Category: Environment and WIldlife

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-Top News Environment Environment and WIldlife

Indian scientists reveal new layer of monsoon circulation’s link to Antarctica

South-easterlies become southwest (summer) monsoon winds after crossing the equator, therefore, a strong correlation between them is expected…writes Nivedita Khandekar

Identifying several occurrences of interchanging intense and weak monsoon circulation events during the 145 kyr period (roughly a millennia), Indian scientists have found that warm/cold conditions in Antarctica show a near one-to-one coupling with weak/strong monsoon phases, suggesting a strong mechanistic link between them during the period.

Four scientists from National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and the School of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Goa University, reconstructed the dynamics of the summer monsoon circulation from an upstream region, which is ideally suited for exploring its link with the southern high-latitude climate. The available records of past summer monsoon variability are predominantly based on reconstruction of downstream hydrology, which is identifiable with the thermodynamics of the system.

Antarctica

“The influence of northern high latitude climate variability on the South Asian Summer Monsoon has been extensively studied using both instrumental and proxy based climate data. In comparison, only a few studies have attempted to explore the southern high latitude association of the South Asian Summer Monsoon,” the study said.

South Asian summer monsoon transports large amount of heat and moisture across the equator. A low-pressure system develops over the northwest Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan plateau as a result of sensible heating due to the seasonal position of the Sun. South-easterlies become southwest (summer) monsoon winds after crossing the equator, therefore, a strong correlation between them is expected.

These scientists Manish Tiwari, Sidhesh Nagoji and Rahul Mohan from NCPOR, Goa and Vikash Kumar from Goa University, compared the 145 kyr long record of summer monsoon variability inferred through south-easterlies strength with that of earlier published 2003-reconstruction from the western Arabian Sea reflecting the southwest monsoon wind strength.

They presented 145 kyr long new data – oxygen and carbon isotopic abundance of two depth-stratified species of foraminifera viz. Globigerinoides ruber and Globorotalia menardii – from a sediment core on sub-millennial to millennial scale resolution from the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean, a region swept by the southeasterly wind during boreal summer, which transforms to the southwest monsoon wind after crossing the equator.

The findings from the study – published as ‘a 145 kyr record of upstream changes in Indian monsoon circulation and its link to southern high-latitude climate’ in journal ‘Polar Science’ in October – said “are consistent with our results where warm (cold) Antarctic conditions appear to cause synchronous decline (increase) in monsoon circulation, most likely through an equatorial Indian Ocean bridge”.

The tropical Indian Ocean, apart from being directly affected by the summer monsoon winds, is also ideally suited for exploring any high southern-latitude inter-hemispheric influence on the circulation. “Here, we report oxygen and carbon isotopic abundance of two depth-stratified foraminifera species from a sediment core from the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean covering significant parts of the last two glacial periods,” the study said, adding: “Past upwelling record constructed using the oxygen isotopic composition of depth-stratified species of foraminifera indicates periods of high and low summer monsoon activity from 187.5 kyr to 41.4 kyr BP”.

Antarctica

The carbon isotopic composition primarily records signatures of monsoon induced upwelling during this period. Spectral and wavelet analysis shows dominant power in the precession band throughout the 145 kyr period. “Our record of summer monsoon variability matches with a multi-proxy record of monsoon wind stress from the Western Arabian Sea, a region dominated by high seasonal south-westerly summer monsoon wind. Comparison of our record with the Antarctic climate record during the last two glacial periods suggests coherent changes in cross-equatorial summer monsoon flow and Antarctic temperatures where warm (cold) conditions in Antarctica were phase linked to weak (strong) monsoon circulation.”

It appears that millennial scale variability in the southern high latitude region significantly modulates sub-orbital variance of cross-equatorial monsoon flow, most likely by influencing the sea surface temperatures (SST) in the tropical Indian Ocean, the scientists said.

ALSO READ-‘Antarctica: The Last Frontier’

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-Top News Australia Environment and WIldlife

New South Wales announces wetland as globally protected

The convention, to which Australia has already signed 67 sites, is designed to promote the conservation of wetlands, and establish nature reserves in areas important for biological diversity…reports Asian Lite News.

