“• Biogeographic realms are large spatial regions within
which ecosystems share a broadly similar biota.
Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• Realm is a continent or sub continent sized area with
unifying features of geography and fauna & flora.

• Eight terrestrial biogeographic realms are recognized.
1. Nearctic realm
2. Palearctic realm
3. Africotropical realm
4. Indo-Malayan realm
5. Ocenaia realm
6. Australian realm
7. Antarctic realm
8. Neotropical realm

• The Indian region is composed of two realms. They are:
1) the Himalayan region represented by Palearctic Realm
and
2) the rest of the sub-continent represented by Malayan
Realm
Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.”

“About Pangolin
IUCN status: Endangered
Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• India is home to two species of pangolin.
• While the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is found
in northeastern India, the Indian Pangolin is distributed in
other parts of the country as well as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
and Pakistan.
Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• Both these species are protected and are listed under the
Schedule I Part I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and
under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES).
Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• Commonly known as scaly anteaters, the toothless animals
are unique, a result of millions of years of evolution.
• Pangolins evolved scales as a means of protection. When
threatened by big carnivores like lions or tigers they usually
curl into a ball.
• The scales defend them against dental attacks from the
predators.

Pangolin in China
• Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam.
• Their scales which are made of keratin, the same protein
present in human nails are believed to improve lactation,
promote blood circulation, and remove blood stasis.
• These so-called health benefits are so far unproven.”

“• The campaign aims to codify commitments made via the
Climate Ambition Alliance (CAA), which launched ahead of
last years COP25 in Madrid.
• It encourages countries, companies, and other entities to
deliver structured net-zero greenhouse-gas emission pledges
by the time the talks begin.
• This messaging for the campaign carried out under the aegis
of the UNFCCC seeks to emphasise the potential for non-state
actors to raise climate ambition.
• The campaign refers to these as real economy actors, noting
they cover just over half the gross domestic product, a quarter
of global CO2 emissions and over 2.6 billion people.”

“• Hydrofluorocarbons are used as refrigerants, aerosol
propellants, solvents, and fire retardants. These chemicals
were developed as a replacement for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
because they do not deplete the stratospheric ozone
layer.
Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Unfortunately, HFCs are potent greenhouse gases with
long atmospheric lifetimes and high GWPs, and they are
released into the atmosphere through leaks, servicing,
and disposal of equipment in which they are used.
Hence, statement 2 is correct.”

“• Black carbon (BC) is a solid particle or aerosol, (though
not a gas) contributes to warming of the atmosphere.
• Black carbon, commonly known as soot, is a form of
particulate air pollutant, produced from incomplete
combustion. It consists of pure carbon in several linked
forms.
Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

Source
• biomass burning,
• cooking with solid fuels, and
• diesel exhaust,etc.

Life time
• Black carbon stays in the atmosphere for only several
days to weeks.
Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Thus the effects of BC on the atmospheric warming and
glacier retreat disappear within months of reducing
emissions.

Government Measures
• Project Surya has been launched to reduce black carbon
in atmosphere by introducing efficient stove technologies,
solar cookers, solar lamps and biogas plants.
Hence, statement 3 is correct.”

“• Blue Carbon refers to coastal, aquatic and marine carbon
sinks held by the indicative vegetation, marine organism
and sediments.
Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• In particular, coastal ecosystems such as tidal marshes,
mangroves, and seagrasses remove carbon from the
atmosphere and ocean, storing it in plants and depositing
it in the sediment below them by natural processes.
• These coastal ecosystems are very efficient at sequestering
and storing carbon – each square mile of these systems
can remove carbon from the atmosphere and
oceans at rates higher than each square mile of mature
tropical forests.
Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Furthermore, coastal ecosystems have been found to
store huge quantities of carbon in organic rich sediments
– up to 5 times more carbon than many temperate
and tropical forests.
• These ecosystems are found in all continents, except
Antarctica.”

“• Asian golden cat prefer forest habitats interspersed
with rocky areas, and are found in dry deciduous,
subtropical evergreen and tropical rainforests.
• In India it is distribution in assam& arunachal Pradesh.
Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• IUCN Status – near threatened.
Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.”

“• “Bioenergy is renewable energy derived from biological
sources, to be used for heat, electricity, or vehicle fuel.
Biofuels derived from plant materials is among the most
rapidly growing renewable energy technologies.”

Sources of Bio – Energy
• Existing Sources
– Leftover organic residue
– Leftover farm organic residue
– Leftover forest residue
– Leftover organic urban residue
– Algal residue
• New Sources
– Cultivation of short rotation energy crops
– Social forestry

Advantages of Bio – Energy
• Capital efficient
• High energy generation potential
• Significant carbon emission reduction potential
• Substantial employment and income generation potential
• Investments & benefits remain within the country
• Sizable economic value add to GDP
• Wasteland regeneration”

“• The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) allows a
country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation
commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B
Party) to implement an emission-reduction project in
developing countries.
• It is the first global, environmental investment and
credit scheme of its kind, providing standardized emissions
offset instrument, CERs.
• Such projects can earn saleable certified emission reduction
(CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of
CO2, which can be counted towards meeting Kyoto
targets.”

“• The Adaptation Fund was established to finance concrete
adaptation projects and programmes in developing
country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol that are
particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate
change.
Hence, stateement 1 is correct.
• The Adaptation Fund is financed from the share of proceeds
on the clean development mechanism project activities and
other sources of funding. The share of
proceeds amounts to 2% of certified emission reductions
(CERs) issued for a CDM project activity.
• The Adaptation Fund is supervised and managed by the
Adaptation Fund Board (AFB). The AFB is composed of
16 members and 16 alternates and meets at least twice
a year.
• Upon invitation from Parties, the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) provides secretariat services to the AFB
and the World Bank serves as trustee of the Adaptation
Fund, both on an interim basis.
Hence, stateement 2 is correct.”

