Current Affairs search results for tag: Environment

1. First-ever survey finds over 6,300 river dolphins in country.

Tags: Environment

Why in the news?

• Thefirst population estimation of riverine dolphins in India has revealed the presence of 6,327 dolphins in the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus river systems, according to a government report. 

Important points:

• As part of'Project Dolphin', a comprehensive survey was conducted for the first time to estimate the population of river dolphins across eight states -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Punjab.
• Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of dolphins at 2,397, followed by Bihar 2,220, West Bengal 815, Assam 635, Jharkhand 162, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh 95, and Punjab 3.
•  The Ganges river dolphin, known for its unique features, is found in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system and its tributaries across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.
• A small population of the Indus river dolphin, a close relative of the Ganges river dolphin, is found in the Indus river system in India.
• According to the report titled 'Population Status of River Dolphin in India', it is one of the world's largest freshwater surveys, covering the entire range of the Ganges river dolphin in the Ganga and Brahmaputra, as well as the Indus river dolphin in the Beas river.
• The survey estimated 6,327 Ganges river dolphins (range: 5,977-6,688) and three Indus river dolphins. 
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Project Dolphin on August 15, 2020, to conserve dolphins and other aquatic ecosystems.

2. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses the 150th Foundation Day celebrations of India Meteorological Department

Tags: Environment

Why in the news?

• The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in celebrations of 150th Foundation Day of India Meteorological Department (IMD) today at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Important points:

• Prime Ministerlaunched ‘Mission Mausam’ with the goal of making our country a ‘Weather-ready and Climate-smart’ nation.
• The Mission aims to achieve this by developing cutting-edge weather surveillance technologies and systems, implementing high-resolution atmospheric observations, next-generation radars and satellites, and high-performance computers. 
• It will also focus on improving the understanding of weather and climate processes, provide air quality data that will help strategize weather management and intervention in the long run.
• Prime Minister also released the IMD Vision-2047 document for weather resilience and climate change adaptation. It includes plans for weather forecasting, weather management, and climate change mitigation.
• PM unveils a commemorative postage stamp and coin on the occasion.
• To celebrate 150th Foundation Day of IMD, a series of events, activities and workshops have been organised to showcase IMD's achievements during the past 150 years, its role in making India climate-resilient, and demonstrate the role played by government institutions in providing various weather and climate services. 

 

3. India’s first coastal and wader bird census

Tags: Environment

Why in the news?

• In a first, the Gujarat government and Bird Conservation Society of Gujarat (BCSG) will conduct the census of coastal and wader birds at the Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuary in Jamnagar from January 3 to 5.

Important points:

• BCSG is a voluntary organisation, active for over 25 years, dedicated to bird conservation, census activities, observation, and raising public awareness about avian science.

• The three-day programme will feature expert talks by specialists in forestry and wildlife on the first day, bird counting activities on the second day, and knowledge-sharing sessions followed by a closing ceremony on the final day.

About the Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuary:

• India’s first Marine Sanctuary was set up in 1980and in 1982 the first Marine National Park was set up in the Gulf of Kutch,Jamnagar.

• It is an archipelago of 42 tropical islands situated along the northern coast of Jamnagar district and the southern coast of Kutch.

• The sanctuary lies in the intertidal zone. Intertidal zone refers to the area where the sea meets the land during high and low tides.

• The total area of the Marine National Park is 163 sq km and Marine Sanctuary is 458 sq.km.

•  The land area is submerged during the high tides and exposed during the low tide.

4. World’s smallest gull spotted in Gurugram.

Tags: Environment

World’s smallest gull spotted in Gurugram.

Why in the news?

• Birders  made a rare, exciting sighting in Gurugram, spotting a little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) near Chandu-Budhera, with experts stating that this is possibly only thethird recorded sighting of the bird in the National Capital Region (NCR).

About little gull:

• The little gull, the world’s smallest gull species, is a shore bird that tends to migrate along the coasts of the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian seas.
• Birders said itsforay into India, that too as deep inland as NCR, is a rarity.

Important points:

• The species was spotted byAkshit Dua, when a group of birders set out to try and locate a slender-billed gull in the Chandu-Budhera area.
• The last known sighting of alittle gull in NCR was in 2014, at the Okhla bird sanctuary.
• Prior to that, it was spotted in 1992, so this could possibly be the third such sighting in the region.

5. ​Ratapani Tiger Reserve 57th Tiger Reserve of the country

Tags: Environment

Ratapani Tiger Reserve 57th Tiger Reserve of the country

Why in the news?

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, informed the Nation about the notification of the Ratapani Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, as the 57th Tiger Reserve of the country.

About Ratapani Tiger Reserve :

• Ratapani Tiger Reserve has acore area of 763.8 sq km, buffer area of 507.6 sq km and total area of 1271.4 sq km. It is the 8th tiger reserve of Madhya Pradesh.
• This conservation initiative will strengthen wildlife management in theforests of Ratapani, Bhopal Sehore area.
• Standard protection, habitat management, ecotourism, community engagement activities etc shall be adopted which will strengthen Wildlife conservation in the Ratapani Tiger landscape.
• The local communities will get the desired ecotourism benefits with this and it will help in development of the region.
• The Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh is India's 56th tiger reserve.

6. Holiday declared in several Tamil Nadu districts; yellow alert in Telangana, Karnataka due to Cyclone Fengal .

Tags: Environment

Cyclone Fengal 

Why in the news?

