💥Join UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (August Batch) + XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Subject: Conservation & Mitigation

1. Conservation Progs.
2. Worldwide initiatives
3. Mitigation Strategies
4. Conventions and Protocols

  • Why people are Protesting in Lakshadweep

    The article highlights the issues with development model sought to be pursued in Lakshadweep.

    Background of Island Development Authority’

    • A specially constituted Island Development Authority (IDA) for the island territories of India, chaired by no less than the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi.
    • IDA had in 1988, approved a framework for the development of India’s island territories.
    • IDA sought an environmentally sound strategy for both island groups hinges on better exploitation of marine resources coupled with much greater care in the use of land resources.
    • Deliberations of the IDA wanted that Lakshadweep, with its land ownership constitutionally protected, be opened to international tourism.

    Issues with following Maldives model for development of Lakshadweep

    •  Recently, the Administrator, Lakshadweep, introduced a slew of draft legislation that will have a wide-ranging impact on the islands.
    • One such legislation is the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021 with intentions to develop Lakshadweep like neighbouring Maldives, “a renowned international tourist destination”.
    • Rejecting the Maldives model, the plan for Lakshadweep required that the industry had to be people-centric and enrich the fragile coral ecology.
    • Today, long lines and refrigeration have aided the expansion of the fishing sector but income disparities have grown.
    • Indiscriminate trawling endangers the coral, as experienced in the Maldives and now banned there.
    • The Government recognises the need to develop policies for enhancing employment opportunities, environment-friendly management of fisheries, sanitation, waste disposal and widening access to drinking water, with the youth, having acquired a modern education, preferring salaried jobs over pursuing traditional occupations.

    Conclusion

    What Lakshadweep needs is a clear policy must include conservation and natural resource management arrived at after wide consultation, eminently possible within the existing infrastructure of the Union Territory, and also taking into account climatic compulsions.

  • Cost and complications of transplanting a tree

    The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) wants to transplant over 1,800 trees which are inside what used to be the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) complex, as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.

    Transplantation of trees

    • The transplantation of trees is a complex and delicate process whose outcome cannot be predicted.
    • A tree cannot be transplanted by simply uprooting it and placing it in a pit dug elsewhere. The process involves multiple steps and requires significant expertise.

    How it is done?

    • First, the soil around the tree is dug up to isolate the roots. The big branches are lopped off, leaving only small shoots for regeneration. This is done to make transportation of the tree to the new location easier.
    • The root system is covered with wet gunny bags to protect the roots and to keep the tree hydrated.
    • The tree has to be first sent to a nursery to acclimatize to a new kind of soil, and to regenerate.
    • Once new shoots start sprouting, the tree is lowered into a pit created in its new spot.

    What factors determine the success of a transplant?

    • Even after all steps are meticulously followed, a lot depends on luck. The survival rate of a transplanted tree is about 50%.
    • Not all trees can be transplanted. While peepal, ficus, semal and sheesham are tolerant to transplantation, trees such as dak, palash, arjun, shahtoot and jhilmil are not.

    (1) Roots

    • Any tree that has a tap root system cannot be transplanted, as the root goes deep into the soil, and it is not possible to isolate it without damage.

    (2) Size

    • Transplanting any tree with a trunk girth of more than 80-90 cm is not advisable as the tree cannot bear the shock, and will eventually die.

    (3) Age

    • That effectively means that big, old trees cannot, in most cases, be removed to another location.

    (4) Soil

    • It is important to consider soil type before transplantation.
    • A tree growing on, say, the Delhi Ridge will not easily acclimatize to the soil in the Yamuna floodplain, as the two ecosystems are entirely different.

    How expensive is transplantation?

    • The cost of transplanting an average-sized tree might come to around Rs 1 lakh, which included post-transplantation care.
    • For larger trees, the cost could go up to Rs 3 lakh.
    • Private and voluntary organizations, however, claim that the cost is between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 per tree.

  • Odisha’s blackbucks double in 6 years

    Odisha’s blackbuck population has doubled in the last six years, according to figures from the latest population census.

    Blackbucks in Odisha

    • Blackbucks are found only in the Ganjam district in the southern part of the state, which is where the census was carried out.
    • It is known in Odisha and Ganjam as Krushnasara Mruga.
    • The people of Ganjam believe the sighting of a blackbuck in a paddy field is a harbinger of luck for them.
    • It used to be sighted in the Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary in Puri district till 2012-13, but now has vanished from the area.
    • The blackbuck is a Schedule-1 animal according to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended in 1992) and is considered as ‘Vulnerable’ according to the Red Data Book.

    Reasons for their rise

    • Improvement of habitats, the protection given by the local people and forest staff were some of the reasons for the increase of the population.
    • The people of Ganjam had been enthusiastically protecting the animal like the Bishnois of western Rajasthan and the Vala Rajputs of Saurashtra.

