Biodiversity Coverage from Jan 2019 to December 2019

Abhimanu IAS UDAAN 2020

Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Contents Biodiversity ...... 5 No uranium mining in Nallamala forest ...... 5 Context-Recently Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted in-principle approval to the Department of Atomic Energy to survey and explore for uranium in 83 sq km of the Nallamala Forest Reserve...... 5 Global Ecosystem Assessment ...... 6 Context: The first-ever Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has been released...... 6 Global Deal for Nature (GDN) ...... 6 Sixth National Report on Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ...... 7 Context-India recently submitted its Sixth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)...... 7 River Dolphins go missing in Sunderbans ...... 8 Context-Recently a study concluded that rise in salinity in the water system that makes the Indian Sunderbans has resulted in the decrease of population of the Ganges River Dolphins in the region...... 8 Migratory birds found dead at Sambhar lake ...... 8 Context-Over the last 10 days, thousands of migratory birds have been found dead at Sambhar Lake, about 80 km southwest of Jaipur city. Officials have buried over 18,000 carcasses so far...... 8 Dudhwa National park ...... 11 Context-Tourists visiting the Dudhwa National Park will not be able to enjoy elephant safari this season as most trained jumbos have been deployed in patrolling duties. .... 11 Butterfly survey ...... 12 Context- Recently a three-day survey in western ghat finds 191 species of the insect, 12 of which are endemic to the biodiversity-rich region...... 12 First snow leopard survey ...... 13 Context- Recently Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the First National Protocol on Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India, on the occasion of International Snow Leopard Day...... 13 Ganges river dolphin census ...... 15 Context-The annual Ganges river dolphin census, undertaken by World Wide Fund for Nature-India in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department along about

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS 250-km-long riverine stretch of Upper Ganga between Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary and Narora Ramsar site began in Bijnor on Wednesday ...... 15 Nilgiritahr’s population up 27% in three years in TN...... 17 Context- According officials Nilgiritahr's Numbers in Mukurthi National Park have risen from 568 in 2018 to 612 this year...... 17 Understanding clouded leopards and their habitats ...... 18 Context-Recently a research paper published by over 20 researchers from across the globe has helped understand Clouded leopards habitats, migration corridors and laid out the conservation strategies ...... 18 CITES — Washington Convention ...... 20 Context: India has submitted proposals regarding changes to the listing of various wildlife species in the CITES secretariat meeting, scheduled later this month in Geneva, Switzerland...... 20 Wildlife sanctuary set to have new contours ...... 20 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ...... 21 Context: The latest update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species shows that more and more species assessed are being threatened with extinction...... 21 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ...... 21 Context: Six mammal, bird and fish species are facing the spectre of extinction in Russia according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF)...... 21 These include the Saiga antelope, the gyrfalcon, the Persian leopard, the spoon-billed sandpiper, the Sakhalin sturgeon and the kaluga, also a type of sturgeon...... 21 Not all animals migrate by choice campaign launched...... 22 Context: UN Environment India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of India have launched an awareness campaign ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’...... 22 Herbivore Census in Gir forest ...... 22 Lakshadweep recruits Barn Owls to fight rodent menace ...... 23 News...... 23 With a thriving rat population playing havoc with its coconut yield, the UT of Lakshadweep hires barn owls for help...... 23 Grizzled Giant Squirrel ...... 24 Bengal tigers may not survive climate change ...... 24 Context: The survival of around five lakh land species is in question because of threats to their natural habitat, finds a UN report...... 24 Emperor Penguin colony in Antarctica vanishes ...... 25

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS News...... 25 The Antarctic’s second-largest colony of emperor penguins collapsed in 2016, with more than 10,000 chicks lost, and the population has not recovered, according to a new study...... 25 Still, the population in Halley Bay represents only about 8% of the world’s population of emperor penguins...... 25 Indian bullfrogs ...... 26 Context: A study has found that the Indian bullfrogs introduced in the Andaman Islands are invasive, and eat native wildlife including fish and lizards...... 26 Olive Ridley Turtle ...... 26 Olive Ridley hatchlings make their way into sea ...... 27 Island protection zone (IPZ) 2019 ...... 27 Hump-backed Mahseer...... 28 Protecting the Sundarbans wetlands ...... 28 The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019 ...... 29 Context: ...... 29 India and four rhino range nations have signed a declaration ‘The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’ for the conservation and protection of the species at the recently held Second Asian Rhino Range Countries meeting...... 29 2nd Asian Rhino Range Countries meeting was held at New Delhi and organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Government of India in collaboration with the IUCN Asian Rhino Specialist Group, WWF- India and Aaranyak. 29 National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) ...... 29 10 years since St Petersburg Declaration ...... 30 Nagarjuna Sagar – Srisailam Tiger Reserve: ...... 30 Context-As per recent survey ,the number of tigers in the NagarjunasagarSrisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh has gone up, reversing the steady decline in the number of the endangered species over a period...... 30 Bengal tree frog ...... 32 Context-Visibly elusive’ Bengal tree frog gets recorded as new species...... 32 Global Assessment study on Biodiversity and Ecosystem ...... 32 Asiatic Lion Conservation Project ...... 32 Stock Taking Conference on Tiger Conservation ...... 33 Bandipur Tiger Reserve ...... 33 Green – Ag: Transforming Indian Agriculture project" ...... 33

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Fire coral fungi ...... 34 Context-Deadly Poison Fire Coral Fungi Found In Australia For The First Time ...... 34 20th Nagaland Hornbill Festival ...... 34 Sumatran Rhinos ...... 35 Ganges Dolphin ...... 35 PangioBhujia: New eel-loach species ...... 35 Bandipur Tiger reserve ...... 36 Wildlife Week India, 2019 ...... 36 Great Indian Bustard ...... 37 Two new species of eels discovered ...... 37 Peacock Parachute Spider ...... 38 Five new Fish species discovered ...... 38 Two new species of Freshwater Fish found ...... 38 Thailand's 'sweetheart' dugong dies with plastic in stomach ...... 38 Human-sized penguin fossil discovered in New Zealand ...... 39 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ...... 40 Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroathais) declared as state butterfly ...... 40 All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 ...... 40 Scaly-Foot Snail ...... 41 Tamil yeoman: Tamil Nadu’s State Butterfly ...... 41 New species of ‘Paddy Frog’ discovered...... 41 New wasp species identified in Goa ...... 41 White-throated rail ...... 42 Ongole Cattle Breed ...... 42 DNA Database of India Rhino ...... 42 New Viper species Discovered in Arunachal Pradesh...... 42 Grizzled Giant Squirrel ...... 42 Purple frog as Kerala’s state amphibian ...... 43 Great Indian Bustard ...... 43 Hump-backed Mahseer listed as Critically Endangered ...... 43 Great Hornbill categorised as “Vulnerable” now ...... 44 Otter Census in Uttar Pradesh ...... 44

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019 ...... 44 Asiatic Lion Conservation Project ...... 45 Great Indian Bustard is the Mascot for COP-13 on Migratory Species ...... 45 PakkePaga Hornbill Festival ...... 45

Biodiversity No uranium mining in Nallamala forest

Context-Recently Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted in-principle approval to the Department of Atomic Energy to survey and explore for uranium in 83 sq km of the Nallamala Forest Reserve. • The Telangana State Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution requesting the Central government not to permit uranium mining operations in Amrabad Tiger Reserve part of Nallamala forests and other areas of Telangana.

Uranium mining in india • Uranium is a major mineral, it is managed by the Union Government under provisions of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. • The policy and legislation relating to Major minerals are managed by the Ministry of Mines But Uranium being an atomic mineral is managed by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

Opposition

• It may contaminate river Krishna on which Hyderabad depends for drinking water. • It Nallmala forests (where the tiger reserve is) to be destroyed • Uranium Mining in these areas also threatens the survival and livelihoods of Chenchutribals, who live in the Amrabad forests. • Also it will destroy "Nagarjuna sagar- Srisailam tiger reserve" which is known to be the second largest tiger reserve in the world. • The tribal region named "Mannanuru" will have to face the toxic effects of this mining.

Amrabad Tiger Reserve • Amrabad Tiger Reserve spreads over 2,800 sq.kms in the districts of Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda, is the second largest tiger reserve in the country next only to its sibling, the original NagarjunasagarSrisailam Tiger Reserve

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • Earler, it was part of 'Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger reserve' but post-bifurcation, the northern part of the reserve is vested with Telangana state and renamed as 'Amrabad Tiger Reserve'. The southern portion continues to be 'NSTR'is with Andhra Pradesh. There are an estimated 24Tigers in the reserve. Global Ecosystem Assessment

Context: The first-ever Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has been released.

Key findings: • Since the beginning of the last century (1900), availability of native species in most of the land-based habitats has declined by 20 per cent. Similarly, 40 per cent of the amphibian species are threatened with extinction. • Almost 33 per cent of reef-forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened. • Human-induced loss in ecosystems: Nearly 75 per cent of all freshwater resources are now used for crop and livestock rearing activities.

What is IPBES? The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body, established by member States in 2012. The objective of IPBES is to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development.

The work of IPBES Assessments: On specific themes (e.g. “Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production”); methodological issues (e.g. “Scenarios and Modelling); and at both the regional and global levels (e.g. “Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services”). Policy Support: Identifying policy-relevant tools and methodologies, facilitating their use, and catalyzing their further development. Building Capacity & Knowledge: Identifying and meeting the priority capacity, knowledge and data needs of our member States, experts and stakeholders.

Global Deal for Nature (GDN) • Scientists have proposed new science policy to reverse the tide, called A Global Deal for Nature (GDN). • It is a time-bound, science-based plan to save the diversity and abundance of life on Earth. • The GDN campaign is being driven by One Earth, an initiative of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation that aims to gather support from international institutions, governments, and citizens of planet Earth to support ambitious conservation goals.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • The policy’s mission is to save the diversity and abundance of life on Earth — for the price tag of $100 billion a year.

Goals • To protect biodiversity by conserving at least 30% of the Earth’s surface by 2030; Sixth National Report on Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Context-India recently submitted its Sixth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). • India is among the first five countries in the world, the first in Asia and the first among the biodiversity-rich megadiverse countries to have submitted the report. • The submission of national reports is a mandatory obligation on parties to international treaties, including the CBD. As a responsible nation, India has never reneged on its international commitments and has earlier submitted on time five national reports to the CBD.

