Enviro
June
STATE OF THE WORLD’S BIRDS REVIEW- BirdLife International. HQ- Cambridge. BirdLife: The
Magazine.
SLOTH BEAR- IUCN- VU, Appendix I and WPA Schedule I.
Spider- Money Spider, Ant-mimicking spiders. Wayanad wildlife sanctuary
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)- 132 “non attainment” cities. PM2.5 and PM10. 20%
reduction. Base year 2017. CPCB. Non-attainment cities: These are those that have fallen short of
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for over five years.
NAAQS-
1. Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
2. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
3. Particulate Matter (size less than 10 µm) or PM 10
4. Particulate Matter (size less than 2.5 µm) or PM2.5
5. Ozone (O3)
6. Carbon Monoxide (CO)
7. Ammonia (NH3)
8. Lead
9. Benzene (C6H6)
10. Benzo(a)Pyrene (BaP)
11. Arsenic (As)
12. Nickel (Ni)
NAQS-
2014- The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants, namely: Particulate Matter
(PM10), Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon
Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Ammonia (NH3), and Lead (Pb).
It has been developed by the CPCB in consultation with IIT-Kanpur and an expert group comprising
medical and air-quality professionals.
Slender Loris- Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul forest division. IUCN- EN. WPAI, CITES II.
CFR rights- of tribals living in the Kanger Ghati National Park in Bastar district. Odisha government
was the first to recognise Community Forest Resources (CFRs) inside the Simlipal National Park.
Kanger Ghati National Park is home to three exceptional caves – famous for their amazing geological
structures of Kutumbasar, Kailash and Dandak. It is known for the presence of underground
limestone caves with dripstone and floston.
Forest rights act 2006- Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest
Dwellers (OTFD). Gram Sabha is the authority to initiate the process for determining the nature and
extent of Individual Forest Rights (IFR) or Community Forest Rights (CFR). Forest rights can also be
claimed by any member or community who has for at least three generations (75 years) prior to the
13th day of December, 2005 primarily resided in forest land for bona fide livelihood needs.
Title rights- 4 hectares
Use rights- MFP
Relief and development rights
Forest management rights
SELA MACAQUE- Sela macaque, a new species of primate, has been discovered in Arunachal
Pradesh. Sela pass. White cheeked Macaque. Arunachal macaque- EN.
Intraspecific genetic variation- Intraspecific genetic variation refers to the genetic differences that
exist within a single species. This genetic variation can arise through several mechanisms, such as
mutations, genetic recombination, and gene flow.
Interspecific genetic variation refers to the genetic differences that exist between different species.
ZSI- Kolkata. Animal Discoveries.
Twin cyclones- Twin tropical cyclones are caused by what are called equatorial Rossby waves.
Naming of cyclones- max 8 letters. WMO/ESCAP Panel.
UNCCD- COP15- Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. “Drought in Numbers, 2022” released at the COP15. Land life
and legacy declaration. UNCCD report- Global land outlook 2. LDN. Great green wall. HQ- Bonn,
New York. UNCBD- Montreal. UNFCCC-Bonn. Global Drought Vulnerability Index. Theme- Theme:
‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity. THE DROUGHT INITIATIVE.
World Economic Forum (WEF) has recently released a report titled "Fostering Effective Energy
Transition 2022.
WEF- Not for profit foundation. Geneva.
• Global Social Mobility Report,
• Regional Risks for Doing Business Report,
• Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report,
• Global Competitiveness Report,
• Global Risks Report,
• Global Gender Gap Report,
• Global Cybersecurity Outlook,
• Fostering Effective Energy Transition Report.
SHALLOW AND DEEP ECOLOGISM.
July-
Sea grass- 4500 years old, 180km long. Shark bay- Australia. Ribbon weed- rhizomes.
Fishing cat- EN. Nocturnal. CITES II, WPA I.
NTPC BD Policy 2022. National BD Action Plan 2008.
Ferdinandina Island Galapagos archipelago, Ecuador- Giant tortoise- Chelonoids Phantasticus.
OXFAM International- Nairobi, Kenya.
IPCC- Geneva. WMO + UNEP.
Haor destruction- traditional wetland, Sylhet Bangladeshi. Surma Khusiyara river system.
Bedti Varada- river linking project- Karnataka- Part of Tungabhadra.
Gecko- Painted Leopard gecko/Eublepharis pictus- IUCN- NT.
Green job initiative- ILO, UNEP, Int employer org, Int trade union confederation.
Rhino vision- 2020- 91% Assam. Highest density- Pobitora, Assam. IUCN- VU.
LiFE- NITI- Glasgow summit UNFCCC COP26- 2021. EAST Framework.
Eco sensitive zone- EPA 1986.
Keibul Lamjao NP- Lohtak Lake- Manipur- Montreax record. Sangai deer- EN. WPA-I, CITES I.
