July 2020 Environment

Sakshi Education

Pied Cuckoo to be Tracked
Recently, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has decided to study the migration of the Pied Cuckoo Bird (Jacobin Cuckoo or Chaatak), by tagging the bird with satellite transmitters.

The study will be conducted along with the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) and the Government of India’s Department of Biotechnology.

IIRS is a constituent unit of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is headquartered in Dehradun.

Key Points
The Study:
This is the first study in the country that seeks to trace and observe the migratory routes of the pied cuckoo.
It aims to gather data and information on climate change and the monsoon.
Pied cuckoo is known for its close association with the monsoon in India.
Farmers have traditionally relied on the arrival of the pied cuckoo as a signal of arrival of monsoon and seed sowing.
It is part of a larger project called the Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN) funded by the Government of India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which aims to put relevant Indian bioresources information online.

Benefit:
Gathering information about the migratory route can be invaluable for research on climatic variations taking place in the world, especially since the species has such a close association with the monsoon.

It will give us information on the monsoon, changes in the monsoon and monsoon winds, erratic rainfall, seasonal fluctuations, water vapour pressure, etc.

The extent of the effect of ecologies changing can be seen in the movement of species from a less favourable region to a more favourable region.

Pied Cuckoo:
It is a bird with black and white plumage (pied) with a fancy crest on the head. Its scientific name is Clamatorjacobinus. It is found in Africa and Asia.

There are two types of pied cuckoos found in India.

In central and northern parts of India, pied cuckoos are migratory, they are seen only from just before the monsoon to early winter.

It is believed that the pied cuckoos that come to the Himalayan foothills are from Africa.

They have high site fidelity, that is, they come back to the same location year after year.

Pied cuckoos are also found in southern India, but those are resident birds and not migratory.

The bird is primarily arboreal, which means that it mostly lives on trees. It is a brood parasite i.e. It lays its eggs in nests that belong to other birds.

It is one of the few species that come to India in the summer. Most other migratory species come in winter.

IUCN Status: Least Concerned.
KURMA App
KURMA is a mobile-based application aimed at turtle conservation. It was launched on the occasion of World Turtle Day (23rd May).

Key Points
About: It is developed by the Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network (ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance-India and Wildlife Conservation Society-India.

The KURMA App has a built-in digital field guide covering 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoise of India, and information on turtle identification, distribution, vernacular names, and threats.

Objective: It provides users a database to identify a species.

Provides the location of the nearest rescue centre for turtles across the country.

Advices about the reported species and its conservation.

Once a sizable database is ready, KURMA will start identifying species automatically through artificial intelligence.

Present Scenario: Tortoise and freshwater turtles are among the most trafficked in the country.

A report released in 2019 by TRAFFIC, showed that at least 11,000 tortoises and freshwater turtles fall prey to illicit poaching and smuggling every year, adding up to over 1,11,130 turtles poached or smuggled between September 2009 and September 2019.

Conservation Challenge: One of the major challenges for freshwater turtle conservation in the country is that wildlife crime prevention agencies are not sufficiently equipped to know how to distinguish one species from the other.

They are also not aware of their protection status in accordance with CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Jairam slams draft project clearance rules
Former Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh’s objections to the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020.

Details:
Jairam Ramesh has opposed the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020 based on the following arguments.

The provision of post-facto approval for projects goes against the principle of assessment prior to environment clearance.

The draft notification reduces public participation in the environment clearance process by lessening the notice period for public hearings and doing away with the need for public hearings for a large category of projects.

The provisions also give the Union government full powers to appoint the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority thus affecting the principle of cooperative federalism.

The proposed changes seem to promote unrestrained development by way of cutting down on environmental regulations. This approach could have a detrimental impact on the health and welfare of the people and go against the vision of ensuring development that is sustainable.
Nag River become extremely polluted due to industrialization and urbanization
Recently, the Bombay High Court said that the Nag river has become extremely polluted due to industrialization and urbanization.

Key Points
The Nagpur city derives its name from the Nag river which passes through the city.

The Nag river originates from the Ambazari Lake in west Nagpur.
Major Tributaries - Pili river.
End point - confluence with Kanhan River.
Segregation of Covid-19 Waste
Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has observed that the segregation of Covid-¬19 biomedical waste from general garbage is a must to avoid further contamination adversely affecting public health.

Key Points
The directions came on a suo¬ motu matter pertaining to scientific disposal of Covid-¬19 waste. It observed that segregation of Covid-19 from general waste is a must to avoid additional load on Common Biomedical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facilities (CBWTFs) incinerators and also to avoid further contamination.
In India, Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016 deal with waste generated in infectious diseases like Covid-19.

Data Analysis:
Around 2,907 hospitals, 20,707 quarantine centres, 1,539 sample collection centres and 264 testing laboratories, are involved in the generation of Covid-19 waste.
Generation of Covid-19 related biomedical waste in the country is about 101 Metric Tonnes (MT) per day.
This quantity is in addition to the normal biomedical waste generation of about 609 MT per day. About 195 CBWTFs are providing the services of collection, transportation and disposal of Covid-19 biomedical waste from hospitals, sample collection centres, testing laboratories, etc.

Concerns:
The pandemic has presented a challenge in terms of capacity to scientifically dispose of generated waste and a challenge for civic authorities in charge of its collection and disposal.
States are not following the CPCB guidelines on Covid-19 related waste.
In some states, improper segregation of waste has been reported from Covid-19 facilities and quarantine homes.
The non-¬segregation of waste results in the incineration of contaminated plastics producing toxic gases and adding to air pollution.
The rise in residential biomedical waste and its collection without adhering to safety protocols could also trigger a surge in caseload.
Without proper scientific management of such waste, it can potentially affect patients and can affect the concerned workers and professionals.
Discarded masks and gloves risk the lives of thousands of sanitation workers who work often without any protection or training to handle such hazardous material.

Suggestions:
Left-over food, disposable plates, glasses, used masks, tissues, toiletries, etc used by Covid-19 patients should be put in yellow-coloured bags, while used gloves should be put in red bags and sent for sterilisation and recycling at the CBWTFs.
Where waste is not going to CBWTF incinerators, deep burial systems should be properly maintained as per protocols taking all due precautions to prevent harm to the environment.
A deep burial system involves burying biomedical waste in 2-meter-deep ditches and covering them with a layer of lime and soil.
CPCB should take further initiatives like conducting an appropriate programme on Doordarshan, All India Radio and other media platforms to create mass awareness about the correct disposal of Covid-19 biomedical waste.
The government should set up recycling plants across the country (as envisaged under the Smart cities project) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model.
The Centre should form a national protocol combining the Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016 with the guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for producers of plastic.
The Centre should incentivise start-ups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) offering solutions for Covid-19 waste segregation and treatment.
There should be constant and regular monitoring by the central and state PCBs, Health Departments in the states/UTs and by the high-level task team at Central level with further coordination by CPCB.
National Award for Excellence in Forestry awarded to Kannan C S Warrier
The National Award of Excellence for Outstanding Research in Forestry for the year 2019 has been awarded to Kannan C S Warrier, a scientist at Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB).

