imot agademy environmental news - yearly …...• from april 1,2018, national capital region delhi...

Environment News 2018-19 www.agademy.in

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IMoT Agademy

Environmental NEWS - Yearly compilation - 2018 – 19

News

New Pollution Forecast System

• India joined hands with US and Finland to develop a new Pollution Forecast System.

• It will help anticipate particulate matter (PM) levels at least two days in advance and at a

greater resolution than what is possible now.

• A key focus would be to develop forecasts around the “stubble-burning season” that adds

to Delhi’s pollution woes in the winter.

• At present, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SA-

FAR) is by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune which serves as the

apex forecaster of pollution trends in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmedabad.

• The new system generates a likely air quality profile, a day in advance, for these cities.

• All the activities are coordinated by Ministry of Earth Sciences.

NASA to Study Phytoplankton Blooms

• NASA have to study the influence of Tiny Sea Creatures in Earth’s Climate. About half

the carbon dioxide emitted into Earth's atmosphere each year ends up in the ocean, and

plankton absorb a lot of it.

• The North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES) studies the

world’s largest plankton bloom and how it gives rise to small organic particles that leave

the ocean and end up in the atmosphere, ultimately influencing clouds and climate.

• Rates of phytoplankton accumulation are critical for understanding the ocean conditions

that lead to phytoplankton growth and its timing, a key to unlocking the environmental

drivers and controls of biological dynamics.

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BS VI Fuel Mandatory in Delhi

• From April 1,2018, National Capital Region Delhi became first city in the nation to use

BS VI Fuel for Transportation to combat the alarming rate of Air Pollution.

• Cities like Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Noida, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai

will use BS VI fuels from Jan 2019 and rest of the country from April 2020.

• The main difference between BS IV and BS VI is the emission concentration of Sulphur

which is 10 ppm in BS VI against 50 ppm in BS IV.

• Advantage of BS VI Fuels is the reduction of Sulphur emission by 80%, Nitrogen Oxides

by 50% and bring down the Particulate matter which are carcinogenic in nature.

India is the Fifth largest Cultivator of GM Crops

• India ranks fifth in Genetically Modified (GM) crop cultivation based on area come after

US, Brazil, Argentina, Canada revealed by International Service for the Acquisition of

Agri Biotech Applications (ISAAA).

• As per the report, India has GM Crops Cultivation Area of 11.4 Million Hectares in 2017.

But unique case of India from others is only GM cotton cultivated in India.

• GM cotton incorporates genes from soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis which is known

for its resistance against cotton bollworm. According to the report, US is the major culti-

vator of GM crops which include Soybean, Maize, Cotton, Canola, Sugar beet, Potato,

Squash, Apple and Papaya.

• ISAAA announced that 189.8 million hectares are under GM crops cultivation in 2017

against 1.7 million hectares in 1996.

Mankidia tribe denied habitat in Simlipal

• Mankidia, one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in Odisha, were

denied habitat rights inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) under the historic Sched-

uled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,

2006.

• The State Forest Department has objected on grounds that tribals could be attacked by

wild animals, especially tigers.

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• Mankidia depends on making rope with siali fibre that’s richly available in Similipal,

would now be deprived of the non-timber forest produce.

• The state governments or UT governments submit proposals to the Union Ministry of

Tribal Welfare for identification of PVTGs. The Central Ministry then examines the pro-

posals in consultation with the Niti Aayog. After ensuring the criteria is fulfilled

Asia's First Blue Flag Beach

• The Chandrabhaga Beach of Odisha is the first coast in Asia to get Blue Flag Certifica-

tion.

• This Certification is a Standards tag given to Environment Friendly and Clean Beaches,

equipped with amenities of International Standards for Tourists.

• The Standards were established by Denmark based Foundation for Environmental Ed-

ucation (FEE) in 1985.

• India’s Union Environment Ministry embarked on the Blue Flag Project in December

2017. To achieve such Certification, beach must be plastic free, equipped with waste man-

agement system and access to clean water for tourists. The beach should have facilities of

Environmental Impact Analysis around the area.

Environmental Survey in India for First time

• India's First Environmental Survey will be launched in January 2019 to map environmen-

tal data across 55 districts in 24 states and 3 UTs. At present the nation has only Second-

ary data on all the green heads.

• Now this survey attempts for Primary data which will be helpful in Policy making.

• The survey will be made through grids measuring 9x9 km, to collect comprehensive data

on various environmental parameters such as air, water, soil quality; emission inventory;

solid, hazardous and e-waste; forest & wildlife; flora & fauna; wetlands, lakes, rivers and

other water bodies and also carbon sequestration.

• This survey will rank all the districts on their environmental performance and document

their best green practices.

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Norm relaxation for Foreigners in Andaman

• Ministry of Home Affairs has relaxed the norms which mandated all the foreigners visit-

ing the islands to register themselves with the Foreigners Registration Officer within 24

hours of their arrival.

• The government opened up 29 inhabited which including Viper Islands and 11 uninhab-

ited islands in the archipelago to foreign tourists.

• It means that 29 islands are removed from the Restricted Area Permit regime that was no-

tified under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963, till December 31, 2022.

• This move will have an impact on tourist arrivals and in the infrastructure development of

the islands of Union Territory.

PET COKE banned in India

• India bans use of Petroleum coke as a Fuel. The ban is only for Fuel Usage and exempted

from use as Feed Stock in Some Industries.

• Import of Petcoke is allowed for only cement, lime kiln, calcium carbide and gasification

industries, when used as the feedstock or in the manufacturing process on actual user con-

dition.

• At Present India is the Largest Consumer of Petroleum Coke.

• Petroleum coke is the dirtiest dark solid carbon that can emits 11% higher Greenhouse

gases than Coal. Due to persistence of severe air pollution, Government of India took this

step to combat the alarming rise of Pollution in Many cities.

CCMB- LaCONES

• India's First Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species has been unveiled in

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad.

• The Scientists at CCMB are worked hard in producing off springs of blue rock pigeon,

spotted deer and blackbuck, which were on the verge of extinction, through artificial in-

semination of cryopreserved sperm.

• CCMB scientists in collaboration with Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad have now res-

cued Indian Mouse Deer from extinction through successful conservation breeding pro-

gramme.

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• CCMB-LaCONES is the only laboratory in India that has developed methods for collec-

tion and cryopreservation of semen and oocytes from wildlife and successfully reproduc-

ing endangered black buck, spotted deer and Nicobar pigeons.

• Through this work, it has established Genetic Resource Bank for Indian wildlife. So far,

genetic resources from 23 species of Indian wild animals have been collected and pre-

served.

20 people died of Forest Fire in Kurangani Hills

• As of March 24, 2018, 20 peoples died of Forest Fires in trekking to Kurangani Hills,

Theni District, Tamil Nadu dated March 11.

