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Subject: Environment

  • [pib] L7 Quadricycle category for BS VI

    The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notification regarding the emission norms for L7 (Quadricycle) category for BS-VI.

    Practice question for Mains:

    Q. What are Bharat Stage Emission Standards (BSES)? Discuss how the early implementation of BS-VI norms will help curb vehicular pollution in India.

    What is Quadricycle Vehicle verification?

    • The quadricycle is a European Union vehicle category for four-wheeled microcars, which allows these vehicles to be designed to less stringent requirements when compared to regular cars.
    • Quadricycles are defined by limitations in terms of weight, engine power and speed.
    • There are two categories of quadricycles: light quadricycles (L6e) and heavy quadricycles (L7e)

    What are the new notified norms?

    • These norms are applicable from the date of notification.
    • This notification completes the process of BS-VI for all L, M and N category vehicles in India.
    • The emission norms are in line with EU with WMTC cycle.
    • The procedure for testing is laid down in Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 137-Part 9.

    What is the WMTC cycle?

    • The World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC) is a system of driving cycles used to measure fuel consumption and emissions in motorcycles.
    • The methods are stipulated as part of the Global Technical Regulation established under the UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, also known as WP.29.

    Back2Basics:  Bharat Stage Norms

    Standard Reference Date of Implementation
    Bharat Stage II Euro 2 1 April 2005
    Bharat Stage III Euro 3 1 April 2010
    Bharat Stage IV Euro 4 1 April 2017
    Bharat Stage VI Euro 6 April 2020 with a mandate (proposed)

    Minutes of BS-VI

    • Carmakers would have to put three pieces of equipment — a DPF (diesel particulate filter), an SCR (selective catalytic reduction) system, and an LNT (Lean NOx trap) — to meet stringent BS-VI norms, all at the same time.
    • This is vital to curb both PM (particulate matter) and NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions as mandated under the BS-VI norms.

    How is BS-VI Different from BS-IV?

    • The major difference between the existing BS-IV and forthcoming BS-VI norms is the presence of sulphur in the fuel.
    • While the BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, the BS-VI grade fuel only has 10 ppm sulphur content.
    • Also, the harmful NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars can be brought down by nearly 70%.
    • In the petrol cars, they can be reduced by 25%.
    • However, when we talk about air pollution, particulate matter like PM 2.5 and PM 10 are the most harmful components and the BS-VI will bring the cancer-causing particulate matter in diesel cars by a phenomenal 80%.

  • Western Ghats yield 3 new plant species

    A team of scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have reported the discovery of three new plant species from the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

    One may get carried away from the heavy botanical names. But UPSC is known for asking ruthless questions.

    Q. Recently, our scientists have discovered new and distinct spices of banana plant which attains a height of about 11 meters and has orange – colored form of pulp. In which part of India has been discovered? (CSP 2016)

    a) Andaman Islands

    b) Anaimalai Forests

    c) Maikala Hills

    d) Tropical rainforest of North-East

    Which are the new species?

    The three new species found are:

    1) Eugenia sphaerocarpa of the Myrtaceae or Rose apple family

    • A good population of Eugenia sphaerocarpa is growing in the Kakkayam area of the Malabar wildlife sanctuary in Kerala above 800 m.
    • The specific epithet ‘sphaerocarpa’ denotes to the large, showy lemon-yellow spherical fruit.
    • The fruits of Eugenia species are known for their palatability and many of them are harvested from the wild with some under cultivation.

    2) Goniothalamus sericeus of the Annonaceae family of custard apple

    • A small number of Goniothalamus sericeus plants has been found in the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
    • Mature flowers with characteristic greenish-yellow to beige petals are fragrant while the fruits are very showy and an attractive golden yellow in colour.
    • The specific epithet ‘sericeus’ refers to the presence of dense silky hair on the petals.

    3) Memecylon nervosum of the Melastomataceae (Kayamboo or Kaasavu in local parlance) family

    • A small population of Memecylon nervosum was also found at the same sanctuary at an altitude between 700-900 m with more that than 10 sub-populations located along the banks of a perennial rivulet.
    • The species have showy purplish-blue flowers and mauve to purplish-red fruits.
    • The specific epithet ‘nervosum’ alludes to the presence of prominently raised lateral and intramarginal veins on the lower surface of the lamina.

  • [pib] Initiatives launched on International Day of Biodiversity

    In a virtual celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2020, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched key initiatives towards conservation of biodiversity.

    Possible prelim question:

    The ‘Not all Animals Migrate by Choice’ campaign recently seen in news is an initiative by __________.

    About the International Day for Biological Diversity

    • This Day is a United Nations-sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues.
    • It is currently held on May 22.
    • The year 2020 is also the “Super Year for Biodiversity”, as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity with 20 global Aichi targets adopted in 2010 ends in 2020.

