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Subject: Biodiversity

1. Ecology & Ecosystems
2. Indian Biodiversity

  • Global Forest Resources Assessment, 2020

    The deforestation rate globally declined between 2015 and 2020, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment, 2020. This decline is a result of sustainable management measures worldwide.

    Possible prelim question:

    Q. The Global Forest Resources Assessment Report recently seen in news is published by-

    a) UN-FAO

    b) UN Forum on Forests

    c) International Union of Forest Research Organizations

    d) None of these

    Global Forest Resources Assessment

    • The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) reports on the status and trends of the world’s forest resources.
    • It is led by the Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
    • The FRA reports the extent of the world’s forest area as well as other variables, including land tenure and access rights, sustainable forest management (SFM), legal and institutional frameworks for forest conservation, and sustainable use.

    Click here for amazing visuals of the FRA

    Highlights of the 2020 report

    • The rate of forest loss in 2015-2020 declined to an estimated 10 million hectares (mha), down from 12 million hectares (mha) in 2010-2015, according to the FRA 2020.
    • The FRA 2020 has examined the status of, and trends in, more than 60 forest-related variables in 236 countries and territories in the period 1990–2020.
    • The world lost 178 mha of forest since 1990, an area the size of Libya, according to the report.
    • However, the rate of net forest loss decreased substantially during 1990–2020 due to a reduction in deforestation in some countries, plus increases in the forest area in others through afforestation.
    • The largest proportion of the world’s forests were tropical (45 per cent), followed by boreal, temperate and subtropical.

    Data on losses and gains

    • The world’s total forest area was 4.06 billion hectares (bha), which was 31 per cent of the total land area. This area was equivalent to 0.52 ha per person.
    • Among the world’s regions, Africa had the largest annual rate of net forest loss in 2010–2020, at 3.9 mha, followed by South America, at 2.6 mha.
    • On the other hand, Asia had the highest net gain of forest area in 2010–2020, followed by Oceania and Europe.
    • However, both Europe and Asia recorded substantially lower rates of the net gain in 2010–2020 than in 2000–2010.
    • Oceania experienced net losses of forest area in the decades 1990–2000 and 2000–2010.
    • More than 54 per cent of the world’s forests were in only five countries — the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America and China.
    • The highest per cent of plantation forests were in South America while the lowest was in Europe.

  • Species in news: Sal Forest Tortoise

    A recent study by ecologists in the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, has found that the area designated as a protected area network has only a small overlap with the actual habitat of Sal forest tortoise. Over 90% of the potential distribution of the species falls outside the current protected area’s network.

    What you should focus on?

    On map, identify areas where Sal forest tortoise are found.

    Revise the map of various Forest system of India and their characteristics as well.

    Also…..Is tortoise a mammal or an amphibian?…..or something else??

    Sal Forest/ Elongated Tortoise

    • Also known as the elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), the sal forest tortoise, recently assessed as Critically Endangered, is heavily hunted for food.
    • It is collected both for local use, such as decorative masks, and international wildlife trade.
    • The Sal forest tortoise is widely distributed over eastern and northern India and Southeast Asia.
    • It is one of the only four land tortoises found in India. It is legally protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended up to 2006.
    • According to the IUCN, the population of the species may have fallen by about 80% in the last three generations (90 years).

    About Sal Forest

    • It is a forest type dominated by a single plant species, commonly known as Sal tree (Shorea robusta).
    • It belongs to the category ‘Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest’.
    • The distribution of Sal forests is controlled by the conditions of topography, geology, and soil.
    • Sal forests are mainly distributed in the South and Southeast Asia, occurring along the base of Tropical Himalayas from Assam to Punjab, in the eastern districts of Central India, and on the Western Bengal Hills.

    Also read the complete series on-

    Natural Vegetation and Wildlife- Part 1 | An Overview of Natural Vegetation Types Found in India

  • Rare Black Panther spotted in Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary

    A rare Black Panther was spotted in the Netravali WLS in South Goa.

    There are many WLS and National Park in the tiny state of Goa. Unlike others, they rarely find any mention in news. Here a quick revision for you.

    Make sure to locate them on map.

    • Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary,

    • Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary,

    • Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary,

    • Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary,

    • Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary,

    • Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary,

    • Anshi National Park.

    Black Panther

    • Black Panther or Black Leopard is a color variant of spotted Indian leopards, reported from densely forested areas of south India, mostly from the state of Karnataka.
    • A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of any Panthera, particularly of the leopard (P. pardus) in Asia and Africa, and the jaguar (P. onca) in the Americas.
    • They are also known as the ghost of the forest.

