11

CHAPTER

Environment

The environment is defi ned as ‘the sum total of living, nonliving components; infl uences and events, surrounding an organism’.Everything that surrounds or aff ects an organism during its life time is collectively known as its environment which comprises both living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components.

Components of Environment: Abiotic Components: Soil, Topography, Water, Atmosphere etc.Biotic Components: Green Plants, Non-Green Plants, Animals, Parasites, Decomposers etc.

The environment is not static. Both biotic and abiotic factors are in a fl ux and keeps changing.

What is Biosphere?

Biosphere is the life supporting layer which surrounds the earth and makes existence of life possible

without any protective layer. The biosphere consists of living organisms, physical environment and energy. It is the zone of assemblage

of lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and living organisms together. There are three components of biosphere, are:

Biotic or organic components: It includes micro- organisms, plants and animals including man.Inorganic or abiotic component: It includes physical environment of soil, water, air, temperature and sunlight.Energy component: Solar and geothermal energy etc.

Biosphere is termed as an open system as there is continuous

inward and outward fl ow of energy and matter. Biosphere always tends to maintain an equilibrium between

fl ow of energy and output of the matter. If this equilibrium is maintained environmental and ecological balances are also maintained. Disturbances in the biosphere equilibrium bring ecological and environmental disturbances which have long term or short term eff ects on the very existence of living beings.

1.2 ECOLOGY & ECOSYSTEM

Atmosp

here

Hydrosphere

Lithosphere

Biosphere

BIOSPHERE

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Biosphere is aff ected and modifi ed by certain factors directly or indirectly. These factors are called as

modifi ers. Three types of biosphere modifi ers are known:Physical modifi ers: They aff ect the biosphere by change in air quality, air fl ow, temperature changes, water fl ow, fi re, excavation and construction works.Chemical modifi ers: It alters the chemical composition of air, water and soil. It may be brought in due to multitude of pollutants.Biological modifi ers: Biological factors like cropping patterns, population pressures, manipulations of species density or distribution and species genetics can also modify the biosphere equilibrium.

What is Ecology?

Ecology deals with the inter-relationships amongst organisms and interactions between organisms and their

environment. In other words, Ecology is the study of organism in relation with the surrounding in which they live. The surrounding is the environment of the living organisms and nonliving things in the vicinity. The term Ecology is being derived from two Greek words namely, ‘Oikos’ meaning home or place to live in and ‘logos’ means study. It means the study of the home of nature.

Diff erence between Ecology, Environment and EcosystemEcology is the scientifi c study of the reciprocal relation between organisms, including microbes, plants, animals as well as man, with their environment. The term Environment is defi ned as “the sum total of living, nonliving components; infl uences and events, surrounding an organism”. The complex natural organisation with their living and non-living environments that controls them

and from which the living organisms derive their sustenance are technically called as ‘Ecosystem’ or an ‘ecological system’.

Types of EcologyAutecology/Species Ecology: The study of reciprocal relationships between every stage of development of a population/species and its environment is called autecology.Synecology: It is the study of reciprocal relationships between composition, organization and development of communities and their environment. Synecology is further divided into following:

Population Ecology: Study of interactions of individuals- population of single species with each other.Community Ecology: The study of inter-relationships and inter-dependencies of groups of individuals of distinct species of plants, animals and micro-organisms together.Biome Ecology: The study of interactions and interrelationships of more than one biological communities in various stages of succession under similar climatic condition of the area concerned in the study.Ecosystem Ecology: The study of interactions and inter-relationships of all organisms among themselves and with their environment.

Habitat Ecology: Habitat is an ecological area which is inhabited by a species of living being. Habitat ecology studies variation in habitats in terms of their physical characteristics like topography, soils, insolation, temperature, water, minerals, weather and climate etc. Habitat ecology is further divided on the basis of diff erent habitats and their mutual relationship with their inhabitants into forest ecology, grassland ecology, fresh water ecology, estuarine ecology, island ecology, marine ecology, coral reef ecology etc.

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Applied Ecology: It is the study of specialized fi eld of ecology which are concerned with conservation and economic exploitation of organisms e.g., agronomy, agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, wildlife management, conservation ecology, pollution ecology.

Systems Ecology: Branch of ecology dealing with interpretation of ecological concepts and processes in terms of mathematical models and formulae.

Genecology: Study of genetic composition and changes in relation to the origin of ecotypes, new species, etc.

Social Ecology: It is a critical social theory of American socialist Murray Bookchin. It advocates a constructive and transformative outlook on current social and environmental issues. It suggests that the roots of the current ecological and social problems can be traced in the unordered modes of social organization. It says that apart from the natural disasters, majority of the concurrent ecological dislocations have ethnic, economic, cultural and gender confl icts among others. It also says that the present ecological problems cannot be resolved without dealing with the problems of society.

Levels of Organisations in Ecology

Individual (Organism):

It is the basic unit of ecological hierarchy.

