www.gradeup.co

www.gradeup.co

January 2020

India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019

• According to the India State of Forest Biennial Report (ISFR) 2019, the forest-and-tree cover in India has risen by 5,188 square kilometres in the last two years.

Highlights of the report

• The report revealed that the total tree-and-forest cover in the country includes an increase of 3,976 sq. km (0.56 per cent) of forest cover and 1,212 sq. km (1.29 per cent) of tree cover, compared to the 2017 report.

• The total tree and forest cover is around 25 per cent of the geographical area of the country.

• Karnataka tops the list of states followed by Andhra Pradesh and Kerala in terms of increase in forest cover.

• "Forest cover in the hill districts of the country is 2, 84,006 sq. km, which is 40.30% of the total geographical area of these districts.

• The current assessment shows an increase of 544 sq. km (0.19 per cent) in 140 hill districts of the country.

• Except Assam and Tripura, all states in the region show a decrease in the forest cover.

Year-End Review: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

• Some of the major highlights of the Ministry in the year 2019 are outlined below: Environment: National Clean Air Programme

• It was launched on 10th January 2019 which provides a time-bound national-level strategy for pan India implementation to tackle the increasing air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.

Third Indo-German Environment Forum • The forum was held in New Delhi with the theme "Cleaner Air, Greener Economy" • It focused on challenges, solutions and necessary framework conditions of air

pollution control, waste management and circular economy as well as the implementation of NDCs and SDGs based on Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 of UN respectively.

• India piloted resolutions on two important global environmental issues relating to Single-use Plastics and Sustainable Nitrogen management at the fourth session of United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) which was held in Nairobi.

• UNEA adopted both the resolutions with consensus. India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)

• It was launched in 2019. • India is one of the first countries in the world to develop a comprehensive Cooling

Action plan which has a long term vision to address the cooling requirement across sectors and lists out actions which can help reduce the cooling demand.

• Cooling requirement is cross-sectoral and an essential part for economic growth and is required across different sectors of the economy such as residential and commercial buildings, cold-chain, refrigeration, transport and industries.

#SelfiewithSapling • On World Environment Day, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate

Change launched a people’s campaign #SelfiewithSapling urging all to join and plant a sapling and post the selfie with the sapling on social media.

India Hosts COP14 • India hosted the 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to the UN Convention to Combat

Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019 at Greater Noida.

• During the Conference, the Prime Minister announced: “India would raise its ambition of the total area that would be restored from its land degradation status,

www.gradeup.co

from twenty-one million hectares to twenty-six million hectares between now and 2030”.

Bharat Standard VI

• The country has leapfrogged from Bharat Standard IV to Bharat Standard VI for vehicle emission norms and from 1st April 2020, vehicles will be BS-VI compliant.

• There is also a strong push for use of e-vehicles by introducing multiple policy interventions and incentives.

Forest & Wildlife:

Asiatic Lion Conservation Project

• A dedicated “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” launched by Central Government.

• The Asiatic Lion endemic to Gir landscape of Gujarat is one of the 21 critically endangered species identified by the Ministry for taking up recovery programmes.

‘Not all animals migrate by choice’

• It is a campaign launched to raise awareness on illegal wildlife trade.

• Tigers count in India rise to 2967, in 2018

• On the occasion of International Tiger Day, Prime Minister released the results of the fourth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation - 2018 in New Delhi on July 29th, 2019.

• The count of tigers in India has risen to 2967, in 2018, according to this census.

Total Forest and Tree Cover

• It rises to 24.56 percent of the total geographical area of the Country.

• According to the biennial “India State of Forest Report (ISFR)” the total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.73 million hectare which is 24.56 percent of the geographical area of the country.

• As compared to the assessment of 2017, there is an increase of 5,188 sq. km in the total forest and tree cover of the

• India to increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 175 GW by 2022 and further take it to 450 GW

• During the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) Climate Action Summit at New York Prime Minister announced that India is going to increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 175 GW by 2022, and will further take it to 450 GW.

• The Global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure was also launched.

India at COP 25, Calls upon more countries to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• The 25th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held under the Presidency of Chile in Madrid, Spain in December 2019.

• Article 6 under the Paris Agreement, Enhanced Transparency Framework (Monitoring, Reporting and Verification), Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation related matters.

Other Key initiatives/activities undertaken by the Ministry

• Brazil, South Africa, India and China, BASIC countries held its 28th Ministerial meeting on Climate Change from 14th to 16th August in Sao Paulo, Brazil, wherein India participated.

• The proposal was approved for setting-up of a New Regional Centre of the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development at Ladakh.

“Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan” • The Ministry undertook a mass cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 50 identified

beaches under the “Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan”. • The identified beaches were in 10 coastal States/Union Territories (UTs) namely

Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.

• The beaches were identified after the consultation with the States/UTs.

www.gradeup.co

• The Ministry in November gave Environment Clearance to Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to set up new 2G Ethanol plant at Panipat.

• It is also pertinent to highlight that it was declared that no separate environmental clearance was required to produce additional ethanol from B-heavy molasses as it does not contribute to the pollution load, giving further benefits to farmers and the sugar industry.

Senna Spectabilis: An alien species in NBR

• The Kerala Forest and Wildlife Department is gearing up to adopt comprehensive steps to arrest the rampant growth of invasive alien plants, especially tree species like ‘Senna Spectabilis’, in the forest areas of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR).

• Senna Spectabilis is posing a major threat to the forest areas of the reserve, owing to its quick growth and coppicing character.

About the Invasive Alien Species • These are the plant/animals also referred to as exotic, introduced, foreign, non-

indigenous or non-native, are one that has been introduced by humans intentionally or otherwise through human agency or accidentally from one region to another.

Common invasive species traits include the following: • Fast growth • Rapid reproduction • High dispersal ability • Phenotype plasticity (the ability to alter growth form to suit current conditions) • Tolerance of a wide range of environmental conditions (Ecological competence) • Ability to live off of a wide range of food types • Association with humans • Prior successful invasions

Some of the alien species found in India • African Apple Snail – found in Andaman and Nicobar Island, now spread across

the whole country • Papaya Mealy Bug – massively affected papaya crop in Assam, West Bengal and

Tamil Nadu. • Cotton Mealy Bug – the threat to cotton crops in Deccan • Amazon sailfin catfish – responsible for destroying the fish population in

wetlands • Orange Cup-Coral - It is originated in Indo- East Pacific, now also found in

Andaman and Nicobar Island, Gulf of Kutch, Kerala and Lakshadweep. • Primrose Willow -It is an aquatic plant native to Central and South America.

o It was first seen in Karbi Anglong district of Assam and is now spreading in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and West Bengal.

Climate Change Performance Index 2020

• India for the first time ranks among the top ten in the Climate Change Performance Index with rank 9th.

• In this year’s index, Sweden leads the ranking on rank 4, followed by Denmark (5) and Morocco (6).

• The bottom five in this year’s CCPI are Islamic Republic of Iran (57), Republic of Korea (58), Chinese Taipei (59), Saudi Arabia (60) and the United States (61), rated low or very low across almost all categories.

• The CCPI 2020 results illustrate the main regional differences in climate protection and performance within the 57 evaluated countries and the EU.

• No country performs well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating in the index so once again the first three ranks remain empty.

About Climate Change Performance Index • It is an independent monitoring tool for countries’ climate protection performance.

www.gradeup.co

• It aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables the comparability of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.

• The ranking results are defined by a country’s aggregated performance in 14 indicators within the four categories o GHG Emissions – 40% weighting o Renewable Energy – 20% weighting o Energy Use – 20% weighting o Climate Policy – 20% weighting

Government of India’s efforts: • Air pollution is one of the biggest global environmental challenges of today. • A time-bound national-level strategy for pan India implementation to tackle the

increasing air pollution problem in a comprehensive manner in the form of the National Clean Air Programme was launched last year.

• India is among the few countries in the world where forest cover is consistently increasing.

• The total forest and tree cover rise to over 24 percent of the total geographical area of the Country.

• The government aims to increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 175 GigaWatt by 2022 and further take it to 450 GW.

• Government is taking all possible steps to protect the tiger. • According to the latest tiger census data -2018, the total tiger in India has risen to

around three thousand. • In a major boost towards promoting afforestation and achieving green objectives of

the country, the government handed over 47 thousand crore rupees of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, CAMPA funds to various states in August last year.

Asiatic Lion Census

• Recently Government has decided to use around 8,000-10,000 cameras to carry out the 2020 lion census in Gujarat.

• Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will be perused in the census, scheduled to take place in May 2020.

• The Gujarat forest department conducts lion census every five years in Asiatic Lion Landscape, which includes Gir National Park and Sanctuary.

• The 2015 lion census had counted 523 lions in the state. About Asiatic Lion:

• It is listed as ‘Endangered’ under the IUCN Red List. • It is listed in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, • The African Lion is listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List.

Canine Distemper Virus: • Recently a deadly combination of canine distemper virus and babesiosis, a disease

caused by tick-borne parasites, is killing Asiatic lions in the Gir forest sanctuary in Gujarat.

• Canine distemper is a contagious viral disease that affects a wide variety of animal species, including dogs, coyotes, foxes, pandas and wolves.

• It attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of animals. About Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is situated in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat which was established in 1965. • It is part of the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests Ecoregion • The major perennial rivers of the Gir region are Datardi, Shingoda, Hiran, Shetrunji,

Machhundri, Godavari and Raval.

www.gradeup.co

Assam state zoo first to breed endangered Hargila • The Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden and Aaranyak have jointly attained a

landmark achievement by successfully hatching a pair of Greater Adjutant chicks in an artificial platform within the zoo enclosure; in the first-ever experiment of its kind.

About Hargila • This rarest of storks, the Hargila is currently on the brink of extinction due to habitat

loss -stemming from indiscriminate felling of big trees and dwindling wetlands. • The Endangered Greater Adjutant stork (Leptoptilosdubius) is one of the rarest

species of Storks out of twenty species of Storks in the world. • In India, eight species of residential storks are found, out of which Greater Adjutant

is one of them. Habitat

• Once abundantly distributed in Southeast Asia, this stork is now restricted to a few isolated pockets in Assam and Bihar in India and PrekToal in Cambodia.

Note: • Biologist Dr Purnima Devi Barman, who leads the Greater Adjutant Conservation

Project of Aaranyak, won the Whitley Award or the ‘Green Oscars’ in 2017, for this remarkable community-led conservation work.

Explained: What carbon numbers mean for climate target

• The State of Forest Report (SFR) 2019, while showing an increase in the carbon stock trapped in Indian forests in the last two years.

• India, as part of its contribution to the global fight against climate change, has committed itself to create an “additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent” by 2030.

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) under Paris Agreement

Background of Intended nationally determined contributions

• Intended nationally determined contributions (INDC) are (intended) reductions in greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

• All countries that signed the UNFCCC were asked to publish their INDCs at the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Warsaw, Poland, in November 2013.

• The intended contributions were determined without prejudice to the legal nature of the contributions.

India’s intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) under Paris Agreement

• It would reduce its emissions intensity (emissions per unit of GDP) by 33% to 35% by 2030 compared to 2005.

• It has also promised to ensure that at least 40% of its cumulative electricity generation in 2030 would be done through renewable energy.

• It also creates additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons through additional forest and tree cover.

Global meet on marine ecosystems

• The third international conference on marine ecosystems – challenges and opportunities (MECOS-3) will be held in Kochi, Kerala.

About the conference on marine ecosystems • The Conference is organized by the Marine Biological Association of India. • The conference is aimed at reviewing the concerns involved in the marine ecosystem

and formulating strategies for the better and sustainable utilisation of marine wealth by enhancing livelihood options.

www.gradeup.co

• It will also serve as a platform for discussions on a range of topics, including the impact of the climate crisis on marine ecosystems and unusual warming of the Arabian Sea.

• The conference would focus on the Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations, SDG-14.

• Goal 14: Life Below Water: The world's oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind

Bhitarkanika census • The population of the saltwater or estuarine crocodile has increased in the water

bodies of Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park and its nearby areas in Kendrapara district.