• Kurangani Hills is one of the Hill Station situated near to Top Station of Munnar, Kerala.

Forest Fires is one of the serious threat that cause impairments of lives, Vegetation and

livelihood of Tribals.

• In India, Forest Fire occurs from February to June on Hot dry season. Main Factors re-

sponsible for Forest fires are Dry Vegetation which acts as Fuel, adequate supply of Oxy-

gen and Heat influx.

• They may be either Natural or Anthropogenic. 90% of Forest Fires in India are mainly

due to anthropogenic activities.

• Worst affected regions are Himalayan region, Central Highlands and North East States

due to Climate change, Shifting Cultivation etc.

• Remote Sensing is currently employed in surveillance of Forest Fires in India.

Kerala Floods

• Kerala evidenced worst ever Flood in the Century. Over 445 people died and affected one

sixth of the Population directly. 11 out of 14 Districts of Kerala got ‘Red Alert’ Warning.

• It is mainly due to unusually high Rainfall during the South West Monsoon Season.

• Most of the regions affected by this monsoon were classified as ecologically-sensitive

zones (ESZs) by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, the Gadgil Committee headed

by Madhav Gadgil.

• Most of the recommendations and directions by the committee was either neglected or re-

jected. He called it‘Man Made Calamity’ because of State Government’s insensitiveness

towards his Warning. The Flood damaged Public Property worth Rs.19,500 Crores.

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• The Government of India has announced Kerala Floods as ‘Calamity of Severe Nature’.

This designation brings additional funds from the Central Government for the Disaster

Response Activity. In normal cases when a state is met with Natural or Anthropogenic

disasters, the affected State spends fund from State Disaster Response Fund.

• At present there is no provision mentioned to declare a disaster as Calamity of Severe

Nature. National Disaster Response Fund is funded through National Calamity Contingent

Duty levied on pan masala, chewing tobacco and cigarettes, and with budgetary provi-

sions as and when needed.

• The Chairman of National Disaster Response Fund is Prime Minister of India.

India's First BS-VI Certification

• India's First BS-VI Certification has been granted to a Heavy Duty Engine of Volvo Ei-

cher provided by International Center for Automotive Technology.

• This engine has been developed and manufactured indigenously in India. As the engine

cleared compliance test much ahead of the BS- VI implementation date 1 April 2020, it

gives sufficient time for the product stabilisation in terms of making it more robust and

cost competitive for the end consumers.

• International Center for Automotive Technology is the first of new world class center es-

tablished under the National Automotive Testing and Research and Development Infra-

structure Project.

Gene that helps reducing the Coral bleaching identified

• Scientists of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology identified genes called

Retrotransposons that will reduce the rate of Coral Bleaching.

• Coral reefs and Algae named Symbiodinium have symbiotic relationship in which Symbi-

odinium gives nutrients for survival to Coral reefs and in turn get shelter from it.

• As Global warming becomes one of the serious environmental threat, rise in temperature

causes breakdown of their symbiotic relationship that ultimately causes death of Coral

reefs.

• Scientists identified this Retroposons gene will suppress the heat susceptible genes and in-

creases the ability of algae to withstand high temperature.

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Over 10,000 endangered tortoises rescued

• International conservationists in Madagascar have been treating more than 10,000 criti-

cally endangered radiated tortoises that were seized from traffickers, who had crammed

them into a home with no access to food or water.

• The Turtle Survival Alliance and other groups are caring for the tortoises at a wildlife fa-

cility in the Ifaty region of Madagascar, though hundreds have died from illness and dehy-

dration. Radiated tortoises are coveted for the star pattern on their shells.

• Radiated tortoises used to be found along roadways in the dry, spiny forests of south and

southwest Madagascar where they live but poaching and habitat loss have taken a heavy

toll, according to a "red list'' of threatened species compiled by the International Union for

Conservation of Nature.

PM2.5 levels rising in proportion to stubble burning, finds NASA study

• A new study by NASA scientists has concluded that there is a strong link between agricul-

tural fires in Punjab and Haryana and PM2.5 levels in Delhi during the post-monsoon

months of October and November. PM2.5 concentrations in Delhi, which is downwind to

Punjab and Haryana, show a coherent increase — rising often from as low as 50 mi-

crograms per cubic meters (µg/ m3) before the onset of the burning season to 300µg/m3 at

the beginning of November when burning is under way.

• This study could give the government clues to averting smog episodes.

• While the link between crop burning and winter pollution peak was being speculated for

long, this is the first scientific study to correlate fire counts in Punjab and Haryana with

wind direction and parallel rise in PM2.5 concentrations in Delhi.

UK bans wet wipes to save marine life

• Household wet wipes will be banished in the UK as part of Michael Gove’s crackdown on

plastic being thrown away and damaging ecosystems, the government has said. If they are

outlawed, shoppers will no longer be able to buy the wipes, which are mostly made of

polyester and contain millions of microfibres impregnated with chemicals.

• Tens of thousands of wet wipes are sold in Britain each year, and despite public aware-

ness campaigns, many are still flushed into lavatories, where they end up clogging mains

sewers, and go on to kill fish in rivers and other marine life.

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• Wet wipes, which contain plastic, slowly break down into microplastics that are then in-

gested by marine life, with deadly consequences.

Surface Ozone threatening Air Pollutant of India

• A recent study shows that there is alarming rise of Surface Ozone in Indian subcontinent

especially in Uttar Pradesh.

• The researchers examined the causes for the rise of Surface Ozone as Anthropogenic fac-

tors like release of Inorganic Aerosols and Climate change mediated atmospheric abnor-

malities.

• It was predicted that there will be 4.4% rise in Surface Ozone by 2050. Fossil fuels com-

bustion, Photostat copying and high use of Laser printers are other factors contributing to

Surface Ozone rise.

• As per the studies it has direct effect on Agricultural crops and leads to Food insecurity.

Banned ozone-destroying chemical emissions rising

• The decline in the atmosphere of an ozone-depleting chemical banned by the Montreal

Protocol has recently slowed by half, suggesting a serious violation of the 196-nation

treaty, researchers have said. Measurements at remote sites of the chemical, known as

CFC-11, point to East Asia as the source or renewed production.

• The rate of decline of atmospheric CFC-11 was constant from 2002 to 2012, and then

slowed by about 50 per cent after 2012,which strongly suggests increased CFC-11 emis-

sions from eastern Asia after 2012.” The 1987 Montreal Protocol banned industrial aero-

sols such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were chemically dissolving ozone, espe-

cially above Antarctica. At its most depleted, which is around the turn of the 21st century,

the ozone layer had declined by about 5 per cent.