Every individual functions separate from those in other individuals. It continuously exchanges materials

and information with its environment.

New individuals develop from pre-existing ones. Hereditary characters are transferred during this

process. The constituents of an individual cannot survive independently.

Population:

It is a grouping of similar individuals in a geographical area or space during specifi c time.

The diff erent populations of the same organism present in any geographical area are called local populations/ demes.

A local population adapted genetically to its environment is called ecotype. There may be several ecotypes of the same organism which show variations amongst them.

Biological or Biotic community:

It is an assemblage of populations of distinct species of plants, animals, bacteria and fungi which live

in a particular area and interact with one another through several positive and negative interactions among them.

Each biotic community has a specifi c composition and structure, e.g., pond community.

On the basis of size and degree of relative independence communities may be divided into two types:

Major Communities and Minor Communities.

Major Communities: These are large sized, well organized and relatively independent. They depend only on the sun’s energy from outside. Eg: Tropical evergreen forests.

Minor Communities: These are dependent on neighbouring communities and are often called societies. They are secondary aggregations within a major community and therefore are not completely independent. Eg: A mat of lichen on a cow dung pad.

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Ecosystem:

It is a segment of nature consisting of a biological community and its physical environment both

interacting and exchanging materials as well as energy, e.g., pond ecosystem.

Biome:

A large regional unit delimited by a specifi c climatic zone, having a particular major vegetation zone

and its associated fauna, e.g., tundra desert, temperature deciduous forest, tropical rain forest, ocean.No two biomes are alike. The climate determines the boundaries of biomes and abundance of plants and animals found in each one of them. The most important climatic factors are temperature and precipitation.

Biosphere:

It is biologically inhabited part of earth along with its physical environment consisting of lower

atmosphere, land and water bodies.

What is Ecosystem?

An ecosystem is defi ned as a structural and functional unit of biosphere consisting of community of living

beings and physical environment, both interacting and exchanging materials between them. Ecosystem is a self-contained, dynamic system composed of a natural community along with its physical environment.

Planet Earth

individualone single living organism

populationall the member of the same type of organism living in an ecosystem

communitythe group of living things of diff erent species found in ecosystem

ecosystemall the living and nonliving things that intreact with one another in a given area

biospherethe ecosystem of the planet earth

biomea large group of similar ecosystems including tundra, taigas, temperate forest, tropical rain forests, grasslands, and deserts

All thing and dead that live around

Fluff y

Fluff y with fox porcupine, squirrel,

deer, & wolf

Fluff y with her friends, all rabbits

Fluff y’s habitat

Fluff y, the rabbit

Ecosystem Organization

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Components of EcosystemThe components of the ecosystem are divided as:

Ecosystem

Biotic ComponentsAbiotic Components

Producersor

Autorophs

PrimaryConsumers

orHerbivores

SecondaryConsumers

orPrimary

Carnivores

Schematic Representation of the Structure of an Ecosystem.

TertiaryConsumers

orLarge

Carnivores

QuaternaryConsumers

orOmnivores

EdaphicClimatic

Rain Soil

Minerals

Topnaography

pHLightWind

Temperature

Consumersor

Heterotrophs

Decomposersor

Saprotrophs

Abiotic Components

Abiotic components are non-living chemical and physical factors on an ecosystem. The non-living factors are either resources or conditions. Important abiotic components can be listed as follows:

Physical factors: They sustain and limit the growth of organisms in an ecosystem.

Light: Light energy (sunlight) is the primary source of energy in nearly all ecosystems. It is the energy that is used by green plants (which contain chlorophyll) during the process of photosynthesis; a process during which plants manufacture organic substances by combining inorganic substances.

Temperature: The distribution of plants and animals is greatly infl uenced by extremes in temperature.

Water: The life on earth originated in water and is unsustainable without water.

Atmospheric gases: The most important gases used by plants and animals are oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Oxygen is used by all living organisms during respiration. Carbon dioxide is used by green plants during photosynthesis. Nitrogen is made available to plants by certain bacteria and through the action of lightning.

Soil: Various characteristics of the soil such as soil composition, grain size and aggregation determine the percolation and water holding capacity of the soils. These characteristics along with parameters such as pH, mineral composition and topography determine to a large extent the vegetation in any area. This in turn dictates the type of animals that can be supported.

Organic compounds: They are the building blocks of living systems and therefore, make a link between the biotic and abiotic components. Examples are: Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and humic substances.

Inorganic compounds: Such as carbon, carbon dioxide, sulphur, nitrates, phosphates and ions of other metals are necessary for survival.

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Biotic Components

The biotic components in an ecosystem include the living organisms. They are grouped in to 3 classes based on the organism’s role in the fl ow of material and energy within the ecosystem:

Producers (Autotrophs):

Autotrophs produce organic compounds from carbon dioxide as a carbon source. They take energy from the sun (or from inorganic sources in some cases) to convert it into organic molecules or food, e.g., plants, algae, bacteria, etc.A portion of food synthesized, is used by autotrophs for their growth and other biological functions and remaining is stored for future use. This stored food in autotrophs is utilized as food by other organisms (called heterotrophs).