Highlights of the report: • This report provides an update of progress in achievement of 12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) developed under the Convention process in line with the 20 global Aichi biodiversity targets. Briefly, the Report highlights that while India has exceeded/overachieved two NBTs, it is on track to achieve eight NBTs and in respect of the remaining two NBTs also, India is striving to meet the targets by the stipulated time of 2020. • With well over 20 percent of its total geographical area under biodiversity conservation, India has exceeded the terrestrial component of 17 percent of Aichi target 11, and 20 percent of corresponding NBT relating to areas under biodiversity management. • Similarly, India has also made noteworthy achievement towards NBT relating to access and benefit sharing (ABS) by operationalising the Nagoya Protocol on ABS. • Having published the first internationally recognized certificate of compliance (IRCC) under the Protocol in 2015, India has since published nearly 75% of the IRCCs published so far on ABS Clearing House. Thus, in respect of these two NBTs (6 and 9), the progress made by India has exceeded the targets.

About CBD: • At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed on a comprehensive strategy for “sustainable development” — meeting our needs while ensuring that we leave a healthy and viable world for future generations. One of the key agreements adopted at Rio was the Convention on Biological Diversity.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS River Dolphins go missing in Sunderbans

Context-Recently a study concluded that rise in salinity in the water system that makes the Indian Sunderbans has resulted in the decrease of population of the Ganges River Dolphins in the region.

Highlights of the study: • The national aquatic animal is no longer sighted in the central and eastern parts of the archipelago. Only in the western part of Sunderbans, where the salinity is lower, could researchers find some evidence of the species. • The hyper-saline zone in the central part of the Sunderbans, which includes areas such as Raidighi and Patharpratima, have lost connectivity with the upstream freshwater flow. Though there is some fresh water connectivity and flow in the eastern part, salinity levels were still high and thus there was no evidence of the Ganges River Dolphin in this region. • The rise in sea level, triggered by climate change, is one of the reasons for the increase in salinity of waters of rivers and channels. • Hydrological modifications like water diversion and commission of large barrages upstream have had a great impact on the salinity profile of the rivers downstream in the Sunderbans. • Higher rate of encounter with the species in rivers and stretches that had limited use of motorised boats, less river traffic and more country boats. The encounter rate was higher by almost 55 % in such stretches. Migratory birds found dead at Sambhar lake

Context-Over the last 10 days, thousands of migratory birds have been found dead at Sambhar Lake, about 80 km southwest of Jaipur city. Officials have buried over 18,000 carcasses so far.

Cause of death • The evidence points to avian botulism, but this has not been officially confirmed. • On the basis of history, epidemiological observations, classical clinical symptoms and postmortem findings, the most probable diagnosis is avian botulism. • The clinical signs exhibited by affected birds included dullness, depression, anorexia, flaccid paralysis in legs and wings, and neck touching the ground. The birds were unable to walk, swim, or take flight. • There was no rise of body temperature, no nasal discharge, no respiratory distress or any other sign.

What could be other possible reasons for the bird deaths at Sambhar Lake? • After a Division Bench of the Rajasthan High Court led by Chief Justice IndrajitMahanty took cognisance of the deaths, the Rajasthan government listed likely reasons: o Viral infection;

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS o Toxicity, as a new area has been filled up after almost 20 years, and there could be higher concentration of salts along the edges; o Bacteriological infection; and o Higher temperature and high water levels due to a good monsoon. This might have led to an increase in competition for resources. The weaker individuals, exhausted from the long journey, perhaps were unable to compete, and may have succumbed to stress emanating from the shortage of food, susceptibility to disease/pollutants/toxins and other habitat-related factors in the wintering grounds, the government suggested. If that is the reason, the government said it is expected that with fall of temperature and lowering of water levels, incidence of such mortality will go down.

But why is it taking so long to establish the cause of death? • The government is waiting for reports from various sources to establish the exact cause. It has so far engaged eight institutions and agencies, but has received complete reports from only two: RAJUVAS and the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal. While RAJUVAS has suggested avian botulism, NIHSAD has ruled out bird flu.

Is there a concern for human health? • Humans are primarily at risk from avian botulism only if they eat infected fish or birds.

How common is avian botulism? • There have been several waterfowl botulism outbreaks. Between 1995 and 1997 in Canada, an estimated 1,00,000 birds died in Alberta, 1,17,000 in Manitoba, and 1 million in Saskatchewan. In 1997, another 5,14,000 birds died due to botulism in Green Salt Lake, Utah, US. In 1952, an epizootic outbreak killed 4-5 million waterfowl across western US.

About botulism • Botulinum is a natural toxin produced by a bacteria known as Clostridium botulin. It produces the toxin when it starts reproducing. • The bacteria is commonly found in the soil, river, and sea water. There are around eight types — A, B, C1, C2, D, E, F, and G — of botulinum toxin and they are distinguishable when diagnosed. But all types of toxins attack the neurons, which leads to muscle paralysis, states a study. • Botulinum affects both humans and animals but the type of the toxin varies — botulinum C in birds and A, B and E in humans. The toxin has been recognised as a major cause of mortality in wild birds since the 1900s.

What happened at Sambhar • The avian botulism that caused the mass die-off at Sambhar was caused by the climate, according to the IVRI report. • Water levels were fluctuating throughout the year. Locals reported that due to a good monsoon this year, the water level reached the lake bed after a gap of 20 years.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • The good monsoon provided a favorable environment for the bacteria to spread. The bacterianeeds anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions and does not grow in acidic conditions. • The temperature of the water was about 25 degree Celsius. Its pH ranged between 7.4- 9.84. • It also requires a nutrient-rich substrate, like areas with large amounts of decaying plant or animal materials. The monsoon brought with it a large population of crustaceans (like shrimps, crabs, and prawns), invertebrates (snails) and plankton (like algae). • These living organisms are capable of hosting the bacteria for a long period of time. According to reports, the bacteria is also found in the gills and digestive tracts of healthy fish. • It reproduces through spores and these spores remain dormant for years. They are resistant to temperature changes and drying. Under favourable conditions, the spores are activated. • The IVRI report noted that after the monsoon, when the water levels receded, there might have been an increase in salinity levels which could have led to the death of these living organisms. At this point in time, the spores could have been activated. • According to another theory, ‘a bird-to-bird cycle’ could also have led to the tragedy. In such an event, maggots feeding on dead birds can concentrate the toxin. Birds feeding on dead birds can get affected. • This was observed in Sambhar too as researchers found only insectivorous and omnivorous birds affected and not herbivores. • The IVRI report discounted external factors like water pollution and eutrophication (a body of water becoming overly enriched with minerals and nutrients, in turn inducing excessive growth of algae) as no farming was being carried out in the vicinity and the runoff from the same was not possible.

Sambhar lake • Sambhar Lake is India’s largest inland saltwater lake at 230 sq km, spread mostly across Jaipur and Nagaur districts and also a part of Ajmer. It has a catchment area of 5,700 square km, with the water depth fluctuating between 60 cm in the dry season to about 3 metres at the end of the monsoon. • Every year, the lake attracts thousands of migratory birds. A total 83 species of water birds have been recorded at the lake, the most abundant of which are little grebe, great crested grebe, great white pelican, little cormorant, black stork, and darter, apart from various species of plovers, egrets, herons, and geese.

What are the reasons that make salt concentration a concern? • In a 2016 directive, the National Green Tribunal had noted the impact of the salt industry — including “unauthorised salt pans” — on the ecosystem of Sambhar Lake and asked the state government to cancel allotment of salt pans. Over the last week, the Wildlife Institute of India, the State Pollution Control Board and Sambhar Salts Ltd

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS have collected samples to test for water quality. Part of the lake has been leased to Sambhar Salts, a joint venture of Hindustan Salts Limited and the state government. Sambhar Salts produces 196,000 tonnes of clean salt every year, which is around 9 per cent of India’s salt production. • The lake was recognised as a wetland of international importance when it was designated as a UNESCO Ramsar Site in 1990. Today, as per NGO Wetlands International, it has the worst possible Wetland Health Score at E. Dudhwa National park

Context-Tourists visiting the Dudhwa National Park will not be able to enjoy elephant safari this season as most trained jumbos have been deployed in patrolling duties. • Another major reason to put restrictions on the safari is the aggressive nature of male elephants, which may pose a serious threat to the safety of riders as several incidents of elephants chasing their mahouts and attendants came to fore.

Dudhwa National park • Located on the Indo-Nepal border in the district Lakhimpur-Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, Dudhwa National Park, together with Kishanpur and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuaries, represent the best natural forests and grasslands left in theTerai region of Uttar Pradesh. • The three Protected Areas, being the last viable home of the Royal Bengal Tiger in the state, have been jointly constituted into Dudhwa Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger. Kishanpur (204 sq km), the oldest of the three PAs, was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1972, followed by Katerniaghat(440 sq km) in 1975 and finally Dudhwa National Park (680 sq km) in 1977. Though the 3 PAs are physically separate, each consists of unbroken tracts of dense forests. These terai ecosystems are highly productive habitats of diverse flora and fauna and home to a considerable number of obligate species and species of restricted distribution. • The vegetation is of the North Indian Moist Deciduous type, containing some of the finest examples of Sal forests (Shorearobusta) in India, as well the most extensive tracts of moist grasslands that remain in this region. • Apart from sizable populations of Tiger (Panthera tigris) and Leopard, a viable population of a nominate sub-species of the Swamp deer or Barasingha (Cervus duvauceliduvauceli), a population of Indian One-horned Rhinoceros successfully reintroduced in 1984, and certain critically endangered species like the Bengal Florican (Houbaropsisbengalensis) and the Hispid Hare (Caprolagushispidus), adding to the marvel of Dudhwa. • The Sharda River flows by the Kishanpur WL Sanctuary, the Geruwa River flows through the Katerniaghat WL Sanctuary and the Suheli and Mohana streams flow in the Dudhwa National Park, all of which are tributaries of the mightyGhagra River. Some of the importanttaals are the Bankey, Kakraha, Amaha, Bhadi and Bhadraula. • The taals, streams and rivers support a rich variety of turtle species, the Mugger crocodile, (Crocodyluspalustris), the unique and endangered fish eating crocodile or

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Gharial (Gavialisgangeticus) as well as the Gangetic dolphin (Plantanistagangetica), which are found in the Geruwa. Butterfly survey

Context- Recently a three-day survey in western ghat finds 191 species of the insect, 12 of which are endemic to the biodiversity-rich region.