This award is conferred by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).

ICFRE is an apex body in the national forestry research system. ICFRE was recently declared as the Centre for Excellence in addressing issues related to land degradation by the Prime Minister.

Key Points
The award has been awarded to Kannan C S Warrier for releasing three salt-tolerant productive clones of Casuarina that are suitable for salt-affected soils, for the first time in the country.

India has 6.73 million hectares of salt affected land and is also the largest producer of Casuarina in the world which makes the production of these clones a significant achievement.

Sacred Groves
Sacred groves are communally protected forests which usually have a significant religious connotation for the protecting community.

In India, there are over a lakh sacred groves across different states called by different names like Kaavu in Malayalam, Koyilkaadu in Tamil, Orans in Rajasthan, Devarakaadu in Karnataka, and Sernas in Madhya Pradesh.

Many rare and endemic species, and species having medicinal and economic value can be found here, thus making them Biodiversity Hotspots. They house gene pools of some critically endangered plant species.

They are often associated with religious beliefs and felling of trees in sacred groves is considered taboo.

Sacred groves have been legally protected under ‘community reserves’ in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002.

Some common threats to Sacred Groves are:

Disappearance of the traditional belief systems, which were fundamental to the concept of sacred groves.

The transformation of the primitive forms of nature worship into formal temple worship.

Rapid urbanization and developmental interventions such as roads, railways tracks, dams including commercial forestry.

Invasion by exotic weeds.

Pressures due to increasing livestock and fuelwood collection.
Bathynomusraksasa: Isopod Species
Recently, scientists have reported the discovery of the first super giant isopod species in the eastern Indian Ocean named ‘Bathynomusraksasa’.

It has been described as the ‘cockroach of the sea’.

A team of researchers from Singapore discovered it while exploring waters of the Indian Ocean in Bantan, off the southern coast of West Java in Indonesia in 2018.

Key Points
Super Giant Isopod: The Bathynomusraksasa is a super giant isopod in the genus Bathynomus.

Isopods are marine invertebrates (animals without backbones) that belong to the greater crustacean group of animals, which also includes crabs and shrimp.

They live in many different types of habitat, from mountains and deserts to the deep sea.

Isopods that reach 50 cm are referred to as supergiants. The largest isopod species are from the genus Bathynomus.

Features:
It has 14 legs but uses these only to crawl along the bed of oceans in search of food.

It measures around 50 cm in length, which is big for isopods, which normally do not grow beyond 33 cm.

The only member of the isopod species that exceeds the raksasa in size is the Bathynomusgiganteus, which is commonly found in the deep waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.

As a scavenger, it eats the remains of dead marine animals, such as whales and fish, but can also go for long periods without food, a trait that it shares with the cockroach.

Significance:
It is the first recorded species of the genus Bathynomus from Indonesia.

It is the sixth ‘supergiant’ species from the Indo-West Pacific, and is one of the largest known members of the genus Bathynomus.

It’s discovery will contribute towards increasing knowledge about the deep sea.

Giant Sea Cockroaches were discovered in the Eastern Indian Ocean
Researchers from Singapore discovered a "Super Giant Isopod" species, a cockroach, when they unexplored waters of the Indian Ocean in Bantan, southern coast of West Java in Indonesia. The new species has been named "Bathynomusraksasa."

Bathynomusraksasa:
Bathynomusraksasa is a giant isopod in the genus Bathynomus. In general, the giant isopods are distantly related to crabs, lobsters, and shrimps (which belong to the order of decapods).

The species is found in the cold depths of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. The sea cockroach has 14 legs but uses these only to crawl. It is about 50 centimetres (1.6 feet) in length. The Darth Vader appearance is because of the shape of the cockroach’s head and compound eyes. Isopods that are in 50 cm length are referred to as Supergiants.

About the project:
A group of 31 researchers from National Universtiy of Singapore conducted the project. The researchers collected thousands of specimens through dredging, trawling, and various types of seafloor coring devices.

During the mission, the researchers collected 12,000 deep-sea creatures comprising 800 species during the large-scale expedition. They also found 12 species that were not recorded in the scientific literature. The newly discovered creatures included crabs, jellyfish, fish, molluscs, prawns, sponges, starfish, urchins, and worms.
Concerns Over Drilling in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Oil India Limited (OIL) and two concerned state entities to explain how environmental clearances for the seven proposed drilling sites in the Dibru- Saikhowa National Park were given.

The NGT took note of the petitioners’ contention that OIL did not carry out a biodiversity assessment study for the seven-well exploratory drilling project besides not conducting a public hearing as mandated by the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2006.

Key Points
OIL has clarified that its exploratory drilling project is “under” and not “in” the 765 sq km Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. This argument is based on Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) enabled drilling of wells up to a depth of approximately 4 km from an existing well plinth without entering the protected area.

OIL had obtained permission for the seven wells in 2016 on the basis of the ERD technology.

ERD is drilling a well horizontally to at least twice its vertical depth.

It is extensively used to intersect hydrocarbon targets far from the surface or areas of the reservoir that otherwise were difficult to access.

The notice has been issued following a gas leak that occurred at OIL’s baghjan oil field, located near the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.

The disaster at Baghjan has impacted the surrounding ecological life and displaced close to 11,000 people from their homes.

Earlier, the NGT had also ordered the formation of a committee to probe allegations of large-scale illegal coal mining by North Eastern Coalfields inside DehingPatkai Elephant Reserve in Assam’s Tinsukia district.

Natural Resources in Assam:
The State is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems.

Assam has wildlife sanctuaries, the most prominent of which are two UNESCO World Heritage sites-the Kaziranga National Park and the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary. There are three other National Parks in Assam namely DibruSaikhowa National Park, Nameri National Park and the Orang National Park.

Kaziranga is a home to Indian one-horned rhinoceros which has also been recognized as the State Animal of Assam.

Assam has abundant mineral resources- coal, petroleum; limestone and natural gas are the principal mineral resources.

It is also the largest producer of crude oil in India.

OIL is the second largest hydrocarbon exploration and production Indian public sector company with its operational headquarters in Duliajan, Assam under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Reasons Behind Pink Water of Lonar Lake
According to the Agharkar Research Institute, the colour of Lonar lake water in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district turned pink due to a large presence of the salt-loving ‘Haloarchaea’ microbes.

The colour of the lake water recently turned pink, which not only surprised locals, but also nature enthusiasts and scientists.

The water samples have been tested by the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune.

Key Points
It has been assumed that the absence of rain, less human interference (owing to lockdown) and high temperature resulted in the evaporation of water which increased its salinity and pH.

pH is a measure of how acidic/basic water is.

