South Asia

South Asia spans countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and their neighbors. This archive gathers progress stories from the region — covering public health, education, climate adaptation, economic inclusion, and more.

River dolphin, for article on river dolphin declaration

11 countries sign global pact to protect endangered river dolphins

By / / Good News For Humankind

River dolphins just got their first global lifeline: 11 countries have signed the Global Declaration for River Dolphins, a pact aiming to double Asian populations and halt declines across South America by 2030. It’s a meaningful turn for a group of species that has lost nearly three-quarters of its numbers since the 1980s. The hope isn’t abstract — China’s Yangtze finless porpoise population grew 23% over five years under strict protections, and the Indus river dolphin has nearly doubled in two decades. Because dolphins signal the health of the rivers nearly a billion people depend on, their recovery points toward something larger: that coordinated, community-rooted conservation can still pull ecosystems back from the brink.

Children holding the flag of Bangladesh

Bangladesh eliminates visceral leishmaniasis

By / / Good news links

Bangladesh has become the first country globally to be validated for elimination of visceral leishmaniasis, a life-threatening neglected tropical disease. The country achieved the elimination target of less than one case per 10,000 population at the sub-district level in 2017 and has sustained it to date.

Young snow leopard, for article on snow leopard population

Bhutan announces a “milestone achievement” with a 39.5% increase in snow leopard numbers

By / / Good News For Humankind

Bhutan’s snow leopard population has climbed to 134 cats, up from 96 in the previous national survey — a 39.5% jump for a species the IUCN still lists as vulnerable. Researchers confirmed the count using camera traps scattered across high-altitude terrain, identifying individuals by the unique rosette patterns on their coats. Much of the credit goes to Bhutan’s deep commitment to conservation: its constitution requires that at least 60% of the country stay forested forever, and protected areas now cover more than half its land. With fewer than 8,000 snow leopards thought to remain across 12 countries, Bhutan’s quiet success offers a hopeful blueprint for what’s possible when legal protection, intact habitat, and political will come together.

Tiger, for article on Bengal tiger recovery

Sundarbans tiger and prey numbers rise amid Bangladesh conservation efforts

By / / Good News For Humankind

Bengal tigers are quietly reclaiming ground in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest — and the prey recovery driving that rebound is just as striking. Spotted deer, which make up roughly 79% of tigers’ diet here, have grown to more than 141,000, while protected land has more than doubled to cover 52% of Bangladesh’s share of the forest. Community response teams have helped eliminate human-tiger conflict incidents for five years, treating local people as active partners. Poaching pressure remains real, though, and long-term survival will depend on how the forest holds up against rising seas and intensifying storms.

Empty pedestrian-friendly city street with protected bike lanes for an article about Vision Zero traffic fatalities, for article on Bangladesh lithium battery

Bangladesh to begin producing lithium batteries and electric vehicles to cut emissions

By / / Good News For Humankind

Bangladesh’s push to manufacture lithium-ion batteries domestically is a meaningful step toward owning its clean energy future, not just participating in it. The new battery plant is designed to supply the core component for local electric vehicle assembly — a deliberate strategy to build an entire EV industry from the inside out. The real caveat: with fossil fuels dominating Bangladesh’s electricity grid, switching to EVs risks shifting emissions upstream rather than eliminating them. Still, research shows that EVs get cleaner automatically as grids improve — making early investment a bet worth placing.

New Delhi buses, for article on India emissions intensity

India has reduced its emissions rate by 33% over 14 years

By / / Good News For Humankind

India’s emissions intensity dropped 33% between 2005 and 2019, meaning the country now produces far less greenhouse gas for every dollar of economic output. Even better, the pace is picking up: annual reductions doubled to 3% per year in the most recent stretch measured, the fastest on record. That’s happening while the economy keeps growing, driven by a rapid build-out of solar and wind, expanding forest cover, and fresh investment in green hydrogen. For a country of 1.4 billion people, breaking the old link between prosperity and pollution is exactly the kind of shift the world needs to see — proof that climate progress and development can move together, not in opposition.