Initiatives to Tackle Plastic: Indian Initiatives: Elimination of Single Use Plastic: In 2019, the Prime Minister of India pledged to eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022, with an immediate ban in urban Delhi. Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 state that every local body has to be responsible for setting up infrastructure for segregation, collection, processing, …
Microplastics: These are plastic debris smaller than 5mm in length or about the size of a sesame seed. Sources: They can be divided into two main categories according to their source: Primary microplastics: Directly released in the environment as small particles Main sources: laundering of synthetic clothes, abrasion of tyres through driving, intentionally added microplastics in personal …
Great Hornbill: It is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Great hornbill which was earlier categorised as “Near Threatened”, is now “Vulnerable” due to high hunting pressure coupled with habitat loss and deforestation. Hornbills are indicators of the health of a forest. They are seed dispersers and …
Project Dolphin The Project will be on the lines of Project Tiger, which has helped increase the tiger population. So far, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), which implements the government’s flagship scheme Namami Gange, has been taking some initiatives for saving dolphins. Now, Project Dolphin is expected to be implemented by the Ministry …
What is Kavach? It is India’s own automatic protection system, which is in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got rechristened Kavach or “armour”. It is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system as well as the tracks. They connect to each other using ultra high radio …
India’s Domestic Legal Framework for Wildlife Conservation: Constitutional Provisions for Wildlife: By the 42nd Amendment Act 1976 of the Constitution “Forests” was added as Entry 17A in the Concurrent List and the “protection of wild animals and birds” was added as Entry 17B. Article 51 A (g) of the Constitution states that it shall be the fundamental duty of every citizen …
India’s Domestic Legal Framework for Wildlife Conservation – UPSC Prelims Read More »
Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary: This protected area in Kanyakumari is a tiger habitat located in Tamil Nadu. There are seven rivers that originate in this forest, including the Tamaraibarani and Pahruli rivers. The area is a wildlife corridor with high biodiversity, and in addition to tigers, is home to the threatened species: Indian Bison, elephant, Indian …
Dugongs: Dugong also called ‘Sea Cow’ is one of the four surviving species in the Order Sirenia and it is the only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea including in India. Dugongs are an important part of the marine ecosystem and their depletion will have effects all the way up the food chain. Distribution and Habitat: They are found …
United Nations Environment Assembly: It is the governing body of the UN Environment Programme. It is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. The Assembly is made up of the 193 UN Member States and convenes every two years to advance global environmental governance. It was created in June 2012, during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also referred to as RIO+20.
Eco-Sensitive Zone: It is created to act as a buffer for further protection in an area within 10 kms around Protected Areas (PAs) such as National Parks and Wildlife sanctuaries. In case of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even areas beyond 10 km width can be included in the …