The increased salinity and pH facilitated the growth of halophilic microbes, mainly Haloarchaea.

Halophiles are a group of microorganisms that can grow and often thrive in areas of high salt (NaCl) concentration.

Haloarchaea or halophilic archaea is a bacteria culture which produces pink pigment and is found in water saturated with salt.

Because of the biomass of Haloarchaea microbes, the surface of the water turned red or pink. As the biomass subsides, the colour will disappear.

The colour of the lake is now returning to original as the rainy season has kicked in, allowing dilution of the water. The salinity and pH/alkalinity levels have also come down and green algae have started growing in the water body.

Further, it was noted that Haloarchaea microbes were ingested by Flamingos.

These microbes acted as carotenoid (pigment) rich food for the birds.

Flamingos get their red-pink colour from special colouring chemicals called pigments found in the algae and invertebrates they eat.
Indian Bullfrog
Scientific Name:Hoplobatrachustigerinus.
Common Names: Bullfrog, Golden Frog, Green Frog, Tiger Frog etc.
IUCN Red List: Least Concern.
Indian Wildlife Act 1972: Schedule IV.

Schedule IV along with Schedule III provide protection with lesser penalties.

It is native to the Indian subcontinent (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan) and is the largest frog in India.

These are prolific breeders (producing many offspring), have short breeding seasons, and each egg clutch can contain up to 5,750 eggs.

Indian bullfrog tadpoles are carnivorous and eat other tadpoles (including their own species).

The tadpoles grow to be the largest (around 20 millimetres) and also grow the fastest.

Adult bullfrogs pose a threat to small endemic vertebrates because they can eat everything which fits into their mouths like centipedes, leeches, native frogs, lizards, small snakes and even chicks and ducklings.

Bullfrogs eat the native frogs as well and their diets overlap, indicating a possibility of competition.

It is one of the invasive species on the islands of Andaman and Nicobar.

An invasive species is a species that is accidentally or artificially introduced into a biosphere where it is not normally found.

In the absence of a natural predator, as it generally happens, the invasive species thrive and causes economic and environmental damage due to the imbalance created by its introduction.
DehingPatkai Wildlife Sanctuary
The Assam government has decided to upgrade DehingPatkai Wildlife Sanctuary into a National Park.

The announcement comes just months after the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) gave conditional clearance to a coal mining project by Coal India Limited (CIL) in the DehingPatkai Elephant Reserve.

Key Points
As a national park, its importance will increase and new rules will bring increased vigilance to the area. While the first proposal to accord national park status to the region dates back to 1995, DehingPatkai was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2004.

Description: DehingPatkai Wildlife Sanctuary is located within the larger DehingPatkai Elephant Reserve, which spreads across the coal- and oil-rich districts of Upper Assam (Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts).

The DehingPatkai Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as the Jeypore Rainforest.

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.

The oldest refinery of Asia in Digboi and ‘open cast’ coal mining at Lido are located near the sanctuary.

It is famous for Assam Valley Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests bordering Arunachal Pradesh.

Fauna: Rare fauna found in the region include Chinese pangolin, flying fox, wild pig, sambar, barking deer, gaur, serow and Malayan giant squirrels.

It is the only sanctuary in India which is home to seven different species of wild cats - tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, golden cat, jungle cat and marbled cat.

Assamese macaque, a primate found in the forest, is in the red list of Near Threatened species.

It has the highest concentration of the rare endangered White Winged Wood Duck.

Flora: DehingPatkai is a deciduous rainforest interspersed with semi-evergreen and lush green flora.

Sixth National Park: Post upgradation, DehingPatkai will be the sixth national park in Assam — the other five being Kaziranga, Nameri, Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa and Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.
Ophiocordyceps Nutans Fungi
Recently, researchers have found Ophiocordyceps nutans (fungi) for the first time in central India, while setting out on a plant survey at the Kanger Valley National Park in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.

Earlier, these have been reported in India only from the Western Ghats.

Key Points
Ophiocordyceps nutans host on a specific insect, Halyomorphahalys.

Halyomorphahalys is commonly known as the stink bug and is a pest to forest trees and agricultural crops.

The stink bug is known to damage the flower and fruits of soybean, green beans, apple, pear, etc.

Mechanism:
The fungi infect the insect when alive and develop fungal mycelium (the vegetative part of a fungus) inside its thorax (chest).

The spores (single-celled reproductive units) sprout out from between the insect’s thorax and head, killing the insect but it continues to take nutrition from the dead body.

The fungi are very host-specific, so the spores travel and infect stink bugs only.

Importance:
Studies have shown that these fungi can be used as a biological pest control agent against the stink bugs.

Exploring these fungi as a pesticide will help reduce the harmful effect of chemicals in fields.

Several species of the Ophiocordyceps fungi have medicinal properties.

Reports show that China has been traditionally using it.

In the Western Ghats, the local people use these fungi as an immune stimulator.

These are rich in biologically active metabolites, vitamin C, phenolic compounds (disinfectant in household cleaners), and also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Scientists claim that it contains a component called ‘cordycepin’ which has anti-cancer properties.
Rare Orchids in India
Tiger orchids (Grammatophyllumspeciosum), Ground orchids (Eulophiaobtusa)

Recently, two rare orchid species i.e. Tiger orchids (Grammatophyllumspeciosum) and Ground orchids (Eulophiaobtusa) have been found to be blooming in different parts of the country after a gap of many years.

Key Points
Tiger Orchid:
Scientific Name: Grammatophyllumspeciosum

Characteristics: It has large and resplendent flowers which resemble the tiger skin.

It flowers in alternate years and remains in bloom for about a month.

Geographical Distribution: These epiphytic plants are not native to India, and are endemic to southeast Asia i.e.Indonesia and Philippines.

An epiphyte grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water or from debris accumulating around it.

It is found to be in full bloom at the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) Kerala, where it was introduced in the 1990s.

Ground Orchid:
Scientific Name: Eulophiaobtusa

Rediscovery: It has been rediscovered in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh after 118 years.

It was last recorded in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh in 1902.

Geographical Distribution: The species is originally from Uttarakhand.

It was collected by botanists from Gangetic plains but there have been no sightings in the past 100 years. In 2008, the plant species was sighted in Bangladesh for the first time.

Characteristics: It has white flowers and bright pink hues.

Protection Status: Listed as “critically endangered” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of endangered species.
Bon Bibi: Sundarban
A centuries-old folk theatre form and the worship of a forest goddess i.e. Bon Bibi has helped the natives of the Sundarban survive by understanding the power of nature and the limits of human needs.

Key Points
Bon Bibi: Bon Bibi is a deity of the forest and the central character of Bon BibirPalagaan, a musical drama unique to the Sundarbans.

Shrines to Bon Bibi and her twin brother Shah Jongoli dot the landscape of the Sundarbans.