About Bhitarkanika National Park • It is located in the northeast Kendrapara district in Odisha in eastern India. • It was designated on 16 September 1998 and obtained the status of a Ramsar site on

19 August 2002. • The area is also been designated as the second Ramsar site of the State after the

Chilika Lake. • The national park and wildlife sanctuary is inundated by the rivers Brahmani,

Baitarani, Dhamra, Pathsala. • It hosts many mangrove species and is the second-largest mangrove ecosystem in

India. About the Crocodile species

• Odisha is the only state in India having all three species of crocodile— gharial, mugger and saltwater crocodile.

According to IUCN the status of these various species are • Mugger is listed as the Vulnerable • Saltwater Crocodile is listed as the Least concern • Gharial is listed as Critically Endangered.

Great Indian Bustard

• After barely 150 of Great Indian Bustard birds are estimated to be surviving now globally, a major conservation effort launched about four years ago is bringing a ray of hope.

• Last year, nine GIB eggs collected from the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer where a conservation centre has been set up have hatched, and the chicks are reported to be doing well.

• This is the largest number of hatchings reported within a six-month frame by any GIB conservation programme in the world.

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, are working to save the GIB.

About Great Indian Bustard • The scientific name of these birds is Ardeotis nigriceps. • It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent. • Its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. A small population also

occurs in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. • It is the state bird of Rajasthan.

Conservation status: • It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. • It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972, • It is listed in Appendix I of CITES,

www.gradeup.co

2019, the 7th warmest year recorded in country since 1901: IMD • According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 2019 was recorded as the

seventh warmest year since 1901, but the heating was substantially lower than the highest warming observed in 2016,

Highlights of the report • Bihar was the most adversely affected state during the year, which reported about

650 lives due to heavy rain and floods, heatwave, lightning, thunderstorm and hailstorm.

• The report said the year saw eight cyclonic storms formed over the Indian seas. • The Arabian Sea contributed five out of these eight cyclones against the normal of

one per year, which equals the previous record of 1902 for the highest frequency of cyclones over the Arabian Sea.

• The five warmest years on record are 2016 (0.71 degree Celsius), 2009 (0.541 degree Celsius), 2017 (0.539 degree Celsius), 2010 (0.54 degree Celsius) and 2015 (0.42 degree Celsius).

• During the year, annual mean surface air temperature, averaged over the country, was 0.36 degree Celsius above (1981-2010 period) average.

• The annual rainfall in 2019 over the country as a whole was 109 per cent of its long-period average (LPA) value for the period 1961-2010.

Chinese paddlefish

• The Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius), native to the Yangtze, Asia's longest river, and one of the world's largest freshwater species has been declared extinct by Chinese scientists.

• The last confirmed sighting of the fish was in 2003. • The last individuals of the species are thought to have died between 2005 and 2010.

About the Chinese paddlefish

• These were also known as Chinese swordfish which was one of the world’s largest freshwater fish species.

• It inhabits the Yangtze River basin.

• It has been listed on the IUCN’s Red List as critically endangered since 1996.

• However, Scientists have now declared it as an extinct species.

• The Chinese Paddlefish along with American Paddlefish were the only two extant members of a relict lineage that were most diverse and widespread 34-75 million years ago.

About American paddlefish

• It is a native of the Mississippi River.

• The IUCN status of this fish is Vulnerable.

Centre notifies new Wetland Conservation Rules

• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the new Wetland Conservation Rules which prohibit setting up or expansion of industries and disposal of construction and demolition waste within the wetlands.

• The Ministry has said that each state and Union Territory will have to set up an authority that will define strategies for conservation and wise use of wetlands within their jurisdiction.

• The Authority will prepare a list of all wetlands of the State or UT within three months from the date of publication of these rules.

• It will develop a comprehensive list of activities to be regulated and permitted within the notified wetlands and their zone of influence.

• It will also recommend mechanisms for maintenance of ecological character through promotional activities for land within the boundary of notified wetlands.

www.gradeup.co

Note: • A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or

seasonally, and it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem. • The highest number of wetlands are in Uttar Pradesh (16) followed by

Madhya Pradesh (13), Jammu & Kashmir (12), Gujarat (8), Karnataka (7) and West Bengal (6).

Kaziranga records 96 species of wetland birds • According to the second wetland bird count, conducted by officials of the Kaziranga

National Park, the park has 96 species of wetland birds. About Kaziranga National Park

• It is located in Assam. • Brahmaputra, Diphlu, Mora Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri are the major rivers pass

through this national park. • It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. • In the year 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO • It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for the

conservation of avifaunal species. • It houses the world's largest population of Great One-horned Rhinoceros which is

listed as Vulnerable in IUCN list. Taal volcano: A Complex Volcano

• In the Philippines, a volcano called Taal on the island of Luzon; 50 km from Manila, recently erupted, spewing lava on the ground, and ash and smoke into the sky.

About Volcanoes • A volcano is an opening in the earth’s crust through which gases, molten rocks

materials (lava), ash, steam etc. are emitted outward in the course of an eruption. • Volcanic activity is an example of the endogenic process.

Types of Volcanoes • Volcanoes are classified on the basis of nature of eruption and the form developed at

the surface. Complex volcano

• Taal is classified as a “complex” volcano by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

• A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano, is defined as one that consists of a complex of two or more vents, or a volcano that has an associated volcanic dome, either in its crater or on its flanks.

• Examples include Vesuvius, besides Taal. • These volcanoes are commonly experiencing in the USA especially Mt. St.Helens and

Mt. Shasta, Italy, Philippines, Japan Ecuador, and Canada. Shield Volcanoes

• They are the largest of all volcanoes in the world as the lava flows to a far distance. The Hawaiian volcanoes are the most famous examples.

• Shield volcanoes have low slopes and consist almost entirely of frozen lava. • These volcanoes are mostly made up of basalt (less viscous); a type of lava that is very

fluid when erupted. • For this reason, these volcanoes are not steep. • They are of low explosive in general, but if somehow water gets into the vent they

may turn explosive. Cinder Cone Volcanoes:

• Cinders are extrusive igneous rocks. • These are the small volcanoes. • These volcanoes consist almost entirely of loose, grainy cinders and almost no lava. • They have very steep sides and usually have a small crater on top.

Composite Volcanoes: • They are characterized by the eruption of cooler and more viscous lavas than basalt. • These volcanoes often result in explosive eruptions.

www.gradeup.co

• Along with lava, large quantities of pyroclastic materials and ashes find their way to the ground.

• This material accumulates in the vicinity of the vent openings and leading to the formation of layers, and this makes the mount appears as composite volcanoes.

Caldera • These are the most explosive of the earth’s volcanoes. • They are usually so explosive that when they erupt they tend to collapse on

themselves rather than building any tall structure. The collapsed depressions are called calderas.

• Their explosiveness indicates that its magma chamber is large and in close vicinity. • A caldera differs from a crater in such a way that a caldera is a huge depression

caused by collapse after a large-scale eruption, whereas a crater is a small, steep side, volcanic depression bored out by an eruptive plume.

Flood Basalt Provinces • These volcanoes outpour highly fluid lava that flows for long distances. • The Deccan Traps from India, presently covering most of the Maharashtra plateau,

are a much larger flood basalt province. Mid-Ocean Ridge Volcanoes

• These volcanoes occur in the oceanic areas. • There is a system of mid-ocean ridges more than 70,000 km long that stretches

through all the ocean basins. • The central portion of this ridge experiences frequent eruptions.

Diego: The giant tortoise • The Galapagos National Park called off the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative

(GTRI), a captive breeding programme of the National Park as the tortoise population has gone up from 15 to 2,000.

About Galápagos Tortoise • Diego joined the breeding programme in 1976. • A member of the Chelonoidis hoodensis, or the giant tortoise species. • Diego has a “long leathery neck, dull-yellow face and beady eyes”. Fully stretched out,

he extends to about five feet and weighs about 176 pounds. • The long neck is critical for his species’ survival, helping the tortoises crane their neck

to feed on cacti. • It is distributed to seven of the Galápagos Islands, part of Ecuador, located about

1,000 km west of the Ecuadorian mainland. • It has an average life span of in the wild is over 100 years.

Conservation Status • The IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered. • It is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Blue Flag certification

• Recently the Centre issued an Extraordinary Gazette Notification declaring a list of activities and facilities that would be permissible in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas of certain beaches, which have been identified for obtaining the ‘Blue Flag’ certification.

• According to the latest notification, the following activities and facilities would be permitted in the CRZ of the beaches, including Islands, subject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL):

o Portable toilet blocks, change rooms and shower panels; o Greywater treatment plant; o Solid waste management plant; o Solar power plant; o Purified drinking water facility; o Beach access pathways; o Landscaping lighting;

www.gradeup.co

o Seating benches and sit-out umbrellas; o Outdoor play / fitness equipment; o CCTV surveillance and control room; o First aid station; o Cloakroom facility; o Safety watch towers and beach safety equipment; o Beach layout, environment information boards and other signages; o Fencing, preferably vegetative; o Parking facilities; o Entry gate, tourist facilitation centre; and o Other associated facilities or infrastructure, as per requirements of Blue Flag

Certification. • The notification also said that these activities and facilities would be exempt from

prior clearance under the provisions of CRZ Notification, Island Protection Zone Notification and Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications respectively.

About the ‘Blue Flag’ certification • The ‘Blue Flag’ is a certification that can be obtained by a beach, marina, or

sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as an eco-label. • The certification is awarded by the Denmark-based non-profit Foundation for

Environmental Education (FEE) with 33 stringent criteria under four major heads for the beaches:

o Environmental Education and Information o Bathing Water Quality o Environment Management and Conservation and o Safety and Services.

• It is awarded annually to beaches and marinas in FEE member countries. Note: In its July 2019 notification, the Environment Ministry identified the following beaches in India for Blue Flag certification:

1. Shivrajpur (Devbhumi Dwarka, Gujarat) 2. Bhogave (Sindhudurg, Maharashtra) 3. Ghoghla (Diu, Daman and Diu) 4. Miramar (Panjim, Goa) 5. Kasarkod (Karwar, Karnataka) 6. Padubidri (Udupi, Karnataka) 7. Kappad (Kozhikode, Kerala) 8. Eden (Puducherry) 9. Mahabalipuram (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu) 10. Rushikonda (Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh) 11. Golden (Puri, Odisha) 12. Radhanagar (Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar)

Global Risks Report 2020

• The Global Risks Report 2020 has been released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

About the Global Risks Report • It is based on the work of the Global Risk Network; the report describes changes

occurring in the global risks landscape from year to year and identifies global catastrophic risks.

• This is the first time in the report’s 10-year-history that all of the top five issues that are likely to impact the world this year are environmental.

• Top 10 risks by likelihood as per the latest report: o Extreme weather events. o Failure of climate change mitigation and adaption. o Major natural disasters.

www.gradeup.co

o A massive incident of data fraud/theft. o Large scale cyber-attacks. o Man-made environmental damage and disasters. o Large-scale involuntary migration. o Major Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse. o Water crises. o Asset bubbles in a major economy.

Highlights of the report • The “top five global risks in terms of likelihood” in the next 10 years were:

o Extreme weather events with major damage to property, infrastructure and loss of human life.

o Failure of climate-change mitigation and adaptation by governments and businesses.

o Human-made environmental damage and disasters, including environmental crime, such as oil spills and radioactive contamination.

o Major Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse with irreversible consequences for the environment, resulting in severely depleted resources for humankind as well as industries.

o In the previous decade, economic and financial crises were some of the most dangerous.

• The report states that global temperatures are set to rise by 3°C toward the end of this century.

• This is “twice what climate experts have warned is the limit to avoid the most severe economic, social and environmental consequences”.

Centre exempt exploratory drilling from environmental clearance

• The Environment Ministry has exempted oil and gas firms, looking to conduct exploratory drilling, from seeking environmental clearance.

Background • The clearance is for both on-shore and offshore drilling explorations and the process

is an ecologically intensive exercise that involves digging multiple wells and conducting seismic surveys offshore.

• Until today, even exploratory surveys have merited the highest level of environmental scrutiny — called category ‘A’ — that required project proponents to prepare an environmental impact assessment (EIA) plan.