    Answer this PYQ:

    Q.With reference to ‘Eco-Sensitive Zones’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

    1. Eco-Sensitive Zones are the areas that are declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
    2. The purpose of the declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones is to prohibit all kinds of human activities, in those zones except agriculture.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Back2Basics: Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

    • WPA provides for the protection of the country’s wild animals, birds, and plant species, in order to ensure environmental and ecological security.
    • It provides for the protection of a listed species of animals, birds, and plants, and also for the establishment of a network of ecologically important protected areas in the country.
    • It provides for various types of protected areas such as Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks, etc.
    • There are six schedules provided in the WPA for the protection of wildlife species which can be concisely summarized as under:
    Schedule I: These species need rigorous protection and therefore, the harshest penalties for violation of the law are for species under this Schedule.
    Schedule II: Animals under this list are accorded high protection. They cannot be hunted except under threat to human life.
    Schedule III & IV: This list is for species that are not endangered. This includes protected species but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the first two schedules.
    Schedule V: This schedule contains animals which can be hunted.
    Schedule VI: This list contains plants that are forbidden from cultivation.

     

  • NGT upholds rights of pastoralists in Banni Grasslands

    The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered all encroachments to be removed from Gujarat’s Banni grasslands.

    Banni Grasslands

    • Banni Grasslands form a belt of arid grassland ecosystem on the outer southern edge of the desert of the marshy salt flats of Rann of Kutch.
    • They are known for rich wildlife and biodiversity and are spread across an area of 3,847 square kilometers. Two ecosystems, wetlands and grasslands, are juxtaposed in Banni.
    • They are currently legally protected under the status as a protected or reserve forest in India.
    • Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has identified this grassland reserve as one of the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India and a possible reintroduction site for the species.
    • The region hosts a nomadic pastoralist community, the Maldharis, whose livelihoods depend on this protected shrub-savanna.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.Which one of the following is the correct sequence of ecosystems in the order of decreasing productivity?(CSP 2014)

    (a) Oceans, lakes, grasslands, mangroves

    (b) Mangroves, oceans, grasslands, lakes

    (c) Mangroves, grasslands, lakes, oceans

    (d) Oceans, mangroves, lakes, grasslands

    What is the recent NGT verdict?

    • The court also said the Maldharis will continue to hold the right to conserve the community forests in the area, granted to them as per the provisions in Section 3 of Forest Rights Act, 2006.
    • NGT highlighted that the lack of coordination between the forest department and the revenue department lead to the problem of encroachment.
    • The grassland was first declared a “protected forest” in May 1955, using the nomenclature of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
    • Since then, the actual transfer of the land from the Revenue department to the Forest department has not been completed.

    Back2Basics: National Green Tribunal

    • The NGT has been established in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
    • It works for:
    1. effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection
    2. conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and
    3. giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto
    • It is not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice.
    • The Tribunal’s dedicated jurisdiction in environmental matters shall provide speedy environmental justice and help reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts.
    • The Tribunal is mandated to make and endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
    • Initially, the NGT is proposed to be set up at five places of sittings and will follow circuit procedure for making itself more accessible.
    • New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai shall be the other four place of sitting of the Tribunal.

  • [pib] Recycling Carbon Technology

    A Bangalore-based startup has received the National Award 2021 for developing efficient catalysts and methodologies for the conversion of CO2 to methanol and other chemicals.

    Carbon Recycling

    • It has led to the improvisation of process engineering to enhance the production of chemicals and fuels from anthropogenic CO2.
    • It has integrated multiple components involved in the CCUS (Carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration) to develop a complete solution for the environmental issues due to global warming.
    • The current capacity of CO2 conversion is 300 kg per day, which can be scaled up to several 100 tons on an industrial scale.

    What is CCUS?

    • Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) encompass methods and technologies to remove CO2 from the flue gas and from the atmosphere.
    • CCUS involves multiple aspects that need to be in sync for the successful removal or capture of CO2 from the flue gas or the atmosphere, followed by utilization and storage.
    • Carbon capture involves the development of sorbents that can effectively bind to the CO2 present in flue gas or the atmosphere, which is expensive.
    • In addition, there has been a considerable debate about the fate of captured and compressed CO2.

  • Benefits of environmental fiscal reforms

    The article highlights the advantages of environmental fiscal reforms in India.

    Status of  out-of-pocket spending on health in India

    • As per WHO data, in 2011,  17.33% of the population in India made out-of-pocket payments on health that was more than 10% of their income.
    • The percentage was higher in rural areas compared to urban areas.
    • Globally, 12.67% of the population spent more than 10% of their income (out of their pocket) on health.
    • In Southeast Asia, 16% spent more than 10% of their household income on health.
    • Similarly, 3.9% of the population in India made more than 25% of out-of-pocket payments on health, with 4.34% of it in the rural areas.