    About Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary

    • Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary is located in South-Eastern Goa, India.
    • It constitutes one of the vital corridors of the Western Ghats and covers an area of about 211 sq.km.
    • Netravali or Neturli is an important tributary of River Zuari, which originates in the sanctuary.
    • Forests mostly consist of moist deciduous vegetation interspersed with evergreen and semi-evergreen habitat; there are also two all-season waterfalls in the sanctuary.
    • The Gaur or Indian Bison, Malabar giant squirrel, four-horned antelope or chousingha, leopard, black sloth bear along with a host of other predators and herbivores find home in the sanctuary.

  • [pib] Study of flowering plant endemism of Northern Western Ghats

    Scientists at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune have come up with plant data of the Northern Western Ghats which indicates that plateaus, in addition to the forests, should be prioritized for the conservation of the Northern Western Ghats.

    Last year one  species from our newscard : Species in news: Hump-backed Mahseer made it into the CSP 2019.  The ‘Abutilon ranadei’ flower in the newscard creates such a vibe yet again.

    A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time often find their way into the prelims. Make a special note here.

    Why conserve Plateaus?

    • The Western Ghats of India is one of the global biodiversity hotspots owing to the endemism that is sheltered by a chain of mountains.
    • The northern part of this along with the Konkan region is considerably different from its southern and central counterparts on account of lesser precipitation and extended dry season.
    • It is the plateaus and the cliffs that harbour most of the endemic species.

    What did the study find?

    • The study found that the Northern Western Ghats has 181 local endemic plant species, including four monospecific genera.
    • They have found that a majority of the endemic species are therophytes, which complete their life cycle in a short period during monsoon.
    • A notable geographical feature of the Northern Western Ghats is the presence of plateaus and cliffs that display maximum endemic species, unlike forests.
    • It is the region of rapid diversification of specific herbaceous endemic genera like Ceropegia, Glyphochloa, Dipcadi, and Eriocaulon.

    One such specie is-

    Abutilon ranadei

    • Abutilon ranadei is a shrub, measuring 2.5-3.5 m high and bears star-shaped hairs.
    • It is a Critically Endangered endemic species from the northern Western Ghats.

    Bonus:

    Consider the following pairs:

    Wildlife Naturally found in
    1. Blue-finned Mahseer Cauvery River
    2. Irrawaddy Dolphin Chambal River
    3. Rusty-spotted Cat Eastern Ghats

    Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    b) 2 and 3 only

    c) 1 and 3 only

    d) 1, 2 and 3

  • [pib] Species in news:  Anthurium

    A women innovator from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has developed ten varieties of Anthurium, a flower with high market value, by cross-pollination.

    Anthurium

    • An anthurium is a vast group of beautiful blooming plants available in a wide range of colours.
    • Anthurium is one of the best domestic flowering plants in the world.
    • They are decorative as well as purify the surrounding air and remove harmful airborne chemicals like formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, xylene, and allergens.
    • Its importance of removing toxic substances from the air, NASA has placed it in the list of air purifier plants.
    • Anthurium has larger economic importance because of its eye-catching and beautiful inflorescence and fetches a good market price.

    Salient features of the Anthurium varieties are

    • Large beautiful flowers
    • Different colors of spathe and spadix
    • Long stalks
    • Better shelf life
    • Good market value

  • Species in news: Trimeresurus Salazar

    The new species, Trimeresurus Salazar is a snake been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh.

    Another specie spotted with one more peculiarity, the name Salazar 🙂 Such species are most likely to be asked in prelims to match the columns with their habitat state.

    Trimeresurus Salazar

    • Salazar’s pit viper belongs to the genus Trimeresurus LacĂ©pĂšde comprising “charismatic venomous serpents with morphologically as well as ecologically diverse species”.
    • Pit vipers are venomous snakes distinguished by their heat-sensing pit organs between the eye and the nostril.
    • The name was inspired by Salazar Slytherin, the co-founder of J.K. Rowlings’ fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

  • Tropical Butterfly Conservatory

    The Tropical Butterfly Conservatory Tiruchirappalli (TBCT) has been developed in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirappalli to create awareness among the public about the importance of the butterfly and its ecology.

    Tropical Butterfly Conservatory

    • The TBC is located in the Upper Anaicut Reserve Forest, sandwiched between the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers in Tiruchirappalli.
    • It was inaugurated during November 2015 at Tiruchirappalli with the objective of propagating the importance of butterflies and conserving the biodiversity of the district through environmental education.
    • It  is spread over 27 acres and is considered to be Asia’s largest butterfly park.
    • The park has an outdoor as well as indoor conservatory, a ‘Nakshatra Vanam’ and a ‘Rasi Vanam’ in addition to a breeding lab for non-scheduled species.
    • So far, about 109 butterfly species have been observed here.

