Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Exclusive
Environment and Ecology
June 2016 March 2017
WWW.INSIGHTSONINDIA.COM
Insights PT 2017 Exclusive
Table of Contents
A. Government Programmes
1. Gyps Vulture Reintroduction Programme.5
2. Pilot programme to run two wheelers on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) ..5
3. National Green Highways Mission (NGHM) 5
4. Namami Gange Programme (NGP) ..6
5. River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016.6
6. Ken-Betwa river linking project7
7. National Mission on Bioeconomy..7
8. Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme7
9. Second Generation Ethanol8
10. National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020.8
11. Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development (SaCReD) Initiative..8
12. National Hydrology Project.9
13. Green Train Corridors..9
14. 2016 India Biodiversity Award.10
15. Fly Ash Utilization Policy.10
16. Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development in Majuli10
17. Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016..11
18. Graded Response Action Plan.11
19. India-Based Neutrino Observatory (INO) 11
20. HCFCs Phase Out Management Plan (HPMP) ..12
21. Operation Thunder Bird and Operation Save Kurma..12
D. Pollution
1. National Air Quality Index (AQI) .22
2. Photocatalyst to degrade industrial dyes..22
3. Arsenic Contamination22
4. Record High CO2 Level in 2016.23
5. Ammonia detected in the upper Troposphere..23
6. Bio-medical waste.23
7. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) 24
8. Endosulfan..24
E. Events / Celebrations
1. World Environment Day (WED) 25
2. World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) .25
3. World Oceans Day.25
4. World Hydrography Day26
5. International Tiger Day..26
6. International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer..26
7. World Sustainable Development Summit.27
8. World Food Day27
9. Earth Hour27
10. World Tsunami Awareness Day.28
11. World Wetlands Day.28
12. National Biodiversity Congress 2017 .28
13. World Wildlife Day..29
F. Reports / Releases
1. The Birds of Banni Grassland.30
2. Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on childrens health and the environment.30
3. Endemic Vascular Plants of India30
4. Living Planet Report.30
5. Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness.31
G. International Efforts
1. Norway - First country to ban deforestation32
2. Udaipur Declaration on disaster..32
3. Worlds largest Marine Protected Area..32
4. International Solar Alliance (ISA) 32
5. Environment Tax 33
6. TanSat satellite.33
7. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)33
8. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).34
9. BirdLife International..34
10. Kyoto Protocol..35
11. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants35
H. Climate Change
1. Climate Change Impact on Animals36
2. Coral bleaching.36
I. Organizations
1. Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).38
2. Botanical Survey of India (BSI)..38
3. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) 38
4. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) .39
5. Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) ..39
6. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT) 40
7. Central Water Commission (CWC) .40
8. India Meteorological Department (IMD) ..40
9. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 41
10. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ..41
11. Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) 41
12. National Green Tribunal (NGT) .42
13. Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) .42
14. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) 42
15. Bombay Natural History Society (BHNS) .43
J. Protocols / Conventions
1. Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.44
2. Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer ..44
3. Kigali Agreement.44
4. Paris Agreement on climate change .45
5. Marrakech Action Proclamation .45
6. Doha Amendments to the Kyoto Protocol46
K. Miscellaneous
1. Rhino horn verification process.47
2. Ganga and Yamuna Rivers as living entity.47
3. Coal Bed Methane (CBM) .47
4. Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) ..47
5. Loktak Lake..48
6. Genetic Garden of Halophytes ..48
7. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) .48
8. Sambhar Salt Lake49
9. Chilika lake49
10. Seemai Karuvelam trees..49
11. Barren Island.50
The mission will be linked with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment NOTES
Guarantee scheme in future.
Besides this the Kisan Harit Rajmarg Yojana was also launched. The Yojana is a
pilot scheme to extend green belt beyond the existing Right of Way of highways
by engaging farmers and providing alternative livelihood option to the nearby
communities.
Delegates financial and administrative powers to NMCG to accelerate the process NOTES
of project implementation for Ganga rejuvenation.
SaCReD, Majuli project is part of the French Development Agency assisted Assam NOTES
Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC).
Mitigation through forestry activities and biodiversity conservation will be the
starting points for carbon neutral agenda followed by other interventions over the
next three years.
3. Bornean orangutan
Bornean orangutan, a primate species has been
declared critically endangered by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN).
IUCN assessment has found that population of
Bornean orangutans has dropped by nearly two-
third since the early 1970s.
Bornean orangutan is a primate species native to the island of Borneo.
Orangutans share approximately 97% of their DNA with humans. They are highly
intelligent and display advanced tool use and distinct cultural patterns in the wild.