The government of New South Wales (NSW) on Sunday announced that a large wetland area in the Australian state’s northwest would be listed as an internationally important wetland.

The proposed listing of Caryapundy Swamp is Australia’s latest addition to the global 1971 Ramsar Convention agreement, and would add approximately 700 square km of protected wetlands in NSW, bringing the country’s total listed area to over 8.37 million hectares, reports Xinhua news agency.

The convention, to which Australia has already signed 67 sites, is designed to promote the conservation of wetlands, and establish nature reserves in areas important for biological diversity.

Australia’s Minister for Environment Sussan Ley said the site would play “a critical role for species like the Australasian Shoveler, Grey Teal and Red-necked Avocet which use the site as a drought refuge”.

The swamp is situated in a major basin which captures floodwaters from across a basin in the state’s northwest, and during times of flood more than 100,000 birds have been known to flock to the wetlands surrounding Caryapundy.

Floods represent an important factor in the life cycle of wetlands, and many Australian bird species require substantial flooding in order to trigger large-scale breeding events.

The wetlands are also an important stop-off point for migratory shorebirds that fly to southern Australia during the winter.

The status would prevent these waters from being rerouted to reservoirs or for use in agriculture.

NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean said it was the first site that has been nominated by the state government in over a decade.

“This application is the result of close collaboration between NSW and the Commonwealth, as well as consultation with Aboriginal stakeholders and traditional owners on the significant cultural values the region has,” said Kean.

“This convention is the global gold standard for wetland conservation and will shine an international spotlight on the area driving economic opportunities, including tourism, for the local community.”

The listing coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention.

Kean said that there are a total of 2,400 wetlands listed worldwide, which protects over 254.6 million hectares of critical waterbird habitat.

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Environment Environment and WIldlife Lite Blogs

Key contributor to Antarctic ice cloud cover found

They found that there was a sizable difference in ice cloud formation at the low- and mid-levels (6500-20,000 feet) between summertime and winter…reports Asian Lite News.

A study by Japanese scientists has explained how marine aerosols contribute to ice cloud formation over the Southern Ocean at comparatively high temperature conditions – a finding, which, in turn, will help improve the accuracy of climate models.

Aerosols, or tiny particles suspended in the air upon which water vapour condenses at high altitudes, are a crucial factor to cloud formation, and understanding the contributions would help improve the accuracy of climate models, or digital simulations of the Earth’s climate system, calculating the interactions of various drivers of climate, such as land, sea, atmosphere, and humidity among others and forecast the future climate of the world.

Yet, simulating clouds, a key factor of the Earth’s climate system, has always been challenging. Their complex behaviour often leads climate modellers to misestimate cloud cover.

However, the climate scientist duo from Japan – Assistant Professor Kazutoshi Sato from Kitami Institute of Technology and Associate Professor Jun Inoue from the National Institute of Polar Research – have answered a few critical questions on cloud formation over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in their research published in the journal ‘Geophysical Research Letters’.

“Ice clouds are normally formed under very cold conditions (under minus 38 degrees C), but we observed the formation of low-level (under 6,500 feet) ice-clouds at significantly higher temperatures,” said Dr Sato.

Breaking waves and squally winds disperse aerosols from the sea into the atmosphere. These particles then become the starting particles for a type of cloud called “ice clouds” and are hence called “ice-nucleating particles”. As the ice cover on the polar sea surface changes with temperature, the concentration and activity of the particles changes too, thereby influencing cloud formation.

There are large uncertainties in current numerical climate models because of overestimation in ice-cloud fractions, especially in atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Understanding the sources of INPs will go a long way towards mitigating this issue, Dr Sato said.

The scientists used data captured by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite and estimated the seasonal variation in the ice cloud fraction over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. They also investigated the relationship between low-level ice clouds and sea surface conditions in summer and winter.

