The Sixth the Sixth Extinction
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Vasundhara Issue 5 | March 2021 THE SIXTH EXTINCTION EXPLORING THE UNPRECEDENTED DECLINE OF NATURE AND ITS SPECIES EXCLUSIVE: INTERVIEW WITH PURNIMA DEVI BARMAN When superstition leads to extinction, the only species left to blame is humanity. Hargilla (Stork) of Assam, India Eco-Club TERISAS brings to you "The Sixth Extinction", the fifth issue of Vasundhara magazine, on the theme biodiversity and climate change. This is a free and creative initiative to educate young minds about the ongoing events in this field. The information in the magazine is for general use only Editor's Note 4 and has been compiled from various research India's Environmental Commitments: 5 papers/articles/government databases. Some Everything You Need To Know personal experiences and anecdotes have also been shared for which we extend our sincere gratitude to e Climate Change and Disease 6 the contributors. The information given in this edition is accurate to Zoonotic Diseases and Biodiversity 7 the best of our knowledge as of 17th March and we The Battle For Belonging: 8 apologize for any inadvertent errors that may exist. u A Case Study of Mollem, Goa Decoding How Your Next Meal 9 s Can Help Save The Planet At War With Wetlands 10 THE TEAM s Kadar's: Leading The 12 Environmental Cause I The Role of Individuals in 13 EDITORIAL Conserving Biodiversity EDITOR: Kashish Bansal (MA SDP) SUB-EDITOR: Divija Kumari (MA SDP) Where The Wild Things Were 14 MEMBER: Mansi Dave (MA SDP) s MEMBER: Jaya Gupta (PhD. Business Sustainability) Superstition Led Extinction: 16 Interview with Mrs. Purnima Barman MEMBER: Parth Tandon (MSc ESRM) i Lost Paradise 18 The Science of Biodiversity 21 h and Conservation @TERISAS CONTENT EXECUTIVE: Anshita Jindal (MA SDP) Pre/ConServe: 22 Interview with Mr. Rituraj Phukan TEAM LEAD: Ashwini Ashok Huggi (MSc ESRM) T MEMBER: Nidhi Mandloi (MBA SM) The Big Debate: 24 MEMBER: Ritapriya Bandyopadhyay (MSc Economics) Economic Developments v/s Environmental Conservation Silenced Voices of Indigenous 25 DESIGN n Communities: Chamoli Tragedy Nivedita Jha (MBA Sustainability Management) Knowlege Upgrade 26 I Vibhusha Gupta (MA SDP) Leisure Spot 29 Editor's India's Environmental Commitments: Note Everything you need to know While environmental protection and conservation should be an innate value in every individual, laws, and For long humans have been extracting benefits from agreements often hold countries accountable to their promises. India is no different and is a signatory to many nature, be it for sustaining life or for progressing into agreements and has formulated many laws to achieve the same. the modern world. On the contrary, what man has bestowed upon nature is a hard question. I pondered India: Convention on REDD+ upon it for a while and soon gave up. Biological Diversity Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Infrastructural and economic development at the cost Degradation (REDD+) is an organization dedicated The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an to working towards conservation and enhancement of biodiversity is a loss, much bigger than humankind international legal instrument for "the conservation of the carbon pool, through sustainable forest is anticipating at the moment. Although we are lately of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its management. recognizing the recent catastrophes as man-made components and the fair and equitable sharing of The agenda of “Reducing emissions from events, yet little is being done to recover from the the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic deforestation and forest degradation in developing losses and the saddest part being that the brunt of all resources" that has been ratified by 196 nations. The countries (REDD)” was first introduced in UNFCCC as Conference of Parties (CoP) through CBD monitors these plights is faced by the most innocent dwellers a climate change mitigation option to address the its implementation through periodic national and communities. The never-ending hypocrisy of our emission from deforestation and forest degradation reports. in 2005. With India’s intervention for the inclusion of actions where on the one hand, we worship some India is one of the first delegates to the Convention policy approach of conservation and sustainable animals as religious beings while on the other, we on Biological Diversity (CBD) and became a party to management of forests, the concept of “forest hunt, poach and kill the rest. We wander off to the Convention in May 1994. It submitted its Sixth conservation, sustainable management of forests national parks and bird sanctuaries on weekends to National Report to the CBD on 29 December 2018. and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in de-stress