India’s mounting e-Waste Generation

• India is among top 5 Nations in e-Waste generation along with China, US, Japan, Ger-

many as per ASSOCHAM- NEC joint study Report on World Environment Day.

• The Global Volume of e-Waste generation is expected to reach 52.2 MT or 6.8 Kg per in-

habitant by 2021 from 44.7 MT in 2016 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 20% ac-

cording to study.

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• Among States in India, Maharashtra (19.8%) is the largest contributor of e-Waste. It is

followed by Tamil Nadu (13%), Uttar Pradesh (10.1%), West Bengal (9.8%), Delhi

(9.5%), Karnataka (8.9%), Gujarat (8.8%), and Madhya Pradesh (7.6%).

• The term E-Waste include discarded computer monitors, Motherboards, Cathode Ray

Tubes, Printed Circuit Board, Mobile Phones and Chargers, LCD etc.

‘Help us Green’ group won UN Award

• An initiative by an Indian group ‘Help us Green’ to improve livelihood of marginalised

women received a UN Climate Action Award. It involves collection of temple ceremo-

nial flowers tossed into Ganges a turning them into eco-friendly incense.

• Help Us Green, which is based in four cities of Uttar Pradesh and got the award in the

Women for Results category, is doing its part to clean up the Ganges by recycling flowers

from temples and mosques. Over eight million tonnes of flowers are discarded in the river

every year for religious purposes.

• Help Us Green has come up with the world's first profitable solution to the monumental

temple waste problem: flower cycling which is a first step towards Ganges rejuvenation.

• Till date, 11,060 metric tonnes of temple-waste has been flower cycled and 110 metric

tonnes of chemical pesticides that enter the river through temple waste have been offset.

By 2021, Help Us Green, which plans to expand to Bangladesh, and Nepal, aims to pro-

vide livelihoods to 5,100 women and recycle 51 tonnes of temple waste daily.

Conferences and reports

Global Environmental Outlook 2019

• The sixth edition of UN Environment’s flagship environmental assessment named Global

Environmental Outlook 2019 which was published since 1997.

• This report highlights many issues such as Child Mortality, Species extinction, Food

waste, Health issues etc.

• It mainly stressed that 1/4th of global disease and mortality is caused by poor environmen-

tal conditions.

• Air pollution remains as prime contributor to child mortality accounts 6 to 7 million prem-

ature deaths.

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• Nearly 42% terrestrial, 34% fresh water and 25% marine species are at the verge of ex-

tinction

• Due to least access to clean drinking supplies, 1.4 Million people die each year because of

water borne diseases.

• 33% of edible foods are wasted worldwide accounts for global greenhouse gas emission.

• The report depicts a growing chasm between rich and poor countries as rampant overcon-

sumption, pollution and food waste in the developed world leads to hunger, poverty and

disease elsewhere

World Air Quality Report

• 18 of top 20 cities which are in Indian subcontinent are highly polluted as per ‘The IQAir

AirVisual’ 2018 World Air Quality Report. It relies on ground-based sensors located in 3,000

cities from 73 countries.

• The main objective behind the report was to measure the presence of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5,

which increases the risk of lung cancer, stroke, heart attack and respiratory diseases, including

asthma symptoms among all age groups.

• Gurugram, in Haryana, topped the list with an average annual particulate matter (PM 2.5) quality

of 135 g/m3 in 2018 followed by Ghaziabad (UP) and Faisalabad of Pakistan respectively.

• Delhi was only the 11th most noxious city behind Lahore, Pakistan (10th) and Hotan, China (8th).

Beijing ranks now as the 122nd most polluted city in the world in 2018 and China, the 12th most

polluted country in the world. Iceland emerged as the one with the cleanest air

International Conference on Sustainable Water Conference held in Mohali

• The first International Conference being organised under the aegis of National Hydrology

Project, Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) at Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali

on the theme ‘Sustainable Water Management’.

• It was stressed in the conference for adopting natural farming making judicious and

proper use of every drop of water for more crops increasing the fertility of land with

friendly earth worms for recharging of the ground water.

• The aim of the Conference is to foster the participation of and dialogue between various

stakeholders, including governments, the scientific and academic communities, so as to

promote sustainable policies for water management, to create awareness of water-related

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problems, motivate commitment at the highest level for their solution and thus promote

better management of water resources at local, regional, national and international levels.

India’s approval to COP-24, Katowice

• The Government of India has given its ex-post facto approval to the negotiating stand of

India at the 24th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Conven-

tion on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Katowice, Poland.

• The key focus of meeting was to finalise guidelines for implementation of Paris Agree-

ment in post 2020 period.

• India's approach was guided by principles and provisions of UNFCCC and Paris Agree-

ment particularly the principles of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities

and Respective Capability (CBPR-RC).

• The push for renewable energy leading to achieving about 74 GW of installed renewable

energy capacity including about 24 GW from solar; pioneering the world in its pursuit of

enhanced solar energy capacity through International Solar Alliance; energy efficiency

measures arc some of the examples.

• India has however expressed USA reservation on the Global Stock take (GST) decision

regarding the need for considerations of equity in output of GST process, which is an im-

portant part of GST process as per the mandate of Paris Agreement to ensure that vulnera-

bilities, problems and challenges of the poor and marginalised are addressed.

India submits Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD)

• India submitted its Sixth National Report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diver-

sity (CBD) during the inaugural session of the 13th National Meeting of the State Biodi-

versity Boards (SBBs) organised by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) of

MoEFCC.

• The Ministry also released the document ‘Progress on India’s National Biodiversity Tar-

gets: A Preview’ on the occasion. The NR6 provides an update of progress in achievement

of 12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) developed under the Convention process in

line with the 20 global Aichi biodiversity targets.

• Briefly, the Report highlights that while India has exceeded two NBTs, it is on track to

achieve eight NBTs and in respect of the remaining two NBTs also. India is striving to

meet the targets by the stipulated time of 2020. India has exceeded the terrestrial compo-

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nent of 17 percent of Aichi target 11, and 20 percent of corresponding NBT relating to ar-

eas under biodiversity management. India has nearly two third of the population of wild

tigers in the world.

• The population of lion has risen from 177 in 1968 to over 520 in 2015, and elephants from

12,000 in 1970s to 30,000 in 2015. One-horned Indian Rhino which was on the brink of

extinction during the early 20th century, now number 2400.

• Further, while globally over 0.3 % of total recorded species are critically endangered,

in India only 0.08% of the species recorded are in this category. India is committed to

protecting its rich heritage of biodiversity which are so vital to our economic and social

development.

World Sustainable Development Summit

• The World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) was inaugurated at New Delhi by

Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu. The World Sustainable Development Summit

(WSDS) is the annual flagship event of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

• The WSDS has continued the legacy of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit

(DSDS) which was initiated in 2001 with the aim of making ‘sustainable development’ a

globally shared goal.