As marine phytoplankton blooms are considered a source of bioaerosols, the scientists also used the satellite data to measure the concentration of chlorophyll on the sea surface to provide an indicator of phytoplankton abundance in the upper layers of the ocean. Finally, they re-analysed the existing data to understand precisely the extent of gas and particle exchange between the ocean and atmosphere, said a release from the Kitami Institute of Technology, Japan.

They found that there was a sizable difference in ice cloud formation at the low- and mid-levels (6500-20,000 feet) between summertime and winter. High fractions of low-level ice clouds were observed at comparatively high temperatures (above 7.5 degrees Celsius) over coastal Antarctic Sea ice areas in the summer. This increased ice cloud cover coincided with the highest estimated populations of phytoplankton. In winter, low-level ice clouds were observed at temperatures above 17.5 degrees C, a time during which substantial heat exchange took place from the ocean to the air near coastal areas.

Sato said: “Our findings suggest that marine aerosols emitted from the ocean contribute to low-level ice-cloud formation over the Southern Ocean even under higher temperatures.”

Antarctica

As ongoing climate change is causing rapid environmental changes, which are being felt acutely in the polar regions, Dr Sato highlighted the importance of their findings,

“Developing reliable global climate models are essential to improving our understanding and predictions of climate behaviour. By clarifying the relationship between ice clouds and marine aerosols, our study will help reduce the errors associated with cloud biases in a numerical climate model.”

“Improving the accuracy of climate models is the defining challenge of our time, but with findings like this to help us on our way, we are sure to succeed,” he said.

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Environment and WIldlife India News Lite Blogs

Butterfly study in Vizag shows Eastern Ghats yet to be discovered

The East Coast, where the Visakhapatnam district is located, is made up of several dense and forested areas that are home to several varieties of flora and fauna…reports Narendra Puppala

Butterflies – in contrast to their dainty name and fragile appearance – are a hardy species. And their presence tells us a lot about the surrounding eco-system, feels Dr Mantha Ramamurthy. He should know, because he has been on their trail since 2005 in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.

Credited with setting up Andhra Pradesh’s only biodiversity park of its kind — a mini-jungle, boasting of diverse plant and butterfly species — in the midst of Visakhapatnam’s concrete urbanscape, Ramamurthy and his band of ecological warriors – students and volunteers – are active in creating awareness and studying the environment – read butterflies.

The latest study by Ramamurthy and a team of researchers has identified 12 butterfly species that are non-native or new to the coastal district which lies in the northern part of the Eastern Ghats. The study conducted between 2016 and 2018 by members of the Dolphin Nature Conservation Society, is titled ‘Butterflies of Visakhapatnam District’ and has been published in the scientific journal Zoo’s Print. Mantha Ramamurthy directed the research conducted by STPL Ushasri and Pavani Sagiraju.

The butterfly species that were newly discovered in Visakhapatnam district include Colotis amata, Delias hyparete, Eurema brigitta, E. laeta, Freyeria trochylus, Ixias pyrene, Lethe europa, Troides helena,Vanessa cardui, Virachola isocrates, Ypthima baldus and Y. ceylonica.

In the real world, these butterflies go by common names such as the common birdwing, small salmon Arab, painted jezebel, small grass yellow, spotless grass yellow, yellow orange-tip, bamboo tree brown, painted lady, common five-ring, white four-ring, orange-spotted grass jewel and common guava blue.

As per the study, a total of 105 butterfly species, belonging to six families, were recorded in the district. Nearly seven species, of the 12 species that were recorded as new to Visakhapatnam district, enjoy protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The East Coast, where the Visakhapatnam district is located, is made up of several dense and forested areas that are home to several varieties of flora and fauna.

The study was conducted in 11 areas of the district, included six areas located in the forests of the Eastern Ghats, and five areas in urban environments.

Interestingly, while many of the new butterfly species were discovered in wooded terrain like Araku, Ananthagiri, Chintapalli, Paderu and Sileru, a good number of these butterfly species were also found to have made themselves at home in the city’s urban landscape.