Phumdis- Imphal river, Khuga river and Ungamel channel.
Spiny Horntail- Kerala- Dragonfly. IUCN- LC.
Environment performance index 2022- WEF-
August
Green technology- “Nature Ecology and Evolution” highlighted the negative impacts of green
technology adoption.
A technique called ‘Horizon Scanning’ was used by a team of 30 multidisciplinary experts to arrive at
their conclusions. Identity novel but poorly known issues that are likely to become imp
consequences in future.
Deep sea ‘brine pools’ of more saline water, contain higher concentrations of lithium.
Mesopelagic fish play a crucial role in the carbon cycle of the ocean by transporting carbon from the
surface to deeper waters. Overfishing and removal of these fish can reduce the amount of carbon
sequestered by the ocean, which can have negative impacts on the Earth's climate.
WWF’s 2020 Living Planet Report.
Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI)- GOBI contributes expertise, knowledge and data to
support the CBD efforts to identify ecologically and biologically significant marine areas.
DERECHO- Storm hit USA- Derecho is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is
associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.
Red Panda- Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park-Darjeeling has started an ambitious
programme to release 20 of these furry mammals in about five years to the forests. In India, it is
found in Sikkim, western Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling district of West Bengal and parts of
Meghalaya. IUCN- EN, CITES-I, WPA-I. Singalila National Park is located at the higher ridges of
Darjeeling Himalayas in the state of West Bengal.
KHEJRI (PROSOPIS CINERARIA)- Bishnoi activists, who have strongly protested against the felling of
khejri trees, which is the State tree of Rajasthan. Khejri not only thrives in drought conditions and in
poor soils, lateral roots are pruned. Besides, as legumes, the trees also fix atmospheric nitrogen and
return it to the soil. The dead leaves of the tree are natural fertilizers. Its fruit is used to make the
popular dish ‘Sangri.
Amrita Devi of Khejarli village and her three young daughters laid down their lives to protect the
sacred trees which the ruler of Marwar Maharaja Abhay Singh had ordered to be cut down for
building his new palace.
Amaranthus- Ramdana- The plant is considered as a ‘Superfood’ because it contains high
nutraceutical values. Pseudocereal.
DECRIMINALIZING MINOR OFFENSES UNDER THE FOREST ACT, 1927
RAMSAR-
September
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT IS A HUMAN RIGHT- United Nations General Assembly declared in July
2022 that everyone on the planet has a right to a healthy environment.
Windpower- So far, only 40 GW of wind power capacity has been established. 4th highest in the
world. GJ > TN > MH.
Vizhinjam Port is an under-construction port on the Arabian Sea coast at Thiruvananthapuram.
VISHNUGAD PIPALKOTI HYDRO ELECTRIC PROJECT- Chamoli district, Uttarakhand.
Kayamkulam unit in Kerala- floating solar plant. The Kayamkulam plant is the second-largest Floating
solar power project of the NTPC after the 100-MW plant at Ramagundam in Telangana.
OCEAN DIVERSITY PACT/High seas treaty- conserve marine biodiversity in the high seas, namely the
oceans that extend beyond countries’ territorial waters.
SWACHH SAGAR, SURAKSHIT SAGAR CAMPAIGN- Ministry of Earth Sciences has launched a Coastal
Clean Up Drive.
UNFCCC Glasgow
ETHANOL BLENDING- 10 percent sugarcane-extracted ethanol in petrol earlier than the prescribed
schedule.
2G ETHANOL PLANT AT PANIPAT- The plant would generate ethanol by using paddy straw as raw
material.
Indian Virtual Herbarium (IVH) has been developed by scientists of the Botanical Survey of India
(BSI). BSI- Kolkatta.
Arth Ganga focuses on the sustainable development of the Ganga and its surrounding areas, by
focusing on economic activities related to the river.
Hasdeo Aranya are called the lungs of Chhattisgarh.
Karakoram anomaly- Researchers have unravelled the mystery of why few pockets of glaciers in the
Karakoram Range are resisting glacial melt due to global warming, defying the trend of glaciers losing
mass across the globe.
BATTERY WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES, 2022- EPR, covers all batteries.
Athelia rolfsii is a soil-borne fungal pathogen with a wide host range which attacks various
commercially cultivated crops belonging to different families. But this is the first time it is being
reported in jackfruit in the country.
New evidence about the life of one of the biggest predatory animals of all time — the Megalodon.
Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), the only animal in the Thylacinidae family to survive in
modern times, was a marsupial mammal that raises young ones in a pouch. $15-million project to
resurrect the thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger using gene editing tech.
Preserved footprints, also known as ichnites.
Peninsular Rock Agama (Psammophilus dorsalis) which is a type of garden lizard is a common
species of agama found on rocky hills in south India.
MUDHOL HOUNDS
October
Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs)- Siberia, Russia.