• The World Sustainable Development Summit provides a platform for global leaders and

practitioners to discuss and deliberate over climatic issues of universal importance.

• The United Nations, in its roadmap to Climate Summit 2019, has recognized WSDS 2019

as one of the key milestones leading up to the United Nations Secretary General's Climate

Summit on 23 September 2019.

• Themed on 'Attaining the 2030 Agenda: delivering on our promise', the Summit seeks to

create action frameworks to resolve some of the most urgent challenges facing developing

economies.

UNWTO Award to India for Ecotourism

• Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust has won United Nations World Tourism Organization

Award for "Excellence and Innovation in Tourism Enterprise".

• The Madrid (Spain) based institute awarded on the principles of Community Ownership

and Eco Tourism.

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• Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust is located on the banks of Lake Chilika, area is once

known for Poaching and Hunting. The initiative of the trust reduced threat to migratory

birds with community participation.

• This lead to increase in number of migratory birds visits to this world second largest

coastal lagoon.

Regional Agricultural Fair for southern region - Port Blair

• Regional Agricultural Fair for southern region was held at ICAR- CIARI, Port Blair on

15th Feb 2018 on the theme ‘Sustainable Agriculture through Integrated Farming Sys-

tem’, organized by ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute in association

with Andaman & Nicobar Administration.

• This Island has immense potential and is favourably placed for organic farming due to

less use of chemical fertilisers and abundant species. To convert the Union Territory into

an organic farming island is the aim of this event and also to create awareness among the

farmers and consumers.

Ratification of Minamata Convention

• India ratified Minamata Convention on February, 2018. It deals with the protection of Hu-

man Health and Environment from anthropogenic emissions of Mercury.

• This convention is named after Japanese city Minamata which underwent devastating

mercury accidents. It was signed in 2013 and is effective from August, 2017.

• It protects the vulnerable and poor from harmful effects of mercury and urges enterprises

to make alternative to mercury based products.

• It also allows for continued use of mercury and mercury compounds till 2025.

India State of Forest Report 2017

• It is a biannual report released by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change

(MoEFCC).

• This report states that Forest Cover in India has increased by approximately 1% since

2015. Now the Forest cover is 24.39% ( less than the target 33%).

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• At present 15 States and Union Territories have 33% Forest cover. Very Dense Forest

cover has been increased after a long time. Mangrove Forest cover has been increased by

181 Sq.km.

• None of the 12 Mangrove states showed decline in mangrove Forest cover.

• Madhya Pradesh tops the list followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

• State where forest cover increased is Andhra Pradesh followed by Karnataka and Kerala.

• However North East States saw decline in their Forest cover.

• India is among the top 10 Countries in terms of Forest cover in which except India (382)

all other nations have Population density less than 150 persons per Sq.km.

Report on Strengthening Forest Fire Management

• Ministry of Environment, Forest, Climate change and World Bank jointly prepared

“Strengthening Forest Fire Management” Report.

• This report stressed the fact that, Even as India has managed to increase its forest cover to

over 20 percent of its total geographical area, forest fires are a leading cause of degrada-

tion of the forest cover in the country.

• It also discusses policies on forest fire prevention and management (FFPM) at all levels,

underscoring the need for a comprehensive national policy and guidelines.

• It provides recommendations on five broad themes – policy, institutions and capacity,

community engagement, technology, and data and information and looks at national and

international best practices in FFPM.

Save Himalayan Springs

• A Group of Experts under NITI Aayog recommended the Government to set up a dedi-

cated mission to salvage and revive spring water systems in the country’s Himalayan

States which is home to nearly 50 Million inhabitants of India.

• This recommendation is meant for Conserving Springs which act as Drinking and Irriga-

tion Purpose of the region's inhabitants.

• “Almost half of the perennial springs have already dried up or have become seasonal and

tens of thousands of villages are currently facing acute water shortage for drinking and

other domestic purposes,” the group noted in its report titled ‘Inventory and Revival of

Springs in the Himalayas for Water Security.’ Almost 60% of low-discharge springs that

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provided water to small habitations in the Himalayan region have reported clear decline

during the last couple of decades.

IPCC Report

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, recently released its Special Report on 1.5℃

of Global Warming in Incheon, South Korea.

• This report stressed that Governments should achieve Net zero CO2 addition to the atmos-

phere by 2050, balancing anthropogenic emissions through removal of CO2.

• It states that agricultural economies such as India, Bangladesh and Pakistan could suffer

the most due to the ramifications of Global warming- includes intense heat waves, floods

and droughts, water deficit and reduced food production.

• It clearly stated the impacts of lagging in achievement of global warming target 1.5℃ will

results in heavy precipitation, severe water borne diseases, increased number of hot days

and 50% increase in species extinct rate.

• IPCC is an international body established in 1988 by World Meteorological Organization

(WMO) and UNEP to provide Policy makers with regular assessment of the scientific ba-

sis of climate change, its impact and future risks and options for adoption and mitigation.

STAPCOR 2018

• International Conference on Status and protection of coral reefs (STAPCOR) held at

Bangaram Islands of Lakshadweep.

• The theme of this conference is “Reef for Life”. The conference discussed the effect of

climate change and global warming along with El Nino on the corals lead to heavy

bleaching internationally during the year 1998 lead to the foundation of STAPCOR with a

decision to have an international conference in every 10 years to review the status and

progress of coral reefs all over the world.

• It held in consonance with declaration of the year 2018 as 3rd decadal International year

of Reefs. International Coral Reef initiative (ICRI) has declared year 2018 as Interna-

tional Year of the Reef (IYOR 2018) to raise awareness about the threats to coral reefs

and the associated ecosystem.

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Schemes and initiatives

India’s Action Cooling Plan

• India to develop a comprehensive Cooling Action plan to address the cooling requirement

across sectors and lists out actions. The goal of ICAP is to provide sustainable cooling and

thermal comfort for all while securing environmental and socio-economic benefits for the

society.

• Encompassing refrigerant transition, enhancing energy efficiency and better technology

options with a 20-year time horizon are among the features of the plan.

• One of the major demand is to reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by

2037-38 and refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38. It will bring thermal comfort

for all through provision for cooling for Economic Weaker Section and Less Income

Groups housing.

• Doubling Farmers Income indirectly by better cold chain infrastructure and better value of

produce to farmers, less wastage of produce. It gives impetus to employment by domestic

manufacturing of air-conditioning and related cooling equipment’s and will robust R&D

on alternative cooling technologies to provide push to innovation in cooling sector.

ECO Niwas Samhita 2018

• Ministry of Power has launched the ECO Niwas Samhita 2018, an Energy Conservation

Building Code for Residential Buildings (ECBC-R) to boost up energy conservation ef-

forts and energy efficiency in the residential sector on the premise of National Energy

Conservation Day(Dec 14).