• It is scrutinised by a centrally constituted committee of experts and subjects the proposal to a public hearing involving the local residents of the proposed project site.

• The new amendments demote exploratory projects to the category of ‘B2’. • This means it will be conducted by the States concerned and will not require an

environmental impact assessment. • Developing an offshore or onshore drilling site as a hydrocarbon block will however

continue to merit a “category A” treatment. Irrawaddy dolphins

• Recently 146 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins sighted in Chilika Lake, which boasts of the highest single lagoon population of the aquatic mammal in the world.

• According to last year’s census, the Irrawaddy dolphin population in Chilika was 151. About Irrawaddy Dolphin

• Irrawaddy Dolphin is not a true river dolphin, but an oceanic dolphin that lives in brackish water near coasts, river mouths and in estuaries in South and Southeast Asia.

• It has established subpopulations in freshwater rivers, including the Ganges and the Mekong, as well as the Irrawaddy River from which it takes its name.

• Its habitat range extends from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea and the Philippines. Protection Status

www.gradeup.co

• IUNC has classified it as Endangered in Red Data list. About the Chilika Lake

• It is the largest brackish water lagoon of the country recorded a marginal drop in the population of Irrawaddy dolphins.

• It is spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal.

• It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest brackish water lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef.

• It has been listed as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site. Steppe eagle: A rare migratory eagle

• Recently an endangered steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) has been sighted by a group of birdwatchers in a paddy field at Velagaleru near Vijayawada.

About the Steppe Eagle • The scientific name of this eagle is Aquila nipalensis. • They are listed as Endangered under the IUCN Red List. • They breed in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia during the winter season. • They are also the second-largest migratory eagle species to India.

National Identity • The Steppe Eagle appears on the flag of Kazakhstan. • It is also the National Bird (animal) of Egypt and appears on its flag.

Greenpeace report on Polluted City: 2018

• Greenpeace India has released an annual report on the most polluted cities in India. • The Greenpeace report is based on analysis of particulate matter data across 287

cities. • It has used the Central Pollution Control Board data to rank the most polluted cities

in India. Highlights of the Report

• Jharia and Dhanbad both are in Jharkhand were ranked as the first and second polluted city in the country in 2018.

• These cities are known for their underground coal fires. • Delhi was 10th most polluted city in 2018 an improvement by two ranks as compared

to 2017. • Lunglei in Mizoram was the least polluted city in India followed by Meghalaya’s

Dowki. • The other six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh namely Noida,

Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad and Firozabad. About Greenpeace India

• Greenpeace India is the Indian branch of the global environmental group Greenpeace, a non-profit NGO, with a presence in 55 countries across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

• Greenpeace India has legally registered society in 4 locations with Bengaluru has its headquarters and other branches at Delhi, Chennai, Patna.

• It's permanently headquartered is in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 1t.org

• At the 50th annual edition of World Economic Forum, Davos with the help of USA has announced to join the recently launched 1t.org initiative.

About 1t.org initiative • It is a global initiative to grow, restore and conserve 1 trillion trees around the world -

in a bid to restore biodiversity and help fight climate change. • The initiative aims to unite and promote reforestation efforts worldwide through

fund mobilization and political support.

www.gradeup.co

• org offers innovative technologies, which will serve to connect tens of thousands of small and large groups around the world that are engaged in tree planting and forest restoration.

UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 • It aims to massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems to

fight the climate crisis and enhance food security, water supply and biodiversity. Ophichthus kailashchandrai

• A new snake eel species residing in the Bay of Bengal has been discovered by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) at Gopalpur-on-sea in Odisha.

About the Ophichthus kailashchandrai • It is the eighth species of the Ophichthus genus found on the Indian coast. • These new marine species have been namedOphichthus kailashchandrai to honour

the vast contributions of Dr Kailash Chandra, Director of ZSI, to Indian animal taxonomy.

• The Ophichthus kailashchandrai lives at a depth of around 50 metres in the sea. • It feeds on small fish and crabs.

About Zoological Survey of India • The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), founded in 1916 by Government of India

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. • It is a premier Indian organisation in zoological research and studies to promote the

survey, exploration and research of the fauna in the country. • Its headquarters in Kolkata.

Other key national survey organisations of India. • ZSI (zoology) as well as ASI (archaeology), BSI (botany), FSI (forests), FiSI

(fisheries), GSI (geology), IIEE (ecology), NIO (oceanography), RGCCI (Census of India) and SI (cartography).

Note:

• In 2019, two new species of marine eel, Gymnothorax andamanensesis and Gymnothorax smithi were been discovered by this ZSI centre.

India begins coral restoration in Gulf of Kachchh

• The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with help from Gujarat’s forest department, is attempting for the first time a process to restore coral reefs using bio rock or mineral accretion technology.

About Biorock • A bio rock structure was installed one nautical mile off the Mithapur coast in the Gulf

of Kachchh on January 19. • Biorock is the name given to the substance formed by electro accumulation of

minerals dissolved in seawater on steel structures that are lowered onto the sea bed and are connected to a power source, in this case, solar panels that float on the surface.

Working of bio rock or mineral accretion technology • The technology works by passing a small amount of electrical current through

electrodes in the water. • When a positively charged anode and negatively charged cathode are placed on the

seafloor, with an electric current flowing between them, calcium ions combine with carbonate ions and adhere to the structure (cathode).

• This results in calcium carbonate formation which coral larvae adhere to the CaCO3 and grow quickly.

About Corals Reefs • A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs

are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. • Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.

www.gradeup.co

Types of Coral Reef Formations Scientists generally divide coral reefs into four classes:

1. Fringing reefs o They grow near the coastline around islands and continents. o They are separated from the shore by narrow, shallow lagoons. o Fringing reefs are the most common type of reef that we see.

2. Barrier reefs o They are also parallel the coastline but are separated by deeper, wider

lagoons. o The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest and most famous barrier reef

in the world. 3. Atolls reefs

o Atolls are rings of coral that create protected lagoons and are usually located in the middle of the sea.

o Atolls usually form when islands surrounded by fringing reefs sink into the sea or the sea level rises around them (these islands are often the tops of underwater volcanoes).

o The fringing reefs continue to grow and eventually form circles with lagoons inside.

4. Patch reefs o These are small, isolated reefs that grow up from the open bottom of the

island platform or continental shelf. o They usually occur between fringing reefs and barrier reefs. o They vary greatly in size, and they rarely reach the surface of the water.

Note: • In India, coral reefs are located in 7 regions: Goa coast, Kerala coast, Palk Bay, Gulf of

Kucch, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep Islands, Andaman and Nicobar islands. Australia’s iconic platypus under threat from climate change: study

• Recently in a study, published in the journal Biological Conservation examined the potentially devastating combination of threats to platypus populations in Australia due to fire.

About the Platypus • The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal

endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. • They are the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. • The unique features of the platypus make it an important subject in the study of

evolutionary biology, and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia. • It is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs

instead of giving birth to live young. • Platypuses are also known as venomous mammals as male platypus has a venomous

spur on the inside of its ankle. Conservation Status

• They are listed as Near Threatened under the IUCN Red List. Ten more wetlands in India declared as Ramsar sites

• Union Environment Minister has announced that India has added 10 more wetlands to sites protected by the Ramsar Convention,

• The Ten new ones are: o Nandur Madhameshwar, a first for Maharashtra o Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve and Nangal ( Punjab) o Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar in Uttar

Pradesh.

www.gradeup.co

o The other Ramsar sites are in Rajasthan, Kerala, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.

About Ramsar Convention • The Convention, signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, is one of the oldest

inter-governmental accords for preserving the ecological character of wetlands. • It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands which aims to develop a global

network of wetlands for the conservation of biological diversity and for sustaining human life.

• Wetlands declared as Ramsar sites are protected under strict guidelines of the convention

SC allows Centre to introduce African cheetah to suitable habitat in India

• The Supreme Court has lifted its seven-year stay on a proposal to introduce African cheetahs from Namibia into the Indian habitat on an experimental basis.

• The Court also set up a three-member committee, comprising former Director Wildlife of India Ranjit Singh, Director General of Wildlife of India Dhananjay Mohan and Deputy Inspector General, Wildlife, Ministry of Environment and Forests to guide the NTCA in taking a decision on the issue.

Reasons for Delay? • In May 2012, the top court had stalled the plan to initiate the foreign cheetahs into

the Palpur Kuno sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, fearing that they may come into conflict with a parallel and a much-delayed project to reintroduce lions into the same sanctuary.

• The court was also worried whether the African cheetahs would find the sanctuary a favourable climate as far as an abundance of prey is concerned.

About Cheetah • The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat of the subfamily Felinae that occurs in

North, Southern and East Africa, and a few localities in Iran. • It inhabits a variety of mostly arid habitats like dry forests, scrub forests, and

savannahs. Conservation Status:

• The cheetah has been classified as endangered by the IUCN. • It is listed under Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species). Indian environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev wins 2020 Tyler Prize

• Recently renowned Indian environmental economist and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador Pavan Sukhdev has won the 2020 Tyler Prize.

• He got this award after The Economics of Ecosystems & Biodiversity' TEEB report became a foundation for the Green Economy movement.

About Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement • It is regarded as the "Nobel Prize for the Environment which was established in 1973. • It is the annual award for environmental science, environmental health, and energy. • It is administered by the University of Southern California.

Topic- GS Paper 2–Environment Source- Business Standard

www.gradeup.co

February 2020

Indian gaur • Wildlife researchers recently documented the presence of an Indian gaur in

Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary for the first time in recorded history. About the Indian Gaur

• Gaurs are the world’s largest and tallest wild bovines, with 85% of their current population found in India.

Conservation Status • The Indian Gaur is listed as Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act,

1972. • It is tagged as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s

(IUCN) Red List. About Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary

• Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in the Murud and Roha talukas of Raigad district, Maharashtra.

• It was created in 1986 to preserve some of the coastal woodland ecosystems of the Western Ghats.

World Wetlands Day

• World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2nd February. • The theme for World Wetlands Day 2020 is ‘Wetlands and Biodiversity’.

About the World Wetlands Day • It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971

in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. About the Ramsar convention 1971

• It is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

The Montreux Record • The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of

International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of anthropogenic interference.

• It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List. • Indian sites in the Montreux Record are Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), Loktak

Lake (Manipur). Criteria for identifying Wetlands of International Importance The nine criteria for identifying Wetlands of International Importance Group A of the Criteria. Sites containing representative, rare or unique wetland types Criterion 1: A wetland should be considered internationally famous if it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region. Group B of the Criteria. Sites of international importance for conserving biological diversity Criteria based on species and ecological communities Criterion 2: A wetland should be considered internationally famous if it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities. Criterion 3: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports populations of plant and animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region. Criterion 4: A wetland should be considered internationally famous if it supports plant and animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions. Specific criteria based on waterbirds Criterion 5: A wetland should be considered internationally famous if it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.

www.gradeup.co

Criterion 6: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird. Specific criteria based on fish Criterion 7: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity. Criterion 8: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend. Specific criteria based on other taxa Criterion 9: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent nonavian animal species. Note:

• The UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration 2021–2030 will help drive the conservation and restoration of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and wetlands.

Global Go To Think Tank Index

• The “Global Go To Think Tank Index Report (GGTTI)” has been recently released by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, U.S.

About the Global Go To Think Tank Index • The 'Think Tank Index' evaluates public-policy research analysis and

engagement organisations that generate policy-oriented research, analysis, and advice on domestic and international issues.

• It claims to enable policymakers and the public to make informed decisions on public policy.

Highlights of the index • The list was topped by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace of US,

followed by Belgium's Bruegel and French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).

Indian and Index • India's Observer Research Foundation (ORF) has jumped more than 90

places to 27th position among 176 global think tanks. • Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) was placed at 16th number, which

is a New Delhi-based non-profit performed the best among Global South organisations.

• CSE also received the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2018 in 2019 for 'pioneering work on environment and sustainable development'.

• Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation was the highest-ranked Indian think tank with a political party affiliation in the world, getting a rank of 31st, among 38 such institutions.