National cooling action plan- 2037-38.
Puneet Sagar Abhiyan: NCC- Clean Sea shores from plastic.
Plastic Tide Turners Challenge (PTTC)- UNEP led-initiative that educates young people around the
world about plastic pollution.
Ozone day- Sept 16- “Montreal Protocol@35: Global Cooperation Protecting Life on Earth.
1987,1989. The phasing-out of the less damaging HCFCs only began in 1996 and will go on until a
complete phasing-out is achieved by developed country by 2020 and developing 2030. Technology
and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) provides.
NITI- Shoonya campaign- electric vehicles. promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs) for ride-
hailing and deliveries.
Ministry of Rural Development has developed “JALDOOT App” that will be used across the country
to capture the water level of selected wells in a village.
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, to make provision of potable tap water supply to every rural
household in the country by 2024. Andaman and Nicobar Islands as India's first Swachh Sujal
Pradesh.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched Swachh Toycathon, a unique competition
to make toys from waste. National action plan for toys 2020.
The Ministry first specified emission norms for the control of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides
(NOx) and mercury (Hg) from coal-fired power plants.
Minister for Railways released the Annual report on Environment Sustainability 2020-21- green
railways.
Water scarcity clock- World data lab. A NITI Aayog report, ‘Composite Water Management Index’
(2018).
Manasbal Lake is located in Ganderbal District in the U.T. of Jammu and Kashmir in India.
NCAP- A non-attainment city is defined as a city whose air quality did not meet the national ambient
air quality standards of 2011 to 2015. Under NCAP, 122 non-attainment cities have been identified
across the country based on the Air Quality data from 2014-2018.
Nov-
Delhi Government is planning to roll out more anti-smog guns than in previous years to curb air
pollution. atomised water. Wet scavenging principle.
UNEP- Emission gap report. China, USA, India, EU, Russia. UNEP- Global Environment Outlook,
Frontiers, Invest into Healthy Planet. Major Campaigns: Beat Pollution, UN75, World Environment
Day, Wild for Life, etc.
Yamuna-
Minicoy Thundi Beach and Kadmat Beach both in Lakshadweep, have been accorded the ‘Blue Flag’
tag. Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) which is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
India now has 12 Blue Flag Beaches. The other Indian blue flag beaches list are Shivrajpur-Gujarat,
Ghoghla-Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri-Karnataka, Kappad-Kerala, Rushikonda- Andhra Pradesh,
Golden-Odisha, Radhanagar- Andaman and Nicobar, Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry.
Uttar Pradesh (UP) cabinet approved the notification of the state’s fourth tiger reserve in the
Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) in Chitrakoot district. Under WPA Act. UP- Dudhwa, Pilibhit and
Amangarh (buffer of Corbett Tiger Reserve).
ISA- Towards 1000’ Strategy. Gurugram, COP21 Paris. India France. All UN members are eligible.
The Pakhro Tiger safari would be operated in the Pakhro zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) in
Lansdowne area of Pauri Garhwal. First NP. Hailey National Park. Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and
Reserve Forest areas.
Gaur- VU.
Allmania multiflora, has been identified as a new species of the genus Allmania, in Palakkad district
(Kerala). Herb- Critically Endangered, applying IUCN Red List criteria.
Sustainable Development Mountain Summit-XI, (SMDS-XI)- Ladakh- ecotourism.
Recently, an expert team has identified new varieties of Neelakurinji across the Santhanpara region
of Western Ghats. Santhanpara is a village in Idukki district, Kerala. Paliyan tribes of Tamil Nadu used
it to calculate age.
Indore walked away with the Cleanest City title for the sixth consecutive year, in the ‘more than 1
lakh population’ category, while Surat was adjudged the second cleanest city, for the second time in a
row. ‘less than 1 lakh’, Panchgani in Maharashtra bagged the first position. Indore further cemented
its position by emerging as India’s first 7-star Garbage Free city. Madhya Pradesh emerged as the
‘Cleanest State. Similarly, Tripura emerged as the Cleanest State.
Siamspinops garoensis- spider- Meghaalaya.
Tamil Nadu government notified ‘Kadavur slender loris sanctuary. IUCN has listed them as
Endangered.
Sloth bear- VU. Sloth bears are endemic to the Indian subcontinent and 90% of the species
population is found in India with small populations in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Sandalwood- Marayoor in Kerala and some patches of reserve forests and adjoining areas in
Karnataka. EN. CITES II WPA II.
Dec-
Dr Purnima Devi Barman was awarded with Champions of the Earth award in the Entrepreneurial
vision category. She assembled a group of village women to help her and named the group as the
‘Hargila Army’ after the stork, known as ‘hargila‘ in Assamese (meaning ‘bone swallower’).
Greater Adjutant Stork- EN.
