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Life

Chronicling nature activism in a coastal corner of India

Intertidal is Yuvan Aves's extraordinary, personal exploration of the rich wildlife offsetting the urbanity of Chennai, India. While its focus is a small strip of Indian coast, its issues are global

By Graeme Green

23 April 2025

Egret Take off at Pallikaranai Marsh, Chennai, India

An egret takes off at Pallikaranai marsh in Chennai, India

Muralidharan Alagar Arts and Photography/Getty Images

Intertidal
Yuvan Aves (Ithaka)

When Yuvan Aves was a boy, a search party had to be sent out after he went missing. It turned out he had been so enthralled, sitting by a pond, watching a small bird of prey leap across the water to catch hovering dragonflies that he had lost track of time.

Decades later, the adult Aves is a naturalist, author, educator and environmental activist. He still spends hours watching wild creatures, and his observations of the natural world and the…

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