August 2010: Third in a series of books based on the Bombay Natural History Society’s (BNHS) incredible collection of journals, art and manuscripts, this is a well-produced, carefully-edited book that would be a valuable addition to anyone’s library.

August 2010: Excellent photography and high production values combine to make this a “must have” book. It serves as an archive of wildlife conservation in Karnataka. The text champions the strategy of using eco-tourism to conserve nature: “The dilemma for us is to reconcile the principles of ecotourism, while being flexible enough to appreciate the fact that standards on ecotourism continue to develop.”

August 2010: The author has tried honestly to document the steady decline of India’s forests and the biodiversity they once harboured. If her narrative sounds confused and contradictory in places, it is because of the conflicting circumstances that dominate India’s natural vistas, not an infirmity of analysis on her part.

June 2010: Various words come to mind when thinking of Bill McKibben: writer, activist, environmentalist, neighbour, family man, humanist, would be among the nouns. Indefatigable, tireless, persistent, dogged, brilliant, humanist, would be among the adjectives. There’s humanist again, noun and adjective. Yes, Bill McKibben, in my book anyway, is above everything else, a humanist.

June 2010: Many decades back Tim Inskipp, one of the great doyens of Indian ornithology, showed me his bibliography of works on birds of the Indian subcontinent and from thereon I was hooked. For many years I corresponded with him, keeping him updated on new material available in India, buying old books when I could find (more importantly afford) them.

April 2010: This is one of the most unique and useful publications of its kind (designed for non-technical people) to have emerged from India’s struggling anti-toxics movement in over two decades. Meticulously researched and very well-written and illustrated, it should be compulsory reading for all families. 

April 2010: In an interview, the Minister of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh said that the former Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi was his talisman, the first and last word as far as the environment is concerned – striking a hopeful note in the heart of conservationists struggling against political apathy.

April 2010: The first Naturenomics book, published in 2007, introduced us to a differentiated and alternative approach to economic development, highlighting the relationship between the economy and ecology. This time Ranjit Barthakur, founder of the idea of Naturenomics, has led a team of green thinkers to collectively put together a series of writings to act as guide posts to life in an era of climate change.

February 2010: Incredible Dibru-Saikhowa tells us about a relatively little-known wilderness encircled by two rivers – the mighty Brahmaputra and Dibru. Well put together, it is a welcome addition to the wildlife archives of India. The Editors, K.K. Dwivedi, A.J.T. Johnsingh, Anwaruddin Choudhury and Kashmira Kakati are to be congratulated for a job well done.

February 2010: In the middle of a beautiful but dark and snowy winter in New York, fighting off the post-Copenhagen blues, I found the perfect antidote in the form of a little book that seems to have all its priorities right. Right Relationship is that rare thing – a book on economics with a heart and a soul.