Thwaites Glacier

• Recently in a study by NASA had discovered a giant cavity growing at the bottom of the Thwaites Glacier which is roughly two-thirds the area of Manhattan.

About the Thwaites Glacier • Thwaites Glacier is an Antarctic glacier flowing into Pine Island Bay, part of the

Amundsen Sea. • It is often called the Doomsday Glacier because of the risk it faces and poses. • Thwaites Glacier is one of the hardest places to reach on Earth, is responsible for

around 4% of the global sea rise.

www.gradeup.co

• It is also important for Antarctica as it slows the ice behind it from freely flowing into the ocean.

Pangolins

• Recently scientists investigating the animal origins of the novel corona virus said pangolins could be responsible for the spread of the virus to humans in China.

About the Pangolins

• Pangolins are considered to be one of the most trafficked animals in the world. • It is classified as a critically endangered species as per IUCN Red List.

Characteristics

• Pangolins have large, protective keratin scales covering their skin. • They are the only known mammals with this feature. • They live in hollow trees or burrows, depending on the species. • Pangolins are a nocturnal animal.

Note:

• World Pangolin Day: The third Saturday of February is observed as the World Pangolin Day.

UN Conference on Migratory Birds COP13 • The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the conservation of

migratory species of wild animals (CMS) is going to be hosted by India at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

• The theme of this year CMS (COP13) is ‘Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home’.

About the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

• It is also known as the Bonn Convention which is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environmental Programme.

• It acts as a framework convention and encourages its States Parties to conclude global or regional agreements.

• It was signed in 1979 in Bonn, Germany, and entered into force in 1983. • It provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory

animals and their habitats. • Under this convention, migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on

Appendix I. • Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-

operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention. India and the Convention

• India has been a Party to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species since 1983.

• The Conference of Parties (COP) is the decision-making organ of this convention. • India has also signed non legally binding MOU with CMS on the conservation and

management of Siberian Cranes (1998), Marine Turtles (2007), Dugongs (2008) and Raptors (2016).

• India is a temporary home to several migratory animals and birds. some important among these include Amur Falcons, Bar-headed Geese, Black-necked cranes, Marine turtles, Dugongs, Humpbacked Whales, etc.

• India has also launched the National Action Plan for the conservation of migratory species under the Central Asian Flyway.

About the Migratory species • Migratory species are those animals that move from one habitat to another during

different times of the year, due to various factors such as food, sunlight, temperature, climate, etc.

• A migratory route can involve nesting and also requires the availability of habitats before and after each migration.

www.gradeup.co

The ‘Future of Earth, 2020’ report • South Asia Future Earth Regional Office has released the report ‘The Future of Earth,

2020. Highlights of the Report

• The report was prepared with the aim of reducing carbon footprint and halting global warming below 2 degree Celsius by 2050.

• The report has identified five global risks that have the potential to impact and amplify one another in ways that may cascade to create a global systemic crisis.

These are 1. Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation 2. extreme weather events 3. major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse 4. food crises 5. water crises • Scientists say extreme heatwaves can accelerate global warming by releasing large

amounts of stored carbon from affected ecosystems, and at the same time intensify water crises and/ or food scarcity.

• The loss of biodiversity also weakens the capacity of natural and agricultural systems to cope with climate extremes, increasing our vulnerability to food crises.

Cyrtodactylus Urbanus: a new species of lizard

• Guwahati, the largest city in the Northeast, has yielded a new species of lizard – the urban bent-toed gecko.

About the Cyrtodactylus Urbanus • It is markedly different in molecular structure, blotch and colour from the

Cyrtodactylus guwahatiensis, or the Guwahati bent-toed gecko, that was discovered two years ago.

• All bent-toed geckos in Northeast India were thought to be a single species, the Cyrtodactylus khasiensis found primarily in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.

• Guwahati bent-toed gecko, the first of the two Cyrtodactylus endemic to the areas covered by the city and the fourth from Assam.

• It was also the 12th recorded gecko from the Northeast.

The State of India’s Birds 2020 Report

• The State of India’s Birds 2020, a new scientific report jointly released by 10 organisations.

• The SoIB was produced using a base of 867 species and analysed with the help of data uploaded by birdwatchers to the online platform.

Highlights of the Report • Over a fifth of India’s bird diversity, ranging from the Short-toed Snake Eagle to the

Sirkeer Malkoha, has suffered strong long-term declines over a 25-year period. • The more recent annual trends point to a drastic 80% loss among several common

birds, • Of 101 species categorised as being of High Conservation Concern such as the

Rufous-fronted Prinia, Nilgiri Thrush, Nilgiri Pipit and Indian vulture were confirmed as suffering a current decline.

• Among widely known species, the common sparrow, long seen as declining in urban spaces, has a stable population overall but they have become rare in cities and urban areas.

• Migratory shorebirds, along with gulls and terns, seem to have declined the most among waterbirds.

Reason for diminishing population 1. face a growing threat from loss of habitat due to human activity 2. the widespread presence of toxins 3. Pesticides

www.gradeup.co

4. hunting and trapping for the pet trade Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

• Kerala will soon get a Tiger rehabilitation centre, a safari park in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

About the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary • It is an animal sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala, India which is extended to in four

ranges namely Sulthan Bathery, Muthanga, Kurichiat and Tholpetty. • Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala after

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. • It is bounded by protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka in

the northeast, and on the southeast by Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu. • It is part of the Deccan Plateau and the vegetation is predominantly of the south

Indian moist deciduous teak forests. • The wildlife sanctuary also comes under Protect Elephant.

Note: • The sanctuary is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Mukurthi National Park

• Tamil Nadu state forest Department has recently started the construction of fire lines’ or ‘fire breaks’, in the Mukurthi National Park ahead of summer and peak fire season.

• Fireline is an artificially formed break in foliage or forest cover to control the spread of wildfires by limiting the amount of combustible vegetation available.

About Mukurthi National Park: • It is located in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats mountain

range which is also a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. • The main reason behind establishing a national park in the place was to protect the

Nilgiri Tahr which is a Keystone species. • The park also has the distinction of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it

is part of the Western Ghats. Acceptance of India’s Proposal

• India's proposal to include Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of UN Convention on migratory species was unanimously accepted at the ongoing 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species in Gandhinagar.

Asian Elephant • The Government of India has declared Indian elephant as National Heritage Animal. • The Indian elephant is also provided with the highest degree of legal protection by

listing it in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. • India's proposal to include mainland Asian elephant in Appendix I of @Bonn

Convention will promote conservation of Asian Elephants in its natural habitat as well as to reduce human-elephant

Great Indian Bustard • The Great Indian Bustard, an iconic, critically endangered and conservation

dependent species. • Inclusion of the species in Appendix I of CMS will aide in transboundary

conservation efforts facilitated by International conservation bodies and existing international laws and agreement.

• The Great Indian Bustard is a Critically Endangered species with a small population of about 100-150 individuals that are primarily restricted to the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India.

Bengal Florican • The Bengal Florican an iconic, critically endangered species of topmost conservation

priority, exhibits transboundary movements.

www.gradeup.co

• Inclusion of the species in Appendix I of CMS will aid in transboundary conservation efforts facilitated by International conservation bodies and existing international laws and agreement.

Note: • The CMS Conference underway in Gujarat has kicked off the Super Year for

Environment, which will include a UN Summit in September and culminate in the UN Biodiversity Conference at the end of 2020.

Kawal Tiger Reserve

• The wild animals in Kawal Tiger Reserve will not face water scarcity this summer as the Kadem project canal running across the core area will have water due to which no case of man-animal conflict would be seen.

About the Kawal Tiger Reserve • It is located at Jannaram Mandal of Mancherial District in the Telangana State of

India. • Union Government has declared Kawal wildlife sanctuary as Tiger Reserve in

2012. • The reserve is the oldest sanctuary in the northern Telangana region of the

state. • The Tiger Reserve covers areas in Adilabad, Kumaran Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial

and Nirmal districts, which had once formed undivided Adilabad.

Pakke Tiger Reserve

• Arunachal Pradesh Government has recently cleared the 692.7 km highway through the Pakke Tiger Reserve to build the East-West Industrial Corridor.

About Pakke Tiger Reserve • Pakke Tiger Reserve also known as Pakhui Tiger Reserve is a Project Tiger reserve

located in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. • The tiger reserve is surrounded by the Nameri National Park of Assam in the south

and south-east, Pakke River to the east and Bhareli or Kameng River to the west. • It includes semi-evergreen, evergreen forest and Eastern Himalayan broadleaf

forests. • This Reserve has won India Biodiversity Award 2016 in the category of ‘Conservation

of threatened species’ for its Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme. About East-West Industrial Corridor

• The East-West Industrial Corridor Highway is a 692 kms long road proposed to be built in the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh.

• The highway aims to connect Bhairabhunda in West Kameng district and Manmao in Changlang district along Arunachal Pradesh’s border with Assam.

World Air Quality Report 2019

• The 2019 World Air Quality Report was released by the pollution tracker IQAir and Greenpeace.

About the Report • The report ranking is based on a comparison of PM2.5 levels. • PM 2.5 includes pollutants such as sulfate, nitrates and black carbon. • Exposure to such particles has been linked to lung and heart disorders and can

impair cognitive and immune functions. Highlights of the Report

www.gradeup.co

Global Scenario

• Average PM2.5 pollution is highest in Bangladesh, followed by Pakistan, while India is at number 5.

• China is at number 11 in the list of countries affected by pollution, with population factored in.

• Chinese cities achieved a 9% average decrease in PM2.5 levels in 2019. • According to it, around 90% of the global population is breathing unsafe.

India and Report • India accounts for two-thirds of the world’s most polluted cities.

• 21 of the most polluted 30 cities • 14 of the highest 20 • 6 of the highest 10

• The report also points India's launch of the country's first National Clean Air Programme which aims to reduce PM 2.5 and the bigger particulate PM 10 air pollution in 102 cities by 20-30% by 2024 compared to 2017 levels.

Strawberry finch

• The strawberry finch, a beautiful bird rarely seen in south Kerala, has been spotted in the vicinity of Akkulam Lake.

About Strawberry finch • It is also known as red avadavat (Amandava amandava), red munia which is a

sparrow-sized bird of the family Estrildidae. • It is found in the open fields and grasslands of tropical Asia and is popular as a caged

bird. • The bird is listed as Least Concern as per IUCN Red List.

Gahirmatha marine sanctuary

• Recently according to the annual census 2020, it is found that the number of dolphins at Odisha's Gahirmatha marine sanctuary has nearly halved over a year, pushing down the state's overall count.

About the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary • Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is a marine wildlife sanctuary located in Odisha. • It is the world's largest nesting beach for Olive Ridley Turtles which is Least Concern

as per IUCN Red List. • It extends from Dhamra River mouth in the north to Brahmani river mouth in the

south.

www.gradeup.co

About the Dolphin Gangetic Dolphin

• The Ganges river dolphin is found in parts of the Ganges-Meghna-Brahmaputra and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

• The Gangetic river dolphin is India's national aquatic animal and is popularly known as ‘Susu’.

Protection Status • It is listed as Endangered as per IUCN red list. • It is listed on CITES Appendix-I. • It is classified under Schedule 1, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 providing absolute

protection as offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties. Irrawaddy dolphins:

• The Irrawaddy dolphin found in Ayeyarwady (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) the Mekong River, Chilka Lake (India).

• Its IUCN status is Endangered. Humpback dolphins

• It is found at the coast of Africa and India south to Australia. • Its IUCN status is Endangered.

Note: • Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district is

India’s only sanctuary for its national aquatic animal. • The sea mammal is also included in Appendix I of the Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species and in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species.

www.gradeup.co

March 2020

India is host to 457 migratory fauna, shows latest CMS list • With new additions to the wildlife list put out by the Convention on the Conservation

of Migratory Species (CMS), scientists say that the total number of migratory fauna from India comes to 457 species.

• Birds comprise 83% (380 species) of this figure. • The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) had for the first time compiled the list of

migratory species of India under the CMS before the Conference of Parties (COP 13) held in Gujarat recently.

