Heritage monuments across the world are affected by a variety of physical and biological stresses. Damage to heritage monuments due to insects and pests is growing with increasing anthropogenic pressure and changing climatic conditions. Cave monuments are habitats to microbes, algae, fungi, and insects, and are unique biodiversity sites due to their low temperature, little to no sunlight, and high moisture conditions. This study takes stock of available information on important factors that facilitate the growth of insect pests and degrade heritage monuments. Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO world heritage site in India, is a human marvel, important archaeological and heritage site of immense cultural and historic values. The present paper is an attempt to understand a variety of stresses and factors with a focus on insect pests that have substantially affected Ajanta cave paintings in the last few decades. The study also provides information on available approaches for damage control including the need for an integrated insect pest management for protecting cave monuments against rapid degradation across the country in general and Ajanta caves in particular. A light-based approach is the key highlight of the study that can be used as an effective and efficient approach to protect archaeological sites especially cave paintings from insect pests without disturbing the pollinator diversity and surrounding environment.

Land degradation due to mining is a major concern leading to massive losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The biomonitoring of metals in mine voids can help to keep track of ecosystem health. The present study was carried out in a large mine void that is presently used for fly ash disposal in the Angul district of Odisha, India. For the biomonitoring of the fly ash, composite soil and plant samples (non-edible as well as edible, naturally growing in and around the mine void) were collected seasonally four times between April 2018 and February 2019 from the sampling locations. We monitored the metal uptake (Al, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) and bioaccumulation to assess the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) in the collected plant samples. The Fe concentration was reported to be high in Tragia involucrate (24.82 mg/kg) and Digitaria ciliaris (24.818 mg/kg), while the soil at the study site is also rich in Fe and Al. Higher concentrations of metals in fruit trees such as Psidium guajava and other plants such as Ficus religiosa, Ipomoea batatas, Delonix regia, Digitaria ciliaris, and Cynodon dactylon were reported from nearby areas. Understanding the presence of metals should be a guiding factor for reducing land degradation. Our study stresses the need for corporate commitment to ensure regular biomonitoring and biomonitoring-supported land restoration for degraded mining areas. Sustainable land restoration supported by biomonitoring has the potential to help achieve the global goals of the UN Decade on Restoration: Land Degradation Neutrality (UNCCD) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12, 13, and 15.