    Alternate source of health financing: Eco tax

    • The Economic Survey of India 2019-20 has outlined that an increase in public spending from 1% to 2.5-3% of GDP, can decrease out-of-pocket expenditure from 65% to 30% of overall healthcare expenses.
    • The National Health Policy of 2017 also envisages increase in public spending from 1% to 2.5-3% of GDP.
    • This is where the importance of alternate sources of health financing in India needs to be stressed.
    • Fiscal reforms for managing the environment are important, and India has great potential for revenue generation in this aspect.

    Environmental tax reforms

    • Environmental tax reforms generally involve three complementary activities:
    • 1. Eliminating existing subsidies and taxes that have a harmful impact on the environment;
    • 2. Restructuring existing taxes in an environmentally supportive manner;
    • 3. Initiating new environmental taxes.
    • Taxes can be designed either as revenue neutral or revenue augmenting.
    • Revenue augmenting model: In case of revenue augmenting, the additional revenue can either be targeted towards the provision of environmental public goods or directed towards the overall revenue pool.
    • In developing countries like India, the revenue can be used to a greater extent for the provision of environmental public goods and addressing environmental health issues.

    Eco tax

    • The success of an eco tax (environment tax) in India would depend on its architecture, that is, how well it is planned and designed.
    • It should be credible, transparent and predictable.
    • Ideally, the eco tax rate ought to be equal to the marginal social cost arising from the negative externalities associated with the production, consumption or disposal of goods and services.
    • This would include the adverse impacts on the health of people, climate change, etc.
    • The eco tax rate may, thus, be fixed commensurate to the marginal social cost so evaluated.
    • There is also a need to integrate environmental taxes in the Goods and Service Tax framework.

    In India, eco taxes can target three main areas

    • One, differential taxation on vehicles in the transport sector purely oriented towards fuel efficiency and GPS-based congestion charges.
    • Two, in the energy sector by taxing fuels which feed into energy generation.
    • Three, waste generation and use of natural resources.

    Benefits of implementation of eco taxes

    • The implementation of an environmental tax in India will have three broad benefits: fiscal, environmental and poverty reduction.
    • Finance basic public services: Environmental tax reforms can mobilise revenues to finance basic public services when raising revenue through other sources proves to be difficult or burdensome.
    • Reduce distorting taxes: It can can also help to reduce other distorting taxes such as fiscal dividend.
    • Finance research: Environmental tax reforms help internalise the externalities, and the said revenue can finance research and the development of new technologies.

    Impact

    • Environmental regulations may lead to slow productivity growth and high cost of compliance in private sector.
    • This could result in the possible increase in the prices of goods and services.
    • However, the European experience shows that most of the taxes also generate substantial revenue and there is no evidence on green taxes with sustainable development goals leading to a ‘no growth’ economy.
    • Negligible impact on GDP: Most countries’ experiences suggest negligible impact on the GDP, though such revenues have not necessarily been used for environmental considerations.
    • The negligible impact on the GDP may be a temporary phenomenon.

    Conclusion

    This is the right time for India to adopt environmental fiscal reforms as they will reduce environmental pollution and also generate resources for financing the health sector.

  • Person in news: Sunderlal Bahuguna

    Veteran environmentalist and architect of the Chipko Movement Sundarlal Bahuguna, 94 has succumbed to COVID.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.In India, the problem of soil erosion is associated with which of the following?

    1. Terrace cultivation
    2. Deforestation
    3. Tropical climate

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    Sunderlal Bahuguna

    • Bahuguna was one of the leaders of the Chipko movement, fighting for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas.
    • Chipko means ‘embrace’ or ‘tree huggers’ and this vast movement was a decentralized one with many leaders usually being village women.
    • Often, they would chain themselves to trees so that loggers could not cut down forests.
    • These actions slowed down the destruction, but more importantly, they brought deforestation to the public’s attention.

    His contributions

    • From 1981-1983, Sundarlal Bahuguna led a 5,000-kilometre march across the Himalayas, ending with a meeting with late PM Indira Gandhi, to protect some areas of the Himalayan forests from tree-felling.
    • Sundarlal Bahuguna was also a leader in the movement to oppose the Tehri dam project and in defending India’s rivers.
    • He also worked for women’s rights and the rights of the poor.
    • His methods were Gandhian, making use of peaceful resistance and non-violence.
    • The Chipko Movement received the 1987 Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the Alternative Nobel Prize.