ourselves but also we are the ones adding developing countries” was added and the concept is stress to their existence. now collectively referred to as ‘REDD+’. IUCN The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Change, Government of India initiated the preparation of the National REDD+ Strategy in the 'The Sixth Extinction' speaks volumes about the Nature) work assesses and preserves nature, ensures year 2013. ecological heritage of our motherland and will take its effective and equitable leadership, and implements nature-based solutions to combat global climate, readers through the many glorious facets of our food, and development challenges. It endorses treasured biodiversity. I would not let go of this scientific research, manages field projects around opportunity to show my gratitude for our faculty the world, and brings together governments, NGOs, Existing Legal and Policy members, Dr. Fawzia for guiding us throughout and the UN, and companies to build policy, legislation, Dr. Jayati and Dr. Sudipta for their percipient and recommended practices. Framework in India contribution to this edition. India became a State Member of IUCN in 1969, through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and 1.Indian Forest Act, 1927 2.Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 This edition explores the close-knit relationship Climate Change (MoEFCC). The IUCN India Country Office was established in 2007 in New Delhi. 3.Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 between climate change and biodiversity and provides 4.Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 insights on several contemporary conflicts desperately 5.Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 seeking mass attention. Millennium Ecosystem 6.Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 7.National Forest Policy, 1988 Assessment 8.Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in India 9.Biological Diversity Act, 2002 concentrates on how human ecosystems have 10.National Environment Policy, 2006 - Kashish Bansal 11.The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Editor, Vasundhara Issue 5 changed, and how changes in ecosystem services MA (Sustainable Development Practices) have affected human well-being, how ecosystem Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 @TERI School of Advanced Studies changes can affect people in the upcoming years, 12.The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 and what types of responses can be adopted at 13.National Water Policy, 2012 local, national or international levels to improve 14.National Agroforestry Policy, 2014 ecosystem management and thus relate to social 15.National Working Plan Code-2014 well-being and poverty reduction. 16.National Action Plan on Climate Change Vasundhara | Issue 5| Page 4 Vasundhara | Issue 5 | Page 5 ZOONOTIC DISEASES AND BIODIVERSITY Initial CLIMATE CHANGE Disease Hosts Anthropogenic Country/ Year of How is spreads Activities Continent Origin Avian Ducks, Live animal First human 1997 Direct contact Influenza Chickens markets, infection with infected AND DISEASE and other Intensive reported poultry poultry wildlife farming. in Hong Kong animals. Bovine African Buffalo, Animal markets, The origin is Unknown Inhaling infected Tuberculosis Greater Kudu, Animal believed to droplets. Consuming The World Health Organisation has established clear links between climatic factors Cattle, Bison, slaughtering. be in raw and and the spread of infectious diseases. We intuitively know that the hot and humid Elk, and Deer. African unpasteurized season is when vectors breed and flourish. This is also a great setting for pathogens to countries. milk from infected incubate and stay longer outside the host, making it easier to get transmitted. cows For example, Punjab had frequent incidences of malaria at the beginning of the 20th century. WHO was able to link it to unprecedented levels of rain, which made it easy for mosquitoes to breed and survive. Their report on the effect of climate change on COVID- 19 Bats, Pangolins Live animal China 2019 Coming in contact infectious diseases talks about specific human activities and their impact on disease (as of now) markets, with infected propagation. Covid 19 is a more recent and relevant example of Zoonosis. So, what are Intensive wildlife persons, touching some simple things that we know about Zoonotic diseases? farming infected surfaces. · They spread from animals to humans destroying Ironically enough, bat habitats. “squalene” an · They spread when there is a change in the environment of the animal or human. adjuvant to be used in COVID-19 vaccines Data exists, from 1940 onwards, which shows that 71.8 percent of all zoonotic diseases is derived from shark emerge from wildlife. But it’s uncommon for pathogens to jump from wildlife to liver