The followers of Bon Bibi are fishermen, crab-collectors and honey-gatherers who live in the mangroves with wild animals such as tigers and crocodiles to earn a livelihood.

They believe that only Bon Bibi protects them when they enter the forest and survive in tiger dominated areas.

Bon BibirPalagaan: People express their belief in Bon Bibi through Bon BibirPalagaan, a dramatic storytelling form that is enacted throughout the island.

Traditionally, the performances are held near Bon Bibi temples or villages bordering the forests.

Significance:
An unwritten code believed to be given by the deity prohibits islanders from carrying guns or weapons into the forest.

They must enter the forest only if they absolutely need to earn a livelihood and not take more — honey or crabs, fish or prawns — than they need.

They must not pollute the forest in any way, by smoking, defecating or washing utensils.

According to a local lore, poachers, pirates and those who disobey Bon Bibi are attacked by tigers as punishment.
The Tiger Census of India sets a New Guinness Record
The fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018, results of which were declared to the nation on Global Tiger Day last year by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.

world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey
Terming this achievement a great moment, Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar in a tweet message said that this is a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat which in the Prime Minister’s own words, was attained through Sankalp se siddhi.

The Environment Minister also said India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has fulfilled its commitment to double the number of tigers four years before the deadline.

The country now has an estimated 2967 tigers according to the most recent census. With this number, India is home to nearly 75 per cent of the global tiger population and has already fulfilled its determination to double tiger numbers, made in St. Petersburg in 2010, well before the 2022 target year.

The citation at the Guinness World Record website reads- “The fourth iteration of the survey – conducted in 2018-19 - was the most comprehensive to date, in terms of both resource and data amassed. Camera traps (outdoor photographic devices fitted with motion sensors that start recording when an animal passes by) were placed in 26,838 locations across 141 different sites and surveyed an effective area of 121,337 square kilometres (46,848 square miles).

In total, the camera traps captured 34,858,623 photographs of wildlife (76,651 of which were tigers and 51,777 were leopards; the remainder were other native fauna). From these photographs, 2,461 individual tigers (excluding cubs) were identified using stripe-pattern-recognition software.

About Project Tiger
As well as unprecedented camera trap usage, the 2018 “Status of Tigers in India” assessment also conducted extensive foot surveys that covered 522,996 km (324,975 mi) of trails and sampled 317,958 habitat plots for vegetation and prey dung. It’s estimated that the total area of forest studied was 381,200 km2 (147,181 sq mi) and cumulatively the collection and review of data equated to some 620,795 labour-days.”

The quadrennial All India Tiger Estimate is managed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority with technical backstop from India 's Wildlife Institute and implemented by departments and partners from State Forest.

The latest 2018 findings showed that India now has an estimated 2967 tigers out of which photographed 2461 individual tigers, a whopping 83 percent of the tiger population, reflecting the detailed nature of the survey.

There is hardly any equivalent of such a based species-oriented program as Project Tiger in the world, which began with 9 Tiger Reserves, currently with 50 tiger reserves. India has now firmly established a leading role in the conservation of tigers, with its benchmarking practices viewed as a gold standard worldwide
Indian Railways to become Green Railway by achieving net-zero carbon emission
The Ministry of Railways has announced mission mode with the goal of transforming Indian Railways into Green Railways by the year 2030.

It has taken a number of major initiatives towards mitigation of global warming and combating climate change.

Highlights:
Indian Railways, as a part of mission mode, has planned to electrify All routes on Broad Gauge (BG) network by December 2023.

Indian Railways is currently focusing on the electrification of last-mile connectivity & missing links. Under this, 365 km of major connectivity work has been commissioned amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian Railways strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emission includes Railway Electrification, improve the energy efficiency of locomotives and trains and fixed installations, green certification for installations/stations, fitting bio-toilets in coaches and switching to renewable sources of energy, among others.

So far, Indian Railways has completed electrification of more than 40,000 Route km (RKM) (63% of Broad Gauge routes). Out of the total 18,605 km electrification work was done during 2014-20. Earlier, only 3,835 km electrification work was completed during the period 2009-14. Indian Railways has fixed a target of electrification of 7000 RKM for the year 2020-21.
Decrease in Dolphin Number: Chambal River
According to the latest census report prepared by the Madhya Pradesh forest department, the number of dolphins in Chambal river has been reduced by 13% in 4 years.

There are just 68 dolphins left in the 435-kilometre-long Chambal river sanctuary which passes through three states i.e. Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Gangetic Dolphins are the sanctuary’s main attraction.

The decreasing trend is continuing from 2016 when there were 78 dolphins.

Key Points
The maximum carrying capacity of dolphins in Chambal is 125.

The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained in that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available.

The dolphins were spotted for the first time in 1985 in Chambal river (a tributary of Yamuna) near Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. That time, the number was more than 110.

Reasons:
Unfavourable Habitat: It faces the threat of hunting and entanglement in fishing gear due to fragmented habitats.

Poaching: Fragmented habitats lead to the problem of poaching for not only dolphins, but also for gharials.

Illegal Sand Mining: It is rampant in Bhind and Morena in MP and Dholpur in Rajasthan and putting the whole ecosystem of the river in danger.

Further, the forest team never gets support from locals.

In 2006, the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) ordered a ban on mining in the sanctuary area to save the flora and fauna of the river.

Consumption of Water: Chambal is a lifeline for three states i.e. MP, UP and Rajasthan and the locals are withdrawing water daily.

It has led to gradual decrease in the water levels and needs to be addressed properly to save the dolphins as well as gharial.

Lack of Studies: Dolphins are a sensitive animal. There is a need of study on their favourable environment and communication system.

The Forest Department of MP has collaborated with the scientists of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to do a research for safeguarding and increasing the population of dolphins in Chambal.
Increasing E-waste by 38%
According to a recent United Nations University (UNU) report, global e-waste will increase by 38% in the decade between 2020 and 2030.

UNU is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organisation headquartered in Japan.

UNU’s mission is to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations, its peoples and the member states.

Key Points
Data Analysis of 2019:
There was 53.6 million tonnes (MT) e-waste in 2019, which is a nearly 21% increase in just five years.

Asia generated the greatest volume (around 24.9 MT) followed by the Americas (13.1 MT) and Europe (12 MT). Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 MT and 0.7 MT respectively.

Most E-waste consisted of small and large equipment like screens and monitors, lamps, telecommunication equipment etc and temperature exchange equipment.

Less than 18% of the e-waste generated in 2019 was collected and recycled.

E-waste consisting of gold, silver, copper, platinum and other high-value, recoverable materials worth at least USD 57 billion was mostly dumped or burned rather than being collected for treatment and reuse.

The number of countries that have adopted a national e-waste policy, legislation or regulation has increased from 61 to 78 and includes India.

It is far from the target set by the International Telecommunication Union to raise the percentage of countries with e-waste legislation to 50%.