Key findings • The survey was conducted in all the four forest ranges under the sanctuary, including Muthanga, Tholpetty, Kurichyad and SulthanBathery, simultaneously. • The survey was mainly aimed at assessing the butterfly diversity in the forest areas of the region, which is vulnerable to climatic changes. It was also wanted to assess the availability of nectar plant and larval host plant, essential for the survival of butterflies. As many as 18 camps were set up. • The Western Ghats is still home to a kaleidoscope of butterflies. A survey that ended in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) on Monday could sight 191 species, 12 of which are endemic to the biodiversity-rich region. • The first-time sighting of Silver forget me not, Common three ring, and Brown onyx was also recorded. The sighting of Silver forget me not was reported only from the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki district of the State. The three-day survey was done jointly by the Forest and Wildlife Department in association with the Ferns Nature Conservation Society (FNCS). • The diversity of butterflies was very low in the forest areas where alien invasive plants such as Senna spectabilis invade other endemic plants, whereas the diversity was very rich in areas where plants such as Mikania micrantha and Lantana camera remained dominant. • The sighting of 191 species of butterflies is an evidence of a healthy butterfly habitat in the region, but the degradation of the riparian forest in many part of the region may adversely affect the butterfly habitat in the near future.

Butterflies as bioindicator • Butterflies are increasingly being recognised as valuable environmental indicators, both for their rapid and sensitive responses to subtle habitat or climatic changes and as representatives for the diversity and responses of other wildlife. • Butterflies react extremely quickly to even minor changes in the environment, making them both a good indicator of biodiversity and providing an early warning system for other reductions in wildlife. As a result, they are now the best-monitored group of insects in the world. • Butterfly cannot survive in the presence of the toxic gases like sulphur di-oxide, carbon di oxide, carbon mono-oxide, etc. emerging from the increasing use of technology. So, the study of characteristics of butterfly can make us aware of the environmental pollution.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS What makes buterflies good indicator • Butterflies have short life cycles and thus react quickly to environmental changes. • Their limited dispersal ability, larval foodplant specialisation and close-reliance on the weather and climate make many butterfly species sensitive to fine-scale changes. Recent research has shown that butterflies have declined more rapidly than birds and plants emphasising their potential role as indicators. • Unlike most other groups of insects, butterflies are well-documented, their taxonomy is understood, they are easy to recognise and we have a wealth of information on their ecology and life-histories.

Impact • Good indicator of biodiversity and providing an early warning system for other reductions in wildlife • Birds plan their whole breeding season around when caterpillars will be most abundant. If the butterfly and caterpillar numbers are depleted then there's not going to be a lot of food for developing chicks • Plants will also be affected. Butterflies are a major pollinator of both wild and cultivated plants. Without them and other important pollinating insects flying around, there will be a significant decline in viable seed produced.

First snow leopard survey

Context- Recently Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the First National Protocol on Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India, on the occasion of International Snow Leopard Day. • It has been developed by scientific experts in association with the Snow Leopard States/UTs namely, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunanchal Pradesh. • The use of technology such as camera traps and scientific surveys will help to estimate the numbers. • No date has been decided for the estimation process to begin yet. • Only 2 per cent of the total habitat of snow leopards have been sampled for population estimation due to difficult terrain and an elusive nature of snow leopards, according to SLPAI document.

Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Program • The GSLEP is a range-wide effort that unites range country governments, nongovernmental and inter-governmental organizations, local communities, and the private sector around a shared vision to conserve snow leopards and their valuable high-mountain ecosystems. • The snow leopard range countries agree, with support from interested organizations, to work together to identify and secure at least 20 snow leopard landscapes across the cat’s range by 2020 or, in shorthand – “Secure 20 by 2020.”

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • The Snow Leopard is found in 12 countries. They are India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. • The range countries formed the Global Snow Leopard Forum (GSLF) and signed the Bishkek Declaration to acknowledge its importance as the indicator of the health and sustainability of mountain ecosystems. • 4th steering committee meeting of the Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Program, today at New Delhi, Shri Javadekar dwelt upon range countries working collectively to conserve nature and enumerate the number of snow leopards. “We will strive to double the Snow leopards population in the world in the coming decade. • The two day international meeting of GSLEP Program is being organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at New Delhi on 23-24 October 2019.

Climate change and wildlife at GSLEP meeting • Countries need to win battle against climate change by preserving and improving nature and by multiplying the epitome of ecology that includes Leopards, Tigers, Lions, Elephants, Rhinos and all animal kingdom. • Countries need to stress upon capacity building, livelihood, green economy, and green pathway even in the Snow Leopard areas of the Himalayan range and cross country cooperation. This forms the basis for all Snow Leopard range countries.” • There is a need for awareness and understanding value of Snow Leopard for the ecosystem • Sustainable development efforts to be made in the Snow Leopard habitats and take into consideration green economic development, innovative conservation financing and population assessment of global Snow Leopards.

About Snow leopard

Habitat and distribution • Snow leopards live in the mountainous regions of central and southern Asia. • In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Ladakh ,Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas. The last three states form part of the Eastern Himalayas – a priority global region of WWF and the Living Himalayas Network Initiative. • Snow leopards prefer steep, rugged terrains with rocky outcrops and ravines. This type of habitat provides good cover and clear view to help them sneak up on their prey. They are found at elevations of 3,000-5,000 metres or higher in the Himalayas. • It is the State animal of Himachal Pradesh.

Status • The snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List of the Threatened Species.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • In addition, the snow leopard, like all big cats, is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which makes trading of animal body parts (i.e., fur, bones and meat) illegal in signatory countries. It is also protected by several national laws in its range countries. • It is also listed in appendix I of convention on migratory species

Conservation effort

SECURE Himalaya • The Government of India and United Nations Development Programme, with support from the Global Environment Facility, are implementing a new programme in the high altitude Himalayas entitled “SECURE Himalayas - Securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems”, to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan ecosystem, while enhancing the lives and livelihoods of local communities.

Project snow leopard • On 20 January 2009, the Government of India announced a new and ambitious conservation programme called Project Snow Leopard. This exciting development represents a major up-scaling of our research and community-based conservation efforts in the higher Himalaya Ganges river dolphin census

Context-The annual Ganges river dolphin census, undertaken by World Wide Fund for Nature-India in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department along about 250- km-long riverine stretch of Upper Ganga between Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary and Narora Ramsar site began in Bijnor on Wednesday

New Method • Unlike previous years, when direct counting method was used, this year the tandem boat survey method is being used. • Tandem boat survey method developed by the renowned river and marine ecologist Gill Braulik, provides a more accurate count of the endangered species. Here the officials use two inflated boatswhich move in tandem to count the dolphins. After collating the data, statistical tools are employed to arrive at the final count. In this process, we don’t announce the number of sightings on a daily basis.” Ms. Braulik, who is known for her work on Indus river dolphins, is also participating in the census.

Obligate freshwater dolphin

Yangtze river dolphin (Baiji) • Listed as critically endangered in IUCN redlist and now likely extinct from the Yangtze river in China. It is a type of freshwater dolphin thought to be the first dolphin species driven to extinction due to the impact of humans.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Indus river dolphin (Bhulan) • Listed as endangered in IUCN redlist.Now it swims in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan. Another small, isolated population can be found in the Beas River in India.

Amazon river dolphin (Boto or pink river dolphin) • Listed as vulnerable in IUCN redlist.It swims throughout much of the famed South American river basin and the neighboring Orinoco river basin that stretches through Colombia and Venezuela.

Ganges river dolphin (Susu) • Listed as endangered in IUCN redlist. • Locally known as susu, which refers to the noise the dolphin is said to make when it breathes, this swimmer is essentially blind and can detect only the direction of light.

About Ganges river dolphin (Susu)

Physical description • A long thin snout, rounded belly, stocky body and large flippers are characteristics of the Ganges River dolphin. Although its eye lacks a lens (this species is also referred to as the "blind dolphin"), the dolphin still uses its eye to locate itself. The species has a slit similar to a blowhole on the top of the head, which acts as a nostril • Being a mammal, the Ganges River dolphin cannot breathe in the water and must surface every 30-120 seconds. Because of the sound it produces when breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the 'Susu'.

Breeding • The gestation lasts from 9 to 11 months, and one calf is usually born, once every 2 to 3 years. There is no specific birth period, although females usually give birth from October to March, with a peak in December and January at the onset of the dry season.

Diet • The diet includes a variety of fish and invertebrates, namely prawns, clams, catfish, freshwater sharks, mahseers (except in India), gobies and carp. Ganges River dolphins normally chase surface dweller fishes and grovel mud dweller fishes in shallow water with the help of their long snout. They cannot chew and usually swallow their prey.

Threats

Habitat and subspecies under severe threat • The survival of the Ganges River dolphin is threatened by unintentional killing through entanglement in fishing gear; directed harvest for dolphin oil, which is used as a fish attractant and for medicinal purposes; water development projects (e.g. water extraction and the construction of barrages, high dams, and embankments); industrial waste and pesticides; municipal sewage discharge and noise from vessel traffic; and

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS overexploitation of prey, mainly due to the widespread use of non-selective fishing gear.

Habitat loss and degradation • More than 50 dams and irrigation-related projects have had an adverse impact on the habitat of this species. These projects result in major changes in the flow, sediment load, and water quality of rivers, which affects the quality of waters downstream. • As a result, there has been a serious decrease in fish production, while the extraction of river water and siltation from deforestation are also degrading the species' habitat. In some cases, habitat alterations have resulted in the genetic isolation of dolphin populations.

Pollution • Pollution levels are a problem, and are expected to increase with the development of intensive modern industrial practices in the region. Compounds such as organochlorine and butyltin found in the tissues of Ganges River dolphins are a cause for concern about their potential effects on the subspecies.

Fisheries bycatch • Bycatch in gillnets and line hooks is also a major source of mortality for this subspecies.

