: 2025, released by the Institute for Climate Change Studies, Kottayam, under the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, temperatures remained higher than normal, though the year was significantly cooler than 2024 – the warmest year on record for the State since observations began in 1901. In 2024, the annual mean temperature was 0.99°C above normal.

Temperature anomaly

 

Unlike 2024, which saw “consistent record-breaking” heat, 2025 was characterised by mixed seasonal temperature patterns. The winter season was notably warmer than average, with a temperature anomaly of +0.63°C, ranking as the fifth warmest winter on record. Other seasons remained close to their respective LPAs.

The State’s annual mean maximum and minimum temperatures were above normal by 0.13°C and 0.31°C, ranking as the 14th and 10th warmest respectively since 1901.

The broader trend points to persistent warming. The report notes that eight of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred during the recent decade (2016–2025), making it the warmest decade on record.

The annual mean temperature during 2011–2020 was 0.35°C above normal, increasing further to 0.56°C during 2016–2025. Over the period from 1901 to 2025, Kerala’s annual mean temperature has risen at a rate of about 1.15°C per 100 years.

Further analysis shows that maximum temperatures have been rising faster than minimum temperatures in the State. Between 1901 and 2025, average maximum temperature increased by 1.77°C per 100 years, compared with a relatively smaller rise of 0.53°C in average minimum temperature. Until the late 1980s, the rise in annual maximum temperatures were generally at a lower rate than minimum temperatures. Thereafter, the trend “reversed”, with maximum temperatures rising at a higher rate than minimum temperatures, leading to higher annual average diurnal temperature variation in recent decades.

Coastal waters

The State’s coastal waters also remained “persistently warm” for most of the year. The annual mean sea surface temperature was 0.47°C above normal in the north and 0.42°C in the south. Although cooler than the record warmth of 2024, the long-term trend indicates “sustained ocean warming”.

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From Mongolia to Malabar: rare bird Isabelline shrike spotted in Kannur

 

ABDUL LATHEEF NAHA, 

MALAPPURAM, The Hindu, 3/2/2026

Birdwatchers in Kannur have sighted an Isabelline shrike, a rare migratory bird believed to have arrived from the Mongolian region during the winter season. This marks the first recorded sighting of the species in Malabar and only the second in Kerala.

The bird was spotted a few days ago at Katampally in Kannur by a team led by Jayan Thomas and Afsar Nayakan.

Recorded only once

The identification took several days, as the Isabelline shrike closely resembles the more commonly seen Brown shrike and had been recorded only once earlier in the State.

District Police Chief (Kannur City) Nidhin Raj and senior birder C. Mohan were among the bird enthusiasts who joined the team in observing the rare visitor.

“We took multiple photographs of the bird and shared them with experts across the country. While many initially identified it as a Brown shrike, our doubts persisted,” said Dr. Thomas.

“We then consulted Graham Walbridge, a British birder and field ornithologist renowned for his expertise in migrant birds and rarities, who confirmed that it was indeed an Isabelline shrike, a rare sight in South India.”

An ophthalmologist by profession, Dr. Thomas said the sighting was a moment of great excitement. “The bird migration season is one of nature’s great wonders and a source of pure joy for birders like me,” he said.

Migrates to Pakistan

Characterised by its sandy-brown plumage, partial eye mask and reddish tail, the Isabelline shrike breeds in Mongolia and China and migrates to north India, Pakistan and Africa during winter.

“It rarely reaches South India. We have been observing the bird for several days and expect it to continue its journey to Africa before returning to Mongolia,” Dr. Thomas said.

The bird derives its name ‘shrike’ from its loud, shrieking call and is also known as the ‘butcher bird’ for its habit of impaling prey on fences or barbed wire.

“We were thrilled to watch it foraging on a caterpillar. It also feeds on large insects, small birds and rodents,” said Dr. Thomas. The term ‘Isabelline’ is believed to originate from Queen Isabella of Spain, referring to an off-white or sandy-brown colour.

The team pointed out that the Katampally wetlands provide an ideal feeding habitat for migratory birds.

“Preserving this wetland is crucial for maintaining the ecological balance,” Dr. Thomas said.

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Court flags delay in forming Ashtamudi management unit

 

THE HINDU BUREAU,

KOCHI, 8/1/2026

The Kerala High Court has held that the member secretary of the State Wetland Authority can function as the CEO of the Ashtamudi Wetland Management Unit that was envisaged to conserve the Ashtamudi wetland.

It further expressed its displeasure over the delay in constituting the management unit. The court was hearing a contempt plea filed by Boris Paul, a lawyer, alleging that the government is yet to comply with the directions issued by the High Court in July 2025.