• It had put the number at 451 in which six species were added later. • They are the Asian elephant, great Indian bustard, Bengal florican, oceanic white-tip

shark, urial and smooth hammerhead shark. Migratory Mammals:

• The estimate of 44 migratory mammal species in India has risen to 46 after COP 13. • The Asian elephant was added to Appendix I and the urial to Appendix II. • The largest group of mammals is bats belonging to the family Vespertilionidae. • Dolphins are the second-highest group of mammals with nine migratory species of

dolphins listed. Migratory Birds

• The bird family Muscicapidae has the highest number of migratory species. • The next highest group of migratory birds is raptors or birds of prey, such as eagles,

owls, vultures and kites which are from the family Accipitridae. • The country has three flyways (flight paths used by birds): the Central Asian flyway,

East Asian flyway and East Asian–Australasian Flyway. • In India, their migratory species number 41, followed by ducks (38) belonging to the

family Anatidae. Migratory Fish

• The total number of migratory fish species from India under CMS now stands at 24. • The oceanic white-tip shark and smooth hammerhead shark are the new additions to

the list. Migratory Reptiles

• Seven reptiles, which include five species of turtles and the Indian gharial and saltwater crocodile, are among the CMS species found in India.

• There was no addition to the reptiles list. Eurasian otter found in Chilika Lake

• Researchers conducting a study in Odisha’s Chilika Lake have found the presence of fishing cats and Smooth-coated otters.

About Eurasian otter • The Eurasian Otter (lutralutra) is also known as European otter, Eurasian river otter,

common otter and Old world otter. • It is a semi-aquatic mammal which is commonly native to Eurasia. • It has a diet mainly of fish and is strongly territorial.

Conservation Status • It is Nearly Threatened as per IUCN Red List. • It is protected by the Wildlife Protection Act (1972). • There are three species of otters found in India are protected under the Wildlife

Protection Act and are listed in CITES Appendices. These are

• Eurasian Otter – CITES Appendix I; WPA Schedule II • Smooth Coated Otter – CITES Appendix II; Wildlife Protection Act Schedule II • Clawless Otter – CITES Appendix II; Wildlife Protection Act Schedule I

Distribution • The species is found mainly across Europe, northern Africa and other south Asian

countries.

www.gradeup.co

• In India, it is distributed in the Himalayan foothills, southern Western Ghats and Central India.

Chilka Lake: • It is spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha, at the mouth of the

Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal. • It is Asia's largest brackish water lake. • In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international

importance under the Ramsar Convention. Black carbon levels spike at Himalayan glaciers

• Recently a study conducted by the scientists at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) found that Black carbon concentrations near the Gangotri glacier rose 400 times in summer.

Reasons • It is due to forest fires and stubble burning from agricultural waste, and triggered

glacial melt. About Black carbon

• Black Carbon results from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. • The fine particles absorb light and about a million times more energy than carbon

dioxide. • Black carbon is short-lived and remains in the atmosphere only for days to weeks

before it descends as rain or snow. • The concentration varied from a minimum of 0.01g/cubic metre in winter to

4.62g/cubic metre during summer. Note:

• India is the second-largest emitter of black carbon in the world. World Wildlife Day

• The World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year on 3rd March under the theme “Sustaining all life on Earth”.

Background • The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 68th session proclaimed 3

March – the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973 – as UN World Wildlife Day.

About the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

• It is also known as Washington Convention which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

• It entered into force in 1975. CITES Appendices: Appendix I

• It includes species threatened with extinction. • Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix II • It includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade

must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival. Appendix III

• It contains species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade.

Global Coalition for Biodiversity • The European Commission (EC) launched the ‘United for Biodiversity’ on the

occasion of World Wildlife Day 3rd • The coalition calls on all world zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, science and natural

history museums to join forces and boost public awareness about the nature crisis, ahead of the crucial CoP 15 in Kunming, China in October 2020.

www.gradeup.co

• The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) supports the coalition and the call for zoos, aquariums, national parks, botanic gardens, science and natural history museums around the world to now intensify their communication actions about biodiversity.

About World Association of Zoos and Aquariums • The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the global alliance of

regional associations, national federations, zoos and aquariums, dedicated to the care and conservation of animals and their habitats around the world.

About the European Commission • It is an institution of the European Union (EU) that was founded on 1 January 1958. • It is responsible for implementing decisions, proposing legislation, upholding EU

treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the European Union. • It’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium

Swamp wallaby

• Researchers reported that the swamp wallaby, a marsupial related to the kangaroo is pregnant throughout its adult life.

• It typically conceives a new embryo days before delivering the newborn from its previous pregnancy.

About the Swamp wallaby • It is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. • It is likely the only mammal pregnant and lactating all lifelong. • It is listed as Least Concern as per IUCN Red List.

How it is different from Kangaroo? • In kangaroos, the new embryo is conceived a day or two after the previous birth. • In the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor), the new conception happens one or two

days before the previous joey is delivered. Red Panda

• According to the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC study it has been found that there are fewer hunters of Red Panda across its Himalayan habitat due to people are losing interest in animal products.

About Red Panda • It is a small reddish-brown arboreal mammal which is also the state animal of

Sikkim. Conservation Status

• It is listed as Endangered in the IUCN red list of Threatened Species. • It is under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. • It is found in the forests of India, Nepal, Bhutan and the northern mountains of

Myanmar and southern China. About TRAFFIC

• It is a leading non-governmental organisation working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

• It is a joint program of World Wildlife Fund and IUCN – the International Union for Conservation of Nature created in 1976.

• TRAFFIC focuses on leveraging resources, expertise and awareness of the latest globally urgent species trade issues such as tiger parts, elephant ivory and rhino horn.

Other Institution related to Conservation of Wildlife About South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network

• South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) is an inter-governmental wildlife law enforcement support body of South Asian countries.

• These countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

• It was officially launched in January 2011 in Paro Bhutan.

www.gradeup.co

• It promotes regional cooperation to combat wildlife crime in South Asia. • SAWEN operates its activities from the Secretariat based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Sustainable Development Goals: 36 changes in global indicator framework

• Recently thirty-six major changes to the global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were approved and adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC). These changes took place at its 51st session that concluded on March 6, 2020, in New York.

About the Changes • These changes are based on the ‘2020 comprehensive review’ conducted by the

UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) in which eight indicators added and six deleted.

• The revised global framework will have 231 indicators, approximately the same number as in the original framework.

• The global indicator framework was adopted by the UN General Assembly on July 6, 2017.

Eight additional indicators were added across six SDG goals, i.e. SDG 2, SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 10, SDG 13 and SDG 16. These include:

• Indicator 13.2.2 on the total greenhouse gas emissions per year for the SDG target 13.2 to integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

• Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15-49 years, by pregnancy status (percentage) under the target 2.2 to end forms of malnutrition by 2030.

• A new indicator of reducing the percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms has been added under the Global health goal (SDG 3).

• Indicator 10.7.3 on the number of migrants killed while attempting to cross maritime, land and air borders.

• Indicator 10.7.4 on the proportion of the population who are refugees, by country of origin.

Six indicators across six SDG goals — 1, 4, 8, 11, 13 and 17 — have been deleted. These include:

• Indicator 1.a.1 on the proportion of domestically generated resources allocated by the government directly to poverty reduction programs.

• Indicator 4.2.1 on the proportion of children under five years of age who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex.

• The portion of the indicator that measures progress for children between 0 and 23 months of age, which is currently in tier III was proposed for deletion by the IAEG.

• Under the SDG goal on combating climate change o the indicator 13.3.2, quantifying the number of countries that have

communicated the strengthening of capacity-building for implementing adaptation, mitigation and technology transfer, and development actions have been deleted.

World Climate and Security report 2020

• The International Military Council on Climate and Security has recently released the World Climate and Security report 2020.

About the Report • The report is written from the vantage point of international military and security

experts, providing a global overview of the security risks of a changing climate, and opportunities for addressing them.

• It recommends “climate-proofing” international security – including infrastructure, institutions and policies, as well as major emissions reductions to avoid significant-to-catastrophic security threats.

Highlights of the Report • The reports contribute “Key Risks and Opportunities”

Risks

www.gradeup.co

• Water insecurity a global security risk: Climate change-exacerbated water insecurity is already a significant driver of instability and will pose a significant or higher risk to global security by 2030.

Opportunities • National, regional, and international security institutions and militaries around the

world should advance robust climate resilience strategies. • The international community should embrace a Responsibility to Prepare and

Prevent framework, given unprecedented foresight capabilities regarding the unprecedented risks of climate change.

• This includes ensuring all levels of government and civil society, including all national, regional and international security institutions, are prepared for the security implications of climate change.

About the International Military Council on Climate and Security • It is a group of senior military leaders, security experts, and security institutions

across the globe, currently from 32 countries, dedicated to anticipating, analyzing, and addressing the security risks of a changing climate.

• These organizations form the Expert Group of the IMCCS. • The group was founded and is administered by the Center for Climate and Security

(CCS), an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR), in partnership with the: • French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) • The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) • The Planetary Security Initiative of the Netherlands Institute of International

Relations (Clingendael). Methanotrophic bacteria

• Scientists at Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune have isolated 45 different strains of methanotrophic bacteria which have been found to be capable of reducing methane emissions from rice plants.

Possible impact • Methanotrophs metabolize and convert methane into carbon-di-oxide. • They can effectively reduce the emission of methane, which is the second most

important greenhouse gas (GHG) and 26 times more potent as compared to carbon-di-oxide.

• In rice fields, methanotrophs are active near the roots or soil-water interfaces. • Rice fields contribute to nearly 10% of global methane emissions. • Besides methane mitigation studies, methanotrophs can also be used in methane

value addition (valorization) studies. • Bio-methane generated from waste can be used by the methanotrophs and can be

converted to value-added products such as single-cell proteins, carotenoids, biodiesel, and so on.

White Giraffe

• Recently, Poachers have killed two extremely rare white giraffes in northeast Kenya leaving just one such animal in the world.

About Giraffe:

• Giraffes are most often found in savanna/woodland habitats and range widely throughout Africa.

www.gradeup.co

Conservation Status • The IUCN Status is: Vulnerable • CITES: Appendix II

Note: The white appearance of the giraffe is due to leucism, a genetic condition that causes skin cells to have no pigmentation.

• The condition leucism, which leads to the white colour of these giraffes, is different from albinism, because of which animals lack melanin throughout their body.

South India’s vultures

• The South India Vulture Conservation Group has come up with a blueprint for the conservation of vulture population in five South Indian States.

Conservation Strategy

• Need to restrict the availability of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID) for veterinary use.

• NSAIDs had wiped out about 90 % of vulture population and disposal of cattle waste in forest peripheries was still rampant.

• To create a vulture safe zone in each south Indian State. Conservation Status of Indian Vultures

• White-backed vulture, long-billed vulture, slender-billed vulture and red-headed vulture (out of nine vulture species in India) are listed as critically endangered by the IUCN and also listed in Annexure 1 of the Convention on Migratory Species framework.

• The entire vulture is in the Schedule-1 of the Wildlife Protection Act. • Except for slender-billed vulture, the three other critically endangered species are

found in the Moyar valley in the Nilgiris. Long-tailed macaques Why in news?

• According to a study from IISER Mohali, the Long-tailed macaques have shown rich tool-use behaviour to simplify their efforts. The research was carried out in Great Nicobar Island.

Research findings

• It was observed that males were more frequently involved in tool use than females. The crucial difference lies between the tool and object usage. A tool helps the user for better outcomes.

Significance of research

• Though the long-tailed macaques are farther from human in relatedness than chimpanzees or apes. Yet, the study could offer a perspective on evolutionary origins of tool use behaviour.

About the Long-tailed macaques • The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) are endemic to the Western Ghats of India. • It is a diurnal animal meaning it is active exclusively in daylight hours.

www.gradeup.co

Conservation status:

• It is listed as Endangered by IUCN. • Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 • It is also protected under Appendix I of CITES

About Great Nicobar

• Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar Islands of India. It is

located in the north of Sumatra (one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia). • The island was severely affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami in the year 2004. • The island is inhabited by Shompen tribe, the indigenous people of the Great

Nicobar Island. • Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve is also located in the Indira Point, the

southernmost point of India.