• Holiday declared in several Tamil Nadu districts; yellow alert in Telangana, Karnataka due toCyclone Fengal .

About cyclone fengal:

• Cyclone Fengal (pronounced ‘Fein-jaal’) is a tropical cyclone. It originated inthe Bay of Bengal.
• The remnant low pressure area is likely to emerge over southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea off north Kerala-Karnataka coasts around December 3.
• Moreover, the IMD has issued a yellow alert in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahabubabad, Warangal, Hanamkonda, and Jangaon districts for December 2.

About Cyclones :

• Cyclones are large storms that form when water evaporates from the surface of a sea into the air. As it rises, the air cools and becomes saturated with vapour, eventually forming clouds. 
• These clouds and the air circulation around them eventually start to rotate. The warmer the sea, the more powerful the cyclone will be.
• It consists of cold air descending from the cyclone’s top with warm air rising in a spiral around it. 
• The eyewall consists of high thunderstorms that bring rain, lightning, and powerful winds.

About tropical cyclone:

• A tropical cyclone is a weather phenomenon that is essentially a rapidly rotating storm system with characteristics such as a low-pressure center, strong winds and thunderstorms that produce heavy rain, among others.
• Tropical cyclones are compact, circular winds with a diameter of 320km. Its winds swirl around a central region that has low atmospheric pressure. 
• The rotation of the winds is largely driven by the low-pressure centre and by the rotation of the Earth.

Tropical cyclones  in general, have different terms and names depending on their location and strength:

• These include‘hurricanes’ in the North Atlantic Ocean and eastern North Pacific region,
• While being referred to as typhoons in the western North Pacific region.
• The nomenclature in the Southern Pacific and the Indian Ocean severe tropical cyclones or simply cyclones.
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7. Ashtamudi Lake

Tags: Environment

Ashtamudi Lake

Why in news?

• As part of ‘Jeevananu Ashtamudi, Jeevikkanam Ashtamudi,’ the Kollam Corporation will introduce multiple projects to promote backwater tourism. 

Key points:

• A musical fountain on Link Road and a floating garden are on the anvil. Water sports, including jet skiing, will be introduced.
•  An area of focus will berestoring native vegetation and degraded ecosystems.
• As Ashtamudi Lake is part of a proposed biodiversity circuit, the local body had set aside funds for a string of works, including the beautification or all quays and dredging. 
• In order to enhance the tourism experience, water sports including jet skiing will be introduced and the Corporation has opted for electric boats to reduce the carbon footprint and promote sustainable water transportation.

About Ashtamudi Lake:

• Ashtamudi Lake, in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala is a unique wetland ecosystem and alarge palm-shaped water body. 
• It is second only in size to the Vembanad estuary ecosystem of the state. Ashtamudi means 'eight hills or peaks' in the local Malayalam.

8. 56th Tiger Reserve of the country notified in Chhattisgarh

Tags: Environment

56th Tiger Reserve of the country notified in Chhattisgarh

Why in news?

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, informed the Nation about the notification of the Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve, Chhattisgarh, as the 56th Tiger Reserve of the country. 

About  Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve: 

• The Government of Chhattisgarh, on advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), notified the Guru Ghasidas Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve across Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Korea, Surajpur and Balrampur districts of Chhattisgarh. 
• The tiger reserve, encompassing a total area of 2829.38 sq.kms, includes a core/critical tiger habitat of 2049.2 sq.kms, comprising the Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary, and has a buffer of 780.15 sq.kms. 
• This makes it the third largest tiger reserve in the country after Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh and Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is astatutory body that works to strengthen tiger conservation in India.
• The NTCA is part of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and was established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.
• The NTCA is chaired by the  Union Minister for Environment and Forests, and the Minister of State for Environment and Forests serves as the vice-chairperson. 
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9. New genus of freshwater fish registered from Western Ghats

Tags: Environment

New genus of freshwater fish registered from Western Ghats

Why  in the news?

• A new genus of freshwater fish from the Western Ghats  ‘Koima’  has been described by researchers in India. 

Significance:

• The finding is especially significant as new species are continuously discovered across the globe but the addition of a new genus in the nomenclature is comparably a rare event. 
• The fish named Mesonoemacheilus remadevii and Nemacheilus monilis are nowrenamed as Koima remadevii and Koima monilis  a small, elongated bottom-dwelling freshwater fish used for dietary and ornamental purposes.
• Both species are endemic to the Western Ghats and found in the tributaries of the Cauvery river.
• The scientists picked specimens from theKunthi (Bharathapuzha Basin), Bhavani, Moyar, Kabini and Pambar rivers in the Cauvery basin of the Western Ghats range.
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10. The rare bird, Scarlet Tanager, was recently spotted in the UK for the first time in 40 years.

Tags: Environment

Scarlet Tanager

Why in news?

• The rare bird, Scarlet Tanager, was recently spotted in the UK for the first time in 40 years.

About Scarlet Tanager:

• It is a  beautiful birdnative to North America.
• It’s scientific name is Piranga olivacea.
• Thy Breeds in deciduous and mixed deciduous-evergreen forests; winters in forests and forest edges.
• They migrate to tropical forests in Central and South America during winter.

Features:

• They are medium-sized songbirds with fairly stocky proportions. They average seven inches in length.
• In spring and summer, adult males are an unmistakable, brilliant red with black wings and tails.
• Females fall immatures are olive-yellow with darker olive wings and tails.
• After breeding, adult males molt to female-like plumage, but with black wings and tail.
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern.
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