Consumers (Heterotrophs):

They are called heterotrophs and they consume food synthesized by the autotrophs. Based on food preferences they can be grouped into three broad categories:

Herbivores (e.g. cow, deer and rabbit etc.) feed directly on plants, carnivores are animals which eat other animals (eg. lion, cat, dog etc.) and omnivores organisms feeding upon both plants and animals e.g. human, pigs and sparrow.

Decomposers:

Decomposers are organisms (often fungi or bacteria) that break down organic materials to gain nutrients and energy. Decomposition is a natural process but decomposers accelerate it. The role that decomposers perform in an ecosystem is extremely important. When an organism dies, it leaves behind nutrients that are locked together. Decomposers unlock these nutrient and release as raw nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and magnesium) in a form which are usable for plants. Decomposers also convert organic carbon into Carbon dioxide, which can be trapped by photosynthesizers.

Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession is the process by which a natural community moves, through a sequential change in the structure and composition, from a simpler level of organization to a more complex community. Succession is a long-term cumulative,

directional and largely predictable process of natural development of diff erent communities at the same site in a defi nite sequence over a period of time. Such changes occur either in response to an environmental change or induced by the intrinsic properties of the community itself. Succession continues till a community

develops maximum equilibrium to the environment. It is called Climax Community.

Pioneer community Climax communityTime

GrassesHerbsShrubsTree seedlingsLichens

Mosses

AspenBlack spruce Jack pine

White spruce Balsam fi rPaper birch

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Features of SuccessionSuccession is characterised by the following: increased productivity, the shift of nutrients from the reservoirs, increased diversity of organisms with increased niche development, and a gradual increase in the complexity of food webs.

Types of Succession Ecological Successions have been described using several criteria. Accordingly, there are several types of succession.

Autogenic and Allogenic Succession

When succession is brought by living inhabitants of that community is called Autogenic Succession, while changes brought by outside forces is known as Allogenic Succession.

Induced Succession

Man has controlled succession in such a way as to obtain a managed steady state in which good amount of organic matter can be harvested. It is called induced succession. In induced succession, like agriculture, a young state is maintained by various types of inputs and protective measures.

Defl ected Succession

It is a succession in which the vegetation does not pass through the normal stages of development but either adds or replaces a succession type, e.g., ABB’CDE or AB’CDE instead of the normal ABCDE.

Primary Succession

It is the succession that takes on a primary bare area or an area which was not previously inhabited by plants. Such an area is biologically sterile and is, therefore, quite hostile in starting. Succession is also slow.

Secondary Succession

It occurs on a site which has become bare secondarily due to destruction of previous vegetation. The area is biologically fertile and hence favourable for reappearance of plant life. Succession is quite rapid.

Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Succession

Succession in which initially the green plants are much greater in quantity is know as Autotrophic Succession; and the ones in which the heterotrophs are in greater in quantity is known as Heterotrophic Succession.

Cyclic Succession

A pattern of succession where the climax community is destroyed again and again and a similar pattern of secondary succession repeats itself every time.

Primary Succession Secondary Succession

Begins with no life Follows removal of existing biota

No Soil present Soil already present

New area (e.g. volcanic island) Old area (e.g. following a bush fi re)

Lichen and moss come fi rst Seeds and roots already present

Biomass is low Biomass is higher

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The Process of Succession The characteristic sequence of the successional stages includes 8 elementary processes, namely:

Nudation

It is the creation of bare area. Nudation can occur due to physiographic, climatic or biotic agents.

Migration

Migration starts when gemmule moves from the parent area and arrive in a new area. A gemmule consists of reproductive structure like seed, spore or propagule. Migration is infl uenced by four factors–mobility, agent, distance and topography.

Colonization

The nature of topography of the bare area also determines the type of the initial vegetation. For example, on bare rock only the spores of some cyanophytes or the soredia of lichens can stick and germinate while in a saline area only the seeds of some halophytes can grow. The fi rst arrivals in a bare area are called Pioneers or pioneer colonizers. The occupation of a bare area by the pioneers and other invaders is called colonization.

Ecesis

The establishment of plants in a new place is called ecesis. It consists of three processes- germination, growth and reproduction.

Aggregation

It is the increase in number of the colonizing individuals. In the beginning the pioneers are few in number and grow far from one another. They produce a large number of disseminules which spread in the open areas and increase the number of pioneers. If invasion continues and the invaders are also able to multiply, the phenomenon is called Mixed Aggregation.

Competition

It may be intra-specifi c (among individuals of the same species) or inter-specifi c (among individuals of the diff erent species). Competition occurs when the availability of a necessity becomes inadequate to meet the optimum requirement of all the individuals growing in that area.