• The southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces is also established here. It

is named as ‘INS Baaz’ naval air station. It is located near Campbell Bay under the joint services of Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Indian Armed Forces.

www.gradeup.co

World Water Day 2020 Why in news?

• Every year the World Water Day is observed on March 22 by the United Nations. This year the theme was ‘Water and Climate Change’ and how the two are inextricably linked.

Campaign highlights • The campaign shows how our use of water will help reduce floods, droughts, scarcity

and pollution, and will help fight climate change itself. • By adapting to the water effects of climate change, we will protect health and save

lives. And, by using water more efficiently, we will reduce greenhouse gases. Key messages by the UN:

• The UN suggested to keep water at the core of climate policymakers and incorporated it in the action plans.

• Water can help fight climate change. There are sustainable, affordable and scalable water and sanitation solutions.

• Everyone has a role to play. In our daily lives, there are surprisingly easy steps we can all take to address climate change.

Background • In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development took

place in Rio de Janeiro. • That same year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution by which March

22 of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting 1993.

The UK confirmed as the first co-chair of India-led global climate initiative Why in news?

• The UK has been confirmed as the first co-chair of the governing council of India-led global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

About the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

• It is a voluntary international coalition of countries, the United Nations (UN) agencies, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and academic institutions.

• It was launched at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in New York, the US in 2019.

• The secretariat is based in New Delhi, India.

• CDRI aims to bring together the largest number of state heads to generate commitments to combat the effects of climate change and resulting disasters.

www.gradeup.co

Related Highlights

• The memorandum and regulations of the CDRI society were prepared by the National Disaster Management Authority.

• India has announced 480 crores to the CDRI for the next five years.

• It will help fund technical assistance and research projects, setting up offices and covering recurring expenditures under the initiative.

Governing Council

• The Governing Council is the highest policy-making body of the CDRI.

• It is co-chaired by India and a representative of another national government nominated by rotation every two years.

• The UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, represented the UK at the first council meeting.

• The United Kingdom will host COP26 in Glasgow in November 2020. Hubballi-Ankola rail line Why in the news?

• The Karnataka state government has recently cleared the proposed Hubballi-Ankola railway line.

• The railway line passes through the dense forests between two major protected areas — Kali Tiger Reserve and Bedthi Conservation Reserve which are part of Western Ghats.

www.gradeup.co

About the Kali Tiger Reserve • Kali Tiger Reserve is a protected area and tiger reserve. • It is in Uttara Kannada district, in Karnataka, India. • It is named after the Kali River which flows through the tiger reserve and is

the lifeline of the ecosystem. UAE observes Earth Hour 2020 Why in news?

• UAE is recently observing Earth Hour 2020 in cooperation with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Emirates Nature in association with the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

What is Earth Hour? • Earth Hour is a global grassroots movement uniting people to take action on

environmental issues and protect the planet. • The Earth Hour is held every year on the last Saturday of March. • The main aim of the marking Earth Hour is to call attention towards global

warming, loss of biodiversity and climate change • The event was first started in Sydney, Australia.

About the ‘Earth Hour logo’ • Earlier it was 60 (60 symbolizes 60 minutes) but since 2011 it is 60+. • Here + represents the commitment to go beyond the earth hour (i.e. switching off

non – essential lights in day to day life) Biological Weapons Convention Why in news?

• Recently the March 26 marked the 45th anniversary of the entry into force of the Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral disarmament treaty to ban an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.

About the Biological Weapons Convention • It is a legally binding treaty that outlaws’ biological arms. • It was opened for signature on April 10, 1972 and entered into force on March

26, 1975. • It currently has 183 states-parties, including Palestine, and four signatories

(Egypt, Haiti, Somalia, Syria, and Tanzania). • Ten states have neither signed nor ratified the BWC (Chad, Comoros,

Djibouti, Eritrea, Israel, Kiribati, Micronesia, Namibia, South Sudan and Tuvalu).

www.gradeup.co

Membership and Duration • The BWC is a multilateral treaty of indefinite duration that is open to any country.

The BWC bans the development, stockpiling, acquisition, retention, and production of: 1. Biological agents and toxins "of types and in quantities that have no

justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;" 2. Weapons, equipment, and delivery vehicles "designed to use such agents or

toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict." 3. The transfer of or assistance with acquiring the agents, toxins, weapons,

equipment, and delivery vehicles described above.

Exceptions: • It does not ban the use of biological and toxin weapons but reaffirms the 1925

Geneva Protocol, which prohibits such use. • It also does not ban biodefense programs.

www.gradeup.co

System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) Why in news?

• According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the measures against COVID-19 have led to a drop in PM2.5 (fine particulate pollutant) by 30% in Delhi and by 15% in Ahmedabad and Pune, respectively.

About the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research • It is a national initiative introduced by the Ministry of Earth Sciences

(MoES) to measure the air quality of a metropolitan city, by measuring the overall pollution level and the location-specific air quality of the city.

• It was indigenously developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and is run by India Meteorological Department.

Objectives • Its objective is to provide Real-time air quality index on a 24x7 basis with

colour-coding along with 72-hour advance weather forecast. • It also issues Health advisory to prepare citizens well in advance.

Parameters monitored • Pollutants like PM1, PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, CO, NOx (NO, NO2), SO2, BC, Methane

(CH4), Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), VOC’s, Benzene, Mercury • Monitored Meteorological Parameters: UV Radiation, Rainfall, Temperature,

Humidity, Wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation • This is the first of such kind of network in India which continuously monitors

all these parameters and maintain up to date database with robust quality control and quality assurance.

www.gradeup.co

April 2020

Peace Forest Initiative Why in the news?

• The UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the Government of the Republic of Korea Forest Service has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the Peace Forest Initiative.

About the Peace Forest Imitative • It is an initiative of South Korea launched in 2019 during the 14th

Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD in New Delhi, India. • It aims to contribute to land degradation neutrality (LDN) implementation

through partnerships that build peace and security. • The goal of the PFI is to offer countries recovering from violent conflict, an

opportunity to achieve stability and trust while re-building livelihoods and economies.

Heron Why in the news?

• Recently at the Neendakara Coastal station (Kerala), some of the herons were found famished and half-dead due to starvation.

About Heron • It is a large species of bird that inhabits wetlands and areas that are close to

lakes, ponds and rivers. • It is commonly found in Europe and North America along with the more

temperate regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. • It is a carnivorous species of bird, with the heron primarily feeding on fish.

Conservation Status

• It is listed as 'Least Concern' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Leatherback Sea turtle Why in the news?

• Recently, Thailand has witnessed the largest number of nests of rare leatherback sea turtles, and many of them hatched to make their way into a sea for the first time at a beach in Phang-nga district. This phenomenon was observed in over two decades.

About the Leatherback Sea Turtles • Leatherbacks sea turtles are the world's most giant sea turtles. • They are named for their shell, which is leather-like rather than hard, like other

turtles.

www.gradeup.co

Distribution

• Leatherback turtle is distributed across the globe with nesting sites on tropical sandy beaches and foraging ranges that extend into temperate and subpolar latitudes.

Conservation Status • As per the IUCN Red List, leatherback populations around the globe are

considered critically endangered and vulnerable to extinction. The status also varies with the region where the country falls. They are considered endangered in Thailand.

Earth Day 2020

Why in the news? • Every year World Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 and this year its marks

the 50 years of Earth Day. Each year the Earth Day comes up with a theme, and for the year 2020, the theme chosen is, “Climate action.”

• Themed on Climate action, Earth Day 2020 has a lot in store: digital events, performances, and collaborations.

• With the global lockdown in progress due to the COVID 19 outbreak, the Earth Day celebrations will be predominantly digital this year.

Objective • To increase awareness among common public, especially among youngsters, to get

the full effect of the campaign of environmental safety.

About Earth Day

• Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22 to raise awareness about our planet that sustains life. Earth Day started as a political movement back in the United States of America.

www.gradeup.co

• It was first celebrated in 1970. On April 22, 1970, millions of people took to the streets to protest the negative impacts of 150 years of industrial development.

Organization • Earth Day Network (EDN) is the not for profit organization that leads Earth Day

worldwide. About Earth Day Network

• Earth Day Network is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.

• The main office is located in Washington, DC, USA. Some interesting highlights about Earth:

• Earth is not spherical. There is a bulge like a spare tire around the equator due to opposite centrifugal forces working at it.

• The age of the Earth is around 4.54 billion years, and the findings are based on the dating of old rocks and meteorites discovered on the surface of the planet.

• Every day around 100 tons of interplanetary particles in the form of dust drifts down the earth surface.

• The current configuration of planets was once a single unit or a supercontinent. The most recent supercontinent was the Pangaea which started breaking apart 200 million years ago and formed the setup that we see presently.

• There are many earth-like planets orbiting stars, although it is not yet proved whether life exists on the Earth. The research is underway.

• The world’s largest mountain is the mid-ocean ridge which is an underwater chain of volcanoes spanning 65,000 kilometres.

• There are crater lakes – Nyos, Monoun and Kivu present in Cameroon and the border of Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe that sit above the volcanic Earth and could explode.

• There are some spots in the Atacama deserts of Chile and Peru where rainfall has never been recorded since its inception. It is the driest place on the planet.

Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary Why in the news?

• Amid the countrywide lockdown, the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has recommended coal mining in a part of an elephant reserve (Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary) in Assam.

Panel set up • · The NBWL had in July 2019 formed a committee comprising its member R.

Sukumar, Assam’s Chief Wildlife Warden and a representative of the local wildlife division for assessing the mining area.

About Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary • It is also known as the Jeypore Rainforest which is in the districts of Dibrugarh

and Tinsukia in Assam. • Dehing is the name of the river that flows through this forest and Patkai is

the hill at the foot of which the sanctuary lies. • Vegetation: It is a deciduous rainforest interspersed with semi-evergreen

and lush green flora. About National Board for Wildlife

• It is a statutory body as it has been constituted under Section 5 A the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

• It is the apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries, i.e. Protected Areas.

www.gradeup.co

Composition: • It is chaired by Prime minister and has a 47-member board (including the

chairman) which usually meets once a year.

www.gradeup.co

May 2020

World Migratory Bird Day Why in the news?

• Recently the World Migratory Bird Day has been observed on 9th May 2020. The theme of World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World.”

• The theme underscores the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and integrity of ecosystems that support the natural cycles that are essential for the survival and well-being of migratory birds.

About World Migratory Bird Day

• World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was initiated in 2006. • It is a biannual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for

the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. • It is a United Nations-led campaign that aims to raise awareness of

migratory birds and the importance of international cooperation to conserve them.

• It is organized by a collaborative partnership among two United Nations treaties - the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) - and the Colorado-based non-profit organization, Environment for the Americas (EFTA).

About Flyways • These are the area used by a group of birds during their annual cycle, which

includes their breeding areas, stopover areas, and wintering areas. • There are nine flyways in the world, of which three of the nine flyways

pass through the Indian Subcontinent. These are:

a. Central Asian Flyway (CAF) b. East Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF) c. Asian East African Flyway (AEAF)

About Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

• It is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme.

• It is also known as the Bonn Convention, which provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.

• India is a party to the CMS since 1st November 1983.

www.gradeup.co

Elongated Tortoise Why in the news?

• According to a recent study by ecologists in the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, over 90% of the potential distribution of the Sal forest tortoise falls outside the current protected area’s network.

About Elongated Tortoise

• Its scientific name is Indotestudo elongate and commonly known as Yellow Tortoise and Sal forest tortoise.

Distribution • It is distributed in Southeast Asia and parts of the Indian

Subcontinent, particularly Northeast India. Conservation Status

• It is listed as Critically Endangered as per IUCN Red List. Pinanga andamanensis Why is in the news?

• Recently a rare palm ‘Pinang andamanensis,’ has been introduced in Palode, Kerala by the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute which is an autonomous Institute established by the Government of Kerala.

About Pinanga andamanensis • It is a critically endangered species and one of the least known among the

endemic palms of the Andaman Islands. • It was initially described by the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1934. • It was thought to be extinct for an extended period. • It found naturally only in the South Andaman’s Mount Harriet National Park.

www.gradeup.co

International Day of Biodiversity 2020 Why is in the news?

