




































Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal 7(2): 1-3, July 2024 

EDITORIAL 
 

Understanding Human–Environment Interactions 
Using Multiple Dimensions 
  

Jagdish Krishnaswamy   
 
Welcome to another issue of Ecology, Economy and Society (EES) that covers a 
rich and diverse set of interdisciplinary topics in the broader social-
ecological and environmental fields of interest to scholars, policy makers, 
practitioners, activists and citizens. Through a variety of formats and 
templates such as research articles, commentaries, insights from the field, 
book reviews, and a thematic essay, the current issue of EES covers an 
impressive range of studies and practice work. The topics include climate 
change adaptation, forest management, mining, livelihoods and forests, 
social-ecological history, energy efficiency, solid waste management, 
grasslands, urban wildlife, and the food and nutrition of children. The 
breadth and depth of work covers extensive ground from Indonesia to 
many parts of India.  

We are still in the grip of a severe heat wave in India that has taken a 
terrible toll. How the monsoons will play out this year is not clear, although 
urban flooding has already reared its head. The new government will have 
to take a fresh look at climate change adaptation strategies across cities and 
farms. Mehta’s paper deals with how farmers dependent on rain-fed 
agriculture in semi-arid areas rely on their observations of climate hazards 
rather than perceived changes in climatic patterns. It highlights the need for 
improved credit and access to supporting institutions.  

Forest diversion to non-forest uses continues to stay in the news, from a 
safari park and real estate development in the Aravalli to infrastructure 
projects in the Himalayas and the Nicobar Islands. Underpinning these 

                                                      
 Dean, School of Environment and Sustainability, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, 
No. 197/36, 2nd Main Road, Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru, India 560080; 
jagdish.krishnaswamy@iihs.ac.in   

Copyright © Krishnaswamy 2024. Released under Creative Commons Attribution © 
NonCommercial 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0) by the authors.  

Published by Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE), c/o Institute of Economic 
Growth, University Enclave, North Campus, Delhi 110007.  

ISSN: 2581–6152 (print); 2581–6101 (web).  

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v7i2.1400  

mailto:jagdish.krishnaswamy@iihs.ac.in
https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v7i2.1400


Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal [2] 
 

  

concerns is the controversial Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, 
which amends the original Forest Conservation Act, 1980. Those worried 
about how the new law will or will not impact the rights of forest dwellers 
will find Rajesh Ramakrishnan’s commentary illuminating and insightful. 
Conservationists and activists will continue to track how the new legislation 
will affect both forests and forest-dependent communities in the future.  

Unique ecosystems, which can also release a lot of carbon due to 
degradation and contribute to global warming, receive significant attention 
within climate change science. One such ecosystem is the peat swamps and 
peatlands of SE Asia. Their social-ecological dynamics are best understood 
using a multidimensional and environmental history lens. The open-access 
book, Vulnerability and Transformation of Indonesian Peatlands, edited by 
Mizuno, Kozan, and Gunawan, is reviewed by Mohammad Yunus. Its 
various chapters capture the dynamics, complexity, and tipping points in the 
community’s use of resources, ecosystem services, and biodiversity in 
relation to many transformations, including the threat of oil palm across 
many decades, as well as the potential for restoration after degradation, an 
urgent priority in the coming decades.  

On the continuing theme of distinct social-ecological systems and 
ecosystems, grasslands in India have generally lost ground to land-use and 
land-cover transformations, and they are neglected and less valued 
compared to tree-dominant ecosystems like forests. Bhardwaj et al explore 
the little-known grasslands of central Nicobar Island using vegetation, soils, 
and ethnographic lenses and investigate how they are threatened. We hope 
that through more such scholarship and awareness, we can raise the profile 
of grasslands and pasturelands throughout India.  

Woods, Mines and Minds: Politics of Survival in Jalpaiguri and the Jungle Mahals 
(1860–1970), a monograph by Sahara Ahmed reviewed by Anju O.M. 
Toppo, is another compelling social-environmental history of how 
communities’ access to resources and livelihoods was impacted by state-
sponsored mining and forestry across the colonial and postcolonial periods 
in parts of what is now West Bengal. The review acknowledges the wealth 
of diverse archival materials that Ahmed has drawn from and crafted her 
scholarship.  

Food and nutrition will shape the health of future generations. Insights 
from the field by Gupta and Singh show how the food habits and nutrition 
of school-going children in pastoral and rural communities in Jammu and 
Kashmir are impacted by changes in early morning schedules due to 
schooling. This clashes with the traditional lifestyles and livelihoods of their 
parents, and this constrains their ability to provide home-cooked food to 



[3] Krishnaswamy 

  

children before they leave for school. An awareness of these challenges may 
hopefully lead to meaningful interventions.  

This EES issue also grapples with opportunities and hope for sustainability 
amidst the threat of global environmental change. The review by Singh and 
Bahinipati explores how household investments in energy-saving devices in 
developing economies are informed by implicit discount rates as well as 
how energy efficiency is labelled and conveyed to consumers. Kiran et al. 
tackle the issue of mountains of accumulated solid waste in our cities and 
towns and the potential of biomining for its remediation and reuse. Gonji et 
al. write about the persistence and effective adaptation of Golden Jackals in 
Delhi’s urban forest, which cope with feral dogs and other urban 
challenges. This reminds us of how neglected urban ecology is as a field of 
study in India and how cities need to become part of India’s conservation 
strategy.  

We thank our reviewers for their service to EES and for helping make every 
issue special. We also thank Indian Council for Social Science Research 
(ICSSR) for continuing its support to EES.  


