Environmental Issues

Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Limited (TTDC) plans to allow tourism in the eco-sensitive area surrounding Pakkasuran Malai, a hill near Coonoor. Ecotourism Ecotourism is now defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”. Principles …

Union Environment Minister planted mangrove saplings at Kovalam as part of the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) programme. The plantation drive is the part of ongoing “ Hariyali Mahotsav ” with a particular focus of Mangroves. The Centre launched the programme recently to take up mangrove …

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu clashed over Mekedatu project What is the Mekedatu project? The Mekedatu dam project is located in Ramanagaram district about 100 km south of Bengaluru (Karnataka), close to where the Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu. Mekedatu is a multipurpose balancing reservoir project focussing on the generation of electricity and supply of drinking water in the …

Encroachment pushes Himalayan brown bears into Kashmir’s villages The Himalayan brown bear is also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or Dzu-The. It is a subspecies of the brown bear occurring in the western Himalayas. It is the largest mammal in the region. It is omnivorous and hibernates in dens during the winter. Distribution The Himalayan brown bear occurs in the western Himalayas from northeastern Pakistan …

Cabinet approves Constitution and Empowerment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) for Facilitation of “World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector” The Union Cabinet approved the constitution and empowerment of an Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) for facilitation of the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector by convergence of various schemes of various ministries: the Ministry …

Recently, Hvaldimir, the beluga whale, was spotted off the Swedish coast. It is speculated that the beluga was supposedly Russia’s newest spy. The beluga whale is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the white …

Jammu and Kashmir gets its first full-fledged Jambu Zoo in a naturally green landscape at Khanpur Nagrota. Details: Khanpur Nagrota is located in the foothills of Shivalik along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on the outskirts of Jammu city. Initially the Zoo will have 27 species of rare animals and birds brought from different …

According to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) updates lobal temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fuelled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Nino event. Details: The World Meteorological Organization is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water. For the first …

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in next five years. According to WMO, the combined effect of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and an EI Nino event will result into phenomenal rise in global temperatures in next 5 years. WMO warned that the economic cost of extreme weather, climate and water-related …

The Zoo officials at Delhi and Mysuru are grappling to find mate for the only two African elephants in the country. African Elephants are the largest land mammals and are different from Asian elephants. Besides availability the mating of these elephants involves monetary, legal, logistical and importantly, ethical considerations. There are only two …

Bhopal has become the first city in India to join the growing global movement. In 2015, the 193 member-states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets as a plan of action for ‘people’, ‘the planet’, and ‘prosperity’. Following the release of its Voluntary Local …

Gujarat has signed MoUs with several big corporates, including Reliance, Adani, which have pledged huge investments in green energy projects. According to the state government, Gujarat aims to become hub for green hydrogen by creating a production capacity of 8 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2035. The State is framing a new policy …

The Andhra Pradesh government has started removing “dotted lands” in the state from the prohibited list. The Andhra government has started to remove the “dotted lands” in the state from the prohibited list. This will lead to restoration of full rights of selling or pledging these lands to the farmers who own them. Over …

The Allahabad High Court ordered a “scientific survey”, including carbon dating, of a “Shivling” said to have been found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi. What is carbon dating? Carbon dating is a widely-used method to establish the age of organic materials, things that were once living. Living things have carbon in …

The Archeological Survey of India has reportedly found the remains of a lost civilisation, a “modern society” that existed in Bandhavgarh National in Madhya Pradesh. The discovery includes man-made water bodies and paintings that are said to be thousands of years old. The archaeologists found the painting in a rock-cut cave and not in a natural …

Nature walk organised along the Palak Lake , Aizawl, Mizoram. Palak lake is also known as Palak Dil or Palak Tipo. It is the largest and biggest lake in Mizoram. It is located within the Mara Autonomous District Council. It falls under the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, and is therefore rich in animal and plant species. The lake is …

Credit Suisse has announced buying Ecuadorian bonds worth $1.6 billion (€1.45 billion) in a debt-for-nature swap that cost the Swiss bank just $644 million and in return, Ecuador’s government had pledged to spend about $18 million annually for two decades on conservation in the Galapagos Islands. The Galápagos Islands are …

The Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change was held in Berlin recently. It was hosted by Germany and the United Arab Emirates. The focus of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue is on laying the groundwork for the COP28 Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates. Ministers from 40 countries attended the conference to discuss the way forward towards COP28. …

A new portal dedicated to leopards (Panthera pardus) was launched by a predator conservation working group, on International Leopard Day, 2023 to promote and celebrate leopards worldwide. The leopard is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera. It is a member of the cat family, Felidae. Range: Sub-Saharan Africa Western and …

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its latest update revealed that among the 1,47,517 listed animal species, 41,459 are threatened with extinction including the King Cobra. The reptile is a threatened species in India and was added to the Red List over a decade ago, in 2011. The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) has …