• It aims to benefit the occupants and the environment by promoting energy efficiency in

design and construction of homes, apartments and townships. The parameters listed in the

Code have been developed based on large number of parameters using climate and energy

related data.

• The Code is expected to assist large number of architects and builders who are involved in

design and construction of new residential complexes in different parts of the country.

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• Implementation of this Code will have potential for energy savings to the tune of 125 Bil-

lion Units of electricity per year by 2030, which is equivalent to about 100 million ton of

Co2 emission. It is estimated that energy demand in the building sector will rise from

around 350 billion units in 2018 to approximately 1000 billion units by year 2030.

Mobilise Your City

• India and France have signed an implementation agreement on “MOBILISE YOUR

CITY” (MYC). MYC aims at supporting three pilot cities viz. Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmed-

abad for reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions related to urban transport.

• Mobilise Your City (MYC) is part of an international initiative which is supported by the

French and the German Governments and was launched at 21st Conference of Parties

(COP21) meeting in December, 2015.

• The main components of the proposed assistance are:

(I) to support planning and implementation of sustainable urban transport projects,

(II) support to strengthening institutional capacity for regulating, steering and plan-

ning urban mobility, and

(III) learning and exchange formats with other cities across India for exchanges on

best practices.

Atal Bhujal Yojana

• This scheme involves recharging Ground Water , reviving surface water bodies and make

sufficient water storage facilities for Agricultural purposes.

• This scheme is sponsored by Central Government along with World Bank.

• It will helpful to water deficient States such as Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan etc.

• It also focussed on Community participation and make aware of depleting Ground water

Resource.

Himalayan Research Fellowship Scheme

• The Government of India has given approval to Himalayan Research Fellowship Scheme

to study Physical, Biological, Management and Social Aspects of Himalayas through

Young and trained Environmental Managers, Ecologists and Socio Economists.

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• This scheme will be executed in various institutions of Himalayan belt and first preference

will be given to the North East States.

• As per Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change (MoEFCC), research will be

taken up on broad thematic areas such as Water Management, Hydro power development,

Eco tourism etc.

• Fellowships will be awarded for 3 years and Financial support will be granted by National

Mission on Himalayan Studies.

Floating Treatment Wetland in Hyderabad

• Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) is like a Artificial island in a water body in order to

get rid of Complex pollutants such as Nitrates. FTW is launched in Neknampur Lake in

Hyderabad.

• Based on Hydroponics Technology, FTW comprises of 4 layers in which Base layer with

Bamboo over which Styrofoam cubicles is placed, Third with Gunny bags and Final layer

with Gravels.

• Cleaning agents such as Vettiver, Hibiscus, Ashwagandha, Tulsi to be planted on FTW.

Microorganisms in the FTW will help to breakdown Complex pollutants. Root system

will filter out sediments and Pollutants. This Technology is much cheaper than Sewage

Treatment plant and helps to restore Biodiversity.

• Neknampur Lake Floating Treatment Wetland is largest FTW in India.

IRCTC introduces Bagasse based Food Packing

• The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a public sector under-

taking of Ministry of Railways introduced Bagasse based Food Packing in 8 Railway Sta-

tions on a pilot basis.

• The Main theme of this initiative is to attain dual objective of “Go Green” drive by Indian

Railways and boosting of Sugarcane industry. Bagasse, the fibrous remains left behind af-

ter extracting sugarcane juice, is being used to make disposable cutlery and containers in

which meals will be served.

• Provision will be made to collect the used packaging which will then be processed for dis-

posal through composting to ensure environmental sustainability.

India's Automated Ocean Pollution Observation System

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• India’s first Automated Ocean Pollution Observation system under Indian National Centre

for Ocean Information Services was launched to examine Marine pollution.

• This system will be functional from April 2018. As Ocean water is becoming Anoxic

(Seawater depleted of Dissolved Oxygen) this system would help to observe changing

Marine system. Sensor equipped Buoys will be placed in 6 Coastal areas viz., Digha

(West Bengal), Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Kochi, Goa and Mumbai.

i- Hariyali App

• Government of Punjab has launched i-Hariyali App to ensure Clean, Green, Healthy, Ro-

bust Punjab with active participation of Masses.

• It was launched under the Mission Tandurust Punjab to increase State Green Cover. The

objective behind this app is to bring more and more people in buying and planting sap-

lings during current Monsoon Season to protect Environment from hazardous pollution.

• The Main Characteristic of the App is that it can permit Residents of the State to Choose

any saplings by just clicking the button and also getting saplings from nearby Government

Nurseries. Every Person would get maximum of 25 Saplings.

Super Straw Management System made Mandatory

• In order to combat Stubble Burning, Government of Punjab made it mandatory to use Su-

per Straw Management System along with Combined Paddy Harvester. Stubble Burning

is declared as major cause for heavy winter Smog in Delhi by the Delhi High Court in

2016.

• If Super Straw Management system is attached to selfpropelled Paddy Harvester, it will

cut down the stubbles into small pieces. Hence there is no need to burn the stubbles left in

harvested field.

• Thereby Pollution through Stubble Burning will be reduced drastically.

India prepared National REDD+ Strategy

• Complying with the UNFCCC decisions on REDD+, India has prepared its National

REDD+ Strategy which builds upon existing national circumstances which have been up-

dated in line with India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change, Green India Mission

and India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to UNFCCC.

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• REDD+ means “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation”, conser-

vation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of

forest carbon stocks in developing countries aims to mitigate climate change by incentiv-

izing forest conservation.

• The strategy seeks to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and also

by developing a roadmap for enhancement of forest carbon stocks and achieving sustaina-

ble management of forests through REDD+ actions.

• At National Level, National Governing Council of REDD+ chaired by the Union Environ-

ment Minister and two technical committees, headed by DG, Forest Survey of India and

DG, ICFRE is being established for supporting the REDD+ implementation in the coun-

try. At State level it will be coordinated by the committee headed by the Principal Chief

Conservator of Forests (PCCF) & Head of Forest Force (HOFF) of the States.

• Paris Agreement also emphasises the role of Forests in Climate Change Mitigation in

which India’s Nationally Determined Contribution is to cut down 2.5 to 3 Billion Tonnes

of CO2 through Forest Development and Tree planting by 2030.

WAYU

• Air Pollution Control Device Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit (WAYU) developed by

CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute launched at Delhi.

• It is an indigenous device has the capacity to purify air in an area of 500 Square Meter.

The device consumes only half a unit of electricity for 10 hours of running and has

maintenance cost of only Rs. 1500 per month.

• The device works on two principles, mainly Wind generation for dilution of air pollutants

and Active Pollutants removal. The device has filters for Particulate Matter removal and

activated carbon (charcoal) and UV lamps for poisonous gases removal such as VOCs and

Carbon Monoxide.