    1) Biodiversity Samrakshan Internship Programme

    • The program proposes to engage 20 students with postgraduate degrees for a period of one year through an open, transparent, online competitive process.
    • It has the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) as a nodal agency.

     2) ‘Not all Animals Migrate by Choice’ campaign

    • It is a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Campaign launched by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau on Illegal Trafficking of Endangered Species.
    • It aims to curb illegal trade in wildlife which carries the risk of spreading dangerous pandemics.

    Back2Basics: Aichi Targets

    • The ‘Aichi Targets’ were adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at its Nagoya conference.
    • The short term plan provides a set of 20 ambitious yet achievable targets, collectively known as the Aichi Targets.
    • The IUCN Species Programme provides advice to Parties, other governments and partners on the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and it’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2011 – 2020) and is also heavily involved in work towards the Target.

  • Etalin Hydro Electric Project

    A group of conservationists has written to the Environment Ministry seeking rejection of the approved Etalin Hydro Electric Project in the Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh.

    Make a note of major dams in India along with the rivers, terrain, major Wildlife sanctuaries and national parks incident to these rivers.

    Etalin Hydro Electric Project

    • Etalin HEP is a 3097 MW project based on the river Dibang.
    • It is envisaged as a run of the river scheme on rivers Dri and Tangon in the Dibang Valley District of Arunachal Pradesh.
    • Dibang is a tributary of the Brahmaputra River which flows through the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
    • The project is being executed through the Etalin Hydro Electric Power Company Limited, a JV company of Jindal Power Limited and Hydro Power Development Corporation of Arunachal Pradesh Limited.
    • It is expected to be one of the biggest hydropower projects in India in terms of installed capacity.

    Issues with the Project

    • The Project falls under the richest bio-geographical province of the Himalayan zone and would be located at the junction of major biogeographic zones like Palaearctic Zone and Indo-Malayan Zone.
    • It would involve the clearing of 2.7 lakh trees in “subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest and subtropical rain forests”.
    • Underscoring the inadequacy of the Environment Impact Assessment report on Etalin, the conservationists said observations by wildlife officials were ignored.
    • These include the threat to 25 globally endangered mammal and bird species in the area to be affected.

    Back2Basics: Biogeographic Zones

    • A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth’s land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms.
    • These zones delineate the large areas of the Earth’s surface within which organisms have been evolving in relative isolation over long periods of time.
    • They are separated from one another by geographic features, such as oceans, broad deserts, or high mountain ranges that constitute barriers to migration.
    • Originally, six biogeographic regions were identified: Palearctic (Europe and Asia), Nearctic (North America), Neotropical (Mexico, Central and South America), Ethiopian/Afrotropic (Africa), Oriental/Indo-Malayan (Southeast Asia, Indonesia) and Australian (Australia and New Guinea).
    • Currently, eight are recognised since the addition of Oceania (Polynesia, Fiji and Micronesia) and Antarctica.

  • Super Cyclone Amphan and its threats

    The storm system in the Bay of Bengal, Amphan, developed into a super cyclone and is expected to make landfall along the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast very soon.

    Realted PYQ:

    Q. In the South Atlantic and South Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate. What is the reason? (CSP 2015)

    (a) Sea Surface temperature are low
    (b) Inter Tropical Convergence Zone seldom occurs
    (c) Coriolis force is too weak
    (d) Absence of land in those regions

    Super Cyclone Amphan

    • Cyclone Amphan is a tropical cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal that has intensified and likely to turn into a “super cyclonic storm (maximum wind speed is 224 kmph)”.
    • It has been named by Thailand.
    • Amphan is the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
    • By the time it makes landfall in West Bengal, Amphan is expected to tone down into a category 4 Extremely Severe Cyclonic (ESC) storm with a wind speed of 165-175 kmph and gusting to 195 kmph.

    What makes it a nightmare?

    • This is the first super cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal after the 1999 super cyclone that hit Odisha and claimed more than 10,000 lives.
    • It is the third super cyclone to occur in the North Indian Ocean region after 1999 which comprises of the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the northern part of the Indian Ocean.
    • The other two super cyclones were Cyclone Kyarr in 2019 and Cyclone Gonu in 2007.

    Recent cyclones in the region

    • From 1965 to 2017, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea collectively registered 46 ‘severe cyclonic storms’.
    • More than half of them occurred between October and December.
    • Seven of them occurred in May and only two (in 1966 and 1976) were recorded in April, according to data from the IMDs cyclone statistics unit.
    • Cyclone Phailin in 2013 and the super cyclone of 1999 — both of which hit coastal Odisha — have been the most powerful cyclones in the Bay of Bengal in the past two decades in terms of wind speed.
    • Last year, Fani, which was an ESC made landfall in Odisha and ravaged the State, claiming at least 40 lives.