“• The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage is
associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM).
• The mechanism, established as an interim body at COP 19 and
subsequently brought under the Paris Agreement, is charged with
developing approaches to help vulnerable countries cope with
unavoidable climate impacts, including extreme weather
events and slow-onset events such as sea-level rise.
• The recent review took place in 2019, and further reviews
will be conducted on a five-year cycle, which could align
with the global stocktakes.”

“Special Climate Change Fund (Sccf)
• It is a mechanism of United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) was established
under the Convention in 2001 to finance projects
relating to: adaptation; technology transfer and capacity
building; energy, transport, industry, agriculture,
forestry and waste management; and economic diversification.
• The Global Environment Facility (GEF), as an operating
entity of the financial mechanism, has been entrusted
to operate the SCCF.
Hence, statement 2 is correct.”

“Revolutions in Agriculture

Revolution : Related with
Green : Food grain Production
Golden : Fruit Production
Grey : Fertilizer Production
Blue : Fish Production
Black : Petroleum Production
Pink : Prawn Production
Round : Potato Production
Red : Meat/Tomato Production
Silver : Egg/Poultry Production
White : Milk Production
Yellow : Oil seeds Production”

“• Silviculture is the art of cultivating forest trees.
• Sericulture is the rearing of silkworms for the production
of raw silk.
• Apiculture is the maintenance of honey bee colonies,
commonly in hives, by humans
• Olericulture is the science of vegetable growing, dealing
with the culture of non-woody (herbaceous) plants for
food.
• Viticulture is the science, production and study of
grapes
• Floriculture is a discipline of horticulture concerned
with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants
for gardens
• Arboriculture is the cultivation, management, and study
of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial
woody plants
• Pomology is a branch of horticulture which focuses
on the cultivation, production, harvest, and storage of
fruit, etc.
• Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or
mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate
medium
• Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral
nutrient solutions, in water, without soil.
• Terrestrial plants may also be grown with their roots
in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium,
such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, expanded
clay or coconut husk.
• Geoponic in farming practice, refers to growing plants
in normal soil”

“Problems of Indian Agriculture
• Fragmentation of land holding.
• Existence of small and marginal farmers.
• Regional variation.
• Dependence of seasonal rainfall.
• Low productivity of land.
• Increasing of disguised unemployment.
• Disorder in marketing of Agricultural products.
• Weak land reformation.”

“Ratoon cropping
• Raising a crop with regrowth coming out of roots or
stocks of the harvested crop
• Ex: Sugarcane (8 ratoons in Cuba)
• Banana – one plant crop followed by two ratoon
crops normally
• Sorghum and Lucerne fodder- many ratoons, Ist cutting
70 days and thereafter every 35-40 days.
• Pineapple crop is extensively ratooned.”

“Macronutrients:
• Based on the relative abundance in plants-
-Nitrogen (N);
– Phosphorous (P),
– Potassium (K),
– Sulfur (S),
– Calcium (Ca) and
– Magnesium (Mg)

Micronutrients:
• Their concentration is very small. They are also referred
to as minor elements.
– Iron (Fe);
– Zinc (Zn);
– Manganese (Mg);
– Copper (Cu);
– Boron (B);
– Chlorine (Cl) and
– Molybdenum (Mo)

• In some plants, other than the above, Sodium (Na), Cobalt (Co),
Vanadium (Va), Nickel (Ni) and Silicon (Si) are considered
as essential micronutrients.”

“Nitrogen fixers
1. Symbiotic: – Rhizobium, inoculants for legumes.
2. Non-symbiotic: – For cereals, millets and vegetables.
a) Bacteria:-
i) Aerobic:-Azatobacter, Azomonas, Azospirillum.
ii) Anaerobic:- Closteridium, chlorobium
iii) Facultative anaerobes- Bacillus, Eisherichia
b) Blue green algae- Anabaena, Anabaenopsis, Nostoe
A. Phosphate solubilizing micro-organisms.
B. Cellulolytic and lignolytic micro organisms.
C. Sulphur dissolving bacteria.
D. Azolla.”

“Beneficial effects of weeds
1. Weed as soil binders
2. as manure
3. as human food
4. as fodder
5. Weed as fuel
6. Weed as mats and screens
7. Weed as medicine: Many weeds have great therapeutic
properties and used as medicine.
8. Weed as indicators: Weeds are useful as indicators of
good and bad soils. Colonum occurs in rich soils while
Cymbopogon denotes poor light soil and Sedges are
found in ill-drained soils”

“• It is a specialised body set up under the National Green
Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and expeditious disposal
of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation
of forests and other natural resources.
• With the establishment of the NGT, India became the third
country in the world to set up a specialised environmental tribunal,
only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing
country to do so.
• NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals
finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
• The NGT has five places of sittings, New Delhi is the Principal
place of sitting and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the other four.
• The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation
with Chief Justice of India (CJI).
• The NGT has the power to hear all civil cases relating to environmental
issues and questions that are linked to the implementation of laws listed
in Schedule I of the NGT Act.
These include the following:
– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974;
– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977;
– The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980;
– The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981;
– The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986;
– The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991;
– The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• Two important acts – Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Scheduled
Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights)
Act, 2006 have been kept out of NGT’s jurisdiction. ”