Concerns:
Toxicity: E-waste consists of toxic elements such as Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium, Polybrominated biphenyls and Polybrominated diphenyl.

Effects on Humans: Some of the major health effects include serious illnesses such as lung cancer, respiratory problems, bronchitis, brain damages, etc due to inhalation of toxic fumes, exposure to heavy metals and alike.

Effects on Environment: E-waste is an environmental hazard causing groundwater pollution, acidification of soil and contamination of groundwater and air pollution due to the burning of plastic and other remnants.

E-waste in India
Structured management of e-waste in India is mandated under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016.

Some of the salient features of the rules include e-waste classification, extended producer responsibility (EPR), collection targets and restrictions on import of e-waste containing hazardous materials.

There are 312 authorised recyclers of e-waste in India, with the capacity for treating approximately 800 kilo tons annually. However, formal recycling capacity remains underutilised because over 90% of the e-waste is still handled by the informal sector.

Almost over a million people in India are involved in manual recycling operations. Workers are not registered so it is hard to track the issues of employment such as workers’ rights, remunerations, safety measures, etc.

Labourers are from the vulnerable sections of the society and lack any form of bargaining power and are not aware of their rights. This has a serious impact on the environment since none of the procedures is followed by workers or local dealers.
Kaziranga National Park
According to Kaziranga National Park authorities around 80% of its area has been inundated due to floods.

Key Points
Location: It is located in the State of Assam and covers 42,996 Hectare (ha). It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.

Legal Status:
It was declared as a National Park in 1974.

It has been declared a tiger reserve since 2007. It has a total tiger reserve area of 1,030 sq km with a core area of 430 sq. km.

International Status:
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

Important Species Found:
It is the home of the world's most one-horned rhinos. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world and second highest number of Rhinos in Assam after Kaziranga National Park.

Much of the focus of conservation efforts in Kaziranga are focused on the 'big four' species— Rhino, Elephant, Royal Bengal tiger and Asiatic water buffalo.

The 2018 census had yielded 2,413 rhinos and approximately 1,100 elephants.

As per the figures of tiger census conducted in 2014, Kaziranga had an estimated 103 tigers, the third highest population in India after Jim Corbett National Park (215) in Uttarakhand and Bandipur National Park (120) in Karnataka.

Kaziranga is also home to 9 of the 14 species of primates found in the Indian subcontinent.

Rivers and Highways:
The National Highway 37 passes through the park area.

The park also has more than 250 seasonal water bodies, besides the Diphlu River running through it.

Other national parks in Assam are:
Dibru-Saikhowa National Park,
Manas National Park,
Nameri National Park,
Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.
Nagarahole National Park: Karnataka
Recently, the Karnataka Forest Department has decided to put in place a traffic monitoring mechanism along the roads adjacent to Nagarahole National Park.

Key Points
Time-stamped Card System:
The forest department will introduce a time-stamped card system for vehicles passing through the roads, adjacent to Nagarahole National Park, which have high traffic density 24x7.

The time stamped card will have complete details on the speed limit to be maintained and the exit time at the next check post.

Such a system is already in place on the road cutting through Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

Issues Involved:
Pollution: In the absence of any monitoring mechanism, littering along the road is high as many motorists stop midway on the road adjacent to the forests for lunch break and leave behind plastic water bottles and liquor bottles.

Road Kills: The heavy vehicle movement along the stretch also causes road kills some of which come to light if the animal dies on the road. But in most cases the injured animals tend to drag themselves into the forests and their subsequent deaths do not come to light.

Man-made Forest Fires: The forests adjacent to the highway also witness forest fires and illegal tree felling.

Benefit of Road Monitoring
It will help ensure that motorists don’t stop midway and litter the area or cause disturbance to wildlife.

It will also ensure better compliance of forest laws by motorists and will also minimise road kills.
Indian Railways to Use More Renewable Energy
The Indian Railways has decided to be self-reliant for its energy needs by utilizing its vacant lands for Renewable Energy (RE) projects.

It will utilize solar energy for meeting its traction (action of drawing or pulling something over a surface) power requirements.

Key Points
In January 2020, it was announced that the entire network of the Indian Railways will run on electricity by 2024 and become a net-zero emission network by 2030.

Indian Railways is adopting an innovative concept of installation of solar projects along operational railway lines. This will help in:

Preventing encroachment.

Enhancing the speed and safety of trains.

Reduction of infrastructure costs due to direct injection of solar power into the traction network.

Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL) is working continuously to further proliferate the use of solar energy on mega-scale.

With these mega initiatives, Indian Railways is leading India’s fight against climate challenge and is taking significant steps towards meeting its ambitious goal of being a net-zero carbon emissions organisation and meeting India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) targets.

This would also help in making Indian Railways a complete ‘Green mode’ of transportation and ‘Atmanirbhar (energy self-sufficient transport organisation)’.

Achievements:
Energy procurement from various solar projects like 3 MWp solar plant set up at Modern Coach Factory (MCF) Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh).

About 100 MWp rooftop solar systems on various stations and buildings of Railways.

A project of 1.7 MWp near Bina Traction Sub Station, Bina (Madhya Pradesh) connected directly to Overhead Traction System (OTS) will be commissioned shortly.

This is the first of its kind project in the world authorised by Indian Railways in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

BHEL is one of the seven Maharatna companies.

The project was undertaken by BHEL under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme.

It involves the adoption of innovative technology for converting Direct Current (DC) to single-phase Alternating Current (AC) for feeding directly to Railway’s overhead traction system.

It can produce approximately 25 lakh units of energy annually and will save around Rs. 1.37 crore for Railways every year.
Himalayan butterfly is India’s largest Butterfly
The Himalayan butterfly named Golden Birdwing has become India’s largest butterfly and broke the record set by an unknown specimen, which was held for 88 years.

The unknown specimen was recorded by a British Army officer Brigadier William Harry Evans in 1932.

Highlights:
The wingspan of the female of the Golden Birdwing species is 194 mm which is marginally larger than the Southern Birdwing. The wingspan of the Southern Birdwing is 190 mm. The female Golden Birdwing was recorded from Didihat, Uttarakhand

The length of the largest female Golden Birdwing’s forewing is 90 mm.

Also, the male Golden Birdwing, TroidesAeacus, is much smaller at 106 mm.

The three species followed by the Golden Birdwing are:

Common Windmill (Byasapolyeuctes) at 98 mm

Great Windmill (Byasadasarada) at 96 mm

Common Peacock (Papiliobianor) at 78 mm

The smallest butterfly is the Quaker (Neopithecopszalmora) with a wingspan of 18 mm and forewing length of 8 mm
Virtual Climate Action Ministerial
Recently, the 4th edition of the virtual Ministerial on Climate Action was organised to advance discussions on implementation of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Key Points
The Ministerial:
It was co-chaired by European Union, China and Canada.