Directed take • Although the killing of this dolphin for meat and oil is thought to have declined, it still occurs in the middle Ganges near Patna, in the Kalni-Kushiyara River of Bangladesh, and in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra. In fisheries for large catfish in India and Bangladesh, dolphin oil and body parts are used to lure prey, and Ganges River dolphins are used to this end. Nilgiritahr’s population up 27% in three years in TN

Context- According officials Nilgiritahr's Numbers in Mukurthi National Park have risen from 568 in 2018 to 612 this year.

Recent trends • 2017-There was a decrease in tahr numbers in 2017, when a population of only 438 was recorded, down from 480 in 2016. • 2018 and 2019-According to officials, the almost 8% increase in the population of the iconic animal in 2019 follows a similarly significant increase in its population in 2018.

Reason for increase • Efforts were being made to ensure that the 78-sq.km reserve, closed to tourists, remained relatively free of some of the species of invasive plants that had begun their incursion into other habitats, such as Scotch broom and gorse in Avalanche. • For now, there is almost no spread of invasive plants, meaning the tahr have plenty of food and more room for the population to grow in the coming years.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • The 275 hectares of cleared wattle plantations were ‘maintained’ in 2018, ensuring that these cleared areas remained free from new invasive wattle trees coming up from underground seed banks

Nilgiritahr status • Endangered-IUCN

Habitat : • Open montane grassland habitat of the South Western Ghats montane rain forests ecoregion.Endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Southern India (ex: Anamalai Hills, Palni Hills) • State animal of Tamil NadU

Threats • Habitat loss (mainly from domestic livestock and spread of invasive plants) • Poaching

Mukurthi National Park • It is located in the Nilgiris district of the state of Tamil Nadu. The park was previously known as NilgiriTahr National Park. • It was declare as a National Park in the year of 1990. Total area of the park is about 78.46 Km2. The park is characterized by montane grasslands and shrublands interspersed with sholas in a high altitude area of high rainfall, near-freezing temperatures and high winds • The natural vegetation consists of vast stretches of grasslands interspersed with numerous isolated, compact sharply defined and small woodland “Shoals’. • Major attraction of the park is Nilgiri thar. The area contains a viable population of Nilgiri Thar. Besides that Sambhar, barking deer, Nilgiri marten, otter, jungle cat, jackals etc. are the commonly found animals • The terrain, primarily grasslands is characteristically interspersed with numerous isolated, compact, sharply defined montane wet temperate mixed forests locally termed ‘Sholas’ with beautiful brooks. Understanding clouded leopards and their habitats

Context-Recently a research paper published by over 20 researchers from across the globe has helped understand Clouded leopards habitats, migration corridors and laid out the conservation strategies • the model looked at nine countries (Bhutan, Nepal, India, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) and suggested that only 9.44% of the studied region was ‘highly’ suitable for clouded leopards (Neofelisnebulosa). • Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram has one of the highest population densities of clouded leopards.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Dampa Tiger Reserve or Dampha Tiger Reserve • is a tiger reserve of western Mizoram, India. It covers an area of about 500 km2(190 sq mi) in the Lushai Hills at an altitude range of 800–1,100 m (2,600–3,600 ft). It was declared a tiger reserve in 1994 and is part of Project Tiger. • The tropical forests of Dampa Tiger Reserve are home to a diverse flora and fauna. It consists of forest interpolated with steep precipitous hills, deep valleys, jungle streams, ripping rivulets, natural salts licks. • Dampa Tiger Reserve is not easily accessible unlike other park where you can ride on a four wheeler but one has to walk through the forest if one wishes to sight animals. • In tiger census of 2018, no tiger was found in this reserve.

Effort to increase Clouded Leopard number • DampaTR receives funding from the National Tiger Conservation Authority on an annual basis which helps it maintain over 100 daily wage forest guards, and conduct patrolling, which perhaps allows sustain this incredible biodiversity. • In 2018, India added clouded leopards to its Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species to aid more research and strengthen conservation efforts

Clouded Leopard • Vulnerable– IUCN Red List • state animal of Meghalaya • CITES Appendix I animal • Named after the distinctive ‘clouds’ on its coat – ellipses partially edged in black, with the insides a darker colour than the background colour of the pelt.

Habitat • Tropical evergreen rainforests but can also be found in dry tropical forests and mangrove swamps. It has been found at relatively high altitudes in the Himalayas • Range : Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China • India : Assam, northern West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura • It was also noted that when the closed-canopy forest cover declined by just 35%, the clouded leopard detection dropped by 25%. This shows that clouded leopard presence was positively associated with forest cover and rain, suggesting that deforestation and reduction in rainfall patterns as a result of climate change may negatively influence clouded leopard distributions.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS CITES — Washington Convention

Context: India has submitted proposals regarding changes to the listing of various wildlife species in the CITES secretariat meeting, scheduled later this month in Geneva, Switzerland. • The proposals submitted are regarding changes in the listing of the smooth-coated otter, small-clawed otter, Indian star tortoise, Tokay gecko, wedgefish and Indian rosewood. • The country seeks to boost the protection of all the five animal species as they are facing a high risk of international trade.

About Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): • It is an International agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. • It restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals, such as food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs. • It was signed on March 3, 1973 (Hence world wildlife day is celebrated on march 3). • It is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). • Secretariat — Geneva (Switzerland). • CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt their own domestic legislation to implement its goals. Wildlife sanctuary set to have new contours The Forest Department has identified 308.84 hectares of revenue land for inclusion in the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) as recommended by the National Board for Wildlife, compensating the land being diverted for setting up Missile Test Launch Facility by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Nagayalankamandal in Krishna District.

Krishna wildlife sanctuary • Declared a sanctuary in 1989, the KWS is spread across 194.84 hectares in Krishna and Guntur districts. The huge chunk of revenue land adjacent to the existing sanctuary is now supporting a moderately dense mangrove cover in Nagayalankamandal, geographically near the confluence point of the river Krishna and the Bay of Bengal • Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and estuary located in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is one of the rarest eco-regions of the world because it harbors vast tracts of pristine mangrove forests. It is believed by conservationists to be one of the last remaining tracts of thick primary mangrove forests of South India, which is rapidly disappearing due to absence of protective measures. • It is believed that this region potentially holds one of the most significant populations of fishing cats in the world and yet, no concrete surveys on fishing cats or community- based fishing cat conservation efforts have been carried out here. The area has the potential to become world's first reserve for a few of the IUCN identified endangered species including the fishing cat or better known locally as bavurupilli.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS National Board for Wildlife: 1. It is a “Statutory Organization” constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. 2. Its roles is “advisory” in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country. 3. Primary function of the Board is to promote the conservation and development of wildlife and forests. 4. It has power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.. 5. Composition: The NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister. It has 47 members including the Prime Minister. Among these, 19 members are ex-officio members. Other members include three Members of Parliament (two from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha), five NGOs and 10 eminent ecologists, conservationists and environmentalists. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Context: The latest update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species shows that more and more species assessed are being threatened with extinction. • The IUCN Red List assesses 1,05,732 species. The current update breaks the 1,00,000 species barrier, making it the largest such assessment of species. • According to the new updated list, 28,338 species are threatened with extinction. World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Context: Six mammal, bird and fish species are facing the spectre of extinction in Russia according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

These include the Saiga antelope, the gyrfalcon, the Persian leopard, the spoon-billed sandpiper, the Sakhalin sturgeon and the kaluga, also a type of sturgeon.

About WWF: • It is an international non-governmental organization • Founded in 1961 • Headquarter — Gland (Switzerland). • Aim : wilderness preservation & the reduction of human impact on the environment • It is the world’s largest conservation organization

Reports & programmes: • Living Planet Report— published every two years by WWF since 1998; it is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation • Earth hour • Debt-for-nature swaps–financial transactions in which a portion of a developing nation’s foreign debt is forgiven in exchange for local investments in environmental conservation measures.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • Marine Stewardship Council(MSC) — independent non-profit organization which sets a standard for sustainable fishing • Healthy GrownPotato — eco-brand that provides high-quality, sustainably grown, packaged, and shipped potatoes to consumers by leveraging integrated pest management(IPM) farming practices on large scale farms Not all animals migrate by choice campaign launched.

Context: UN Environment India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of India have launched an awareness campaign ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’.

About the campaign: • The campaign aims at creating awareness and garnering public support for the protection and conservation of wildlife, prevention of smuggling and reduction in demand for wildlife products. • In the first phase of the campaign, Tiger, Pangolin, Star Tortoise and Tokay Gecko have been chosen as they are highly endangered due to illegal trading in International markets.

About WCCB: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is a statutory multi-disciplinary body established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, to combat organized wildlife crime in the country.

Under Section 38 (Z) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, it is mandated: • to collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime activities and to disseminate the same to State and other enforcement agencies for immediate action so as to apprehend the criminals. • to establish a centralized wildlife crime data bank. • Assist and advise the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wild Life Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy governing such an item. Herbivore Census in Gir forest • Every summer, the Forest Department of Gujarat conducts a Herbivore Census in Gir forest. • This year’s same has been done and it is very significance because it is the last Herbivore Census ahead of next year’s Lion Census, which is a once-in-five-years exercise. • The Herbivore Census covers ungulates such as spotted deer, blue bulls (nilgais), sambars, Indian gazelles (chinkaras), four-horned antelopes (choshinga) and wild boars, as well as Indian langurs and peafowl.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Analysis: • Wild ungulates and langurs are the main prey of Asiatic lions, the endangered species whose only wild population in the world is surviving in the 22,000 sq km Greater Gir area. • In 2013-14, the last Herbivore Census before the previous Lion Census, the total count of all herbivores was 1.32 lakh, higher than the about 1.25 lakh counted in 2012-13. • During summer, foliage is reduced to a minimum in dry and deciduous tropical forests, which affords the best visibility for conducting a census. • Also, wild animals concentrate around water points, which in Gir include 450 artificial ones filled by the Forest Department. Lakshadweep recruits Barn Owls to fight rodent menace

News

With a thriving rat population playing havoc with its coconut yield, the UT of Lakshadweep hires barn owls for help.

What is barn? • A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. • It refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.

Recruiting barn owls • Coconut is an important money-spinner for the islands, but the pesky rodents account for 30-40% of the yield loss. • However, employing owls to hunt down rats is not exactly a new idea for the islanders. • Similar attempts were reportedly made in the 1960s as well. • The birds were reintroduced in the 19th century for rodent management.