  • Native Indian turtles face U.S. slider threat across Northeast

    About red-eared slider

    • The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) derives its name from red stripes around the part where its ears would be and from its ability to slide quickly off any surface into the water.
    • Native to the U.S. and northern Mexico, this turtle is an extremely popular pet due to its small size, easy maintenance, and relatively low cost.

    Reports about threat

    • Between August 2018 and June 2019, a team of herpetologists from NGO Help Earth published the finding in ‘Reptiles & Amphibians’, journal of the U.S.-based International Reptile Conservation Foundation in August 2020.
    • But the alarm was raised experts from Mizoram University’s Department of Zoology published another report in the same journal in April this year.

    How is it a threat?

    • They grow fast and virtually leaves nothing for the native species to eat.
    •  People who keep it as pets become sensitive about turtle conservation but endanger the local ecosystem, probably unknowingly, by releasing them in natural water bodies after they outgrow an aquarium, tank or pool at home.
    • Much like the Burmese python that went to the U.S. as a pet to damage the South Florida Everglades ecosystem, the red-eared slider has already affected States such as Karnataka and Gujarat, where it has been found in 33 natural water bodies.
    • Preventing this invasive species from overtaking the Brahmaputra and other river ecosystems in the Northeast is crucial because the Northeast is home to more than 72% of the turtle and tortoise species in the country, all of them very rare.

    Way forward

    • Although the red-eared slider is traded legally, the time has come for the government to come up with regulations against keeping invasive as pets.
    • There is a need to create awareness among pet traders for maintaining a database of red-eared slider buyers.
    • They can be contacted to hand over the turtles to the repository insulated from any wetland or natural water body.

  • Global Energy Review 2021 report

    Initial estimates for 2020 energy demand and CO2 emission was released recently in an annual report Global Energy Review by International Energy Agency (IEA).

    https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/BlankSiteASPX/media/WNNImported/mainimagelibrary/corporate%20branded/Global-Energy-Review-2021-(IEA).jpg?ext=.jpg

    • The Global Energy Review is annual update on the latest trends in world energy and CO2 emissions.
    • It covers all the main fuels and technologies, providing insights across regions, economies and countries.

    Highlights of the report:

    • Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are on course to surgeby 1.5 billion tonnes in 2021 driven by in the resurgence of coal use in the power sector.
      • The second-largest increase in history.
      • This would be the biggest annual rise in emissions since 2010, during the carbon-intensive recovery from the global financial crisis.
    • CO2 emissions will increase by almost five per cent in 2021 to 33 billion tonnes.
      • The key driver is coal demand, which is set to grow by 4.5 per cent, surpassing its 2019 level and approaching its all-time peak from 2014, with the electricity sector accounting for three-quarters of this increase.
    • Global energy demand is set to increase by 4.6 per cent in 2021, led by emerging markets and developing economies, pushing it above its 2019 level.
    • Demand for all fossil fuels is on course to grow significantly in 2021, with both coal and gas set to rise above their 2019 levels.
    • Oil is also rebounding strongly but is expected to stay below its 2019 peak, as the aviation sector remains under pressure.
      • More than 80 per cent of the projected growth in coal demand in 2021 is set to come from Asia, led by China.
    • Electricity generation from renewables is set to leap by over eight per cent in 2021.
    • The biggest contribution to that growth comes from solar and wind.
      • Electricity generation from wind is projected to grow by 275 terawatt-hours, or around 17 per cent, from last year.
      • Electricity generation from solar PV is expected to increase by 145 terawatt-hours, up almost 18 per cent from last year.
      • Their combined output is on track to reach more than 2800 terawatt-hours in 2021.
    • Renewables are set to provide 30 per cent of electricity generationworldwide in 2021.
    • China is expected to account for almost half of the global increase in electricity generation from renewables, followed by the US, the European Union and India.

  • Frame protection rules for exotic animals not included in WPA

    The Delhi High Court issued an order directing the Centre to take a decision on framing rules to confer protection for exotic animals that are currently not under the purview of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

    Key highlights:

    • The court’s order came in response to a petition filed by animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India about the status of a male hippopotamus rescued from the Asiad Circus in Uttar Pradesh.
    • The court directed that the hippo be permanently kept in a spacious facility in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
    • The hippo was in the company of a rescued female hippopotamus and was receiving expert veterinary care.
    • The facility met the Central Zoo Authority’s Guidelines on Minimum Dimensions of Enclosures for Housing Exotic Animals of Different Species and recommended that the facility be allowed to provide the hippopotamus with lifelong care.

    About Hippopotamus:

    • Hippopotamus is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal and ungulate native to sub-Saharan Africa.
    • It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus.
    • After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third-largest type of land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl.
    • Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the Hippopotamidae are cetaceans from which they diverged about 55 million years ago.