India Cooling Action Plan

• The Union Ministry of Environment released the draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)

and a booklet on ‘Montreal Protocol – India’s Success Story’.

• A refurbished website on the Ozone Cell of the Ministry and a Management Information

System (MIS) for Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) were also launched released .

• The broad objectives of the India Cooling Action Plan include -

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(i) Assessment of cooling requirements across sectors in next 20 years and the asso-

ciated refrigerant demand and energy use,

(ii) Map the technologies available to cater the cooling requirement including passive

interventions, refrigerant-based technologies and alternative technologies such as

not-in-kind technologies,

(iii) Suggest interventions in each sector to provide for sustainable cooling and ther-

mal comfort for all,

(iv) Focus on skilling of RAC service technicians, and

(v) Develop an R&D innovation ecosystem for indigenous development of alterna-

tive technologies.

Continuation of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister has approved

continuation of the Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-

IDWH) beyond the 12th Plan period from 2017-18 to 2019-20.

• The Scheme consists of Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger (CSS-PT), Devel-

opment of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-DWH) and Project Elephant (CSS-PE).

• It would foster wildlife conservation in general with specific inputs for tiger in Project

Tiger area and elephant in Project Elephant area. These schemes would result in overall

strengthening/ consolidation of tiger, elephant and wildlife conservation in the country.

• The schemes aim to address human wildlife conflict effectively and would generate em-

ployment opportunities resulting in economic upliftment of people in and around tiger re-

serves/ Protected Areas besides leading to reduction in natural resource dependency

through substitution by clean energy use.

• These schemes would result in resource generation through tourist visits, thereby fostering

in securing tiger source areas and other areas important for wildlife conservation, besides

being helpful in sustaining life support systems as well as ensuring the food, water and

livelihood security.

Harit Diwali Swasth Diwali

• The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change initiated a campaign “Harit Di-

wali Swasth Diwali” in 2017-18 to curb the deteriorating effects of bursting of crackers

post Diwali.

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• Last year large number of school children especially from eco-clubs participated and took

pledge to minimize bursting of crackers and also discouraged the neighborhood and their

friends from bursting of crackers.

• This Month, the Ministry has initiated the similar campaign, but this year the campaign

has been extended Pan-India.

• The “Harit Diwali-Swasth Diwali” campaign is now merged with “Green Good Deed”

movement that has been initiated as a social mobilization for conservation and protection

of environment. The Ministry encourages all schools and colleges to be part of this cam-

paign.

SAFAR System

• SAFAR (State of the Art Air quality and Weather Forecast System) has been unveiled at

Chandni Chowk, Delhi by Ministry of Earth Sciences.

• SAFARis the first most advanced system of air quality and weather forecasting in India. It

was proposed to be implemented in other 3 Cities Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad.

• SAFAR was developed indigenously by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune

and operationalized by Indian Meteorological Department. It will monitor all the weather

parameters like Temperature, Humidity, Wind Speed, Wind Direction.

• Other measurements include Sun's UV index, Particulate Matter, Mercury, Black Carbon

in real time in addition to regular air quality parameters like Particulate Matter 2.5, Partic-

ulate Matter 10, SO2, Ozone, Nitrogen oxides, Carbon Monoxide, Benzene, Toluene, Xy-

lene.

• The purpose of SAFAR is to accelerate public awareness and preparedness of air pollution

and weather extremes.

Paudhagiri Campaign

• Government of Haryana launched ‘Paudhagiri’ Campaign in Gurugram. The objective of

this campaign is to increase the green cover in the state.

• Nearly 22 Lakhs students of the state will plant a sapling each during three months of

Monsoon- July, August, September.

• Every student will have to take care of his/her plant sapling for the next three years.

• Once every six months, the students has to upload a picture of a growing plant in the mo-

bile App. They will be provided with an incentive of ₹50 for every six months.

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Ganga Vrikharopan Abhiyan

• Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan was launched in five main stem Ganga basin States Utta-

rakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal under National Mission of Clean

Ganga on 9th July 2018 and the week upto 15th July was Subharambsaptah.

• State Forest Department have been made the nodal agencies for the smooth and effective

execution of the campaign. Nehru Yuwa Kendra Sangathan, Ganga Vichu Mand, NGOs

and educational institutions participated in the campaign.

• It has been initiated as a part of the Forest Intervention in Ganga Component of Namami

Ganga Programme to bring awareness among people for afforestation to rejuvenate Gan-

ges.

Parivesh

• PARIVESH (Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Envi-

ronmental Single-window Hub) is launched by Prime Minister of India on the occasion of

World Biofuel Day dated on 10th August.

• It is a Single Window Environment Management System under the purview of Digital In-

dia with the objective of ‘Minimum Government Maximum Governance’.

• It is the Workflow based Application based on Web Architecture designed by Ministry

of Environment, Forest, Climate Change with technical support from National Informatics

Centre.

• It eases the Submission of Project Application and tracking the status of such proposals. It

also eases the way of Environmental clearance such as Forest, Coastal areas, others etc.

Single Registration, Single Sign In process and unique ID for all type of Clearance is avail

there.

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Conservation

MoEFCC launched Asiatic Lion Conservation Project

• In order to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion

and its associated ecosystem, MoEFCC has launched the “Asiatic Lion Conservation Pro-

ject’’.

• It is planned to strengthen the ongoing measures for conservation and recovery of Asiatic

Lion with the help of state-of-the –art techniques/ instruments, regular scientific research

studies, disease management, Modern surveillance/ patrolling techniques.

• Asiatic lions that once ranged from Persia (Iran) to Palamau in Eastern India were almost

driven to extinction by indiscriminate hunting and habitat loss. A single population of less

than 50 lions persisted in the Gir forests of Gujarat by late 1890's. With timely and strin-

gent protection offered by the State Government and the Centre Government, Asiatic lions

have increased to the current population of over 500 numbers.

• The last census in the year 2015 showed the population of 523 Asiatic Lions in Gir Pro-

tected Area Network of 1648.79 sq. km. that includes Gir National Park, Gir Sanctuary,

Pania Sanctuary, Mitiyala Sanctuary adjoining reserved forests, Protected Forests, and

Unclassified Forests.

• Asiatic lions are the one of the 21 protected critical endangered species in centre list.

The project activities is envisaged in a manner to cause habitat improvement, scientific

interventions, disease control and veterinary care supplemented with adequate eco devel-

opment works for the fringe population in order to ensure a stable and viable Lion popula-

tion in the Country.

Hump backed Mahseer

• The hump-backed Mahseer, a large fresh water fish found in the waters of the Cauvery, has been

added to the IUCN Red List with Critically Endangered Status.