Why barn owls? • The reason is that the rats in the Lakshadweep Islands practically live on treetops. • The coconut palms here grow so close together that they resemble a jungle. The fronds overlap, allowing the rodents to move easily from one tree to another. • Besides, the nocturnal barn owls are natural rat hunters, armed with a powerful auditory mechanism. • There is also an important environmental angle to Lakshadweep’s decision to choose biocontrol. • The islands being a designated organic zone, use of chemicals for pest control is a strict no-no. • If successful, the barn owl campaign will be extended to other islands in Lakshadweep as well.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Grizzled Giant Squirrel • The grizzled giant squirrel is usually known to nest in the Western Ghats in Southern India ranging from Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala to Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Palani hills in Tamil Nadu. • It has been categorised as near threatened by the Red List and listed under Schedule II of CITES. • It is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

About Grizzled Giant Squirrel • The current population estimation is about 78% to 85% lesser than the previous population estimation carried out in 1993 and 2007 respectively, which is quite alarming. • The animal, which got its common name from the white flecks of hair over its greyish body, is seen in pairs or as a family party of three individuals only during the breeding season. • The species is endemic to the southern States of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The only known population of the squirrel in Kerala is in the sanctuary. The population of the species in the country is estimated to be less than 500 mature individuals. • The Chinnar population is troubled by the increased predator pressure and the extremely low regeneration of its preferred food plant species due to heavy grazing by cattle. Bengal tigers may not survive climate change

Context: The survival of around five lakh land species is in question because of threats to their natural habitat, finds a UN report.

Key findings of the report: Vulnerable: The cats are among 500,000 land species whose survival is in question because of threats to their natural habitats. Main Causes: Climate change and rising sea levels. Threats to Sundarbans: 70% of Sunderbans now is just a few feet above sea level, and grave changes are in store for the region. Subsequent impact on tigers: Changes wrought by a warming planet will be “enough to decimate” the few hundred or so Bengal tigers remaining there. By 2070, there will be no suitable tiger habitats remaining in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Threats to tiger population: Since the early 1900s, habitat loss, hunting and the illegal trade of animal partshave decimated the global population of tigers from around 100,000 to fewer than 4,000. In the Bangladesh Sundarbans, a spike in extreme weather events and changing vegetation will further reduce the population. And as the Sundarbans flood, confrontations may grow between humans and tigers as the animals stray outside their habitat in search of new land.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS About Sundarbans: • The Sundarbans comprises hundreds of islands and a network of rivers, tributaries and creeks in the delta of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal in India and Bangladesh. • Located on the southwestern part of the delta, the Indian Sundarban constitutes over 60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area. • It is the 27th Ramsar Site in India, and with an area of 4,23,000 hectares is now the largest protected wetland in the country. • The Indian Sundarban, also a UNESCO world heritage site, is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is also home to a large number of “rare and globally threatened species, such as the critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagurbaska), the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaellabrevirostris), and the vulnerable fishing cat (Prionailurusviverrinus).” • Two of the world’s four horseshoe crab species, and eight of India’s 12 species of kingfisher are also found here. Recent studies claim that the Indian Sundarban is home to 2,626 faunal species and 90% of the country’s mangrove varieties. Emperor Penguin colony in Antarctica vanishes

News

The Antarctic’s second-largest colony of emperor penguins collapsed in 2016, with more than 10,000 chicks lost, and the population has not recovered, according to a new study.

Still, the population in Halley Bay represents only about 8% of the world’s population of emperor penguins.

Habitat loss leads to breeding failure • Emperor penguins — the world’s largest — breed and molt on sea ice, chunks of frozen seawater. • Under the influence of the strongest El Niño in 60 years, September 2015 was a particularly stormy month in the area of Halley Bay, with heavy winds and record-low sea ice. • The penguins generally stayed there from April until December when their chicks fledged or had grown their feathers, but the storm occurred before the chicks were old enough. • Those conditions appeared to have led to the loss of about 14,500 to 25,000 eggs or chicks that first year and the colony has not rebounded.

About Emperor Penguin • The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. • Like all penguins it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • Its diet consists primarily of fish, but also includes crustaceans, such as krill, and cephalopods, such as squid. • The only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter, emperor penguins trek 50–120 km over the ice to breeding colonies which can contain up to several thousand individuals. • In 2012 the emperor penguin was uplisted from a species of least concern to near threatened by the IUCN.

Halley Bay • Halley Research Station is an internationally important platform for global earth, atmospheric and space weather observation in a climate sensitive zone. • Built on a floating ice shelf in the Weddell Sea, Halley VI is the world’s first re-locatable research facility. • This award-winning and innovative research station provides scientists with state-of- the-art laboratories and living accommodation, enabling them to study pressing global problems from climate change and sea-level rise to space weather and the ozone hole – first discovered at Halley in 1985. Indian bullfrogs

Context: A study has found that the Indian bullfrogs introduced in the Andaman Islands are invasive, and eat native wildlife including fish and lizards.

About Indian Bullfrog: • The Indian bullfrog (Hoplobatrachustigerinus) is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is a large species of frog found in mainland Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nepal. • Its tadpoles are carnivorous and eat other tadpoles, including their own species. • They prefer freshwater wetlands and aquatic habitats. Generally they avoid coastal and forest areas. • The Indian Bull Frog is an enigmatic species that used to be found across the state of Goa and was an integral component of any local ecosystem be it a pond, well or field until the upsurge in poaching about 5 years ago.

Threat: • Indian Bullfrog is fighting a battle in almost all its habitats due to a variety of reasons including extensive poaching, habitat loss and alteration and usage of pesticide. Olive Ridley Turtle • The idyllic Kalam Island off the Odisha coast has become lively with lakhs of baby Olive Ridley turtles crawling towards the Bay of Bengal after emerging from eggshells. The Odisha Forest and Environment Department said baby turtles had emerged from approximately 1.25 lakh nests.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS About olive ridley turtle: • This turtle is named for the generally greenish color of its skin and shell. Olive ridleys are found only in warmer waters, including the southern Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans..Olive ridleys are among smallest of the sea turtles, weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and reaching only about 2 feet (65 centimeters) in shell length. • The olive ridley is mostly carnivorous, feeding on such creatures as jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp. They will occasionally eat algae and seaweed as well. • Though the olive ridley is widely considered the most abundant of the marine turtles, by all estimates, it is in trouble. Olive Ridley hatchlings make their way into sea • The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. • These turtles, along with their cousin the Kemps ridley turtle, are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. • They are carnivores, and feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, molluscs and a variety of fish and their eggs. • The coast of Orissa in India is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica. Island protection zone (IPZ) 2019 • The union environment ministry has notified island protection zone (IPZ) 2019 for Andaman and Nicobar. • The legal changes in IPZ for for Andaman and Nicobar are aligned with NITI Ayog’s proposal for holistic development in islands which is being taken forward under guidance of Island Development Agency.

Important features of IPZ 2019: • Union cabinet had approved CRZ notification December 2018, which relaxed number of provisions in CRZ 2011 to facilitate infrastructure development and construction on coast, including easing floor area ratio (FAR) in coastal urban areas and slashed NDZ in densely populated coastal rural areas to 50m from HTL as compared to 200m earlier. • Eco-tourism projects are now allowed 20 metres from HTL in smaller islands like Havelock, Baratang and Car Nicobar and at 50 metres in larger ones. It allows for eco- tourism activities like nature trails, mangrove walks and tree huts in island coastal regulation zone IA. Zone IA is the most eco-sensitive region of Andaman & Nicobar Islands which includes turtle nesting grounds, marshes, coral reefs etc. • This notification allows construction of roads and also roads on stilts by reclaiming land in exceptional cases for public utilities, strategic purposes or defence installations in eco-sensitive zones. It makes mandatory compensatory plantation of mangroves minimum three times the mangrove area destroyed during construction of such roads. It also allows new activities in inter-tidal zone between HTL and low tide line. This

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS includes land reclamation and bunding for foreshore facilities like harbours, ports, jetties, quays, wharves, sea links etc. • It also allows transfer of hazardous substances from ships to ports, mining of sand for construction purposes, manual mining of atomic minerals with permission from local authorities in non-eco-sensitive sites. Hump-backed Mahseer • The hump-backed Mahseer, found in the waters of the Cauvery, has been added to the IUCN Red List with Critically Endangered Status. • The hump-backed mahseer is a large freshwater fish also called the tiger of the water and found only in the Cauvery river basin including Kerala’s Pambar, Kabini and Bhavani rivers. • Five other species have also made it to threatened categories: two wild orchids, the Arabian scad (a marine fish) and two wild coffee species found only in a few localities in the Western Ghats. Protecting the Sundarbans wetlands • Recently, Indian Sundarbans was accorded the status of ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Ramsar Convention.

How did it qualify? • The Indian Sundarban met four of the nine criteria required for the status of ‘Wetland of International Importance’ — presence of rare species and threatened ecological communities, biological diversity, significant and representative fish and fish spawning ground and migration path. • The Indian Sundarban, also a UNESCO world heritage site, is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Ramsar website points out that the Indian Sundarban is also home to a large number of “rare and globally threatened species, such as the critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagurbaska), the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaellabrevirostris), and the vulnerable fishing cat (Prionailurusviverrinus).” • Two of the world’s four horseshoe crab species, and eight of India’s 12 species of kingfisher are also found here. Recent studies claim that the Indian Sundarban is home to 2,626 faunal species and 90% of the country’s mangrove varieties.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019

Context:

India and four rhino range nations have signed a declaration ‘The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’ for the conservation and protection of the species at the recently held Second Asian Rhino Range Countries meeting.

2nd Asian Rhino Range Countries meeting was held at New Delhi and organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Government of India in collaboration with the IUCN Asian Rhino Specialist Group, WWF- India and Aaranyak.

Key facts: • India will collaborate with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to increase the population of three species of Asian rhinos, including the Greater one-horned rhinoceros found in the Indian sub-continent. • The declaration was signed to conserve and review the population of the Greater one- horned, Javan and Sumatran rhinos every four years to reassess the need for joint actions to secure their future.

