Environment - Current Affairs for April, 2016

Grauer’s gorilla, the world’s largest primate has worried conservationists given their dwindling number

• DRC left experts worried after the gorilla population plummeted 77% over past 20 yeas with less than 3800 of animals remaining
• Grauer gorrila is named after Rudolf Grauer, an Austrian explorer who first recognized the apes as a separate subspecies
• They resemble the mountain gorilla, save for their longer limbs and shorter hair. The gorillas survive on bushmeat and can weigh up to 400 pounds.
• In 1994, the Wildlife Conservation Society conducted surveys in and around eastern Zaire and had estimated that 17,000 Grauer's gorillas remained.
• But the Rwandan genocide that year led to the gorillas' precipitous decline.

National Institute of Ocean Technology has used the indigenously developed PROVe to map coral reefs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• Coral reef biodiversity is around 11,000 sq km and was seriously affected during the 2004 Tsnumai.
• ROV can be used to map 4 to 6 sq k of coral reefs in a day.

Historic agreement on climate change had marked a major milestone with close to 175 countries including India signing it on opening day. World leaders made it clear more action was needed. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has indicated the world is in a race against time. The planet is heating up to record levels and glaciers are melting.

• The agreement is to enter into force once 55 nations representing close to 55% of the global emissions have formally joined it, a process expected to take up till 2020.
• China, the top carbon emitter in the world said it would finalise domestic procedures to ratify the agreement prior to the G20 summit in China in the month of September.

India began the probe into steel dumping by 4 countries. India has initiated the probe into the dumping of various steel products by countries such as China, Korea and Japan. SAIL, JSW Steel, Essar Steel India and JSW Steel Coated Products have filed a petition before the Directorate General of Anti Dumping and Allied Duties for inflation of anti-dumping investigation. Players have also suggested imposition of anti dumping duty on alleged dumped import of cold rolled/cold reduced flat steel products of iron or non alloy steel. DGAD is the nodal agency for investigations.

Groundwater depletion in India has now led to urgent measures for change. Earth’s spin around its axis is too sensitive to changes in mass of water beneath the surface of the Earth. According to the law of rotation, the 45 degree North and South latitudes will play a critical role in determining the spin. India’s groundwater depletion has caused a massive shift in the axis according to NASA scientists. Earth is still adjusting to loss of five in the last Ice Age. The reduced mass beneath North America is pulling the spin axis of Earth towards Canada at the rate of a couple of inches each year.

• Findings were available through the observations of twin satellites part of the GRACE or Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment - in this NASA collaborates with Germany to discover massive energy needed for shift in axis cannot be produced by loss of mass in Greenland alone.

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 20th April gave its approval for signing the Paris Agreement adopted at the 21st Conference of Parties held in Paris in December 2015.

• The Paris Agreement on climate change is a milestone in global climate cooperation.
• It is meant to enhance the implementation of the Convention and recognises the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities
• The Paris Agreement acknowledges the development imperatives of developing countries.
• It recognises the importance of sustainable lifestyles and sustainable patterns of consumption with developed countries taking the lead, and notes the importance of 'climate justice’ in its preamble.
• Agreement seeks to enhance implementation of the Convention
• Agreement has important elements like finance, technology, capacity building and transparency of action and support.

Government has approved changes in the bill on afforestation, providing agreement for expeditious utilisation in a transparent manner of over INR 40,000 crore earmarked for forest land lying unspent. Official amendments in Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority Bill involves fresh accrual of compensatory levies and interest on accumulated unspent balance, which will be of the order of approximately Rs 6,000 crore per annum.

• Apart from this, the bill will also utilise amounts in creation of productive assets and generation of huge employment opportunities in rural areas.

The hottest March in modern history and the 11th consecutive month in which monthly global temperature record was broken was in 2016. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicated a string of record setting months is the longest in the 137 years of record keeping.

• Globally averaged temperatures over land and ocean surface for March 2016 was the highest for the month of March in the NOAA global temperature dataset record dating back to 1880.
• Planet wide, average temperature was 1.22 degree celsius above the 20th century average of 12.7 C
• 2015 was the hottest on record, edging out 2014.

This network works with 7 other South Asian countries to fight against trans-border wildlife crime through communication as well as coordination, capacity building and collaboration in the region.

• Other members of the network include Bhutan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This group aims at strong inter governmental regional approach for combating wildlife crime.
• India will adopt the statue of the network and become the formal member to strengthen ties with remaining member countries.
• Adopting the SAWEN statue will give India regional participation in combating wildlife crime. Common goals and approaches for combating illegal trade in the region is a must.