However, Ramamurthy cautions that it would be premature to conclude that the butterflies identified are non-native or new to the district. He feels that the Eastern Ghats ecology has never really been researched thoroughly thus far. Since research initiatives in the area are largely done in isolation and there has never been a coordinated push for research in this part of the Eastern Ghats, he feels it is possible that some of these butterfly species may have actually been original inhabitants of the area.

“Whether some of these species migrated from the Western Ghats or are variants of original inhabitants, needs to be studied. Concerted research efforts are required for the flora and fauna of the Eastern Ghats as well. It is still waiting to be discovered fully” Ramamurthy stresses.

In comparison to their more famous counterpart along the western coast of India,the Eastern Ghats are quite low-profile. Accorded the status of a world biodiversity zone, the Western Ghats are home to a vast variety of flora and fauna that have been extensively studied and elaborately documented. The same however cannot be said of the Eastern Ghats which are relatively less explored. Its geographic features are not so expansive as the Western Ghats, and have also suffered more degradation due to mineral exploitation.

“Forests are facing the axe, and bauxite mining has destroyed much of the forest wealth and species. Tribals should be taught ecologically safe livelihoods, so that they can safeguard the forests. Along with that more volunteers should come forward” Ramamurthy says over the telephone from California, USA, where he’s visiting his son.

A previous study in 2013, had listed 23 butterfly species as non-native to the district. Ramamurthy feels that the Eastern Ghats have a lot more to divulge.

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-Top News Environment and WIldlife World News

Central Asia on mission to save snow leopards

It is one of the most vulnerable regions of the planet to climate change where warming is occurring twice as fast as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere…reports Vishal Gulati.

Central Asia has joined hands at the 26th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for conservation of the snow leopard.

Now some smaller, more vulnerable countries are coming together to join forces to preserve their natural treasures and livelihoods of the local communities.

The high mountains of Asia are also known as the athird pole’ of the earth. Home to 14 of the highest peaks in the world, the ‘third pole’ is spread across the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Pamir, Tien-Shan and Altai mountains, as well as the Tibetan plateau.

It is one of the most vulnerable regions of the planet to climate change where warming is occurring twice as fast as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.

The snow leopard serves as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystems in terms of climate change and biodiversity. Its presence symbolizes ecosystem services such as fresh water and carbon sequestration that benefit human populations of billions living downstream.

Experts say the conservation of snow leopards is synonymous to conservation of biological and cultural diversity and securing livelihoods of the ‘third pole’.

The mountains represented by the snow leopard habitat offer economic opportunity, and open avenues for influx of green investments for sustainable livelihoods of the local communities sharing their space with wildlife across the pastures and agricultural lands in the region, Koustubh Sharma, International Coordinator for the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program, told.

The close relationship between the snow leopard conservation and the well-being of the local communities makes snow leopard conservation equivalent to climate adaptation, he said.

The snow leopard moves between international borders seamlessly as long as they are not fenced, making it an ambassador for trans-boundary cooperation in the mountainous regions.

Conserving the snow leopard and its unique habitat requires coordination beyond international borders, and its importance is highlighted in the Bishkek Declaration 2013 and 2017 that was endorsed by the governments of all snow leopard range countries.

The UN resolution titled aNature knows no borders: Transboundary cooperation is key factor in conservation and sustainable using of biodiversity’, proposed by the Kyrgyz Republic and endorsed unanimously at the 75th UN General Assembly is a testimony to the greater global acknowledgement for transboundary action for biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation.

A memorandum of understanding for trans-boundary cooperation was signed between the Central Asian snow leopard range countries for cooperation in research and monitoring, combating illegal wildlife trade, and community-based conservation in the West Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay.

The signing was part of a ministerial event hosted by the Benelux pavilion and the Luxembourg government that focused on the innovative approach that UNEP’s Vanishing Treasures project is taking to build resilience of mountain flagship species, their habitat and local communities to climate change.

