Bengaluru 's changing relationship with ecology

Foaming lakes, vanishing tree cover, fluctuating biodiversity and increasing heat waves give enough proof that Bengaluru has a strenuous relationship with its ecology. While ecologists usually study places less visibly impacted by humans, Harini Nagendra's decade-long labour of love called 'Nature in the City' involves understanding the ecology of the city's streets, parks, lakes, home gardens, slums and sacred spaces.

The professor of sustainability at Azim Premji University looks at how the importance of nature has changed in people's practices over time and how that impacts the city's future. Ahead of the book's release this Friday, ET's Divya J Shekhar finds interesting excerpts: