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CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYST WEEK- 4 (APRIL, 2020) CONTENTS Section - A: MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS Area of GS Topics in News Page No. BIODIVERSITY Tale of China’s Illegal Trade 04 Global Report on Food Crises 06 ECONOMY Migration Crisis 08 GOVERNANCE Pandemic & Panchayat 11 POLITY No rhyme or reason for 100% reservation: SC 14 Section - B: PRELIMS CURRENT AFFAIRS Area of GS Topics in News Page No. BIODIVERSITY Trimeresurus Salazar 17 CULTURE National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) 17 COVID-19 Rural Poor Stimulus Facility 19 Extant Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy 20 New Development Bank 21 ECONOMY Special Drawing Rights 22 White Paper to strategize revival of post-COVID 19 23 Indian Economy ENVIRONMENT Protection of indigenous Amazonians 24 Snow Leapord 25 GEOGRAPHY World Freedom Index 2020 26 HEALTH Classical Swine Fever 27 Remembering Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar HISTORY 28 massacre Artifi cial Neural Networks based global Ionospheric 29 Model SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Discovery of Li-rich Giant Stars 31 Feluda 32 Topics in News Page No. Cabinet approves fi xation of Nutrient Based Subsidy rates for Phosphatic & 35 Potassic fertilizers Department of Posts to deliver essential items anywhere in the country in its 35 new initiative Google Doodle honours Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau on his 218th 35 birthday Health Ministry asks everybody to take a pledge to beat malaria on World 36 Malaria Day HRD Minister launches VidyaDaan 2.0 for inviting e-learning content 36 contributions India’s fi rst Mobile Virology Diagnostics and Research Laboratory inaugurated 37 in Hyderabad President gives assent to promulgation of Ordinance to amend Epidemic 37 Disease Act, 1897 SpaceX launches Falcon 9 loaded with Israel’s AMOS-17 37 Swamitva scheme launched in pilot mode in 6 states 38 TDB approves fi nancial support to MyLab Discovery Solutions for ramping up 38 production of COVID-19 diagnostic kits Tourism Ministry to organize a series of Webinars on overall theme of ‘Dekho 38 Apna Desh’ UAE to participate in celebrating World Immunisation Week 39 ********** SECTION: A (MAINS) CURRENT AFFAIRS CURRENT AFFAIRS WEEK - 4 (APRIL, 2020) WEEKLY TALE OF CHINA’S ILLEGAL TRADE CONTEXT China recently started a process to classify a step to rein in animals and birds from illegal trading in wildlife. However, experts are raising concerns over China’s measures to prevent illegal wildlife trade. BACKGROUND: reaping a deadly harvest in the pursuit of profi ts. China, the most populous country in the world has India’s story: drawn cri� cism from several quarters over its handling India is only 2.4 per cent of world’s land area, but of wet animal markets a� er the outbreak of the novel contributes about 8 per cent of known global wildlife, coronavirus disease (COVID-19). including over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 The epicentre of COVID-19 was in the Chinese city species of animals. of Wuhan, an important hub in the lucra� ve trade in The illegal trade in wildlife is driving species all over the wildlife – both legal and illegal. globe to the brink of ex� nc� on. In India, the trade is The outbreak is believed to have originated in a expanding rapidly, driven by demand for rare species— market in which a variety of animal-derived products headed for the pet market—as well as for species and meats are widely available, including peacocks, believed to have medicinal proper� es. porcupines, bats and rats. The main consumer markets are China and South It’s also a market where regulatory and welfare East Asia, but wildlife—alive or as body parts—is also standards are rudimentary at best. smuggled to the Gulf, Europe and Northern America. The China’s government recently (April 8) circulated Beyond India, the main transit countries are Nepal, a list of animals that could be traded legally, seeking Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. comments from the public. The public can send in their comments to the ministry un� l May 8. Legal and policy framework to regulate and restrict the wildlife trade: The list — � tled ‘Na� onal Catalogue of Livestock and Poultry Gene� c Resources’ — was created based on Current laws prohibit trade in over 1,800 species the decisions taken during a mee� ng of the Standing of wild animals, plants, and their derivatives Commi� ee of the Na� onal People’s Congress. under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It was dra� ed for “elimina� ng the bad habit of excessive The Indian Penal Code (IPC) and The ea� ng of wildlife and eff ec� vely safeguarding the lives Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and health of the public”. empower authorities to penalize and jail those who harm wildlife. ANALYSIS: Illegal wildlife trade’s role in deadly diseases: What is illegal wildlife trade? Domes� cated animals like ca� le, sheep, dogs and goats Trade becomes illegal when it contravenes shared the highest number of viruses with humans, environmental regula� ons such as government with eight � mes more animal-borne viruses than wild legisla� on and interna� onal agreements put in place mammal species. to prevent over-exploita� on. COVID-19, the disease caused by the Though it is to be noted that even legal trade can coronavirus, likely jumped from bats to endangered be ecologically unsustainable, and regula� ons are pangolins and then to humans at a wildlife market for regularly changed to protect wildlife endangered by a bushmeat in Wuhan, China. sudden spike in demand. Three-quarters of new human diseases, such as SARS, Today’s interconnected world was built on interna� onal Ebola and HIV, come from animals. trade, but not all of it is legal. These are known as zoono� c diseases and wildlife Every year, up to $23 billion worth of elephant tusks, traffi cking plays a key role in their transmission rhino horns, � ger bones, bear bile and other wildlife from animals to humans. by-products illicitly change hands, according to UN Zoono� c diseases are responsible for over 2 billion . es� mates cases of human illness and over 2 million human Poachers, traffi ckers and highly-organized criminal deaths each year, including from Ebola, Mers, HIV, gangs decimate already endangered wildlife species, bovine tuberculosis, rabies, and leptospirosis. 4 www.iasscore.in CURRENT AFFAIRS WEEKLY WEEK - 4 (APRIL, 2020) Wildlife traffi cking has also led to the drama� c decline seabirds get caught. Incidental killing cause damage of many species, including rhinos, elephants and and death to a variety of animals besides the intended pangolins. ones. How this trade is growing at a higher Infec� ous disease: Human encroachment into biodiverse areas increases the risk of spillover of novel rate? infec� ous diseases by enabling new contacts between Despite concerted eff orts, illegal wildlife trade has humans and wildlife. escalated drama� cally over the last decade. Regulation of wildlife trade: Human popula� on growth, increasing wealth and access to wildlife, and improved global transport links CITES: To address the problem, in 1973 the United have all played a part. Na� ons General Assembly signed the Conven� on on In parts of Asia where the tradi� on of wildlife Interna� onal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild consump� on is culturally embedded, demand for Fauna and Flora (CITES), aimed at stemming the par� cular high-value species has soared. illegal trade in wild animals and rare commodi� es. At the other end of the supply chain, rural poverty CITES is an interna� onal agreement between in the countries that harbour these species is driving governments. Its aim is to ensure that interna� onal desperate people to plunder their own natural trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does resources for scant reward. not threaten their survival. It is the intermediaries who pocket the lion’s share It was dra� ed as a result of a resolu� on adopted of the profi ts; the trade is so lucra� ve that organised in 1963 at a mee� ng of members of IUCN (The crime syndicates are now ac� vely involved in wildlife World Conserva� on Union). traffi cking. A State or regional economic integra� on organiza� on for which the Conven� on has entered Implication of wildlife traffi cking: into force is called a Party to CITES. Currently there Threat to species: Illegal wildlife trade has the are 183 Par� es. poten� al to be very damaging. Popula� ons of species India is a member to CITES. on earth declined by an average 40% between 1970 TRAFFIC: It is the wildlife trade monitoring and 2000 - and the second-biggest direct threat to network, is a joint program of WWF and IUCN species survival, a� er habitat destruc� on, is wildlife – the International Union for Conservation of trade. Nature. Overexploita� on: It can cause overexploita� on to Created in 1976, it works to ensure that trade the point where the survival of a species hangs in in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the the balance. Historically, such overexploita� on has conservation of nature. caused ex� nc� ons or severely threatened species and, as human popula� ons have expanded, demand World Wildlife Day: UN World Wildlife Day is held for wildlife has only increased.