• It is found only in the cauvery river basin including Kerala’s Pambar, Kabini and Bhavani rivers.

The fish is one of the 229 species added to the Red List last November; this update also reveals

that the threat status of 12 other Indian species, including great hornbills, has increased.

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• The inclusion was possible only once the fish got its scientific name, only in 2018, Tor remadevii.

It is also called as Tiger of the water. Five other species have also made it to threatened catego-

ries: two wild orchids, the Arabian scad (a marine fish) and two wild coffee species found only in

a few localities in the Western Ghats.

• Shoal, an international organisation working to conserve freshwater species has initiated ‘Project

Mahseer’ to enable conservation action for the hump-backed mahseer.

Cheetah to be incorporated in Madhya Pradesh

• National Tiger Conservation Authority answered to the hearing in Supreme court regard-

ing African cheetah relocation in India.

• It said that the African cheetah translocated from Namibia to India is to be kept in Nau-

radehi wildlife sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh.

• India's last spotted cheetah died in 1947. In 1952, the animal was declared extinct in the

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

India. But the activists went to the Supreme Court against the decision.

• Supreme Court appointed a panel to review the project which advised against the reintro-

duction citing India does not have habitat and prey density to support cheetahs. In 2018, it

was planned to revive the programme. NTCA went to the Hon’ble Supreme court for clar-

ification regarding the issue.

Invasive Beetle - A threat to Japan’s Cherry blossom

• Red Necked Longhorn Beetle (Aromia bungii) became a serious threat to the famous

Cherry Blossom of Japan.

• The invasive species which has its origin from China, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, now

invaded Japan through imported Wood Materials.

• It lives in Trees of Cherry and Plums stripping them of their Barks. In serious infestations,

beetle can cause collapse of Trees.

• Hanami is a Japanese Custom of enjoying the transient beauty of Flowers especially

Cherry (Sakura) and Ume (Plums) blooms at end of the March to beginning of May in en-

tire Japan.

New Members in Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species

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• Four new species added to the recovery programme for critically endangered species by

National Board for Wild Life based on the recommendation of Standing Committee of

Wildlife Division of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change.

• The four newly added species are Northern River Terrapin, Clouded Leopard, Arabian

Sea Humpback Whale and Red Panda.

• This programme is one of the three components of Central Funded Scheme Integrated De-

velopment of Wildlife. Moreover, the other species in the list are Snow Leopard, Dolphin,

Nilgiri Tahr, and Indian Rhinoceros.

Red Sanders is now free of export restrictions

• Red sanders wood is now allowed to export as the former foreign trade policy prohibited it. The

Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has revised its export policy to permit its export if

it is obtained from cultivated land.

• Estimates suggest that there are more than 3,000 farmers across India who were unable to sell

their produce due to the earlier export policy. Earlier, only seized logs from smugglers were being

exported depending on state government rules.

• However, red sanders, Pterocarpus santalinus remain listed in the Appendix II of CITES (Con-

vention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). In 2012, India

got an export quota on red sanders from CITES, under which the country could export 310 tonnes

of red sanders obtained from “artificially propagated” sources and 11,806 tonnes of wood from

seized sources. Now Red sanders can be exported easily from cultivable land.

• Pterocarpus is endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats. This tree is valued for the rich red color of

its wood. However, the wood is not aromatic. IUCN Status of this tree species is near threat-

ened.

Goa Bird Festival at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary

• Goa Forest Department organised the 2nd Bird Festival of Goa from 12-14 January, 2018

at Eco Tourism Complex of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary.

• There were talks by prominent ornithologists, workshops by professional photographers,

and artists, guided birding trips and a first of its kind pelagic birding trip.

• There was a photo exhibition featuring some of the best works of different photographers,

artworks and a special workshop on Origami

New Species of Water Strider Found in India

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• Scientists of Zoological survey of India discovered Ptilomera nagalanda, a new species of

Water strides in Nagaland.

• It was found in the river Intanki of Peren District, Nagaland. The presence of Black stripes

on its dorsal side helps to differentiate it with other species of subgenus Ptilomera.

• Generally Water Striders are good indicators of Water quality and found in surface of wa-

ter due to Surface Tension. They also play important role in Food chain by feeding larvae

of Mosquitoes.

World's Smallest Fern Discovered in Gujarat

• Ophioglossum malviae of the group Adder's- Tongue Ferns (named after their resem-

blance to Snake's Tongue) is discovered in Ahwa Forest of Western Ghats of Gujarat.

• It is a 1 cm tall species and smallest of all known Ophioglossum species. Studies report

that ferns are seasonal and grow in First Monsoon Rains. It's spores have thick outer walls

which is unique feature compared to other species. At present, India is home to nearly 14

species of Ophioglossum (total 25-30 species) of which majority of the species were re-

ported from the Western Ghats.

Siam Fighter Fish- National Aquatic Animal of Thailand

• Government of Thailand declared Siam Fighter Fish as it's National aquatic animal. It is

also known as betta fish, the underwater brawler is popular in home aquariums for its iri-

descent body and many-hued tail.

• The government said in a statement that the cabinet green-lighted a proposal for the

"fighting fish to be the national fish", citing its historical and cultural significance.

• It brings up feelings of nostalgia for older generations in Thailand - which changed its

name from Siam in 1939.

• The IUCN status of the Siamese fighting fish is Vulnerable.

• The threats to the Siamese Fighting Fish include Human intrusions and disturbances,

construction of Dams, Presence of Invasive and other problematic species, diseases, Pol-

lution due to wastewater, Industrial and Agricultural effluents.

Other Recently Discovered Species in India

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Flora

1. Ginger

Hedychium chingmeianum, an epiphytic plant grows on trunks of all trees discovered in Na-

galand and Caulokaempferia dinabandhuensis found in Manipur named after Mr. Dinaban-

dhu.

2. Balsam

Balsams are commonly called as Jewel Weeds because of diverse color of their flowers.

Four new species of Balsam are discovered in Arunachal Pradesh. They are

1. Impatiens haridasanii

2. Impatiens pseudocitrina

3. Impatiens nilalohitae

4. Impatiens roingensis

Fauna

1. Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus mewasinghi) has been discovered in

Kozhikode Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Ghats.

2. Larket Fish (Schistura larketensis),a blind fish named after Village Larket of East Jaintia

Hills of Meghalaya.

3. Apatani Glory(Elcysma ziroensis), a moth discovered from Talley Wildlife Sanctuary,

Arunachal Pradesh and named after Apatani tribes. This Moth is seen only in Autumn sea-

son indicates that it is Univoltine.

Days and events

World Water Day | International Forum on Water Scarcity

• First International Forum on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG), was co-organised

by Italy and FAO in Praia, Cabo Verde (19-22 March).

• Recently published World Water Development Report states there are more than two bil-

lion people living in countries with high water stress.