The court had directed the State government and the State Wetland Authority Kerala (SWAK) to constitute the wetland management unit for the conservation of the wetland within two months of a notification being issued for this. In addition, an integrated management plan for the wetland was to be finalised within six months. The direction came when the court was considering a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting the rampant waste dumping and encroachments in the Ashtamudi wetland, which in turn was causing water pollution and the destruction of mangrove forests. The second biggest wetland in Kerala, the Ashtamudi lake was designated a Ramsar site in 2002. In the PIL, Mr. Paul and Kollam-based Help Foundation had sought a court directive to remove the encroachers and to form an independent monitoring committee to continuously monitor the lake’s conservation measures.

A sanitation survey done by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) around the lake in 2020-2022 revealed serious health risks due to poor waste management. Open defecation around Ashtamudi was contributing to the spread of waterborne diseases, while 18% of households discharged toilet waste directly into the waterbody.

A report of the Committee on Environment of the Kerala Legislative Assembly had in its report submitted to the Assembly on 17, March, 2023 stated that the Ashtamudi wetland faced heavy pollution, encroachments, and siltation. Its area reduced from 61.40 sq. km. to 34 sq. km, while its depth reduced to less than half a metre in many areas. Mangroves and crucial fish-breeding grounds have almost disappeared, and fishers dependent on this wetland were on the verge of losing their livelihoods. Human waste, chemicals and untreated hospital and commercial waste entered the wetland through the Kollam canal.

In 2023, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had imposed a penalty of ₹10 crore on the State government for its failure to protect the Ashtamudi lake and other wetlands.

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Study affirms State’s rich butterfly diversity

 

SARATH BABU GEORGE, 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, The Hindu December 17, 2025

Kerala hosts the highest butterfly diversity among all Indian States along the Western Ghats, with 328 species documented, including 41 species endemic to the Western Ghats, according to a comprehensive new monograph published in ENTOMON, an open access quarterly journal by the Association for Advancement of Entomology.

The researchers of the study ‘The Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera) of Kerala: Status and Distribution’ have reported that the Western Ghats support 337 butterfly species and Kerala accounts for nearly the entire diversity.

The butterfly fauna of the State spans six families, led by Nymphalidae (97 species), Lycaenidae (96 species), and Hesperiidae (82 species), followed by Papilionidae, Pieridae and Riodinidae.

The study, undertaken by a team of researchers led by Kalesh Sadasivan, has also documented 36 migratory butterfly species to highlight the State’s role as a key corridor for seasonal butterfly movements. Notably, 22 species recorded from Kerala are included in the IUCN Red List, though most fall under the ‘Least Concern’ category, while two are listed as ‘Near Threatened.’

The monograph highlights that 70 butterfly species found in Kerala are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Of these, only four species enjoy the highest level of protection under Schedule I, while the majority fall under Schedule II of the Act.

Significant

One of the most significant contributions of the work is the extensive larval host plant checklist which documents over 1,800 feeding records, including over 350 new field observations. Covering nearly 800 plant species, the list represents one of the largest region-specific compilations in India.

Another highlight of the quarterly publication lies in its significant taxonomic clarifications and reinstatements.

The authors present evidence-based revisions affecting several Western Ghats taxa, including the recognition of Argynnis hybrida and A. castetsi as distinct from their previously conflated forms, the clarification of Elymnias caudata as separate from E. hypermnestra undularis, and the separation of Abisara bifasciata suffusa from A. echerius prunosa.

Besides proposing species-level elevation for four Western Ghats butterflies, the monograph describes a new subspecies, Tajuria maculata sureshi ssp. nov., discovered in Kerala and named in honour of distinguished naturalist and wildlife filmmaker Suresh Elamon.

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Conservationists urge Governor to withhold assent to wildlife Bill

 

THE HINDU BUREAU, 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, November 14, 2025

A memorandum by conservationists, legal experts, ex-bureaucrats and former forest officials has urged Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to withhold assent to the contentious Wild Life Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The mass petition spearheaded by Coexistence Collective, a broad coalition of environmental organisations, has raised serious concerns over the Bill’s potential to undermine the State’s wildlife protection laws and disrupt the country’s ecological security.

Among the key points of concern, the proposed law allegedly contradicts provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (WLPA), specifically Section 11, which vests exclusive authority in the Chief Wildlife Warden for decisions on killing, capturing, and translocating wild animals. The proposed amendment would decentralise the power, allowing District Collectors and Chief Conservators of Forests to take decisions that fall outside the statutory framework established by the WLPA.

Without approval

According to the memorandum, the Bill has been introduced without the required approval from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). Since the Bill seeks to amend the Central Act, which is a law under the concurrent list, any State amendment that modifies or deviates from the particular law will have to be scrutinised by the NBWL or its Standing Committee. The absence of the mandatory approval renders the Bill procedurally defective and legally flawed, it stated.