Invasion

Various other types of plants try to establish in the space left by the elimination of plants due to competition.

Reaction

It is the change brought about by colonizers in the habitats. The fi rst reaction is localized. It consists of such changes as bindings of soil particles, assisting in weathering or building soil at the bottom of a water reservoir. Death of roots produces channels in the soil for quick absorption of rain water. Humus produced by the death of older or weak plants increases water retention, aeration and nutrition of the soil. The reaction of the early colonizers is such as to make the habitat less favourable to them and more favourable to invaders.

Stabilization

Continuous competition invasion and reaction give rise to continuous changes in the environment and structure of vegetation. After a long interval some individuals arise which are in complete harmony with the climate of the area. This is termed as stabilization.

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The sequence of the above stages is termed as sere.

NOTE: Depending upon the nature of the habitat on which the plant succession begins seven types of seres may be distinguished:1. Hydrosere, 2. Xerosere, 3. Lithosere, 4. Psammosere, 5. Halosere, 6. Senile, 7. Eosere or Geosere

Ecotone

An ecotone is a zone of junction or a transition area between two biomes (diverse ecosystems). It is the zone where two communities meet and integrate. For e.g. the mangrove forests represent an ecotone between marine and terrestrial ecosystem.

Characteristics of Ecotone:It may be narrow (between grass-

land and forest) or wide (between forest and desert).It has conditions intermediate to

the adjacent ecosystems. Hence it is a zone of tension.It is linear as it shows progressive

increase in species composition of one in-coming community and a simultaneous decrease in species of the other out-going adjoining community.A well-developed ecotone contains some organisms which are entirely diff erent from that of the adjoining

communities.Sometimes the number of species and the population density of some of the species are much greater in

this zone than either community. This is called edge eff ect. The organisms which occur primarily or most abundantly in this zone are known as edge species. In the

terrestrial ecosystems edge eff ect is especially applicable to birds. For example, the density of birds is greater in the ecotone between the forest and the desert.

EcoclineIt is a zone of gradual but continuous change from one ecosystem to another when there is no sharp

boundary between the two in terms of species composition.It occurs across the environmental gradient (gradual change in abiotic factors such as altitude, tempera-

ture (thermocline), salinity (halocline), depth, etc.).

NicheIt refers to the unique functional role and position of a species in its habitat or ecosystem.

The functional characteristics of a species in its habitat are referred to as “niche” in that common habitat.

Artifi cial lawnOrchard grass, sedges,English ivy

Ecotone zoneBeech, alder

Increasing landscape diversity

ForestMaple, Douglas fi r

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In nature, many species occupy the same habitat, but they perform diff erent functions:

Habitat niche – where it lives,

Food niche – what is eats or decomposes & what species it competes with,

Reproductive niche – how and when it reproduces,

Physical & Chemical niche – temperature, land shape, land slope, humidity & another requirement.

Niche plays an important role in the conservation of organisms. If we have to conserve species in its native

habitat, we should have knowledge about the niche requirements of the species.

Range of Tolerance (Maximum Range)A factor that limits growth, development, reproduction or activity of an organism by its defi ciency

or excess is called limiting factor while the unfavourable impact of limiting factor is called limiting functions. Low temperature is a limiting factor for growth at high altitude, water availability in deserts and low phosphorus for phytoplankton growth in deep lakes. Range of tolerance is the range between critical minimum and critical maximum limits of environmental factor/factors infl uencing an organism.According to law of tolerance, the abundance and distribution of organisms is controlled by their limits of

tolerance (critical minimum and critical maximum) to ecological factors.

Zone ofIntolerance

Zone ofIntolerance

ZoneofStress

ZoneofStress

Opt imal zone

Num

ber o

f Ind

ivid

uals

low Environment Factor High

Figure: ShelFord’s law of tolerance. A plot of the number of individuals of a species as a function of some environmental factor (such as temperature) produces a bell-shaped curve that can be divided into various tolerance zones.

**********

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One-horned rhinos:IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Habitat And Ecology: Its preferred habitat is alluvial fl ood plains and areas containing tall grasslands

along the foothills of Himalayas.They are found in Kaziranga, Orang, Pobitara, Jaldapara (in Assam), Dudhwa (UP) National Park.

Kaziranga National Park hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned rhinoceros (68% of worldwide

population).

Rise in Rhino Population in Kaziranga National Park

Rhino population had a gain of 193 rhinos in just 3 years from 2006 to 2009.It increased by 353 between 2009 and 2015 period, despite worrying numbers on poaching.

Kaziranga National Park (KNP) has counted 2,413 one-horned rhinos in the latest triennial population

estimation.It comes closer to the goal of hitting the 3,000-mark in the Asian one-horned rhino population in Assam

by 2020.

Freedom Baby: India’s fi rst Humboldt Penguin dies

India’s fi rst captive-born Humboldt Penguin named Freedom Baby died barely a week after it was born at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo (Byculla zoo).