The participating countries exchanged their views on how they are aligning economic recovery plans amid Covid-19, with the Paris Agreement.

India highlighted that developed country parties have not fulfilled their promise for extending financial and technological support to developing countries as envisaged under UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement.

India hopes that in the remaining 5 months of 2020, the promised amount will be mobilized and delivered, for further strengthening climate actions in developing countries.

The developed countries had promised to provide USD 1 trillion by 2020.

India’s Efforts in Combating Climate Change:
India has provided 80 million LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in rural areas, providing the people with clean cooking fuel and a healthy environment.

It has distributed more than 360 million LED bulbs under the UJALA scheme, which has led to energy saving of about 47 billion units of electricity per year and reduction of 38 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

India has also shifted from Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms from 1st April 2020 which was earlier to be adopted by 2024.

It had levied a coal cess as part of one of the most explicit green initiatives.

Under Smart Cities Mission, Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2019 has been launched which intends to provide a clear roadmap for cities and urban India towards combating climate change through adoption of both mitigation and adaptation measures.

Achievements of India in Combating Climate Change:
India has achieved a reduction of 21% in emission intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 2005 and 2014, thereby on its way to achieving its voluntary target under its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC).

India had pledged to cut emission intensity of its GDP by 33-35% by 2030 below 2005 levels.

Its renewable energy installed capacity has increased by 226% in the last 5 years and stands more than 87 gigawatts (GW).

India has a target of installing 175 GW of renewable power capacity by 2022 under its INDC.

The share of non-fossil sources in installed capacity of electricity generation increased from 30.5% in March 2015 to 37.7% in May 2020.

It has further announced the aspirational target of increasing its renewable energy capacity to 450 GW.

India has pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels-based electricity to 40% by 2030 under INDC.

India’s total forest and tree cover is 8,07,276 sq. km. which is 24.56% of the total geographical area of the country.

India has agreed to enhance its forest cover which will absorb 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2030.

Marmots
Recently, reports of an outbreak of bubonic plague in Mongolia, China and far east Russia have emerged, caused mainly by Tarbagan Marmot (a species of Marmot).

It has been compared to the Covid-19 pandemic which was apparently spread by the consumption of bat meat.

Key Points
General Description:
Marmot (genus Marmota) belongs to the squirrel family (Sciuridae) within the order Rodentia.

These have almost 15 species and the closest living relatives of marmots are ground squirrels and prairie dogs.

Prairie dogs are herbivorous burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America.

Marmots are well suited for life in cold environments and have small fur-covered ears, short, stocky legs, and strong claws for digging.

Marmots are diurnal (active during the day) and are almost entirely vegetarian.

Habitat:
They are found primarily in the continents of Europe, Asia and North America.

South Asia or the Indian Subcontinent is home to the Himalayan Marmot and the Long-tailed Marmot (both are Least Concerned in the IUCN Red List).

Tarbagan or Mongolian Marmot (Endangered) is found in Mongolia, China and parts of Russia.

Importance:
While digging burrows, marmots increase aeration in the soil which increases nutrient circulation and helps different plants to propagate.

Marmots also play a very important role in Himalayan ecology. They are prey species for predators including the snow leopard, red fox, hawks, eagles, etc.

Threats:
Marmots are hunted for their meat in China and Mongolia.

High altitude regions lack proteins. Pastoral nomads usually eat these when they do not have any other means of sustenance.

Marmots are also hunted for their fur.
National Gene Bank
Recently, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) under the Ministry of AYUSH and the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The purpose of this MoU is to conserve the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Genetic Resources (MAPGRs) in the National Gene Bank (NGB).

Key Points
Establishment: The National Gene Bank was notified in 1996-97.

Hosted By: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi.

Purpose: To conserve the Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for future generations in the form of seeds, genomic resources, pollen etc.

Functioning:
The NGB has four kinds of facilities, namely, Seed Genebank (- 18°C), Cryogenebank (-170°C to -196°C), In vitro Genebank (25°C), and Field Genebank, to cater to long-term as well as medium-term conservation.

It stores different crop groups such as cereals, millets, medicinal and aromatic plants and narcotics, etc.

Other Facilities:
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway houses the world’s largest collection of seeds.

India’s seed vault is at Chang La (Ladakh) in the Himalayas.

National Animal Gene Bank, established at the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR - Karnal, Haryana), has the objective of conserving the indigenous livestock biodiversity.

NBAGR is one of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes.

National Medicinal Plants Board
In order to promote the medicinal plants sector, the Government of India set up the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) on 24th November 2000.

Currently the board is working under the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homoeopathy).

The primary mandate of NMPB is to develop an appropriate mechanism for coordination between various ministries/ departments/ organizations and implementation of support policies/programs for overall (conservation, cultivation, trade and export) growth of medicinal plants sector both at the Central /State and International level.

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources
The ‘National Bureau of Plant Introduction’ was renamed as ‘National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources’ (NBPGR) in January 1977.

It is one of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes.

ICAR is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.

It is a nodal organisation in India for management of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR).

It has played a pivotal role in the improvement of various crop plants and diversification and development of agriculture in India through germplasm introduction from various institutes/organizations located in foreign countries and germplasm collection from within the country and abroad and conservation thereof.

Germplasm is a live information source for all the genes present in the respective plant, which can be conserved for long periods and regenerated whenever it is required in the future.

The NBPGR has linkage with National Active Germplasm Sites (NAGS) for the management of active germplasm of field and horticultural crops.

NAGS are located at NBPGR regional stations, other crop-based ICAR institutes or State Agricultural Universities.

It is headquartered in New Delhi and has 10 regional stations.
Gynandromorphism
Recently, a rare biological phenomenon i.e. Gynandromorphism has been spotted in a dragonfly, the Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemisservilia), which is found in the Kole wetlands, Kerala.

The dragonfly had both male and female characteristics.

Key Points
Gynandromorphism is a characteristic of an organism that contains both male and female tissues and characteristics. Such organisms are also called gynandromorphs.

The term is derived from the Greek words (gyne = woman; aner = man and morphe = form).

The phenomenon has been documented in birds, crustaceans and butterflies.

Reason:

Gynandromorphs are usually born due genetic aberration.

Genetic aberrations are chromosomal disorder or mutation which is due to a missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA.

Importance of the Study of gynandromorphism:
It helps in finding the genetic diversity in related species which further contributes to the conservation and preservation.

It also aids in discovery of disease and other changes in the specific species due to factors like climate change and ecological evolutions.

Further, the study of gynandromorphs could offer clues as to why some human diseases strike one gender more than the other.
Sankalp Parva: Plantation of Trees
The Ministry of Culture is celebrating ‘Sankalp Parva’ to plant trees from 28th June to 12th July 2020.

The initiative has been taken on the call of the Prime Minister to plant at least five trees either in office campus or wherever it is possible, to ensure a clean and healthy environment of the country.