The Bill has been criticised for lacking scientific studies and ecological assessments. Wildlife conflict management requires evidence-based approaches. The proposed legislation is also flagged for granting broader powers to authorise the killing of wild animals in conflict situations. This is seen as a dangerous step away from the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Project Elephant’s guidelines.

Root cause

The State government move is also criticised for ignoring the root cause of human wildlife conflicts, politicising wildlife protection, disregarding judicial precedents, and undermining grassroots-level enforcement.

The memorandum has been endorsed by a distinguished group including Medha Patkar, Maneka Gandhi, Claude Alvaris, V.S. Vijayan, Pandhuranga Hegde, Praveen Bhargava and P.S. Easa. Among the signatories are former senior forest officials including former Chief Wildlife Warden Surendra Kumar, and former Principal Chief Conservators of Forests Prakriti Srivastava and O.P. Kaler. Coexistence Collective members N. Badusha, Veena Maruthoor, Santhosh T.S., T.V. Rajan, M.N. Jayachandran, K.M. Sulaiman and Anwar Sadath addressed a press meet here on Thursday.

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Munnar panchayat dump yard posing threat to wild elephants

 

THE HINDU BUREAU, 

IDUKKI, october 23, 2025

The Munnar panchayat-operated dumping yard at Kallar is posing a threat to wild elephants in the hill station, with wild elephants, especially an elephant locally called Ottakompan, entering the yard to consume plastic-laden vegetable waste.

Vimal Raj, a wildlife photographer tracking the movements of wild elephants in Munnar, says he has found the tusker consuming plastic-filled waste from the yard.

Ready availability

“I have taken pictures of the elephant consuming plastic mixed with vegetable waste from the yard. Due to the ready availability of food, the animal is camping at the yard. Regular consumption of plastic-filled vegetable waste may pose a threat to the life of the elephant,” says Mr. Raj.

For the past two years, wild elephants are regularly seen at the yard in Kallar. Forest officials say the yard is posing a threat to local wildlife. “Wild elephants, wild gaurs, and other animals are regularly seen at the yard,” says an official.

Greens air concerns

R. Mohan, president of the Munnar Environment and Wildlife Society (MEWS), says the yard in Kallar has emerged as a major threat to wild elephants. “Munnar’s popular tusker Padayappa is a regular visitor to the area. For the past two years, the MEWS has repeatedly approached the authorities to find a solution to the issue but to no avail,” he says.

Munnar Range officer S. Biju says the Forest department has directed the Munnar panchayat to fix a solar fence around the plant.

Solar fence demand

“The department has also requested the panchayat to provide a pump-action gun to the department to chase away wild animals from the plant. The panchayat has also been directed to install a real-time camera at the plant to monitor the movements of wild elephants. At a recent meeting called by the Forest Minister in Idukki, the Munnar panchayat secretary agreed to install solar fence soon,” he says.

Munnar panchayat secretary G.P. Udayakumar says the panchayat had allotted ₹8 lakh for setting up a solar fence at the yard. “The works have begun and are expected to be completed soon,” he says.

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Tribal trio revives baby monkey, wins hearts in act of compassion

 

THE HINDU BUREAU, 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, october 22, 2025

In a heart-warming act of compassion that has since gone viral, three tribal women from a Vanasamrakshana Samiti (forest protection committee) in Thiruvananthapuram revived a baby macaque after it was electrocuted near the Kallar Golden Valley forest check-post on Tuesday.

The incident unfolded along the Vithura–Ponmudi road when two young monkeys came into contact with a high-tension power line. One of them fell onto a tree branch, while the other crashed onto the tarred road, unconscious and suffering a wound to its forehead.

Without hesitation, Ponmudi Vanasamrakshana Samiti members Udaya, Sachithra, and Saugandhika, who are all members of the Kani tribal settlement in Mottamoodu, Vithura, rushed to the scene. The trio immediately administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by performing chest compressions in an attempt to revive it. Miraculously, their efforts succeeded.

After administering basic treatment to the wound, they released the revived monkey back into the wild, a moment that has captured widespread attention and praise.

“Even though we have suffered greatly due to wild animals and lost crops to wild boar, elephant, and bear incursions, we never thought of turning our backs on these baby monkeys. Animals do pose a menace to us, yet we have always lived alongside the forest and its creatures,” says Udaya.

‘To instil empathy’

Section forest officer Shaji points out that similar incidents have occurred before, including one two months ago when a beat forest officer administered CPR to a fallen animal. “The members of the Vanasamrakshana Samiti are being encouraged to act as true guardians of the forest by upholding compassion for both humans and wildlife. Such acts serve to instil empathy in others as well,” he says.

The incident has also sparked discussions about the need to provide formal training in first aid and wildlife rescue techniques for members of the Vanasamrakshana Samitis and eco-development committees across the State.

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