Humboldt Penguin:It is named after the cold water current (Humboldt Current) it swims in. It is native to South America and breeds in coastal Chile and Peru. It is categorized as vulnerable under IUCN list.

It died due to new born anomalies like liver dysfunction and yolk sac retention.

The penguin chick was born on 15th August 2018 to penguin pair of Mr Molt (male) and Flipper (Female). It was named Freedom Baby as it was born on Independence Day

Swelling Salinity Threatens Gangetic Dolphins

Five year study in Sundarbans region has found that rising water salinity is threatening the habitat of Gangetic dolphins.

Threat Analysis:Study highlighted that earlier in 1879, these freshwater loving mammals swam along the entire length of

Ganga and Brahmaputra and all of their tributaries. From the delta of Bay of Bengal up to the Himalayan foothills.

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Today at the merging of Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna which form the Sundarban region, these

dolphins struggle to survive.India’s “Dolphin Man” Ravindra Sinha has observed that water diversion, commissioning of large barrages upstream has impacted the salinity profi le of rivers downstream in central sundarbans.Declining fl ow of Ganga is the biggest threat to Gangetic dolphins along with water intensive agriculture

in the basin.Bihar constitutes 50% of mammals in the country. India’s only protected area for Gangetic dolphins is at

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar.Asia’s First National Dolphin Research Centre is coming up in Patna to give boost to research and conservation of dolphins.

Other Threats:Biological resource use: Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources,

Natural system modifi cations: Dams & water management/use

Pollution: Industrial & military effl uents, Agricultural & forestry effl uents

Indus Dolphins (BHULAN)

The Punjab government along with WWF-India conducted the fi rst organised census of Indus Dolphins, one of the world’s rarest mammals.

The move was aimed at conservation of the species.

The main aim behind the exercise is to establish the accurate population of the dolphins, in order to plan

the conservation of the species accordingly.

Indus DolphinIndus Dolphin is subspecies of freshwater river dolphin found in Indus river.

It is national mammal of Pakistan. It is a key indicator species of river’s health. Its presence is considered

as river is healthy. Indus dolphin like Ganges River dolphin is functionally blind and relies on echolocation to navigate,

communicate and hunt prey in muddy river water.Their numbers have declined dramatically after construction of irrigation system. It listed by the IUCN as

endangered on its Red List of Threatened Species. Indus Dolphin was also found in Sutlej decades back, but river pollution has caused its extinction in river.

The dolphins are found only in India and Pakistan, confi ned to the 185 km stretch between Talwara and

Harike Barrage in India’s Beas River in Punjab.

Bahuda Rookery: Another Olive Ridley Nesting Site in Odisha

Olive RidleyIUCN Status: Vulnerable

Habitat — warm and tropical waters of primarily in the Pacifi c, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.

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Gets name from its olive colored carapace, which is heart-shaped and roundedArribadas — synchronized nesting in mass numbers, mating and breeding season-winterMostly carnivorous , feeding on such creatures as jellyfi sh, snails, crabs, and shrimp. They will occasionally eat algae and seaweedThreats from Poaching for their meat, shell and leather, and their eggs

Ingestion of marine debris that causes perforation of the digestive system and exposure to chemicals and

hence death.

Nesting sites in India:Hope Island of Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (Andhra Pradesh)

Gahirmatha beach (Odisha)

Astaranga coast(Odisha)

Beach of Rushikulya Rive

Devi River mouth

Gahirmatha marine sanctuary and Rushikulya rookery coast in Ganjam district are main Olive Ridley

Nesting sites in Odisha. Of these sites, Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is largest rookery (mass nesting site) of Olive Ridley turtles.Odisha is home to 50% of the total world’s population of Olive Ridleys and about 90% of Indian population

of sea turtles. Recently, Odisha forest department added another olive ridley mass nesting site Bahuda Rookery at beach

on Bahuda river mouth in Ganjam district. It is located around 20 km to south of Rushikulya rookery coast.Also, olive ridley turtles has created an all-time record of mass nesting at the Rushikulya rookery coast in the Ganjam district of Odisha this year.Operation Olivia — Olive Ridely Turtle protection program undertaken by Indian Coast Guard.

Global Tiger Recovery Program

3rd stocktaking conference on the global tiger recovery program held in New Delhi, January 2019, highlights the world to fall short of its targets of doubling the tiger population.

Tiger: IUCN Status: Endangered

Habitat And Ecology: Shrubland, Forest, Grassland

The tiger range countries that are part of the Global Tiger Recovery Program are Bangladesh, Bhutan,

Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Global Tiger Recovery ProgramSt. Petersburg declaration on doubling the tiger population was signed in 2010 under which all 13 tiger range countries in Asia and partner organizations of the global tiger initiative agreed to a global tiger recovery program, the fi rst-ever coordinated, range-wide and international eff ort to save the world tigers.

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The Declaration in turn established 29th July as the International Tiger Day (also known as Global Tiger Day) to be observed annually to raise awareness for tiger conservation.

