Посты канала Environment and Ecology For UPSC [Official]

Context: Over 40 migratory birds died at Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan.

Initial examinations suggest that the birds may have succumbed to avian botulism, a severe neuromuscular illness caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which thrives in low-oxygen environments.

Earlier in 2019, more than 18,000 migratory birds from 13 to 15 species perished in the same region due to botulism.

Sambhar Lake:

1. It is a elliptically shaped lake located in Sambhar Lake Town, Jaipur district of Rajasthan. It surrounds the historical Sambhar Lake Town.

2. It is surrounded by the Aravali hills on all sides.

3. It is India's largest saline wetland and sits west of the Indian city of Jaipur.

4. It is also a designated Ramsar Site.

5. It receives water from six rivers: Mantha, Rupangarh, Khari, Khandela, Medtha and Samod.

6. The vegetation present in the catchment area is mostly xerophytic type.

7. It is the source of most of Rajasthan's salt production.

8. Historical Significance:

a. The Indian epic Mahabharata mentions the Sambhar Lake as a part of the kingdom of the demon king Vrishparva, as the place where his priest Shukracharya lived.

b. There is a temple near the lakeshore dedicated to Shakambhari Devi.

9. It is important for a variety of wintering waterbirds, including large numbers of flamingos

10. It forms part of the desert circuit in the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan Scheme.


#LakesOfIndia #RamsarSites

Source: Hindustan Times

Q.) Consider the following statements:

1. Global Nature Conservation Index was released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

2. India has been ranked 167th in the Global Nature Conservation Index, 2024.

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Context: Uttarakhand’s ‘skeleton lake’ Roopkund shrinking due to climate change?


Roopkund:

1. It is a high altitude glacial lake located in Chamoli District, Uttarakhand.

2. It lies in the lap of Trishul massif and lake is surrounded by rock-strewn glaciers and snow-clad mountains.

3. It is also known 'Skeleton Lake' as hundreds of human skeletons found at the edge of the lake.

a. It was discovered by a patrolling British forest ranger in 1942.

b.These skeletons become visible when snow melts in the region.

4. As per 2019 study, the human skeletons were of genetically diverse individuals who died over a span of up to 1,000 years.

5. History and cultural significance: Nanda Devi Raj Jat takes place once every twelve years at Roopkund, during which Goddess Nanda is worshipped.

6. Roopkund's skeletons were featured in a National Geographic documentary, "Riddles of the Dead: Skeleton Lake".

#LakesOfIndia

Source: The Economic Times

Tributes to India's missile man, People's President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary.

“If four things are followed — having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance - then anything can be achieved.”

Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur)

Surviving in India’s salt desert

1. The Rann of Kutch evolved when waters of the Arabian Sea made incursions into this region 150-200 million years ago.

2. Geological upheavals led to the rise of a landmass that cut off the Kutch basin from the sea.

3. The Little Rann of Kutch lies at the end of the Gulf of Kutch and covers an area of 5,000 sq. km, chiefly in the Surendranagar district of Gujarat.

4. For most of the year, this landscape consists of vast, barren and white salt flats.

a. A striking alteration occurs when the monsoon sets in, and the Rann turns into a shallow wetland.

b. About 75 elevated pieces of land turn into islands, called bets by the local Agariya and Maldhari communities.

5. The Little Rann of Kutch is home to the wild ass sanctuary, which is the only remaining habitat of the Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur), locally called khur.

Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur):

1. It is a subspecies of the onager native to South Asia.

a. It is almost the size of a zebra, and lives for 21 years.

2. Its range once extended from western India, southern Pakistan, Afghanistan, and south-eastern Iran.

3. Now, Eqquus hemionus khur only occurs in and around the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Here, it is protected in Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary (1972).

4. It is found in semi-desert, and grassland areas. It prefers Saline deserts (rann), arid grasslands and shrublands

5. Physical Appearance: Its coat is usually sandy, but varies from reddish grey, fawn, to pale chestnut.

6. It is protected under Schedule I of WPA, 1972.

7. It is listed as NEAR THREATENED in IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.

8. It is listed in Appendix I of CITES.

9. According to the census conducted in 2020, the population has reached 6,082.

11. Gestation periods are long, 11 to 12 months, and concurrent lactation and pregnancy is sometimes seen.

12. The viral African Horse sickness, and Surra (caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma evansi and spread by biting insects) had decimated many herds, and only a few hundred survivors were estimated in the 1960s.

13. Threats:

a. Land use patterns, Human activities, diseases, road kills.

b.Increased agricultural practices have converted fallow lands into irrigation fields, resulting in shrinking habitat for the existing Khur population.

c. Prosopis juliflora invasion is an additional threat to the habitat.

d. Uncontrolled grazing by the Maldharis.

#SpeciesInNews

Source: The Hindu

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Nice words — Uniform Pollution Code. One nation, One Pollution.


https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/satire-one-nation-one-pollution-g-sampath-column/article68733021.ece

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