• Recently in a virtual celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2020, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched five key initiatives towards conservation of biodiversity.

• The year 2020 which is also the “SUPER YEAR FOR BIODIVERSITY”, as the

Strategic Plan for Biodiversity with 20 global Aichi targets adopted in

2010 ends in 2020 and all the countries together are in the process of

preparation of Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

The five initiatives are as follows:

a. Biodiversity Samrakshan Internship Programme

• This is an initiative of National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and United

Nations Development Programme.

• The purpose of this program to engage 20 students with postgraduate degrees

for a period of one year through an open, transparent, online competitive process.

• The programme wishes to engage dynamic and creative students, who are willing to

learn about natural resource management and biodiversity conservation and to

support the projects of NBA in various State and Union Territories.

• They also technically assist the State Biodiversity Boards/UTs Biodiversity Council in

discharge of their mandates.

b. ‘Not all Animals Migrate by Choice’ campaign

• The Campaign on Illegal Trafficking of Endangered Species: ‘Not all Animals Migrate

by Choice’ was launched by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, with United Nations

Environment Programme.

c. Biodiversity Conservation and Biological Diversity Act, 2002

• A Webinar Series on Biodiversity Conservation and Biological Diversity

Act, 2002 was also launched along with the WWF Model Conference of

Parties (MCoP).

www.gradeup.co

June 2020

Sixth mass extinction Why is in the news?

• According to new research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), the ongoing sixth mass extinction may be one of the most pressing environmental threats to the persistence of civilization.

Key Finding of the Study

• The research claims that this extinction is human-caused and is more immediate than climate destruction.

• Even though only an estimated 2% of all the species that ever lived are alive today, the absolute number of species is greater now than ever before.

• It was into such a biologically diverse world that we humans evolved, and such a world that we are destroying.

What is the mass extinction of species? • Mass extinction refers to a substantial increase in the degree of extinction or

when the Earth loses more than three-quarters of its species in a geologically short period of time.

• So far, during the entire history of the Earth, there have been five mass extinctions.

www.gradeup.co

• The five mass extinctions that took place in the last 450 million years have led to the destruction of 70-95 per cent of the species of plants, animals and microorganisms that existed earlier.

• The sixth, which is ongoing, is referred to as the Anthropocene extinction.

Reasons behind this Extinction • These extinctions were caused by “catastrophic alterations” to the

environment, such as a. massive volcanic eruptions b. depletion of oceanic oxygen c. collision with an asteroid.

What happens when species go extinct?

• According to the Centre for Biological Diversity, when species go extinct, the impact can be tangible such as in the form of a loss in crop pollination and water purification.

• Further, if a species has a specific function in an ecosystem, the loss can lead to consequences for other species by impacting the food chain.

Dibru Saikhowa National Park

• Recently the blowout of an Oil India Limited (OIL) gas well in Assam’s Tinsukia district last week is causing extensive damage to Dibru Saikhowa National Park.

• This blowout also harms the biodiversity and wildlife the region -- including the endangered hoolock gibbons and Gangetic dolphins.

www.gradeup.co

About the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

• It is a National Park and Biosphere Reserve situated Tinsukia district of Assam.

• It is bounded by the Brahmaputra and Lohit River in the north and Dibru River in the South.

Vegetation • It comprises of semi-evergreen forests, deciduous forests, littoral and swamp

forests and patches of wet evergreen forests.

Rare scorpionfish found in Gulf of Mannar Why is in the news?

• Researchers at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) have found a rare Scorpionfish (Scorpaenospsis neglecta) fish from Sethukarai coast in the Gulf of Mannar.

www.gradeup.co

Features

• It can change its colour (Camouflaged) and blend with its surrounding environment to escape from predators and to hunt its prey.

• The fish is called ‘scorpionfish’ because its spines contain neurotoxic venom. • It is a nocturnal feeder (feed during night time) with an ability to attack

and suck its prey at lightning speed.

MoUs approved by the Cabinet between India and Bhutan Why in the news?

• The Union Cabinet has recently given its approval for signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of India and the Royal Government of Bhutan on Cooperation in the areas of Environment.

The Memorandum of Understanding covering the following areas of Environment has been considered:

a. Air b. Waste c. Chemical Management d. Climate Change e. Any other areas jointly decided upon. • This Memorandum of Understanding shall enter into force on the date of

signature and shall continue to remain in force for ten years. • It shall facilitate the exchange of experiences, best practices and technical

know-how through both public and private sectors and shall contribute to sustainable development.

• The Memorandum of Understanding provides the possibility for joint projects in areas of mutual interest. However, no significant employment generation is envisaged.

Previous Memorandum of Understanding with Bhutan • A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 11th March

2013 between the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the National Environment Commission (NEC) of the Royal Government of Bhutan. This MoU expired on 10th March 2016.

#iCommit’ initiative Why in the news?

• Recently Power Minister has initiated the ‘#iCommit’ campaign on the occasion of World Environment Day (5th June). The initiative is a clarion call to all stakeholders and individuals to continue moving towards energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability to create a robust and resilient energy system in the future.

www.gradeup.co

• The ‘#iCommit’ initiative, driven by Energy Efficiency Services Limited is uniting a diverse set of players such as Governments, Corporates, Multilateral and Bilateral Organisations, Think Tanks and Individuals.

• The initiative is centred around the idea of building an energy resilient future.

• The initiative will also promote key undertakings of Government of India such as National Electric Mobility Mission 2020, FAME 1 and 2, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana etc.

Ambarnaya River Oil spill in Russia Why in the news?

• Recently, Russia has declared a state of emergency in its Krasnoyarsk Region after a power plant fuel leaked causing 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil to escape into the Ambarnaya River.

About Ambarnaya River

• It is a shallow river in Siberia, Russia which flows into Lake Pyasino, the source of Pyasina River.

• The river is also part of a network that flows into the environmentally sensitive Arctic Ocean.

Note: • According to a report, Norilsk is one of the most heavily polluted places on

Earth.

www.gradeup.co

Environment performance index 2020 Why in the news?

• The 12th edition of the Environment Performance Index 2020 has been recently released by Yale and Columbia universities in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

Highlights of the index

• Denmark was ranked first followed by Luxembourg and Switzerland. • All South Asian countries except Afghanistan are ahead of India in the

ranking. The 11 countries lagging behind India were — Burundi, Haiti, Chad, Soloman Islands, Madagascar, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoir, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Liberia. India's ranks

• India secured 168 ranks in the 12th edition of the biennial Environment Performance Index (EPI Index 2020).

• India's rank was 177 (with a score of 30.57 out of 100) in 2018. • The country scored 27.6 out of 100 in the 2020 index.

About the Environment performance index • The index is released biennially (once every two years). • It ranks 180 countries on 32 performance indicators across 11

categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. • It will provide a snapshot of the 10-year trends in environmental performance at

the national and global levels. • The 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) provides a data-driven

summary of the state of sustainability around the world. • The EPI offers a powerful policy tool in support of efforts to meet the targets of

the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to move society toward a sustainable future.

Brown Rock Chat Why in the news?

• Recently the Brown Rock Chat has almost disappeared from the heart of the National Capital, visible only on the outskirts.

www.gradeup.co

About the Brown Rock Chat

• It is also called as Indian Chat which is a bird species of the family Muscicapidae.

Distribution • It is nearly endemic to India, distributed north of the Narmada, west to

Gujarat and east to Bengal bordered on the north by the Himalayas. It is commonly found in agricultural fields, in buildings, and sub-urban areas.

Conservation status • It is protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. • It is listed as ‘Least Concern’ as per IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Asiatic Lion Why in the news?

• The Asiatic lions’ Census was released recently which show an increase by 29% over five years to an estimated 674 in the Gir forest region and other revenue areas of coastal Saurashtra.

About Asiatic lion • They are also known as Indian Lion. • The scientific name is Panthera leo persica.

Its current range is restricted to the Gir National Park and environs in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Conservation status

• It is listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. • It is listed in Appendix I of CITES • It is listed as Endangered as per IUCN Red List.

www.gradeup.co

Distinct colour band for BS-6 four-wheel vehicles Why in the news?

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made it mandatory for the Bharat Stage (BS) VI Vehicles to carry a one cm green sticker providing registration details.

What are Bharat Stage norms?

• These are standards instituted by the Government of India in 2000 to regulate the emission of air pollutants from motor vehicles.

• They are based on the European (EURO) emission standards. • The standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central

Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Benefits of BS-VI Standards:

a. Sulphur content Sulphur traces in BS-VI fuel is five times lower (10 ppm) as compared to sulphur traces in BS-IV fuel (50 ppm).

b. Nitrogen Oxide Content • Nitrogen oxide level for BS-VI diesel engines and petrol engines will be brought

down by 70% and 25% respectively. c. Particulate matter (PM) • BS-VI norms will help to bring down the emission of particulate matter by

almost 80% in the case of petrol as well as diesel power plants. Note:

• Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has decided to leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI emission norms directly by completely skipping BS-V norms.

India continues to lose forest land to non-forestry projects

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has recently released the Annual Report 2019-20.

Highlights of the reports a. Diversion of forest land:

• The diversion of forest land for other purposes continued throughout India as total 11,467 hectares of forest lands were diverted in 22 states.

• More than a third of the diversion was in Odisha followed by Telangana and Jharkhand.

www.gradeup.co

• The largest area of forest land was diverted for irrigation and mining projects.

b. Biosphere Reserves • Out of 18 Biosphere Reserves designated nationally, so far 11 have been

included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO. These are:

Sr.No. Name States/ UT Year

1

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

Tamil

Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka 2000

2 Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Tamil Nadu 2001

3 Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve West Bengal 2001

4 Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve Uttarakhand 2004

5 Nokrek Biosphere Reserve Meghalaya 2009

6 Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve Madhya Pradesh 2009

7 Simlipal Biosphere Reserve Odisha 2009

8 Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2013

9 Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere

Reserve

Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh 2012

10 Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve Kerala and Tamil Nadu 2016

11 Khangchendzonga National Park Sikkim 2018

Forest Villages • There was no conversion of forest villages to revenue villages in 2019 as

stipulated under the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

www.gradeup.co

• Forest villages were villages set up by the British Indian government to settle workers inside forests and procure resources like timber more efficiently.

• There are around 2,500 forest villages across the country. Tigers in India

• India has achieved the target set by the St Petersburg declaration on tiger conservation (to double the number of wild tigers).

As per the 4th cycle results, tiger estimate is 2967 vis-a-vis the estimate of 1411 in 2006.

Indian gaur Why in the news?

• Recently the first population estimation exercise of the Indian gaur carried out in the Nilgiris Forest Division in recent years which has revealed that more than an estimated 2,000 Indian gaurs inhabit the entire division.

About Gaur

• The common name of this mammal is Indian Gaur; Gaur and scientific Name is Bos gaurus.

Habitat

• Gaurs are found on the forested hills and grassy areas of the south to south-east Asia.

Distribution

• They are found in India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.

The Western Ghats in southern India constitute one of the most extensive extant strongholds of gaur, in particular in the Nagarhole –Wayanad –Mudumalai – Bandipur complex. Conservation status

• It is listed in the Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972. • It is listed in CITES Appendix I. • It is listed as Vulnerable as per the IUCN Red List.

About Nilgiris district

• The Nilgiris district is in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. • Nilgiri or Blue Mountains is the name given to a range of mountains spread

across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

• The Nilgiri Hills are part of a larger mountain chain known as the Western Ghats.

www.gradeup.co

• Their highest point is the mountain of Doddabetta, height 2,637 m. • Nilgiris district ranked first in a comprehensive Economic Environment

index ranking districts in Tamil Nadu (not including Chennai) prepared by the Institute for Financial Management and Research in August 2009.

Note: • The Gaur is the State Animal of Goa and Bihar.

Pangolin Why in the news?

• Recently China has accorded the pangolin the highest level of protection and removed the scales of the endangered mammal from its list of approved traditional medicines.