Champions of the Earth award- UNEP. Past Indian recipients: Narendra Modi (2018), Cochin
International Airport (2018), Afroz Shah (2016).
Ecuador became the first country to grant legal rights to individual wild animals, tropical forests,
islands, rivers and air. Uttarakhand High Court, in 2017, granted the river Ganga.
PARTIAL STUBBLE BURNING- Palletisation reduces stubble burning as paddy straw.
AQI
Oxfam report titled, Carbon Billionaires- rich people emit more.
AMUR FALCONS- LC.
Ganges Dolphin- EN-
SENNA SPECTABILIS- Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris hill district.
Panamaram Heronry- Bird. Kerala.
Apis karinjodian- The distribution of Apis karinjodian ranges from the central Western Ghats and
Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats, covering the States of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and parts of
Tamil Nadu. The species has been classified as near threatened (NT).
Snow leopard- Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI) has been concluded so far in
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. VU.
Himalayan Gray Langur or the Chamba Sacred Langur (Semnopithecus ajax) is a colobine, meaning
leaf-eating monkey. EN.
PSEUDOHELICE ANNAMALAI- crab.
MISSION AMRIT SAROVAR- Construction of 25,000 Amrit Sarovars has been completed within 6
months of the launch of the Amrit Sarovar Mission. The mission is based on a ‘Whole of
Government’ approach, in which The Ministry of Rural Development is working along with the
Ministries of Jal Shakti, Panchayati Raj, Environment apart from Bhaskaracharya National Institute
of Space Applications.
HAR GHAR GANGAJAL SCHEME- Bihar.
Jan
Microplastic- less than 5mm
Cratonavis zhui- dinosaur bird
Nilgiri Tahr- EN. shola forest-grassland habitat.
Tiehm's buckwheat is a species of flowering plant- EN.
VIROVORE- one who eats virus. ciliate Halteria was observed to have increased in number due to
the active consumption of Chlorovirus as a food source instead of its typical bacterivore diet. Halteria
is sometimes referred to as the Jumping Oligotrich.
SPOT BELLIED EAGLE OWL-Seshachalam Forest in Andhra. ‘Ghost of the Forest’ in India and ‘Devil
Bird’ in Sri Lanka. LC.
Yellow-band disease is a coral disease. Bacterial infection.
Black corals are a group of corals that belong to the order Antipatharia. Great barrier reef.
Coastal red sand dunes in the city of Visakhapatnam (in Andhra Pradesh) are popularly known as
‘Erra Matti Dibbalu’.
LISU WREN BABBLER- bird- Arunachal Pradesh.
Purse seine fishing uses a large vertical net to surround dense shoals of pelagic or midwater fish in
the open ocean, and then draws in the edges like tightening the cords of a drawstring purse.
Feb-
CONFUCIUSORNIS SHIFAN- bird.
TITANOSAUR- In India, dinosaur bones were first found in 1822 by Capt William H Sleeman of the
East India Company army. These bones were discovered near Jabalpur and belonged to a titanosaur.
Sustainable Aquaculture In Mangrove Ecosystem (SAIME) is a community-based pilot project in
West Bengal.
SILENT VALLEY NATIONAL PARK-last remaining rainforest of Kerala. It is located in the Southwestern
corner of Nilgiris. A perennial river named Kunthipuzha.
DEEPOR BEEL- Deepor Beel (Beel means wetland or large aquatic body in Assamese) is located about
10 km Southwest of Guwahati. Important Bird Area (IBA) sites by Birdlife International. Ramsar site in
2002.
NILGIRI BIOSPHERE RESERVE- The reserve encompasses a total of 5,520 km² in the states of
Karnataka (1,527 km²), Kerala (1,455 km²), and Tamil Nadu (2,537 km).
NEELAKURINJI- Eravikulam National Park, Kerala near Munnar, is known for widespread blooming of
the kurinji.
ASIAN WATERBIRD CENSUS (AWC) 2023- The AWC is jointly coordinated by the Bombay Natural
History Society and Wetlands International.
WETLANDS INTERNATIONAL- Ede, Netherland.
NOBEL'S HELEN BUTTERFLY- Arunachal Pradesh yielded India’s newest butterfly.
YAYA TSO TO BECOME LADAKH’S FIRST BIODIVERSITY HERITAGE SITE. The Indian State Government
can notify the Biodiversity Heritage Sites in consultation with local governing bodies under Section 37
of Biological Diversity Act of 2002.
SECURE Himalaya- Global Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime Prevention for Sustainable
Development- GEF.
Ladakh district administration of Ladakh designated six hamlets within the Changthang Wildlife
Sanctuary as a dark-sky reserve.
March
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG- Ministry of Jal Shakti. National Ganga River Basin
Authority (NGRBA). NGRBA was dissolved in 2016 consequent to constitution of National Ganga
Council.