    Back2Basics: Tropical Cyclones

    • Cyclones are formed over slightly warm ocean waters.
    • The temperature of the top layer of the sea, up to a depth of about 60 metres, need to be at least 28°C to support the formation of a cyclone.
    • This explains why the April-May and October-December periods are conducive for cyclones.
    • Then, the low level of air above the waters needs to have an ‘anticlockwise’ rotation (in the northern hemisphere; clockwise in the southern hemisphere).
    • During these periods, there is an ITCZ in the Bay of Bengal whose southern boundary experiences winds from west to east, while the northern boundary has winds flowing east to west.
    • This induces the anticlockwise rotation of the air.
    • Once formed, cyclones in this area usually move northwest. As it travels over the sea, the cyclone gathers more moist air from the warm sea and adds to its heft.

    What strengthens them?

    • A thumb rule for cyclones is that the more time they spend over the seas, the stronger they become.
    • Hurricanes around the US, which originate in the vast open Pacific Ocean, are usually much stronger than the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, a relatively narrow and enclosed region.
    • The cyclones originating here, after hitting the landmass, decay rapidly due to friction and absence of moisture.

    Grading of Cyclones

    • Tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are graded according to maximum wind speeds at their centre.
    • At the lower end are depressions that generate wind speeds of 30 to 60 km per hour, followed by:
    1. cyclonic storms (61 to 88 kmph)
    2. severe cyclonic storms (89 to 117 kmph)
    3. very severe cyclonic storms (118 to 166 kmph)
    4. extremely severe cyclonic storms (167 to 221 kmph) and
    5. super cyclones (222 kmph or higher)

  • Species in news: Pinanga Andamanensis

    A rare palm endemic to the South Andaman Island is finding a second home at Thiruvananthapuram-based Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI).

    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.

    Pinanga Andamanensis

    • Pinanga andamanensis is an IUCN critically endangered species and one of the least known among the endemic palms of the Andaman Islands.
    • The name is derived from ‘Penang’, the modern-day Malaysian state.
    • Its entire population of some 600 specimens naturally occurs only in a tiny, evergreen forest pocket in South Andaman’s Mount Harriet National Park.
    • It was originally described by the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1934.
    • His description was based on an old herbarium specimen collected by E.H. Man, a late-19th century assistant superintendent in the Andaman administration.
    • After that first identification, it was thought to be extinct till 1992.

  • Species in news: Troglomyces twitteri

    A new species has just been identified on an old image on Twitter. It is named as Troglomyces twitteri.

    The species Troglomyces twitteri has something unique in its name. UPSC may ask a straight forward question like – The specie Troglomyces twitteri recently seen in news is a- (a) Algae (b) Fungi (c) Fish (d) Sea Grass …….

    Troglomyces twitteri

    • Troglomyces twitteri is a type of parasitic fungus.
    • It belongs to an order called Laboulbeniales — tiny fungal parasites that attack insects and millipedes.
    • These fungi live on the outside of host organisms; in this case, on the reproductive organs of millipedes.
    • Laboulbeniales were first discovered in the middle of the 19th century.

  • Species in news: 40 Gharials released into Ghaghara River in UP

    Forty gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) were released in the Ghaghara River by the Bahraich forest division of Uttar Pradesh.

    This year, we have seen many news focusing on species reintroduction into the wild. Can you recall them?? If not, Click Here.

    And one may often get confused between the Mugger, Gharial and the Saltwater Crocodile. Note the differences about their IUCN status, habitat (freshwater/saltwater) etc..

    Gharials

    • The Gharial is a fish-eating crocodile is native to the Indian subcontinent. They are a crucial indicator of clean river water.
    • Small released populations are present and increasing in the rivers of the National Chambal Sanctuary, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Son River Sanctuary.
    • It is also found at the rainforest biome of Mahanadi in Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, Orissa.
    • Gharials are ‘Critically Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List of Species.
    • The species is also listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

    Into the wild

    • A major chunk of gharials in India is found in the Chambal River, which has about 1,000 adults.
    • The Ghaghara acts as an important aquatic corridor for gharials in Uttar Pradesh. The river is a major left-bank tributary of the Ganges.
    • About 250 gharials have been released in the Ghaghara since 2014.
    • However, there are satellite populations of less than 100 adults in the Girwa River (Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, the Ramganga River in Jim Corbett National Park and the Son River).
    • Like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar too is releasing gharials in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve as part of restocking the wild population. Unlike crocodiles, gharials do not pose any danger to humans.

    Back2Basics

    Mugger

    • The mugger is a marsh crocodile which is found throughout the Indian subcontinent.
    • It is a freshwater species and found in lakes, rivers and marshes.
    • IUCN Status: Vulnerable

    Saltwater Crocodile

    • It is the largest of all living reptiles.
    • It is found along the eastern coast of India.
    • IUCN Status: Least Concerned

  • 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