The reasons for the decline in their population are: Deforestation, hunting and
slow breeding.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has been set up to ensure co-ordination NOTES
among various officers and State Governments for the enforcement of law for
control of poaching and illegal trade in wildlife and its products.
Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has brought a number of endemic/threatened plants
under cultivation (ex-situ conservation).
National Biological Diversity Act (NBA), 2002 has been enacted to ensure protection
of threatened species and their habitats.
It has been listed under Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and J&K NOTES
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1978.
It also has been listed among the top 15 species of high conservation priority by the
Central Government.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is going to declare the
Kashmiri Red Stag as a Critically Endangered species.
The critically endangered status to the Kashmiri Red Stag will help it to get more
protection and enhance the conservation efforts.
9. Elephant Census
For the first time, the States of Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand
have decided to conduct a synchronised elephant census.
The four States together have the maximum number of human-elephant conflict-
prone regions in India.
These states will conduct the census based on an identical set of rules using the
direct and indirect counting methods.
The direct counting method is based on sighting of elephants while the indirect
method uses the elephant dung decay formula, in which the analysis of dung is
used to estimate the population.
The second method has already been used by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
As per the 2015 census, Odisha has 1,954 elephants while Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
and West Bengal had approximately 700, 275 and 130 elephants, respectively.
1. Gymnothorax indicus
Scientists from have discovered Gymnothorax indicus
(called Indian unpatterened moray), a new species of
eel (a snake-like fish) in the northern Bay of Bengal
region along the West Bengal coast.
Scientists believe that these newly discovered eel
species may contribute to food security in the future.
Eels are found mostly at the bottom of rivers and seas.
Globally, about 1,000 species of eels have been
identified. In India their number is around 125.
Eels are local delicacy in many countries like Japan. But consumption of eels in India
is limited to coastal areas.
In 2015, Gymnothorax mishrai (Bengal moray eel), a short brown unpatterned moray
eel was discovered.
5. Smooth-Coated Otter
Smooth-coated otter was sighted for the first time in
the mangrove forest adjacent to the Krishna wildlife
sanctuary (KWS) in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh.
The presence of the otter is a key indicator for rise of
the mangrove cover in the Krishna wildlife sanctuary.
The smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) is
a species of otter, the only extant representative of
the genus Lutrogale.
The species is found in most of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. An
isolated population of the species is also found in the marshes of Iraq.
As its name indicates, the fur of this species is smoother and shorter than that of
other otters.
Otter is a carnivorous mammal. Otters are social and hunt in groups.
The otter lives in rivers, lakes, peat swamp forests, mangroves and estuaries. It uses
swamps as natal den sites and nursery during the breeding season in early winter.
It has been categorised vulnerable in the red data book of International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Lutrogale perspicillata is listed on CITES Appendix II.
Smooth-coated otters are protected in India under the Wildlife (Protection) Act,
1972.
6. Fishing Cat
A fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) was sighted
in the moderately dense mangroves surrounding
of the Gilalakalandi harbour near Machilipatnam,
Andhra Pradesh.
The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a
medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast
Asia.
Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN
Red List and is protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and declined
severely over the last decade.
Fishing cats live foremost in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow
lakes, in swamps and mangroves.
The fishing cat is the state animal of West Bengal.
The new species include Phuket Horned Tree Agamid, Leptolalax isos, Rainbow- NOTES
headed Snake and Klingon Newt.
The Greater Mekong region is one of the most diverse regions and biodiversity
hotspot on the planet. It is a magnet for the worlds conservation because of the
incredible diversity of species.
8. Irrawaddy Dolphins
According to new census carried out by the
Odisha State Forest and Environment
department in 2016, as many as 181 Irrawaddy
dolphins have been sighted in the state.
This marks a significant drop from 2015 survey
which had recorded 450 dolphins.
Irrawaddy dolphins are euryhaline species
of oceanic dolphin found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia.
Its habitat range extends from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea and the
Philippines.
It has established subpopulations in freshwater rivers, including the Ganges and
the Mekong, as well as the Irrawaddy River from which it takes its name.
IUNC has classified it as Vulnerable in Red Data list.
The majority of dolphin deaths is due to accidental capture and drowning in gillnets
and dragnets, noise pollution from high speed vessels, developmental projects like
construction of dams, tourism and diseases.
11.Zingiber pseudosquarrosum
Scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have
found a new species of Zingiber (commonly referred
as Ginger) from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The species Zingiber pseudosquarrosum, new to
Pollution NOTES
3. Arsenic Contamination
Contaminated water used for drinking, irrigation and food preparation poses the NOTES
greatest threat to public health from arsenic.
Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can lead to chronic
arsenic poisoning.
It is a high-profile problem in the Ganges Delta, due to the use of deep tube-wells
for water supply. The groundwater in the tube-wells have high concentrations of
arsenic in deeper levels.
6. Bio-medical waste
Bio-medical waste is any solid or liquid waste including any intermediate product
generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or
animals or research activities.
In 2016, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had issued new Bio-
medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 for proper discarding of the bio-medical
waste.
Bio Medical waste consists of human anatomical waste like organs, tissues and body
parts, waste sharps like needles, syringes, discarded medicines, liquid waste from
any of infected areas etc.
8. Endosulfan
Endosulfan is the most toxic pesticide having hazardous effects on human genetic
and endocrine systems.
Endosulfan became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity,
potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor.
A global ban on the manufacture and use of endosulfan was negotiated under
the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in April 2011.
It is still used extensively in India, China, and few other countries.
It is sprayed as pesticide on crops like cotton, fruits, tea, paddy, cashew, tobacco etc.
for control of pests in agriculture such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms etc.
The theme recognizes the collective efforts of the parties to the Vienna Convention NOTES
and the Montreal Protocol towards the restoration of the ozone layer over the past
three decades and the global commitment to combat climate change.
9. Earth Hour
The 11th edition of the Earth Hour was observed across the world on 25 March 2017
to take a global call on climate change.
To mark this day, cities all over the world turned their lights off from 8:30 pm to
9:30 pm local time.
Environmental activists this year have focused to raise awareness on another
problem that gets far less attention that is Light Pollution.
Earth Hour is an annual international event organised by the World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF). The first Earth Hour was held on March 31, 2007 in Sydney,
Australia.
It is held annually in end of March to encourage everyone to turn off their non-
essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Its goal is to raise awareness for sustainable energy use and create a more
environmentally sustainable lifestyle.
Light Pollution:
o Light pollution is an artificial brightening of the night sky caused by
Human activity, including habitat loss, wildlife trade, pollution and climate change NOTES
contributed to the decline in global wildlife populations.
NOTES
International Efforts
1. Norway - First country to ban deforestation
Norway has become the first country in the world to ban deforestation.
Henceforth, Norway will no longer procure use or procure products that encourage
deforestation.
Under the pledge, Norwegian Government will also not award contracts to any
company that cuts down and destroys forests.
5. Environment Tax
Chinas top legislature has passed Environment Tax on polluters, especially on heavy
industries.
The law aims to improve taxpayers environmental awareness, force companies to
upgrade technology and shift to cleaner production.
China is the worlds largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), due to its heavy
reliance on coal to provide electricity.
Since 1979, China has collected a pollutant discharge fee which not enforced by
any law.
6. TanSat satellite
China has launched TanSat, a global carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring satellite to
understand the effects of climate change.
China became third country after Japan and United States to have its own satellite
to monitor greenhouse gases (GHGs).
TanSat will thoroughly examine global CO2 levels every 16 days, accurate to at least
4 ppm (parts per million).
9. BirdLife International
BirdLife International (formerly the International Council for Bird Preservation) is a
global partnership of conservation organisations.
It strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with
people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources.
It is the world's largest partnership of conservation organisations, with over 120
partner organisations.
BirdLife International has conservation work programmes in the following "regions"
www.insightsonindia.com Page 34 www.insightsias.com
Insights PT 2017 Exclusive
- Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific. NOTES
BirdLife International is the official Red List authority for birds, for
the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
BirdLife has nine programmes, some of these programmes are: the Seabird and
Marine Programme, the Migratory Birds and Flyways Programme, the Climate
Change Programme, and the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas Programme.
10.Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits State
Parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 to fight global warming by reducing GHGs
emission and came into effect in 2005.
The Protocol is based on the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities: it puts the obligation to reduce current emissions on developed
countries on the basis that they are historically responsible for the current levels of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Developing countries like India have no mandatory mitigation obligations or
targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
The Protocol's first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012.
A second commitment period (2013 - 2020) was agreed on in 2012, known as the
Doha Amendment to the protocol.
The Union Cabinet has given its approval to ratify the second commitment period of
the Kyoto Protocol. So far, 75 countries have ratified the Second Commitment
Period.
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol enables
developed countries to invest in "clean" projects in developing countries to gain
emission credits (Certified Emission Reduction-CER).
