Environment Flashcards
Talle WS
Arunachal Pradesh. Clouded leapord found here
Apatani Glory
new moth species found in Talle WS. it has one brood of offspring per year.
WS in Arunachal Pradesh
Talle, Itanagar, Lao, Mehao, Dibang Eagle’s Nest Sanctuary, Kamlang, Kane
National Parks in Arunachal
Namdapha, Mouling
Biosphere reserve in Arunachal
Dihang-Dibang
United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)
Established in 1975, it is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are located in Madrid.
• India is a member of UNWTO since 1975.
Mangaljodi Ecotourism Trust (MET) won UNWTO award
SECURE Himalaya
The Union Government has launched SECURE Himalaya, a six-year project to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in high Himalayan ecosystem
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
It is an international certification run by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which provides a framework
to building owners and operators for identifying and implementing practical green building solutions.
Five key areas of focus: energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials selection, sustainable site development and water savings.
Nagar Vana Udyan Yojana
A minimum of 25 hectares of forests will be created in the city.
“Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India”
by Department of Space. This provides detailed information on the present land use, and the severity of land degradation in different states from 2005 to 2013 which will provide the basis for future land use in the country.
Bor Tiger Reserve –
Maharashtra
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Tamil Nadu
Gothenburg Protocol:
It aims to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication, and Ground-level Ozone and is a part of is part of the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution.
✓ Objective: To control and reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH4), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and Particulate Matter (PM) that are caused by human activities.
Kyoto Protocol
It aims to reduce the emissions of the Green House Gases such as Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and carbon dioxide(CO2).
International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) -
It is an international program, set up in 2003 under the sponsorship of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) and from the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) to optimize nitrogen’s beneficial role in sustainable food production.
Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE)
is a term used to indicate the ratio between the amount of fertilizer N removed from the field by the crop and the amount of fertilizer N applied.
FAME-India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (hybrid &) Electric vehicles in India) scheme:
To support the hybrid/electric vehicles market development and its manufacturing eco-system to achieve self-sustenance by subsidizing electric vehicle purchases on an annual basis.
✓ Scheme is proposed to be implemented till 2020
✓ The scheme has four focus areas viz. technology development, demand creation, pilot projects and charging infrastructure.
National Electric Mobility Mission:
✓ It aims to achieve national fuel security by promoting hybrid and electric vehicles in the country.
✓ It targets 6-7 million sales of hybrid and electric vehicles year on year from 2020 onwards .
Automotive Mission Plan 2026:
It aimed at bringing the Indian Automotive Industry among the top three of the world in engineering, manufacture, and exports of vehicles & components; growing in value to over 12% of India GDP and generating an additional 65 million jobs
Green Urban Transport Scheme
✓ It focused to reduce the emission of harmful carbon gas from the transportation, especially from government
owned transport facilities.
✓ Under this scheme, government plans to launch the eco–friendly transportation facilities in urban areas across the nation which run without damaging climatic conditions
Country’s first multi-modal electric vehicle project was recently launched in
Nagpur for public transport.
Aichi Targets
The ‘Aichi Target’ adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at its Nagoya conference.
In the COP-10 meeting, the parties agreed that previous biodiversity protection targets are not achieved, So we need to do come up with new plans and targets
The short term plan provides a set of 20 ambitious yet achievable targets, collectively known as the Aichi Targets.
Vermin
Any animal which poses a threat to human and their livelihood especially farming, can be declared Vermin.
• They are schedule V animals under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
• Wildlife Protection Act 1972, empowers every State’s Chief Wildlife Warden for culling.
• States can send a list of wild animals to the Centre requesting it to declare them vermin for selective slaughter.
• Wild boars, nilgai and rhesus monkeys are protected under Schedule II and III, but can be hunted under specific conditions.
• Schedule V animals are: common crow, fruit bats, mice and rats.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
• It is an Autonomous Institution of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• It offers training program, academic courses and advisory in wildlife research and management. It is also actively engaged in research across the breadth of
the country on biodiversity related issues.
TRAFFIC
It is an NGO and a leading wildlife trade monitoring
network aimed towards conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development.
It covers both Plants and Animals.
TRAFFIC’s 2020 goal is to reduce the pressure of illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade on biodiversity and enhance the benefits to wildlife conservation and human well-being that derive from trade at sustainable levels.
CITES
- It is an international agreement between governments which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
- It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN.
- The convention is legally binding on the parties such that domestic legislation ensures the implementation of CITES at the national level
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
- It is a statutory multi-disciplinary body established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, to combat organized wildlife crime in the country.
- It was constituted in 2007 by amending the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in the inspection of the consignments of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy governing such an item.
Operation Save Kurma
It was conducted to combat the proliferating illegal trade in live turtles and its parts from the country to destinations abroad
Indian Turtles
Turtles are listed in Schedule 1 of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Amendment 2002.