• Due to population growth, urbanisation and changing living standards the availability of

fresh water is decreasing. Global water demand will rise by 20 to 30 percent, while supply

will be alarmingly less.

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• Agriculture accounts for 69 percent of global water withdrawals. Noting that about 80

percent of the world's cropland is rain fed, producing 60 percent of food. FAO promotes

measures like selection of drought and salinity resistant species, sustainable soil manage-

ment and water harvesting.

• At the conclusion of the WASAG Forum, delegates from 47 countries adopted today the

Praia Commitments, which aim to promote sustainable water management as a driver of

development, maximising synergies across the 2030 Agenda, and support farmers with

improved access to financing, innovative technologies and sound water management prac-

tices.

World Forest Day

• March 21 has been observed as World Forest day. This year’s theme ‘Forest and Educa-

tion’ highlights the importance of forestry education to secure the future of our forests.

• On International Day of Forests, FAO announces two new forestry education initiatives

aimed at raising awareness among children and youth on the sustainable use and conser-

vation of forests.

i) Educating children on sustainable forest use and conservation in Tanzania and

the Philippines: One of the projects announced on the International Day of For-

ests funded by Germany is a three year project aiming to increase forest liter-

acy and the need to manage forests sustainably among children aged 9-12 in

Tanzania and the Philippines.

ii) Enhancing global forestry education: The initiative aims to create an online

platform to serve as a "one-stop-shop" for forest education.

Pelican Bird Festival 2018

• Pelican bird festival 2018 held for first time in Atapaka Bird Sanctuary which is one of

the largest Pelicinary in the World.

• During winter thousands of Pelican migrate here, reside and reproduce. This Sanctuary lo-

cated on Kolleru lake in Andhra Pradesh which is Wildlife Sanctuary since 1999 and Wet-

land of International Importance since 2002.

• This Lake is important site for resident and migratory birds. Other birds migrate here are

Siberian cranes, ibis and Painted stork.

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World Sparrow Day

• World Sparrow Day is an International initiative by Nature Forever Society of India in

collaboration with Ecosystem Action and other National and International Associations

across the World. Nature Forever Society is a NGO founded by Mohammed Dilawar, an

Indian Conservationist who named Heroes of Environment 2008 by TIMES Magazine.

• The Theme of World Sparrow Day 2018 is “I Love Sparrow” which may remind people

the love and bonds with Sparrows and encourage them to come forward. Sparrows are not

territorial in nature, they are protective and build their own nests.

• Interestingly Male Sparrow build the nest to attract it's Female love.

Rhododendron Park in Arunachal Pradesh

• Rhododendron Park is to be established in Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh. Once it

was home to 100 Species of Rhododendron which is now reduced to 50 species due to

Construction activities in the border areas. Rhododendron is a genus of 1024 species of

Woody plants in Heath Family (Ericaceae).

• They are found in large number in Asia and Appalachian Mountains of North America.

• The Flower blooms from Late Winter to Early Summer. Rhododendron species Flower

is the State Flower of Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Rhododendron Tree is the

State Tree of Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary

• Government of Maharashtra approves Ghodazari area in Chandrapur district as new Wild-

life Sanctuary.

• It is located northeast to Tadoba Tiger Reserve and includes some parts of Brahmapuri

Forest. It is an important corridor for wild animals moving from Tadoba-Andhari Wildlife

sanctuary to Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary and Vice versa.

Tiger Road-killed in Bor Tiger Reserve

• An adult male tiger from Bor Tiger Reserve fell prey to the killer highway NH-6 that cuts

the vital corridor between Bor and Melghat Tiger Reserves in Maharashtra.

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• Despite repeated appeals by conservationists no mitigation structures were built on the

highway.

• With this, the national tally of tiger deaths upto December 2017 has mounted to 114, of

which 24 have been reported from Maharashtra, second highest in the country after neigh-

bouring Madhya Pradesh (26).

Sunderban gets Ramsar Tag

• The Government of West Bengal gave its nod to State Department of Forest for the appli-

cation of ‘Wetlands of International Importance’ tag under Ramsar Convention for

Sundarban Reserve Forest.

• Sunderbans become the 27th wetland site to be declared under Ramsar, making it the

largest protected wetland in the country.

• The Sunderban Forest is located in India and Bangladesh with total area of about 10,000

Sq.Km of which two fifth in India and three fifth in Bangladesh.

• The tag also helps to gain International Scientific attention and intervention. As of Forest

Survey of India Report 2017, Sunderbans account for 43% of Mangrove forests of India.

• Sunderban Reserve became UNESCO Heritage Site in 1997 and was also nominated for

New 7 wonders of Nature list.

Khangchendzonga added in World Network of Biosphere Reserve

• The Number of World Network of Biosphere Reserves has been increased to 11 with the

addition of Khangchendzonga Biosphere reserve of Sikkim.

• The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers internationally

designated protected areas called biosphere reserves, that are meant to demonstrate a bal-

anced relationship between people and nature (e.g. encourage sustainable development).

• The WNBR of the Man And Biosphere Programme promotes North-South and South-

South collaboration and represents a unique tool for international co-operation through

sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences, building capacity and promoting best prac-

tices.

• At Present there are 686 Biosphere reserves in 122 Nations. India has 18 Biosphere Re-

serves of which 11 are in World Network of Biosphere Reserve. Nilgiris Biosphere re-

serve is the first reserve from India added to the list.

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Important Declarations

Brazzaville Declaration

• Governments of Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo and Indonesia have

jointly signed Brazzaville Declaration for the conservation of World's Largest Tropical

Peatlands Cuvette Centrale in Congo basin under the sidelines of Third Partner Meeting

of Global Peatlands Initiative held in Brazzaville, capital of Republic of Congo.

• Peatlands are the Wetlands that contains Mixture of Decomposed Organic Matter, par-

tially submerged in layer of water lacks oxygen and high carbon content.

• They are World's Important Carbon Stock.

• Cuvette Centrale stores three years equivalent of global greenhouse gas emissions and

nearly sizes the area of England.

Taj Declaration to beat Plastic Pollution

• Taj Declaration to beat Plastic Pollution is a pledge administered by Union Minister of

Environment Mahesh Sharma to Agra Residents.

• He took oath before United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director

Erik Solheim and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Diya Mirza.

• The Main Objective of this pledge is to make 500m area around Taj Mahal litter free and

phase out single use plastic.

• Before the Declaration, there was many stakeholders workshop in which Short term and

long term strategies were planned to curb pollution around the 4 centuries old Monument.

Plastic Pollution is one of the serious matter of concern which deteriorates Land and

Ocean Ecosystem. “Beat Plastic Pollution” is the Theme of World Environment Day 2018

and India hosted World Environment Day 2018.

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