Nearly a decade has passed since the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation issued at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit. However the progress on the targets envisaged by the declaration has not been at par.

However, China and Indonesia were not present at the conference.

Tiger Census 2018

India began counting of tigers all across the country in 2018, the most signifi cant survey of the wildlife itself anywhere on the planet.

The fi rst tiger census conducted in 1972 Counting of the majestic tigers done in every four years by the National Tiger Conservation Authorities (NTCA).

NTCA has fully loaded guns of technology for more accurate numbers of tigers and to avoid the minor

counting mistakes in tiger census 2018.

In 2018, NTCA going to use an android app named MSTrIPES for the proper location data feeding and fi lling the record more accurately.

Another primary focus of the tiger census 2018 is to cover the northeast India that was not included in the

previous census because of the serval reasons. This inclusion will surely go to boast in the number of the tigers as compared to the census 2014.

Individual tigers can be easily identifi ed from the camera images through the software that records the

animal’s unique stripe pattern.

The last census done in 2014 had counted total 2,226 tigers, 76% of the total, through images from the camera-traps deployed in the forests all across India.

Asiatic Lion Conservation Project’ launched by Government

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India has launched the “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project”.

The Asiatic lionIt is a Panthera leo leo population in India. On the IUCN Red List, it is listed as Endangered because of its small size and area of occupancy.Its range is restricted to the Gir National Park and environs in the Indian state of Gujarat. This lion population has steadily increased since 2010.

Aim: To protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion and its

associated ecosystem.

Key aspects of the conservation project include undertaking “ habitat improvement” measures, making more sources of water available, creating a wildlife crime cell, and a task force for the Greater Gir region.

129

It would also involve having in place a GPS-based tracking system, which would look at surveillance tracking, animal and vehicle tracking. There would also be an automated sensor grid that would have magnetic sensors, movement sensors and infra-red heat sensors.

A key outcome of the project is to have a dedicated veterinary institute, lion ambulances and back-up

stocks of vaccines that may be required.

Vaccination of Gir lions against deadly canine distemper virus

As many as 23 lions have died in Gujarat’s Gir sanctuary in less than a month. Most of them have succumbed to canine distemper virus (CDV) and protozoa infections.

The Gujarat forest department started vaccination of lions in the Gir sanctuary to protect them from a

deadly virus blamed for the death of some of the big cats in their last abode.

The lions, an endangered species, are being vaccinated under intensive veterinary care and as per standard

protocol.

After the CDV spread was confi rmed in Asiatic lions, the state government had urgently imported 300 shots

of the vaccine against the virus from the US.

Rajasthan’s fi rst lion safari inaugurated at Nahargarh

Biological Park

Rajasthan Forest Minister inaugurated the state’s fi rst lion safari at Nahargarh Biological Park.

Lion safariThe lion safari project is located at biological park spread across 38 hectare. The park was inaugurated by

Rajasthan Chief Minister in June 2016.

Lions in this park were brought from Junagarh, Gujarat under an exchange programme. Total of 10 lions

will be released in the park in a phased manner.

The park will serve for breeding lions and also centre of attraction for tourists. It will provide new habitat

to lions and also add tourism venue to the Pink City.

Visitors will be able to see lions in their natural habitat in the park in enclosed by a fence. They will be

taken on a nearly 4 kilometer safari in closed bus.

Nahargarh Biological ParkIt is located in the vicinity of Nahargarh Fort; outside Jaipur located about 12 km from Jaipur on the outskirts of the city near Jaipur- Delhi highway. This Biological Park has spread over 7.2 sq km of Nahargarh Sanctuary Park under the Aravalli range. The main initiative of the park is to conserve the fl ora and fauna.

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NTCA, Cheetah Reintroduction Project: Nauradehi Wildlife

Sanctuary

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently told a bench of the Supreme Court that African cheetahs would be translocated in India from Namibia and would be kept at Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.

Cheetah IUCN Status: Endangered

Habitat And Ecology : Desert, Grassland, Savanna, ShrublandThe cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, is one of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors that can be

traced back more than fi ve million years to the Miocene era.

Cheetah Re-introduction ProjectIndia’s last spotted cheetah had died in 1947. In 1952, the animal was declared extinct in the country.

The central government had set up an expert panel for reintroducing the cheetah in India.

The panel recommended that the home of the fastest animal could be Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh,

Velavadar National Park in Gujarat and Tal Chapar sanctuary in Rajasthan.

Nauradehi Wildlife SanctuaryNauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, covering about 1,197 km

2 (462 sq mi), is the largest wildlife sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh state in India. Nauradehi was found to be the most suitable area for the cheetahs as its forests are not very dense to

restrict the fast movement of the spotted cat. Besides, the prey base for cheetahs is also in abundance at the sanctuary.During winter season the sanctuary serves as the seasonal home for migratory birds, including the sarus

crane.

