Threats to Biodiversity: An Ecocritical Approach to Anuradha Roy's The Folded Earth

This research paper explores the threats to biodiversity through an ecocritical lens, using Anuradha Roy’s The Folded Earth. The novel is set against the backdrop of the Himalayan foothills, an ecologically significant and delicate ecosystem. By examining themes of deforestation, urbanization, wildlife displacement, anthropocentric human activities, it analyses how Roy’s work depicts environmental degradation, and explores in what way human activities are becoming threats to biodiversity. This paper sheds light on how literature can raise awareness on the burning issue and to advocate the preservation of biodiversity. This paper mainly focuses on how The Folded Earth addresses various threats to biodiversity and reflects the ecological imbalances as a result of anthropocentrism. The research attempts to study the novel and environmental reality parallelly to understand how fiction can mirror and magnify the challenges faced by ecosystems in the modern world.