Key Points
The Ministry of Culture has recommended planting five trees which represent the herbal heritage of the country.

These trees are: Bargad, Awla, Pepal, Ashok and Bel. These are also medicinal plants.

Other Initiatives Related to Plantation of Trees:

Recently, the government has announced implementation of the Nagar Van (Urban Forest) Scheme which aims to develop 200 Urban Forests across the country in the next five years.

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act was passed in 2016 to manage the funds collected for compensatory afforestation which till then was managed by Ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

Compensatory afforestation means that every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.

The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB - under the Ministry of AYUSH) intends to establish herbal gardens of various types to popularize the usefulness of commonly available and frequently used medicinal plants among the various stakeholders.

The Jajpur district administration in Odisha has made plantation a mandatory precondition for granting licenses for eight services including society registration, license for minor minerals, setting up crusher units, purchase of new vehicles, issuance of solvency certificate, etc.
Uganda Submitted REDD+ Results
Recently, Uganda has become the first African country to submit results for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

REDD+
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) is a mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2005.

Most of the key REDD+ decisions were completed by 2013, with the final pieces of the rulebook finished in 2015.

The “Plus” in REDD+, lays out the various ways in which countries have defined the three activities: conservation, the sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stock.

It aims to achieve climate change mitigation by incentivizing forest conservation.

It has three phases — Readiness, Implementation and Result-based actions.

Readiness phase involves the development of national strategies or action plans, REDD+ mitigation actions, and capacity building.

Implementation is about enacting REDD+ actions and national strategies that could involve further capacity building, technology development and transfer.

Results-based payments comprise the final REDD+ phase.

It provides financial incentives to developing countries that prove they stopped deforestation during a certain period of time. This is done through rigorous UN-backed technical evaluations

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) established at Conference Of Parties (COP)-17 to function as the financial mechanism for the UNFCCC, is currently financing REDD+ programs.

Brazil was the first country to receive $96.5 million under the results-based payments.

Key Points
Uganda's REDD+ Results: There is a 44% reduction in the country’s rate of deforestation annually between 2015 and 2017.

The results submission by Uganda to the UNFCCC has paved the way for potential results-based payments to the country.

It will help Uganda to receive funds through the Green Climate Fund’s forest conservation scheme.

Significance for Africa: The submission of the results are a significant development on REDD+ for Africa. This will encourage other African countries to reduce carbon emissions by decreasing deforestation and forest degradation.

India and REDD+:
The Paris agreement on climate change called upon country Parties to take action to implement and support REDD+.

India has communicated in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under Paris Agreement, that it will capture 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of Carbon dioxide through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

In this regard, India has prepared its “National REDD+ Strategy”.

Introduced in 2018 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the strategy seeks to address drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and also develop a roadmap for enhancement of forest carbon stocks and achieving sustainable management of forests through REDD+ actions.
National Mission for Clean Ganga
Recently, the World Bank has approved a five year loan (for the second phase) to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) or NamamiGange Project worth Rs.3,000 crore to help stem pollution in the Ganga river basin.

So far, 313 projects worth Rs. 25,000 crore have been sanctioned under the mission.

Key Points
The First Phase: The NamamiGange has already received Rs. 4,535 crore from the World Bank as part of the first phase (valid until December 2021) of the National Ganga River Basin.

The Second Phase:
Hybrid Annuity Projects: The loan would fund three new ‘Hybrid Annuity Projects’ in Agra, Meerut and Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh for the tributaries of the Ganga.

Cleaning Projects: Some of the projects include spillover projects from the first phase of the mission as well cleaning projects in tributaries such as the Yamuna and Kali rivers.

DBOT Projects: Rs.1,209 crore is provided for the ongoing DBOT (Design, Build, Operate and Transfer) projects in Buxar, Munger, Begusarai in Bihar.

Other Initiatives: It would include institutional development, improving investment resilience to Covid-19 like emergency situations, performance based incentive for Urban Local Bodies and communication and management programmes.

Associated Challenges:
Pollution:
Most of the Ganga is polluted and it is due to presence of five states on the river’s main stem i.e. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.

Industrial pollution from tanneries in Kanpur, distilleries, paper and sugar mills in the Kosi, Ramganga and Kali river catchments are major contributors.

Violation of e-Flow Norms: According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), 4 of the 11 hydro power projects on the upper reaches of the river Ganga’s tributaries are violating Ganga ecological flow (e-flow) norms which is further interrupting the natural flow of the river.

Illegal Construction: The problem of illegal and rampant construction near river beds has become a major hurdle in cleaning the river.

Poor Governance: There is less utilisation of funds allotted under the programmes due to lack of monitoring and superviison.

Other Initiatives Taken
Ganga Action Plan: It was the first River Action Plan that was taken up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1985, to improve the water quality by the interception, diversion, and treatment of domestic sewage.

The National River Conservation Plan is an extension to the Ganga Action Plan. It aims at cleaning the Ganga river under Ganga Action Plan phase-2.

National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA): It was formed by the Government of India in the year 2009 under Section-3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

It declared the Ganga as the ‘National River’ of India.

Clean Ganga Fund: In 2014, it was formed for cleaning up of the Ganga, setting up of waste treatment plants, and conservation of biotic diversity of the river.

Bhuvan-Ganga Web App: It ensures involvement of the public in monitoring of pollution entering into the river Ganga.

Ban on Waste Disposal: In 2017, the National Green Tribunal banned the disposal of any waste in the Ganga.
Rajaji National Park
Recently, a clash took place between Van Gujjars and the Uttarakhand forest officials in the Rajaji National Park.

Key Points
Location: Haridwar (Uttarakhand), along the foothills of the Shivalik range, spans 820 square kilometres.

Background: Three sanctuaries in the Uttarakhand i.e. Rajaji, Motichur and Chila were amalgamated into a large protected area and named Rajaji National Park in the year 1983 after the famous freedom fighter C. Rajgopalachari; popularly known as “Rajaji”.

Features:
This area is the North Western Limit of habitat of Asian elephants.

Forest types include sal forests, riverine forests, broad–leaved mixed forests, scrubland and grassy.

It possesses as many as 23 species of mammals and 315 bird species such as elephants, tigers, leopards, deers and ghorals, etc.

It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2015.

It is home to the Van Gujjars in the winters.

Van Gujjars:
It is one of the few forest-dwelling nomadic communities in the country.

Usually, they migrate to the bugyals (grasslands) located in the upper Himalayas with their buffaloes and return only at the end of monsoons to their makeshift huts, deras, in the foothills. They inhabit the foothills of Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand.

They traditionally practice buffalo husbandry; a family owns up to 25 heads of buffaloes. They rely on buffaloes for milk, which gets them a good price in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh markets.

Other Protected Areas in Uttarakhand:
Jim Corbett National Park (first National Park of India).