2. Coral bleaching
Coral bleaching is the loss of endosymbiotic algae from the coral, either through
expulsion or loss of algal pigmentation.
Above-average sea water temperatures caused by global warming have been
identified as a leading cause for coral bleaching worldwide.
Bleached corals continue to live. But as the algae provide the coral with 90% of its
energy, after expelling the algae the coral begins to starve.
Between 2014 and 2016, the longest global bleaching events ever were recorded.
In 2016, bleaching hit 90 percent of coral on the Great Barrier Reef and killed more
than 20 percent of the reef's coral.
In recent times unusual warm ocean water is mainly heated by man-made climate
change and the natural El Nio climate pattern.
Coral reefs:
o Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems held together by calcium
carbonate structures secreted by corals.
o Coral reefs are built by colonies of tiny animals found in marine waters that
contain few nutrients.
o Most reefs grow best in warm and shallow waters with minimum
temperature of 20 degree, Oceanic water must be free of sedimentation; it
should have relatively low salinity.
o Often called "rainforests of the sea", shallow coral reefs form some of the
most diverse ecosystems on Earth.
o They occupy less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface.
o They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters,
but deep water and cold water corals also exist on smaller scales in other
areas.
Organisations NOTES
IMD is also one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres of the World NOTES
Meteorological Organization.
It has the responsibility for forecasting, naming and distribution of warnings
for tropical cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean region, including the Malacca
Straits, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.
3. Kigali Agreement
A global climate deal was reached in Kigali, Rwanda at the Twenty-Eighth Meeting
of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer (MOP28).
The Kigali Agreement amends the 1987 Montreal Protocol that aims to phase out
Hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), a family of potent greenhouse gases by the late 2040s.
Around 197 countries, including India, China and the USA, agreed at Kigali to reduce
the use of HFCs by roughly 85% of their baselines by 2045.
The Kigali Agreement will be binding on countries from 2019. The Paris agreement
which will come into force by 2020 is not legally binding on countries to cut their
emissions.
It also has provisions for penalties for non-compliance. Under it, developed
countries will provide funding support globally.
Different timelines under Kigali Amendment:
o First group: It includes richest countries like US and those in European
Union (EU). They must reduce their use of HFCs by 10 percent by 2019 from
2011-2013 levels, and then by 85 percent by 2036.
o Second group: It includes countries like China, Brazil and all of Africa etc
are committed to launching the transition in 2024. A reduction of 10
percent compared with 2020-2022 levels should be achieved by 2029, to be
extended to 80 percent by 2045.
o Third group: It includes countries India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia etc
must begin the process in 2028 and reduce emissions by 10 percent by
2032 from 2024-2026 levels, and then by 85 percent by 2047.
The Kigali Amendment is considered absolutely vital for reaching the Paris
5. Loktak Lake
Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India, and is famous for
the phumdis (heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil, and organic matter at various
stages of decomposition) floating over it.
Keibul Lamjao National Park is also one of Phumdis in the lake. It is the last natural
refuge of endangered Sangai deer.
Keibul Lamjao is the only floating national park in the world. It is located
near Moirang in Manipur
Considering the ecological status and its biodiversity values, the lake was
designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar
Convention on 23 March 1990.
It was also listed under the Montreux Record on 16 June 1993, "a record of Ramsar
sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are
likely to occur".
Floating Elementary School:
o Indias first floating elementary school named Loktak Elementary Floating
School was inaugurated at Loktak Lake in Manipur.
o The first of its kind school aims to provide education to drop outs students
as well as illiterate adults.
o It was opened under the initiative of All Loktak Lake Fishermans Union
with the support of an NGO People Resources Development Association
(PRDA).
9. Chilika lake
Chilika lake is a brackish water lagoon of the Odisha state on the east coast of
India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world.
It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent.
The lake is home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals.
The lake is an ecosystem with large fishery resources.
In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international
importance under the Ramsar Convention.
The lagoon is also home to 14 types of raptors.
Around 152 rare and endangered Irrawaddy dolphins have also been reported.
11.Barren Island
Indias only active volcano the Barren Island volcano in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands is again spewing lava and ash, according to a team of scientists from
the Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).
After lying dormant for 150 years, Barren Island volcano had erupted in 1991 and
since then it is showing sporadic activity. Now it is erupting in small episodes of five
to 10 minutes.
Its the only active volcano along a chain of volcanoes from Sumatra to Myanmar.
The volcanic island is part of Andaman Islands. Its northern part is barren and is
uninhabited. It is also devoid of vegetation.