• Types of Indian turtles - Olive Ridley Turtles, Green Sea Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Leathery Turtle, Eastern Mud
Turtle
• Loggerhead Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, and Olive Ridley Turtle are Vulnerable by IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature).
Cyclone Naming
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) started the tropical
cyclone naming system in 2000.
• Eight north Indian Ocean countries — Bangladesh,
India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka and Thailand, gave eight names each which
was combined into a list of 64 names.
• The next cyclone will be named by India and it will
be called ‘Sagar’.
Project Blue Flag
The environment ministry has launched a pilot project ‘Blue Flag’ for beach clean-up and development.
Under the project, each coastal state or union territory has been asked to nominate a beach which will be funded through the ongoing Integrated Coastal Management Programme.
The govt is also striving for the ‘Blue Flag’ certification for such identified beaches. The ‘Blue Flag’ is a
certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach or sustainable boating
tourism operator meets its stringent standards.
Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)
The FEE is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting sustainable development through
environmental education. It was established in 1981.
• It is headquartered at Copenhagen, Denmark. It is active through five programmes; Eco-Schools, Blue Flag,
Young Reporters for Environment (YRE), Green Key and Learning about Forests (LEAF).
• It is an international umbrella organisation with one national member organisation per country representing
FEE on the national level and in charge of implementing FEE programs nationally. India is represented by
Centre for Environment Education, Gujarat.
• It has established the Global Forest Fund to offset CO2 emissions from travel. The fund invests 90% of its
income directly into tree planting and other CO2 compensation efforts that are combined with
environmental education activities.
Star Rating Protocol
The government recently launched the Star Rating Protocol for garbage free cities at a Workshop for Swacch Bharat Mission (Urban).
It is different from the Swachh Survekshan ranking survey as it will allow multiple cities to be awarded the
same star rating.
• The major focus in the ratings will be on waste storage and litter bin.
• An online database was also launched in order to capture the progress of states and cities on their SBM
components, thereby enhancing the robustness and transparency of Mission monitoring.
National Agro-Forestry & Bamboo Mission (NABM)
It envisages promoting holistic growth of bamboo sector by adopting area-based, regionally differentiated strategy and to increase the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing.
It is being implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC), Ministry of Agriculture as a sub scheme under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
Permaculture
It is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.
It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people —providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.
The term was coined by Bill Mollison in 1978.
Recently the 13th International Permaculture Convergence (IPC) was held in Hyderabad.
First IPC was hosted in Australia in 1984.
Bonn Climate Change Conference
Recently, the 23rd meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-23) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded in Bonn, Germany.
After six years, a decision was taken to deal with climate actions in agriculture.
The first ever Gender Action Plan to the UNFCCC was adopted at COP23 (role of gender in climate actions had earlier been included in the Lima work programme)
Talanoa Dialogue:
Talanoa dialogue is a facilitative dialogue in 2018, to take stock of the collective efforts of Parties in relation to progress towards the long-term goal referred to Paris Agreement and to inform the preparation of nationally determine contributions (NDCs) was launched at the CoP 23.
Lima Work Programme on Gender (COP-2014):
It aims to advance implementation of gender-responsive climate policies and mandates across all areas of the negotiations.
Powering Past Coal alliance:
It is initiated by the UK and Canada at Cop-23. 15 countries have joined an alliance to phase out coal-based power by 2030.
Below 50 initiative:
It was launched by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) at Cop-23. The goal is to create the demand and market for those sustainable fuels that produce atleast 50% less CO2 emissions than conventional fossil fuels.
Petcoke
Petroleum coke or pet coke is a solid carbon rich (90% carbon and 3% to 6% sulfur) material derived from oil refining.
It is categorized as a “bottom of the barrel” fuel.
It is a dirtier alternative to coal and emits 11% more greenhouse gases than coal.
India is the world’s biggest consumer of petroleum coke
It is an approved fuel in many states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Furnace oil
It is a dark viscous residual fuel obtained by blending mainly heavier components from crude distillation unit, short residue and clarified oil from catalytic cracker unit.
It is one of the cheapest fuels available and used to generate power in industries to run boilers, turbines etc.
Smog
It is a result of a photochemical reaction of sunlight with
pollutants that have been released into the atmosphere.
It is a result of various factors: geography of the place,
sunlight, calmness of winds, firing of brick kilns, pollution
emitted by vehicles and industrial activity.
Haze
When pollution is high, nitrogen oxides and dust particles interact with sunlight to form ground-level ozone, leading to the building up of haze.
fossil of an Ichthyosaur - an extinct marine reptile
Found in Gujarat. It looks like a mashup of a dolphin and lizard hence also known as ‘fish- lizards’ in Greek.