About the Pangolin

Features • They are the only known mammals having large, protective keratin scales covering

their skin. • Pangolins are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites, which

they capture using their long tongues. • There are eight species of pangolin found in the world.

In India only two types of Pangolin are found 1. Indian Pangolin

o Location: ▪ It is widely distributed in India, except the arid region, high Himalayas

and the North-East. It is also found in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

o Conservation Status: ▪ Endangered as per IUCN Red List. ▪ listed in the Schedule I Part I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. ▪ Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species (CITES). 2. Chinese Pangolin

o Location: ▪ It is found in Himalayan foothills in Eastern Nepal, Bhutan, Northern

India, North-East Bangladesh, through Southern China and Taiwan. o Conservation Status:

▪ Critically Endangered as per IUCN Red List. ▪ listed in the Schedule I Part I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. ▪ Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species (CITES).

www.gradeup.co

Note: • Recently ninth ‘World Pangolin Day’ is celebrated in February every year to raise

awareness of pangolins and bring together stakeholders to help protect these species from extinction

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought Why in the news?

• World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is being observed on June 17, 2020.

• This year the theme is “Food. Feed. Fibre. - the links between consumption and land.”

About World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2020

• The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification.

• This year’s observance is focused on changing public attitudes to the leading driver of land degradation: humanity’s relentless production and consumption.

Background

• This day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly resolution in 1995, after the day when the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was drafted.

• According to the United Nation, Desertification is defined as the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas.

• SDGs 15 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development state our resolve to halt and reverse land

Desertification and India

• India was holding the 14th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP14) to the United Nations Convention to combat desertification in Noida, 2019 with the theme ‘Let’s Grow the Future Together’ to encourage people against depleting the land of its inbuilt resources.

Status of Desertification in India

• 96 million hectares or close to 29% of India's area is undergoing degradation. • According to the Government’s data recently presented to the United Nations

Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), India lost 31%, or 5.65 million hectares (mha), of grassland area in a decade.

• The extent of degraded land in India is over 105 million hectares or about 32% of India's areas.

Measures taken by India to Curb Desertification

✓ Integrated Watershed Management Programme

• It was launched in 1989-90. • It aims to restore ecological balance by harnessing, conserving and developing

degraded natural resources with the creation of Rural Employment. • It was named as “Haryali Guidelines” in 2003. • Now it is subsumed under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (2015-16 to 2019-

20) which is being implemented by NITI Ayog. ✓ Command Area Development

• It was launched in 1974 to improve the irrigation potential utilization and to optimize agricultural production through efficient water management.

• The Ministry of Water resources coordinates the implementation of the program with respective state governments.

✓ National Afforestation Programme

• It is being implemented since 2000 for the afforestation of degraded forest lands. • It is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change ✓ National Action Programme to Combat Desertification

www.gradeup.co

• It was prepared in 2001 to address issues of increasing desertification and to take appropriate actions.

• It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. ✓ National Mission on Green India

• It is a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). • It was approved in 2014 with the objective of protecting; restoring and enhancing

India’s diminishing forest cover with a deadline of 10 years. • It is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change ✓ Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India

• It was released by Indian Space Research Organisation in 2016. • Combating desertification and land degradation is one of the thrust areas covered by

it. Note:

• India became a signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994 and ratified in 1996.

“Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region” report Why in the news?

• Recently Union Ministry of Earth Sciences has released its first-ever “Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region” report.

• These projections, based on a climate forecasting model developed at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

• This assessment will be part of the next report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), expected to be ready in 2022.

Highlights of the report • The average surface air temperatures over India could rise by up to 4.4

degrees Celsius by 2100 as compared to the period between 1976 and 2005. • Frequencies of future warm days and warm nights are projected to increase

by 55% and 70% respectively relative to the reference period of 1976-2005. • Summer heatwaves over India are also projected to be three to four

times higher by the end of the 21st century. • Temperatures of the warmest day and the coldest night of the year have risen

by around 0.63°C and 0.4°C in the recent 30-year period (1986-2015). These temperatures are projected to rise by some 4.7°C and 5.5°C respectively by 2100.

• Sea surface temperature over the Indian Ocean has been increased by 1°C in the 64 years between 1951 and 2015 compared to the global average sea surface warming of 0.7°C due to which the sea level is expected to rise by 30cm as compared to its concentration in the last two to three decades.

www.gradeup.co

• Summer monsoon precipitation (June to September) over India has also declined by around 6% from 1951 to 2015 with notable decreases over the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Western Ghats.

• Rise in the intensity of tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean (NIO) by the end of the 21st century.

Seabuckthorn Berry Why in the news?

• Recently, the scientists from Himachal Pradesh are seeking a grant from Centre to develop an anti-Covid drug from seabuckthorn berry.

About the Seabuckthorn Plant • It is locally known as chharma, is a wild shrub which grows naturally in Lahaul

and Spiti and parts of Kinnaur. It is primarily known for its immunity-boosting and medicinal properties.

• The fruit and leaves of seabuckthorn are quite rich in a variety of vitamins and antioxidants, i.e. vitamin C, A, E, K, carotenoids, polyphenols and sterols etc.

• Seabuckthorn naturally grows in cold desert and dry temperate regions of Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh (Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur), Ladakh, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Arctic Sea Why in the news?

• The National Centre of Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) found the largest decline in the Arctic Sea ice in the last 41 years due to global warming.

www.gradeup.co

Highlights of the observation • According to recent observations in the last 40 years (1979-2018), the sea

ice has been declining at 4.7% per decade, while the current declining rate was found to be 13% in July 2019.

• Thus, it has been noted that the volume of ice formation during winters is unable to keep pace with the volume of ice loss during summers.

• It has been predicted that if this trend continues, there would be no ice left in the Arctic Sea by 2050.

About National Centre of Polar and Ocean Research • It was established as an autonomous Research and Development

Institution of the Ministry of Earth Sciences in 1998 which is located in Goa. • It is earlier known as National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research

(NCAOR) which is India’s premier R&D institution responsible for the country’s research activities in the Polar and Southern Ocean realms.

• It is the nodal agency for planning, promotion, coordination and execution of the entire gamut of polar and Southern Ocean scientific research in the country as well as for the associated logistics activities.

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve Why in the news?

• Recently, the Maharashtra Forest Department has successfully captured the tiger of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) that had killed five persons in the past five months.

About Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

• It is a Tiger reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in central India.

• It is notable as Maharashtra's oldest and largest National Park. • It is established as second Tiger Reserve in the Maharashtra State, in 1994-

95. • The first Tiger Reserve established in the State is Melghat Tiger

Reserve established in 1973-74. Important National Park of Maharashtra in news

• Sanjay Gandhi National Park, which is one of the major national parks existing within a metropolis limit, is recently in the news due to death of last captive white tiger Bajirao.

• Thane Creek flamingo sanctuary is in the news due to concerns over ambitious bullet train project between Ahmedabad-Mumbai.

• Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary it is in the news due to Indian gaur (Vulnerable) spotted in the sanctuary for the first time in recorded history.

Other national Park in Maharashtra • Gugamal National Park, Maharashtra

www.gradeup.co

• Navegaon National Park, Maharashtra • Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh • Chandoli National Park, Maharashtra

World Crocodile Day

• World Crocodile day or World Croc day is celebrated on the 17th of June every year.

• It is a global awareness campaign to highlight the plight of endangered crocodiles and alligators around the world.

About the Crocodile There are three spices of Crocodile found in India which includes

a. A mugger or Marsh Crocodile b. Gharial or River water Crocodile

c. Estuarine or Saltwater Crocodile

About Mugger

• The mugger crocodile also called the Indian Crocodile, or marsh crocodile is found throughout the Indian subcontinent.

• It is listed as vulnerable by IUCN. • The mugger is mainly a freshwater species and found in lakes, rivers and

marshes. About Gharial

• The Gharial or fish-eating crocodile is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as a Critically Endangered by IUCN.

• Recently there is an increasing population of Gharial found in the rivers of the National Chambal Sanctuary, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Son River Sanctuary, Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary and also in Chambal Lake.

Saltwater Crocodile • It is the largest of all living reptiles. It listed as least concern by IUCN. It

is found throughout the east coast of India. Indian Crocodile Conservation Project

• The Crocodile Conservation Project was launched in 1975 in different States.

• The Gharial and Saltwater crocodile conservation programme was first implemented in Odisha in early 1975, and subsequently, the Mugger conservation programme was initiated.

• Gharial crocodile project started in Tikarpada (1975) aims to increase the sighting to five crocodiles per kilometre length of water.

CrocBITE • It is an online database of crocodile attacks reported on humans. • The non-profit online research tool helps to analyze crocodile behaviour via

complex models scientifically.

www.gradeup.co

• The database provides key insights into crocodile attack patterns and draws inferences to save human lives.

• This is the only database of its kind with such a comprehensive collection of information made available online.

Gee's golden langur Why in the news?

• Recently primatologists have observed that the Gee's golden langur (Trachypithecus geei), induce stillbirth of babies killed inside the womb of females, besides practising infanticide.

About Gee's golden langur

• Gee's golden langur (Trachypithecus geei), also known as simply the golden langur, is an Old-World monkey.

It is found in a small region of western Assam, India and the neighbouring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan.Conservation Status

• It is listed as Endangered in IUCN Red List. • It is listed as Appendix I on the CITES website.

Note: • Chakrashila sanctuary which is under Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts of

Assam is India's first wildlife sanctuary where mostly this golden langur is found.

• Chakrashila has about 600 golden langurs whose population is scattered across western Assam and the foothills of Bhutan.

Decarbonising Transport

Why in news? • NITI Aayog in collaboration with International Transport Forum (ITF) will launch

the “Decarbonising Transport in India” project with the intention to develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system for India.

Abou Decarbonising Transport Project • The “Decarbonising Transport in India” project will design a tailor-made transport

emissions assessment framework for India which is part of the Decarbonising Transport in Emerging Economies (DTEE) family of projects.

• It will provide the government with a detailed understanding of current and future transport activity and the related CO2 emissions as a basis for their decision-making.

• The India project is carried out in the wider context of the International Transport Forum’s Decarbonising Transport initiative.

About Decarbonising Transport in Emerging Economies • It will support transport decarbonisation across different world regions.

www.gradeup.co

• The DTEE is a collaboration between the ITF and the Wuppertal Institute, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

• India, Argentina, Azerbaijan, and Morocco are current participants. About International Transport Forum

• It is an inter-governmental organisation within the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) system.

• It is the only global body with a mandate for all modes of transport. • It acts as a think tank for transport policy issues and organises the annual global

summit of transport ministers. • The ITF's motto is "Global dialogue for better transport".

Note: • India has been a member of ITF since 2008.

Centre unveils new rules to regulate exotic animal trade Why in the news?

• The Environment Ministry’s wildlife division has introduced new rules to regulate the import and export of exotic wildlife species.

Key highlights of the new rule • Under the new rules, owners and possessors of such animals and

birds must also register their stock with the Chief Wildlife Warden of their States.

Select animals • Officials of the Wildlife Department will also prepare an inventory of such

species and have the right to inspect the facilities of such traders to check if these plants and animals are being housed insalubrious conditions.

• Additionally, stockists will have six months to declare their stock. Note:

• The ‘exotic live species will mean animals named under Appendices I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora. It will not include species from the Schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

About Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora (CITES)

• CITES is also known as the Washington Convention. • The CITES is part of a multilateral treaty that includes plant, animals and

birds under varying categories of the threat of extinction and which will be jointly protected by members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

• It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted by members of IUCN in 1963.

• It entered into force in 1975.

www.gradeup.co

• Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

India is a signatory to this. • In India, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is an organization that is tasked

with monitoring illegal trade. Protection offered to species by CITES

• According to World Wildlife Crime Report 2016 of the UN, criminals are illegally trading products derived from over 7,000 species of wild animals and plants across the world.

• The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need.

Appendices I and II • Appendix I include species threatened with extinction. • Trade-in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional

circumstances. • Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but

in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

• At each regular meeting of the CoP, Parties submit proposals to amend these two Appendices.

• Those amendment proposals are discussed and then submitted to a vote. Appendix III

• This Appendix contains species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade.

www.gradeup.co