Key facts: • The greater one-horned rhinoceros is the largest of the three Asian rhinos and, together with African white rhinos, is the largest of all rhino species. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. With at least half of the total population, India’s Kaziranga National Park remains the key reserve for this species. • Two species of rhino in Asia—Javan and Sumatran—are critically endangered. National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) • National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has cleared 99.82 % of total projects that came up for scrutiny. Only five projects are rejected since 2014. • From 2009 to 2013, NBWL cleared appro. 80% of total projects. • The environment ministry has delegated all powers of the NBWL to a compliant Standing Committee which regularly meets and clears projects in Protected Areas with little due diligence. • These increased clearances are due to streamlined processes. There are regular meeting of NBWL and filling applications have largely gone online. Problematic projects are now usually dealt with at the level of State and what ultimately comes to NBWL is one that has already passed scrutiny.

About National Board for Wildlife:. • There is a standing committee of the board which approves all the projects falling within protected wildlife areas or within 10 km of them; but notably, law does not specify the formation of the standing committee. The rules under the wildlife law allow the board to take decisions with half the members but are silent about the standing committee.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Functions & Importance • Primary function of the Board is to promote the conservation and development of wildlife and forests. It has power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries. No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without approval of the NBWL. • Some of the major cases pending before the board include the coal blocks in and around central Indian tiger reserves such as Pench and Tadoba, Hydroelectric projects in Northeast India, Highway and road projects through several wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, Iron ore mining in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in elephant areas. In all, there are around 200 projects pending for approval for clearance from the Board. 10 years since St Petersburg Declaration • In the 2010 St. Petersburg Declaration, the countries agreed to a Global Tiger Recovery Program which focussed on doubling the number of tigers. However, as the discussions at the 3rd Stocktaking Conference on the Global Tiger Recovery Program recently held in New Delhi showed, the world is far away from doubling its tiger population. • The tiger range countries that are part of the Global Tiger Recovery Program are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, China and Indonesia were not present at the conference. • Countries like India, Nepal and Russia have shown that tiger recovery is possible, despite challenges in poaching, funding and sustaining community livelihoods, which can be overcome with strong political commitment.

About St. Petersburg Declaration: • The International Tiger Day was founded in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit. The summit had issued St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation with an aim to double the big cat population by 2022. • The tiger is the largest of the world’s big cats with its distinctive orange and black stripes and beautifully marked face. • It is has been founded that in the last century 97% of all wild tigers had disappeared, with only around 3,000 left alive. • Tigers are on the brink of extinction. Many factors have caused their numbers to fall, including habitat loss, hunting and poaching, climate change Nagarjuna Sagar – Srisailam Tiger Reserve:

Context-As per recent survey ,the number of tigers in the NagarjunasagarSrisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh has gone up, reversing the steady decline in the number of the endangered species over a period. • The fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE), which showed an increase of six in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the TCF has drawn up an action plan to double its efforts to facilitate proliferation of the big cats in the largest tiger reserve in the country.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • In 2006, 95 tigers were found in unified Andhra Pradesh. The number declined to 72 in 2010 and 68 in 2014. • The maiden AITE survey conducted in Andhra Pradesh after bifurcation using camera traps, unlike the conventional method of recording pug marks, showed that the State had 48 tigers, Telangana 26, registering an increase of six, sources in the Project Tiger

Tiger conservation foundation (TCF) • After Constitution of the National Tiger Conservation Authority with effect from 4.09.2006, for strengthening tiger conservation by, interalia, ensuring normative standards in tiger reserve management, preparation of reserve specific tiger conservation plan, laying down annual audit report before Parliament, constituting State level Steering Committees under the Chairmanship of Chief Ministers and establishment of Tiger Conservation Foundation. • Provision made for the States to establish a Tiger Conservation Foundation, based on the good practices emanating from some tiger reserves. The proposed Foundation is a Trust, which would be constituted as per the appropriate statutory provisions in vogue in the State. • It will have administrative autonomy as delegated by the State Government for fund generation to foster eco-tourism, eco-development and related activities involving the local people.

Efforts by TCF • The TCF has decided to hike the Environment Maintenance Charge (EMC) and use the funds for anti-poaching activities, which included development of an intelligence network and reforestation of the degraded patches in the Nallamala forests. • Accordingly, ?50 each would be collected from the owners of each light vehicle as against ?20 earlier, and ?100 as against ?50 from each heavy vehicle passing through the check-posts.

About Nagarjuna Sagar – Srisailam Tiger Reserve: • The Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, which is spread over Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar is the largest Tiger reserve in the country. • The Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Sanctuary was declared officially in the year 1978 and has been recognized by the Project Tiger in the year 1983. • This Reserve has been renamed as the Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in the year 1992. The reserve is known for its breath taking scenic beauty. • Situated in the deciduous Nallamala forests. • The mighty River Krishna which rising in Sahyadri Hills and makes its way through Maharashtra and Karnataka flows across Nallamala tiger reserve. • The multipurpose reservoirs, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar, are located in the reserve. The area consists mostly of the NallamalaHills.. • It is home to a dazzling array of wild animals. In addition to the Bengal Tiger, which is the apex predator, many other species like leopard, rusty-spotted cat, sloth bear, wild

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS dog, pangolin, mouse deer, Chausingha, Mugger Crocodiles, Indian Rock Python, and innumerable varieties of birds are found here. Bengal tree frog

Context-Visibly elusive’ Bengal tree frog gets recorded as new species. • The new species has been named Brown Blotched Bengal Tree Frog (Polypedatesbengalensis). • This frog is a classic case of an amphibian being elusive while in plain human sight for ages. • Specimens of this frog were not discovered from deep jungles but from residential areas in two districts of West Bengal Global Assessment study on Biodiversity and Ecosystem The report released by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). • Up to one million of estimated eight million plant, insect and animal species on earth is at risk of extinction, with many within decades. • Up to 40% of amphibian species and more than a third (33%) of all marine mammals are threatened.

About IPBES • It was founded by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 21 April 2012. • It is headquartered in Bonn, Germany. • It is a global scientific body similar in composition and functioning of IPCC.

Asiatic Lion Conservation Project • Aim to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion and its associated ecosystem. • Launched by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India • It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme- Development of Wildlife Habitat (CSS-DWH) with the contributing ratio being 60:40 of Central and State share. • Asiatic Lion Conservation Project would use modern information and communication technology for conservation and protection efforts of the Great Gir Region, including GPS-based animal and vehicle tracking, automated sensor grid with movement sensors, night vision capability and real-time monitoring and report generation. • The project will also have a dedicated veterinary institute, “lion ambulances”, and back-up stocks of vaccines that may be required. Gujarat has envisaged a ‘Greater Gir’ that includes, other than the existing Gir National Park, sanctuaries in Girnar, Pania and Mitiyala. The conservation project also includes “habitat improvement” measures, making more sources of water available, creating a wildlife crime cell, and a task force for the Greater Gir region.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Stock Taking Conference on Tiger Conservation • The 3rd Stock Taking Conference on Tiger Conservation was recently inaugurated in New Delhi. Third in a series of Stock Taking Conferences, this is the second to be held in India after 2012. • The Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) is an International, Intergovernmental Organization for conserving tigers in the world. • It seeks to empower Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) to address the entire spectrum of threats, domestic as well as those that are transboundary in nature, and work toward increased financial sustainability through the integration of conservation objectives into development. • 13 Tiger range States—Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The conference is being hosted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in close collaboration with the Global Tiger Forum which is an International, Intergovernmental Organization for conserving tigers in the world. GTRP has been developed with the shared goal of doubling the number of wild tigers globally by 2022 for: • To effectively manage, preserve, protect, and enhance tiger habitats. • To eradicate poaching, smuggling, and illegal trade of tigers, their parts, and derivatives. • To cooperate in transboundary landscape management and in combating illegal trade. • To engage with indigenous and local communities. • To increase the effectiveness of tiger and habitat management. • Restore tigers to their former range. Bandipur Tiger Reserve • It spread over nearly 912 sq km, is located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, constitutes an important component of a forest landscape comprising Nagarahole (Karnataka), Mudumalai and Sathyamangalam (Tamil Nadu) and Wayanad (Kerala). • It comprise of large population of Tiger and Elephants, also covered under Project Tiger. • It part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the first Biosphere Reserve in the country. Green – Ag: Transforming Indian Agriculture project" The Government has launched the “Green – Ag: Transforming Indian Agriculture for global environmental benefits and the conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes” in association with Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project would be implemented in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in high-conservation-value landscapes of five States namely, (i) Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape, (ii) Mizoram: Dampa Landscape, (iii) Odisha: Similipal Landscape, (iv) Rajasthan: Desert National Park Landscape and v) Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS The Green-Ag project seeks to integrate biodiversity, climate change and sustainable land management objectives and practices into Indian agriculture.The project aims to catalyze a transformative change of India’s agricultural sector to support the achievement of national and global environmental benefits and conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes.The Green-Ag project seeks to integrate biodiversity, climate change and sustainable land management objectives and practices into Indian agriculture.The project aims to catalyze a transformative change of India’s agricultural sector to support the achievement of national and global environmental benefits and conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes. The Global Environment Facility was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.It is an international partnership of 183 countries, international institutions, civil society organizations and the private sector that addresses global environmental issues.GEF funds are available to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and agreements. The World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee, administering the GEF Trust Fund. Fire coral fungi

Context-Deadly Poison Fire Coral Fungi Found In Australia For The First Time

About • The poison fire coral, which has a red appearance, was previously thought to be native to Japan and Korea. • The poison fire coral could cause “a horrifying array of symptoms” if eaten, including stomach pain, vomiting and fever. Eventually it can cause death by multiple organ failure or brain nerve dysfunction.Even touching the fungus can cause inflammation and dermatitis • In some recorded cases of fatalities in Japan and South Korea, people had brewed tea from poison fire coral after confusing it with an edible fungus used in traditional medicine. • Of the hundred or so toxic mushrooms that are known to researchers, this is the only one in which the toxins can be absorbed through the skin. • Typically found on tree roots and in the soil.

20th Nagaland Hornbill Festival The year 2019 celebrates the 20th edition of Hornbill Festival and the festival this year coincides with Nagaland Statehood Day. • Hornbill festival is also known as ‘Festival of Festivals’ and is named after hornbill bird. This festival symbolises ‘Respect and ‘Folklore’ among Nagas. • The festival is an annual tourism promotional event to showcase north eastern state’s traditional and rich cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity and grandeur.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Sumatran Rhinos The Sumatran Rhinos are the smallest of the five extant rhino species in the world. • The other rhino species include Black Rhinos, White Rhinos, Greater on-horned Rhinos and Javan Rhinos. • In India the Sumatran Rhinos occurred in parts of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Chittagong hills in the 19th century. • The last Sumatran Rhino of India was killed in 1967. The species is now extinct in India. • IUCN Status: The International Union of Conservation of Nature Red List has put the Sumatran Rhinos in the Critically Endangered category.