Black Panther

The wildlife wing of Odisha’s Forest and Environment Department has recorded the presence of a black panther in a forest in Sundargarh district.

The photographs make Odisha the ninth State in India where the elusive and rare big cat has been seen.

Black panther or melanistic leopard is a colour variant of the Indian leopard.

It is as shy as a normal leopard and very diffi cult to detect. It is mostly found in densely forested areas of southern India.

Black panthers have also been reported from Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

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Monkey Declared Vermin in Himachal Pradesh

Monkeys have again been declared vermin for the next one year in 11 districts’ 91 tehsils and sub-tehsils of Himachal Pradesh.

BackgroundWildlife laws divide species into ‘schedules’ ranked from I to V.

Schedule I members are the best protected, with severe punishments meted out to those who hunt them. Wild boars, nilgai and rhesus monkeys are Schedule II and III members — also protected, but can be hunted under specifi c conditions. Crows and fruit bat fall in Schedule 5, the vermin category.Declaration of Vermin of an animal allows for selective slaughter of that animal

Reason behind the move - Because the animals have been adversely aff ecting crops and causing harm

to humans.

Process of declaring an animal as Vermin In India Section 62 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 empowers the states to send a list of wild animals

to the Centre requesting it to declare them vermin.The Central Government through notifi cation may declare any wild animal other than those specifi ed in

Schedule I and part 11 of Schedule H of the law to be vermin for any area for a given period of time.

Harrier Birds

Harrier birds are migratory raptor species that regularly visits vast swathes of India.India has one of the largest roosting sites in the world for Pallid Harriers and Montagu’s Harriers.Recent reports highlights that the numbers of birds visiting the site are declining.In Hessarghatta on the outskirts of Bengaluru, Western Marsh Harriers declined signifi cantly, leaving the area nearly deserted.The gravest concern is the loss of grasslands, either to urbanisation or to agriculture.Excessive use of pesticides in farms in and around the roosting sites could also be a reason for the lowered population counts.

Odisha police launch drive to bust Pangolin smuggling racket

Odisha Special Task Force (STF) has launched drive to bust an international syndicate that peddles ‘endangered’ pangolin, one of the world’s most illegally traded mammals.

PangolinPangolins or scaly anteaters are mammals of the order Pholidota.Of the eight species of pangolin, four are listed as vulnerable, two are listed as endangered, and two are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

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Pangolins have large, protective keratin scales covering their skin; they are the only known mammals with this feature.Pangolins are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites, which they capture using their long tongues.They tend to be solitary animals, meeting only to mate and produce a litter of one to three off spring,

which are raised for about two years.Pangolins are threatened by poaching (for their meat and scales) and heavy deforestation of their natural habitats, and are the most traffi cked mammals in the world.

It has requested Union Home Ministry to approach the Myanmar government to block the transit route

for smuggled pangolin under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).

MLAT is an agreement between nations to exchange information or provide legal assistance for enforcing

laws.

Uttrakhand HC declares entire animal kingdom as legal

entities

The Uttarakhand HC ruled that entire animal kingdom, including avian and aquatic ones are legal entities and have distinct persona with corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of living person.

All the animals throughout state are hereby declared persons in loco parentis as human face for

welfare and protection of animals.

It directed State Government that no animal, including horses moving between India and Nepal, carries

excess weight.

It also banned use of any sharp equipment throughout state to avoid bruises, swelling, abrasions or severe

pain to animals.

In common law jurisprudence, there are two types of persons, natural persons or human beings and

artifi cial person, which are also known as juristic persons, juridical entity or legal person other than natural person.

Legal or juristic persons are created by law and recognised as legal entity, having distinct identity, legal

personality and besides duties and rights.

They include private business fi rm or entity, non-governmental or government organisations, trusts and

societies, besides others.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands home to tenth of India’s fauna

species: ZSI

A recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled Faunal Diversity of Biogeographic Zones: Islands of India has for the fi rst time come up with a database of all faunal species found on the island, putting the number at 11,009.

The islands, comprising only 0.25% of India’s geographical area, are home to more than 10% of the country’s fauna species.

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Vegetation and Biodiversity:The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a tropical rainforest canopy. The Middle Andamans harbours mostly moist deciduous forests.North Andamans is characterised by the wet evergreen type, with plenty of woody climbers.The North Nicobar Islands (including Car Nicobar and Battimalv) are marked by the complete absence of

evergreen forests, while such forests form the dominant vegetation in the central and southern islands of the Nicobar group. Grasslands occur only in the Nicobars, and while deciduous forests are common in the Andamans, they are almost absent in the Nicobars. Among the larger mammals there are two endemic varieties of wild boar, Sus scrofa andamanensis from Andaman and Sus scrofa nicobaricus from Nicobar, which are protected by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (Schedule I).Saltwater crocodile is also found in abundance. The State Animal of Andaman is the dugong, also known as the sea cow, which can be found in Little Andaman. Mount Harriet National Park is one of the richest areas of butterfl y and moth diversity on these islands.There are 96 wildlife sanctuaries, nine national parks and one biosphere reserve in these islands.