India’s three major natural World Heritage sites- Western Ghats, Sunderbans and Manas Wildlife Sanctuary are facing threat from industrial activities like mining according to the latest WWF survey

• Activities such as mining, illegal logging and oil and gas exploration will harm 114 out of 229 natural World Heritage Sites
• Sunderbans is known for its iconic Royal Bengal tiger
• Western Ghats is one of the top biodiversity sots in India and covers 6 states of India
• Manas Sanctuary in Assam is the home of endangered species such as Indian rhino.

The tiger range countries will discuss key issues including anti poaching strategies. Close to 700 tiger experts, scientists and managers as well as stakeholders are gathering to discuss issues pertaining to tiger conservation.

• Some of the tiger range countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Nepal and Russia.
• While numerous tiger range countries like India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan have registered a growth in tiger population, the status of the tiger remains endangered.

World’s count of wild tigers roaming forests from Russia to Vietnam has has gone up for the first time in a period greater than a century. Around 3890 tigers have been counted by conversation groups and national governments in the most recent census. Tally marks a turnaround from the last 2010 estimate where number of tigers hit an all time low of 3200 according to WWF and Global Tiger Forum.

• India has more than half of the world’s tigers with 2226 tigers roaming across the nation, from Kerala to West Bengal according to the last count in 2014
• This is the first time tiger count has increased since 1900, when there were more than 100,000 tigers in the wild.

Starting this month as the country experiences heat wave and summer temperatures steadily in India, the country is set to get its own heat index. India Meteorological Department will introduce the heat index for the country. The heat index is a measure of how hot it really feels and is based on actual temperature and relative humidity levels. Index will give citizens accurate and updated information on heat conditions particular to their areas.

An ambitious e-eye surveillance system implemented by the Centre may be expanded to maintain track of tigers in wildlife sanctuaries and prevent poaching as well as animal human conflict. The surveillance system has already been installed in Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand Kaziranga tiger reserve in Assam and Ratapani wildlife sanctuary in MP with financial assistance from NTCA.

• The e-eye is a software based system where high resolution thermal and infrared cameras capture all activities
• Tiger population in the country has risen to 2226 in 2014 from 1706 in 2010.

The 26 km long Thane Creek which covers a ground area of 1690 has suffered an environmental catastrophe over 14 years. Around 58 of the 69 marine species have become extinct in the waters during this period. Fisherman looking for fish and crab species like Hilsa, Asian Sea Bass, Black Tiger Prawn, Small Crab and Lobster will now enter the high seas for the same. Remaining 11 species of fish in the Thane Creek will soon disappear as high levels of toxins are contaminating the creek. Research by SACON or Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History has revealed the same. Of the 11 species that have survived, only 4 are edible.

Teak has the highest capacity for carbon sequestration among trees in India. This is the finding of a study conducted by the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) to prepare a hierarchy of local trees in India that can reduce the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps heat and is the main cause as far as global warming is concerned.

• Carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere by trees for long-term storage.
• In its lifetime, a teak tree with a girth of 10-30 cm can absorb 3.70 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Teak’s common name in India is sagwaan while its botanical name is Tectona Grandis. I

Population of the world’s largest primate Grauer’s gorilla found in DRC or Democratic Republic of Congo has fallen by 77% in 20 years according to a fresh report

• From an estimate of 17,000 in 1998 to 3,800 in 2016, the gorillas have been victims of warfare, mining and illegal hunting
• The research was done by scientists from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute working with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Flora and Fauna International and the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature.
• Grauer's gorilla, Gorilla beringei graueri, is found only in forests of the eastern DRC.
• Males can weigh more than 400 pounds, making this the largest gorilla subspecies and hence the largest primate in the world.
• Another species of gorilla, the Western Gorilla, G. gorilla, is found in central Africa west of the Congo River.

MP CM Shivraj Singh inaugurated the maiden White Tiger Safari at Mukundpur in Satna district in MP’s Vindhya region. Felines were first discovered in this region belonging to this rare category close to 100 years ago. First of its kind safari has cost INR 50 crore and is spread over 25 ha.

• The safari houses one male tiger called Raghu and two females, Radha and Vindhya
• Apart from the white tigers, 2 Bengal tigers were also brought here at the Safari from Maharashtra
• White Tiger Safari is located next to the Mukundpur Zoo spread across 75 ha.

A three-day biodiversity festival will be held in the city from April 1 as part of the third Kissan Swaraj Sammelan.

It is organised by Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) and hosted by Rythu Swarajya Vedika.