Sumatran Rhino Rescue • The Sumatran Rhino Rescue is an international project that intends to save the species. • It is being implemented by the World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic Society, Global Wildlife Conservation, International Rhino Foundation and the IUCN Commission. The last surviving Sumatran Rhino in Malaysia, Iman, died in Borneo Rhino Sanctuary. Ganges Dolphin The Ganges Dolphins are one of the oldest creatures as that of crocodiles, sharks and turtles. They were first discovered in 1801. • During its early days of discovery, the species lived in the Ganges – Brahmaputra – Meghna and Karnaphuli – Sangu river systems in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. However, it is extinct from most of its distribution ranges. • These dolphins can live only in freshwater. They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds. The rays bounce off fish and other prey that enables them to see an image in their mind. • They dwell alone and also in groups. But the mother and calf always travel together. Female dolphins are larger than the males and they give birth once in 2 to 3 years. • It was declared the National Aquatic animal in 2009. • The Ganges River Dolphins are placed under “Endangered Category” in the IUCN Red List. The annual Ganges river Dolphin census is been conducted by the World Wide Fund in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. The census is undertaken along the 250 km stretch of Upper Ganga between the Hastinapur Wild life sanctuary and Narora Ramsar site PangioBhujia: New eel-loach species Researchers from Kerala have discovered new species of eel-loach named ‘Pangiobhujia’ in Kozhikode district of state. • It is unique species of miniature well-dwelling subterranean fish. It is the first species of eel-loach in the world that has been discovered to be living in subterranean environments.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • Eel-loaches are generally found in fast-flowing streams in the south and the south-east Asia. • It has been named ‘Pangiobhujia’, due to its resemblance to the North Indian snack, bhujia. It belongs to genus Pangio.

Unique characters: • It resides in purest waters of deep subterranean aquifers. It has several unique characters including absence of dorsal fin, which has never been encountered in genus Pangio to which this new species belongs to. • It is also unique among order Cypriniformes (an order of ray-finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches, and relatives) and highly unusual even among teleost or bony fishes generally. Bandipur Tiger reserve • Bandipur Tiger reserve was established in 1974 as one of the first 9 Tiger Reserves under Project Tiger. In 1985, by including adjacent areas, it was enlarged and named as Bandipur National Park. • Tiger Reserve is situated in two contiguous districts (Mysore and Chamarajanagar) of Karnataka. It is located at the tri-junction area of the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve is surrounded by - 1. Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) in the North West (Kabini Reservoir separates the two) 2. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) in the South and 3. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the South West. Together these 4 areas are part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The park is situated between Kabiniriverin the north and the Moyar river in the south. The Nugu river runs through the park. Kerala’s Wayanad district has witnessed a series of protests against a ban on night traffic on the forest stretch of NH 766, a key highway between Karnataka and Kerala that passes through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. Wildlife Week India, 2019 • The Wildlife Week is celebrated all over the country every year between 2nd October and 8th October. The aim is to preserve animal life in India. • Theme 2019: Life Below Water: For people and planet • The week was first celebrated in 1972. The event is organized by National Board of Wildlife since its establishment in 1972. • The Government of India has already declared Eco – sensitive zones like Sanctuaries, Biosphere reserves and Nationals parks to prohibit human activities.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Great Indian Bustard Great Indian bustard, (Ardeotisnigriceps), large bird of the bustard family (Otididae), one of the heaviest flying birds in the world. • The great Indian bustard inhabits dry grasslands and scrublands on the Indian subcontinent; its largest populations are found in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

It is Listed in- • Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972, • Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or Bonn Convention • Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) • IUCN Red List- as Critically Endangered • National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) It has also been identified as one of the species for recovery programme under Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC). A National Green Tribunal (NGT) Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has directed Central government to prepare a time-bound action plan within two months for protection of Great Indian Bustard. Two new species of eels discovered Recently, two new species of Marine Eels have been discovered by Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (EBRC) of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). • One of them, a short brown un-patterned Moray Eel, named Gymnothoraxandamanensesis, is found near the south Andaman coast. • 10 species of short brown unpatterned moray eels have been discovered in the world, out of which two were found in Indian waters. • Another is a new white-spotted Moray Eel, now named Gymnothoraxsmithi. • Moray Eels • Moray Eels occur in all tropical and subtropical seas, they live in shallow water among reefs and rocks. • They are known for two types of jaws: one is regular (oral) jaws with big teeth and the second jaw is called the pharyngeal jaw (which drags prey inside the eels stomach). • There IUCN red list status is Least Concern. • Morays are opportunistic,carnivorous predators and feed primarily on smaller fish, octopuses, squid, cuttlefish and crustaceans. • Groupers, barracudas and sea snakes are among their few known predators, making many morays (especially the larger species) apex predators in their ecosystems. • The moray eel can be found in both freshwater habitats and saltwater habitats. The vast majority of species are strictly marine, never entering freshwater. Of the few species known to live in freshwater

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Peacock Parachute Spider It belongs to the genus Poecilotheria. It is commonly known as Peacock Parachute Spider or Gooty Tarantula. It is endemic to India. • It was sighted for first time way back in 1899 by Reginald Innes Pocock on the basis of a single female specimen in Gooty. It is considered as biological pest controller. • There is huge demand for tarantulas by collectors in the pet trade. There is an urgent need to protect them. • The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorised it as Critically Endangered. Recently, it was spotted in a cave in Pakkamalai Reserve Forests (in Eastern Ghats) near Gingee in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu. Five new Fish species discovered A fisheries and aquatic ecology research team from zoology department of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) discovered 5 species of fish from various districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Newly-Discovered Fish Species 1. Mystusprabini– found in Sinkin and Dibang rivers in Lower Dibang Valley district 2. Exostomakottelati– found in Ranga river in Lower Subansiri district 3. Creteuchiloglanistawangensis– found in Tawangchu river in Tawang district 4. Garraranganensis– found in Ranga river 5. Physoschisturaharkishorei– found in Dibang and Lohit rivers in Lower Dibang Valley district Majority of water bodies in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh are still not easily accessible to researchers due to a difficult terrain which includes rain forests, steep hills besides communication problems. Two new species of Freshwater Fish found Scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered 2 new species of freshwater fish from north-eastern and northern parts of country. • Glyptothoraxgopii was discovered from Mizoram’s Champai district near India- Myanmar border. It is a new species of catfish found in Kaladan river of Mizoram. • Garrasimbalbaraensis has been found from Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmour district. It was found in Simbalbara river of Himachal Pradesh. It takes its name from Simbalbara River. As per the experts, origin or evolution of fishes in Himalayas and north-eastern parts of India is probably the consequence or after-effects of orogenic events or geological movement at various stages in Himalayas’ uplift. Thailand's 'sweetheart' dugong dies with plastic in stomach An orphaned dugong named Marium, who became an internet star after being rescued in Thailand in April, has died. Veterinarians caring for the dugong off the island of Koh Libong,

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS in south Thailand’s Trang province, said an infection caused by ingesting plastic contributed to her death

Dugong (Sea cow or angel of the sea) • Vulnerable — IUCN • Strictly marine herbivorous mammal • Largely dependent on sea grass communities for subsistence and is thus restricted to the coastal habitats which support sea grass meadows

Habitat • Coastal areas, shallow to medium deep, warm waters with sea grass beds

India • Fourteen sea grasses species are found in marine waters in country of which 13 are in gulf of mannar and palk bay areas • It is listed in schedule I of wildlife protection act

Threats • Incidental capture in fishing gear, shark nets for bather protection • Hunting: legal (i.e. culturally sanctioned) and illegal • Boat strikes and boating activities (e.g. acoustic pollution) • Damage/modification/loss of habitat caused by human settlement on coasts, shipping, trawling destructive fishing, natural processes (e.g. cyclones and tsunamis) • Threats to sea grass (including untreated sewage disposal, coastal dredging and reclamation, inshore commercial trawling, agricultural pollution) • Chemical pollution (e.g. oil spills and heavy metal loads) • Climate change (extreme weather events and high temperatures) Human-sized penguin fossil discovered in New Zealand At 1.6 metres and 80kg (12st), the new species, Crossvalliawaiparensis, was four times as heavy and 40cm taller than the emperor penguin, the largest living penguin Enormous penguins are believed to have rapidly evolved in the Palaeocene epoch – between 66 and 56m years ago – after the dinosaurs disappeared and large marine reptiles also vanished from southern hemisphere waters that were much warmer than today