    Conservation measures

    • Eggs of non-scheduled butterfly species are collected and bred in captivity in the in-house incubation laboratory by keeping them in ventilated plastic containers with the leaves of host plants as feed.
    • After attaining the transformation of larva (caterpillar) and pupa (transition), the adult butterfly finally comes out with gorgeous colours and at this stage they are released into the natural habitat.
    • Non-scheduled butterfly species are bred and released by the park authorities into their natural surroundings.

    Significance of butterflies

    • Butterflies are known for their intrinsic, aesthetic, educational, scientific, ecological, health and economic values.
    • As butterflies form an important part of nature’s food web, it is very essential to protect the species for ecological balance.
    • They play a key role in the pollination of plant species, the global food chain depends on their well-being.

    Various threats

    • The major threats to butterfly diversity are destruction, degradation and fragmentation of their habitats, grazing, fires and application of pesticides and weedicides in agricultural and urban ecosystems.

  • Species in news: Carissa carandas (the Great Hedge of India)

     

    Carissa carandas, a  multi-utility wild berry, whose thorny plant the British had used to build a barrier through India in the 1870s, has a hitherto unknown wilder cousin in Assam, a new study has revealed.

    Carissa carandas

    • The Carissa carandas was also among several thorny plants the British had grown 140 years ago for a 1,100-mile barrier apparently to enforce taxes and stop the smuggling of salt.
    • It has been used as a traditional herbal medicine for a number of ailments such as diarrhoea, anaemia, constipation, indigestion, skin infections and urinary disorders.
    • The leaves have been used as fodder for silkworms while a paste of its pounded roots serves as a fly repellent.
    • It is better known as karonda in Hindi, kalakkai in Tamil, koromcha in Bengali and karja tenga in Assamese, the Carissa kopilii is threatened by the very river it is named after — Kopili in central Assam.
    • The “sun-loving” plant was distributed sparsely, rooted in rocky crevices along the Kopili riverbed at altitudes ranging from 85-600 metres above sea level.

  • Species in news: Swamp Wallaby

     

    Researchers reported that the swamp wallaby, a marsupial related to the kangaroo, is pregnant throughout its adult life. It typically conceives a new embryo days before delivering the newborn from its previous pregnancy.

    Swamp wallaby

    IUCN Status: Least Concerned

    • The swamp wallaby is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. It is likely the only mammal pregnant and lactating all lifelong.
    • Female wallabies and kangaroos have two uteri and two separate ovaries.
    • At the end of a pregnancy in one uterus, a new embryo develops in the other uterus.
    • Kangaroos and wallabies regularly have an embryo in the uterus, a young joey in the pouch, and a third semi-dependent young at foot, still drinking its mother’s milk.

    How it is different from Kangaroo?

    • In kangaroos, the new embryo is conceived a day or two after the previous birth.
    • In the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor), the new conception happens one or two days before the previous joey is delivered.

    What happens after?

    • As soon as the mature foetus is born and settles in the pouch, the swamp wallaby arrests the development of the new embryo.
    • This is called embryonic diapause, which happens in many animals to pause reproduction until the conditions are right — season, climate, food availability.
    • For wallabies, this is also to ensure that the new one is born only when the pouch is free again.
    • If this did not happen, the swamp wallaby would be birthing new young every 30 days — it has a short gestation period — and its pouch could not support that.

  • Migratory species in India

     

     

    With new additions to the wildlife list put out by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), scientists say that the total number of migratory fauna from India comes to 457 species.

    Migratory species in India

    • Globally, more than 650 species are listed under the CMS appendices and India, with over 450 species, plays a very important role in their conservation.
    • The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) had for the first time compiled the list of migratory species of India under the CMS before the Conference of Parties (COP 13) held in Gujarat recently.
    • It had put the number at 451. They are the Asian elephant, great Indian bustard, Bengal florican, oceanic white-tip shark, urial and smooth hammerhead shark.
    • Birds comprise 83% (380 species) of this figure.

    Various species mentioned

    • India has three flyways (flight paths used by birds): the Central Asian flyway, East Asian flyway and East Asian–Australasian flyway.
    • In India, their migratory species number 41, followed by ducks (38) belonging to the family Anatidae.
    • The estimate of 44 migratory mammal species in India has risen to 46 after COP 13.
    • The largest group of mammals is definitely bats belonging to the family Vespertilionidae. Dolphins are the second highest group of mammals with nine migratory species of dolphins listed.
    • Fishes make up another important group of migratory species. Before COP 13, the ZSI had compiled 22 species, including 12 sharks and 10 ray fish.
    • Seven reptiles, which include five species of turtles and the Indian gharial and salt water crocodile, are among the CMS species found in India. There was no addition to the reptiles list.