World’s Smallest Land Fern

Indian researchers have discovered the world’s smallest land fern hiding in the Ahwa forests of the Western Ghats in Gujarat’s Dang district.

The fi ngernail-sized fern belongs to a group known as the adder’s-tongue ferns, named after their resemblance to a snake’s tongue.Initial observations suggest that the ferns are seasonal and grow with the fi rst monsoon rains.

They last only for a few months and new plants are born through their spores next year.The ferns are not very common even in the locality they are found in.

The researchers uncovered only 12 of these plants in the Ahwa forest division, growing alongside mosses

in grasslands near Jakhana village

Conservation of migratory birds and their habitats

India to host 13th COP of the Convention on conservation of migratory species (CMS)

India will host the 13th COP of the CMS on wild animals in Gujarat in February 2020.India has declared its National Action Plan for conservation of migratory species and their habitats along the central Asian fl yway (CAF) (2018-2023).Around 20 migratory birds have been prioritized under the action plan.

Central Asian Flyway (CAF)CAF is among the nine fl yways of the world. It encompasses overlapping migration routes over 30 countries for diff erent waterbirds. It connects northern most breeding grounds in Russia to southern most wintering non breeding grounds in west and south Asia, Maldives etc.

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The National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank

National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank was inaugurated at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology’s (CCMB) Laboratory of Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) facility in Hyderabad, Telangana.

It is India’s fi rst genetic resource bank where genetic material will be stored for posterity which will further the cause of conservation of endangered and protected animals.

National Wildlife Genetic Resource BankIt is equipped with sophisticated equipment to preserve the genetic resources that could be utilised to

virtually resurrect an animal species in case it goes extinct.

It will cryopreserve living cell lines, gametes and embryos of endangered wild animal species in India.

For cryogenic preservation, researchers at CCMB-LaCONES will use liquid Nitrogen that is cooled down to as low as minus 195 degrees Celsius.

It will aid wild life conservation eff orts by taking up artifi cial reproduction, conducting studies in evolution

biology and wildlife medicine. Thus, it will also help in protecting India’s biodiversity and environment. So far this bank has collected and preserved genetic resources of 23 species of Indian wild animals.

Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) Partnership

A new survey of current management methodologies at 112 sites located in 11 tiger range countries, including India stated that only 13 percent of the tiger conservation areas met the global standards of an accreditation system. The survey is the fi rst and largest rapid assessment of site-based tiger conservation across Asia and has been driven by 11 conservation organisations and tiger-range governments that are part of the CA|TS coalition.

Half of the assessed sites (52.5 percent) report fairly strong management, although there are improvements

needed.

Despite poaching being one of the greatest threats faced by big cats, 85 percent of the are as surveyed do

not have staff capacity to patrol the sites eff ectively.

61 per cent of the areas in South-east Asia have a very limited anti-poaching enforcement.

CA|TSIt is a new conservation tool to set minimum standards for eff ective management of target species and to encourage assessment of these standards in relevant conservation/protected areas.The fi rst species-specifi c CA standards are for the tiger.CA|TS aims to be a key element in realizing the ambitious goal of doubling the global tiger population by 2022.Developed by WWF and partners, the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has endorsed CA|TS and has requested

member countries to establish National Review Committees for purpose of initiating CA|TS.Nepal is the fi rst Tiger Range Countries to implement the process; Bhutan, Bangladesh, Thailand,

Indonesia, Malaysia and India are following Nepal’s lead.

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Recovery Programme For Wildlife Species

4 species -Northern River Terrapin, Clouded Leopard, Arabian Sea Humpback Whale, and the Red Panda were added to a recovery programme for critically endangered species.

Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) is a centrally funded scheme.Started in 2008-09, IDWH is meant for providing support to protected areas (national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves and community reserves except tiger reserves), protection of wildlife outside protected areas and recovery programmes for saving critically endangered species and habitats.

Prevention of cruelty to animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill

President has given assent to The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017

that seeks to insulate the conducting of Kambala from the purview of the Act.The Animal Welfare Board of India and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had launched a campaign against Kambala in 2014 after the Supreme Court banned Tamil Nadu’s Jallikattu.Kambala is an annual buff alo race held in the state of Karnataka . Traditionally, it is sponsored by local Tuluva landlords and households in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.Kambala is traditionally a simple sport which entertains rural people of the area. The Kambala race track

is a slushy paddy fi eld, and the buff aloes are driven by a whip-lashing farmer.

International Whaling Commission

Japan is considering pulling out of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)Background - Japan currently observes the moratorium but exploits a loophole to kill hundreds of whales every year for “scientifi c purposes” as well as to sell the meat.It may lead to international criticism against Japan over whale conservation and deepen the divide between

anti- and pro-whaling countries.

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