Penguin habitat distribution • Penguins ?are flightless marine birds that live only in the Southern Hemisphere. The majority of the 18 species live not in Antarctica but rather between latitudes 45° and 60° S, where they breed on islands. A few penguins inhabit temperate regions, and one, the Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), lives at the Equator.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) • It is an International agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. • It restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals, such as food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs. • It was signed on March 3, 1973. Its secretariat is at Geneva (Switzerland). • It is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). • CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt their own domestic legislation to implement its goals. India with aims to boost the protection of five animal species as they are facing a high risk of international trade. It has submitted proposals regarding changes to the listing of various wildlife species in the CITES secretariat meeting, scheduled later this month in Geneva, Switzerland. • The proposals submitted are regarding changes in the listing of the smooth-coated otter, small-clawed otter, Indian star tortoise, Tokay gecko, wedgefish and Indian rosewood. Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroathais) declared as state butterfly • Tamil Nadu has officially declared Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroathais) as the state butterfly. • Its scientific name is Cirrochroathais. It is locally known as Tamil Maravan, which means ‘Tamilian Warrior’. It belongs to the family of brush-footed butterflies or the Nymphalid. • It is endemic to Western Ghats. It is mostly found in moist deciduous, evergreen forests and along water streams. • This southern state has total of 32 species of butterflies endemic to the state Butterflies are great bio-indicators of ecosystem as they are highly sensitive to environmental conditions such as sunlight, temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns. Their presence, patterns and migration assist in mapping climatic health of region. They are most studied insect group across the world. All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 It is 4th such tiger survey since 2006. It is a gargantuan exercise and is conducted once in 4 years. Latest survey is culmination of 15 months (1.3 year) of forest officials surveying 3,81,400 sq-km of forested habitat. • Top 5 Performing States: Madhya Pradesh saw highest number at 526, followed by Karnataka (524), Uttarakhand (442), Maharashtra (312) and Tamil Nadu (264). • States that saw Decline in Tiger Population: Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. While all other States saw a Positive increase. • Highest Number of Tigers: found in Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • Maximum Improvement in Tiger Population since 2014: recoded in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil • 4th cycle of the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves (MEETR), which evaluates India’s 50 tiger sanctuaries was also released along with 4th National Tiger Estimation (Tiger census). According to it- • Pench sanctuary (MP) and Periyar sanctuary of Kerala emerged as best managed tiger reserves in country. Scaly-Foot Snail Scaly-foot snail (or Chrysomallonsquamiferum) is otherwise known as Sea Pangolin. It has become the 1st marine species to be assessed as officially endangered due to potential threat of deep sea mining. • It is found at 3 hydrothermal vents in Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. • It was recently added by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to its updated Red List of Endangered Species. A hydrothermal vent is a fissure on seafloor from which geothermally heated water issues and when this happens, hot water mixes with cold seawater thus depositing minerals such as copper and manganese on ocean floor. Tamil yeoman: Tamil Nadu’s State Butterfly • Butterfly species Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroathais) has been officially declared as state butterfly of Tamil Nadu. • It is also known as TamizhMaravan (which means warrior). • This butterfly species is endemic to Western Ghats. It is among 32 butterfly species found in Western Ghats but mainly in the hilly areas. New species of ‘Paddy Frog’ discovered The newly discovered species has been named Aishani, which is derived from Sanskrit word ‘aishani’ or aisani meaning Northeast. • The frog belongs to genusMicryletta, (a small genus of microhylid frogs). The microhylid genus is a group of narrow-mouthed frogs that are more commonly known as paddy frogs and are primarily and widely distributed in Southeast Asia (SEA). • Micrylettaaishani is currently endemic to Northeast India but it could be present in neighbouring regions of Bangladesh and Myanmar also. New wasp species identified in Goa • The wasp is dubbed as Kudakrumiarangnekari. It has been named after Parag Rangnekar, a Goa-based researcher. • The new Wasp species was collected in the Western Ghats forests from Cotigao Wildlife sanctuary (located in South Goa district). • Wasps are proficient at controlling pest populations and thus are deployed to protect crops. For instance in Brazil, farmers control sugarcane crop borers with a kind of parasitic wasp.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS White-throated rail New research has found that it had once gone extinct, but rose from the dead thanks to a rare process called “iterative evolution”. • Iterative evolution means the repeated evolution of similar or parallel structures from the same ancestor but at different times. • It is the only flightless bird known in the Indian Ocean area. It is a chicken-sized bird, indigenous to Madagascar. Migrating to Aldabra, the rails evolved so that they lost the ability to fly. Ongole Cattle Breed The breed derives its name from the name of a place called ‘Ongole’, which occupies a small area between Gundlakamma and Musi rivers in Andhra Pradesh • It is also nicknamed as ‘Nelore cattle’ as Ongole was once part of the Nellore area. • Ongole cattle are indigenous to Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh in India. • They are known for their toughness, high milk yield, rapid growth rate, tolerance to tropical heat and natural resistance to both foot and mouth diseases. The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu called for protecting and promoting the indigenous Ongole cattle breed DNA Database of India Rhino The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has undertaken a project to create DNA Profiles of all rhinos present in India. • The project which would formally be underway by end of 2019 is set to be completed by 2021 (project’s deadline). • Indian rhino could become India’s first wild animal species to have all its members DNA-sequenced. • The database so collected will be hosted in Wildlife Institute of India (WII) headquarters in Dehradun. • In India, there are about 2,600 rhinos and more than 90% of Indian Rhino population is concentrated in Kaziranga National Park, Assam. New Viper species Discovered in Arunachal Pradesh A team of herpetologists (specialized in study of reptiles and amphibians) have discovered a more advanced new species of reddish-brown pit viper from Arunachal Pradesh. • Scientific Name Trimeresurusarunachalensis, this discovery of new species makes Arunachal Pradesh only Indian state to have a pit viper named after it. • With this, India is now home to fifth brown pit viper. The other four brown pit vipers are Hump-Nosed, Horseshoe, Malabar, and Himalayan who were discovered about 70 years ago. Grizzled Giant Squirrel For the first time more than 300 nests of Grizzled Giant Squirrel were sighted by researchers at Pakkamalai Reserve Forests near Gingee (in Eastern Ghats) in Tamil Nadu.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS • It is a large tree squirrel in genus Ratufa (Scientific name is ‘Ratufa macroura’). • It is an agile climber and is almost entirely an arboreal, very rarely coming to ground to escape from predators. It is smallest of all the giant squirrels found in Indian subcontinent, • In India it is found in patches of riparian forest along Kaveri River and in hill forests of southern states-Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is also found in Sri Lanka • It is generally known to nest in foothills of Western Ghats ranging from Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala to Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Palani hills in Tamil Nadu and in couple of areas in Eastern Ghats. • In 1988, The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary located in Tamil Nadu was established to protect vulnerable grizzled giant squirrel. • It is characterized by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as Near Threatened Purple frog as Kerala’s state amphibian Kerala govt. plans to designate Purple frog Kerala’s state amphibian. The odd-looking species is endemic to Western Ghats. The title would help in protecting species fragile habitat. • Scientific Name: Nasikabatrachussahyadrensis (N. sahyadrensis). • It is also known as Maveli frog or Pignose Frog. • Their conservation status is endangered as per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Great Indian Bustard Rajasthan state forest department submitted report to National Green Tribunal (NGT) regarding the status of the bird in the Jaisalmer area of the Desert National Park in Thar. • A petition filed by the Centre for Wildlife and Environment Litigation (CWEL) stating that windpower projects and transmission lines were proving to be a major hazard for the survival of the endangered species in the desert area • Most of the wind power projects are located in the natural habitat of the GIB in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Due to their weight, GIBs cannot fly at a high altitude. As a result, they caught in power lines. • Great Indian Bustard is a designated as Critically Endangered by IUCN. Hump-backed Mahseer listed as Critically Endangered International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed Hump-backed Mahseer as Critically Endangered in the Red List of Threatened Species. The Hump-backed Mahseer is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish and is referred to as tiger of the water. The Hump-backed Mahseer is found only in the Cauvery river basin including Pambar, Kabini and Bhavani rivers. There are about 16 species of mahseer in India. It is mainly found in three Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka across the River Cauvery.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Great Hornbill categorised as “Vulnerable” now Great hornbill which was earlier categorised as “Near Threatened”. It is now “Vulnerable” due to high hunting pressure coupled with habitat loss and deforestation. The wreathed hornbill has moved from “Least Concern” to “Vulnerable” by IUCN. Vulnerable (VU) species is a species which has been categorised by the IUCN as likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve. It is therefore considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The great hornbill also known as the great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals. Hornbill Festival is one of the most cherished festivals of Nagaland Otter Census in Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh is taking a census of otters in its protected areas. The census has begun in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR). Otters live on fish and spend much of its time in or close to water bodies. A thriving population of otters means a healthy ecosystem. India is home to 3 of the 13 species of otters found worldwide. These are : • Eurasian Otter (Lutralutra) – IUCN status: Near Threatened. • Smooth-coated Otter (Lutraperspicillata) – IUCN status: Vulnerable. • Small-clawed Otter (Aonyxcinereus) – IUCN status: Vulnerable. New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019 India will collaborate with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to increase the population of three species of Asian Rhinos namely Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Javan rhino, and Sumatran rhino. • The declaration was signed by India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia for the conservation and protection of the species at the Second Asian Rhino Range Countries Meet. • It was organised by the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry in collaboration with IUCN Asian Rhino Specialist Group, WWF- India and Aaranyak. • The declaration aims at strengthening trans-boundary collaboration between member countries for sharing actionable information on rhino crime, research on various habitat parameters, engagement of the local communities as stewards to secure the future of rhinos in range countries. Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change re-affirmed India’s commitment towards rhino conservation in India and added that national strategy will further pave the path for long term conservation of the Greater One-Horned Rhinos in India.

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Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS Asiatic Lion Conservation Project • Aim to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion and its associated ecosystem. • Launched by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India • It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme- Development of Wildlife Habitat (CSS-DWH) with the contributing ratio being 60:40 of Central and State share. • Asiatic Lion Conservation Project would use modern information and communication technology for conservation and protection efforts of the Great Gir Region, including GPS-based animal and vehicle tracking, automated sensor grid with movement sensors, night vision capability and real-time monitoring and report generation. The project will also have a dedicated veterinary institute, “lion ambulances”, and back-up stocks of vaccines that may be required. Gujarat has envisaged a ‘Greater Gir’ that includes, other than the existing Gir National Park, sanctuaries in Girnar, Pania and Mitiyala. The conservation project also includes “habitat improvement” measures, making more sources of water available, creating a wildlife crime cell, and a task force for the Greater Gir region. Great Indian Bustard is the Mascot for COP-13 on Migratory Species The Union Government has announced the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) as the mascot for the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on the conservation of migratory species (CMS) to be held in Gujarat in 2020. • The mascot for the event, Great Indian Bustard has been fondly named as ‘Gibi’.

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) • CMS is an international treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is also known as the Bonn Convention. CMS aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. • CMS is only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization established exclusively for conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range. • The convention provides a global platform for deliberations on the conservation and sustainable use of migratory wild animals and their habitat. PakkePaga Hornbill Festival • The government of Arunachal Pradesh on January 20 declared the PakkePaga Hornbill Festival (PPHF)–the state’s only conservation festival, as a “state festival”. • Objective—to recognise the role played by the resident Nyishi tribe in conserving hornbills in the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR), to devise alternative sources of income for a region that relies on hunting and logging, and to tell the rest of the country about the wonders of the PTR and its surrounding areas.

Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh

Biodiversity | Abhimanu IAS

Corporate office: Dainik Bhaskar Building, 2nd Floor, Sector 25-D, Chandigarh