Many ichthyosaur fossils have been found in North America and Europe, but this is the first time an ichthyosaur fossil has been discovered in India.
The fossil belongs to Jurassic era and was found inside rocks belonging to Mesozoic Era.
Turtle Sanctuary
The government has decided to establish Turtle Sanctuary at Allahabad under Namami Gange programme.Previously, Turtle sanctuary was set up in Varanasi in 1989 under the Ganga Action Plan-I.
It includes setting up of a Turtle Rearing Centre, River Biodiversity Park at Sangam (confluence of the rivers
Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati) and awareness campaign about the importance of river Ganga and
imperativeness of its conservation.
Gases emitted by Thermal Power Plants
Sulphur oxides, Nitrogen oxides, mercury, carbon dioxide, water vapours and fly ash.
Global Wildlife Program (GWP)
“Global Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime Prevention for sustainable development” program also
known as GWP was launched in response to increasing crime against animals in natural habitat.
It works towards wildlife conservation and sustainable development
National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) 2017-2031
The NWAP was first conceived in 1982 which came into effect from 1983 through 1996.
The National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-2031 has been drafted by a 12 member committee headed by J. C.
Kalra with special emphasis on people participation.
The plan has adopted the Landscape approach rather than the earlier strategies more concentrated on national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
The Landscape approach is based on the importance of conservation of uncultivated flora and undomesticated fauna that had ecological value irrespective of their place of occurrence.
It also emphasizes upon preservation of genetic diversity and sustainable utilization of species and
ecosystem.
Secure Himalaya
The project aims to
o Sustain critical ecosystem services (such as fresh water, erosion reduction, mineral resources, land for
food crops, medicinal plants, etc.)
o conserve vulnerable snow leopards and other endangered species by securing community livelihoods,
enhancing enforcement, strengthening community institutions,
o Improving knowledge, advocacy and information systems for promoting landscape-based conservation
approaches.
Specific landscapes (Alpine pastures, sub-alpine forest and critical watersheds) under SECURE Himalayas are:
o Changthang (Jammu and Kashmir)
o Lahaul – Pangi and Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)
o Gangotri – Govind and Darma – Byans Valley in Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand)
o Kanchenzonga – Upper Teesta Valley (Sikkim).
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
It is the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes
It comes under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme.
It provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.
Appendix I of the Convention: It includes Migratory species threatened with extinction
Appendix II of the Convention: It includes Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation.
Species of vulture which received the highest protection under the convention (Appendix I) are the red-headed vulture, white-rumped vulture, Indian vulture and slender-billed vulture.
Whale shark, which inhabits the Indian Ocean, also got global protection which are on the verge of extinction due to over-fishing, vessel strikes etc
Caspian seal has also been identified for conservation. It is the only marine mammal found in the world’s largest inland sea, where its migration is prompted by ice formation and foraging.
It was also decided that India will host 13th CMS COP.
Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary:
It is India’s only vulture sanctuary in Karnataka
Red-headed vulture
is on the critically endangered list of IUCN but not listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
There are nine species of vultures in India out of which, 3 have been on critically endangered list of IUCN and also listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. These are:
White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
Slender billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
Indian Vulture/long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus)
Central Ground Water Authority
A statutory body under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Mandate under Section 3 (3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to regulate and control development and management of groundwater resources in the country.
World Meteorological Organization
It is a specialized agency of the United Nation.
It studies the behavior of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.
Greenhouse Gas Bulletin is WMO annual flagship report, which tracks concentrations of gasses in the atmosphere in the post-industrial era (since 1750).
Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) programme of WMO
It provides reliable scientific data and information on the chemical composition of the atmosphere, its natural and
anthropogenic change, and helps to improve the understanding of interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere.
GAW focal areas are aerosols, greenhouse gases, selected reactive gases, ozone, UV radiation and precipitation chemistry (or atmospheric deposition).
PAT (perform, achieve & trade) scheme
It was launched by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (Ministry of Power) under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE).
It is a market based mechanism in which sectors are assigned efficiency targets. Industries which over-achieve target get incentives in the form of energy saving certificates (ESCert).
These certificates are tradable at two energy exchanges viz. Indian Energy Exchange and Power Exchange India, where it can be bought by other industries which are unable to achieve their targets.
PAT cycle I (2012-13 to 2014-15), was applicable on eight energy intensive sectors.
PAT cycle II (2016 2018-19): includes 8 sectors of PAT I and 3 new sectors viz, railways, discoms and petroleum refineries.
PAT cycle III (2017-20): Under it, 116 new units have been included and given a reduction target of 1.06 million tonnes of oil equivalent.
Eight Energy Intensive Sectors:
Thermal Power plants, Iron & Steel, Cement,
Fertilizer, Aluminum, Textile, Pulp & Paper
and Chlor-alkali.