Valley of Flowers National Park and Nanda Devi National Park which together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Govind PashuVihar National Park and Sanctuary.

Gangotri National Park.

Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary.
Two New Species of Butterfly
Recently, the lepidopterists have discovered the two new species of butterfly i.e. Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

At present, India has 1,327 species of butterfly as compared to 1,318 species in 2015.

A lepidopterist is a person who specialises in studying butterflies and moths.

Key Points
Striped Hairstreak:
Scientific Name: Yamamotozephyruskwangtugenesis

Discovery: It is found in Vijaynagar village of Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar.

It was a subject of interest for the lepidopterists as its genus is diversified into several genera (i.e. sub-divisions) and thus, difficult to trace.

Habitat:
It was first recorded in Hainan province of China.

It is also found in North America, from the Rocky Mountains

Elusive Prince:
Scientific Name:Rohanatonkiniana

Discovery: It is found in Miao subdivision situated on the periphery of the Namdapha National Park.

In India only a male specimen of the Elusive Prince was found.

Initially it was considered as a variant of the Black Prince, but the study revealed that it is different and not recorded in India before.

Habitat: It was first recorded in Tonkin in north Vietnam.

The Rohana Genus: It has been represented in India by two species — the Black Prince (Rohanaparisatis) and the Brown Prince (Rohanaparvata).
Assam Keelback Rediscovered
The Assam keelback (Herpetoreaspealii), a snake endemic to Assam, has been found 129 years after it was last spotted by British tea planter Samuel Edward Peal in 1891.

Key Points
The snake was considered a lost species since no sighting had been reported since its discovery in 1891.

In 2018, it was found in the Poba Reserve Forest (RF) by a team of scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WWI), who were retracing the steps of the Abor Expedition.

Abor Expedition was a military expedition by the British against the Abors in 1911.

Assam Keelback:
The non-venomous snake was named after Samuel Peal and the place where it was found.

It is small — about 60 cm long, brownish, with a patterned belly.

It has a unique genus (Herpetoreas) belonging to a smaller group of four species, found in Eastern and Western Himalayas, South China and Northeast India.

It is categorised as ‘data deficient’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list.

This is the worst category because there is practically no information available about it and it is difficult to determine its status.

Poba Reserve Forest:
Poba RF is located along the Assam-Arunachal border, in Assam.

The National Highway -15 passes through the reserved forest.

The reserved forest is now under threat due to destruction of forest cover and random hunting, poaching and illegal collection of forest resources by unscrupulous people.
Globbaandersonii: Rediscovered Plant Species
A team of researchers have “rediscovered” a rare plant species called Globbaandersonii from the Sikkim Himalayas.

The species has been found near the Teesta river valley region after a gap of nearly 136 years.

The earliest records of the collection of this plant were dated between the period 1862-70 by Scottish botanist Thomas Anderson from Sikkim and Darjeeling. Then, in 1875, the British botanist Sir George King, had collected it from the Sikkim Himalayas.

Key Points
Features:
The plant, known commonly as ‘dancing ladies’ or ‘swan flowers’ was thought to have been extinct until its “re-collection”, for the first time since 1875.

Globbaandersonii are characterised by white ?owers and non-attached anthers (the part of a stamen that contains the pollen).

The species has been listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Habitat:
It is also termed as “narrowly endemic” as the species is restricted mainly to the Teesta River Valley region which includes the Sikkim Himalayas and Darjeeling hill ranges.

The plant usually grows in a dense colony as a lithophyte (plant growing on a bare rock or stone) on rocky slopes in the outskirts of evergreen forests.

It is especially prevalent near small waterfalls along the roadside leading to these hill forests, which are 400-800 m. above sea level.
Tillari Conservation Reserve Notified
The Maharashtra Government has declared 29.53 sq km area of Dodamarg forest range in Sindhudurg district as ‘Tillari Conservation Reserve’.

Key Points
Tillari Conservation Reserve:
Tillari is the seventh wildlife corridor in the state to be declared as a ‘conservation reserve’.

The area covering nine villages in the forest range is known to serve as a corridor and even as a habitat for the population of tigers and elephants moving between the three states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

It connects Mhadei sanctuary in Goa and Bhimgad in Karnataka.

It has semi-evergreen forest, tropical moist deciduous forests, and a number of unique trees, butterflies, and flowers.

Conservation Reserves in Maharashtra:

Maharashtra has 62 conservation reserves, of which 13 are in the western ghats.

Tillari is a reserve in western ghats.

Conservation Reserves in India:
Conservation reserves and community reserves are terms denoting protected areas of the country which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests.

Such areas are designated as conservation areas if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities and community areas if part of the lands are privately owned.

These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 - the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

These categories were added because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land and land use.

As of July 2019, there were 88 conservation reserves and 127 community reserves in India.
Reconstitution of Central Zoo Authority
Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has reconstituted the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to include an expert from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and a molecular biologist.

Key Points
The CZA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It was constituted in 1992 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Members: It is chaired by the Environment Minister and has 10 members and a member-secretary.

Objective: The main objective of the authority is to complement and strengthen the national effort in conservation of rich biodiversity.

Functioning: The authority provides recognition to zoos and is also tasked with regulating the zoos across the country.

It lays down guidelines and prescribes rules under which animals may be transferred among zoos nationally and internationally.

It coordinates and implements programmes on capacity building of zoo personnel, planned breeding programmes and ex-situ research.
Elephant Deaths in Botswana
In the past two months, hundreds of elephants have died mysteriously in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Key Points
The cause of the deaths is yet to be established. However, poaching has been ruled out since the dead elephants were found with tusks.

Several live elephants appeared to have been weak, lethargic and skeletal, with some showing signs of disorientation, difficulty in walking or limping.

Okavango Delta: It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean.

This delta comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains.

The delta covers part of Kalahari Desert and owes its existence to the Okavango (Kavango) River.

It is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion.

Botswana: It is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Its 70% territory is covered by Kalahari Desert.

Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated to be around 130,000.

It is Africa's oldest continuous democracy.
Urban forest created at polluted ITO in Delhi
The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar along with CAG Rajiv Mehri inaugurated the dense urban forest. The forest has been created in a park adjacent to the ITO metro station, Delhi.

It has been created by planting at least 12,000 saplings of 59 indigenous tree species. It has been built by the government’s official auditor comptroller and auditor general.

Highlights:
The Urban Forest is made up of trees that are native to the area.

There are three dimensional, multi-layered communities having 30 times the surface area of the greenery of single-layered lawns, and have more than 30 times the ability to protect against natural disasters and to conserve the environment.

The move comes as the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi has become an increasing cause of concern in the past years. Also, the ITO crossing of New Delhi has recorded particularly high air pollution levels.

The forest creation will help in reducing the temperature by as much as 14 degrees & increase the moisture by more than 40%.

Urban forest has the capacity to restore habitat for bees, butterflies, birds, and microfauna.