Bahodur Sheralizoda, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the government of Tajikistan, Beksultan Ibraimov, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Technical Supervision for Kyrgyz Republic, and Jusipbek Kazbekov, Deputy Chairman of the State committee for Ecology and environment protection of Uzbekistan, signed the pact on behalf of their respective countries’ governments.

The signing was preceded by a session on joining forces for snow leopard conservation in the context of climate adaptation, hosted at the Central Asia pavilion of COP26.

Snow leopards face a multitude of threats, including retaliatory killing, illegal wildlife trade, poaching and excess hunting of its wild prey, poorly planned infrastructure, and mining.

Climate change is hailed as the mother of all threats for how it interacts with and amplifies each of the existing threats biodiversity and local communities face.

A recent policy brief released by the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program and the Snow Leopard Trust highlights reports that the snow leopard habitat is far more vulnerable to infectious diseases than earlier believed.

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Environment and WIldlife Lite Blogs

Communities join hands to reverse manmade disaster

Raising concerns over the growth of hyacinths on the river bed, Prasad K Dash, a scientist of Odisha Biodiversity Board, said these invasive species are an indicator of bad ecological health…reports Pragati Prava.

The disappearing Sukapaika river has also left a mark on the health and wellbeing of the people living around it.

“We are sick of water weeds (hyacinths) that cover the stagnant water on the riverbed like a thick mat. These weeds not only turned the water into a breeding ground of mosquitoes and flies but also a habitation of poisonous snakes,” said Sd Sajid Ali (48) of Praharajpur.

Roshan Rath, reckoned anecdotally, that he hears of at least 10 cases of snakebite every year.

“The Cuttack Drainage Division gets a huge sum to clear the weeds but they don’t put much effort into it. Rather they siphon off a huge amount of money. Groups of villagers have been clearing some patches of the river from time to time, but the weeds regrow soon,” said Ratikanta Patnaik (48), a villager of Praharajpur.

Raising concerns over the growth of hyacinths on the river bed, Prasad K Dash, a scientist of Odisha Biodiversity Board, said these invasive species are an indicator of bad ecological health. Hyacinths create a conducive environment for the growth of disease pathogens, insects and mosquitoes by obstructing sunlight that is vital for aquatic life. He maintained that it is difficult to get rid of the weeds and freshwater flow may prove beneficial.

Dr Ashok K Satpathy, a paediatrics specialist at a rural training centre of the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) at Kalarabanka, which lies on the bank of Sukapaika, said, “The number of patients affected by various skin and vector-borne diseases such as scabies, malaria and dengue has gone up since the river died.” He attributed the reason to the unhygienic condition created by the hyacinths.

Meanwhile, encroachments spread

As these multi-faceted ripple effects were unfolding, encroachment was growing along the river.

“Unscrupulous people have erected brick kilns, developed ponds and other structures including houses on the riverbed,” said Sajid Ali (48) of Praharajpur. “Many people have even acquired 99-year lease pattas through illegal means.” The patta land on the river would amount to more than 500 acres along the entire length of the river, he added. Activists and journalists who have tried to figure out the nature and extent of these encroachments have been met with silence.

RTI activist Prashant Pradhan, a native of riparian Kamarpada village in Dharina panchayat, had applied to the Kishan Nagar tahsildar under the Right to Information Act in 2003 and then again in 2010 about the legal standing of these leases. However, he is yet to get any response. Sushant Jena, a correspondent of a vernacular daily, had also sought to know the encroachment status on the Sukapaika river bed under the RTI in 2019 and then recently in June 2021. He also hasn’t heard back.

If this evasion is any indicator, the Sukapaika Bachao Abhiyan (SBA) has its work cut out for them.

SBA was born in 2016 under the leadership of Dr Rath and was an attempt to bring together the affected communities. The group gained momentum in 2019 and currently, more than 10,000 farmers, fisherfolk, doctors, engineers, advocates, educationists, are its members, said Dr Rath.

In January 2020, over 8,000 villagers signed a petition asking to construct a sluice gate near Ayatpur to restart the flow of the river; this was submitted to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said Sisir Das (65), a senior advocate and the legal advisor of the SBA, who resides in the riparian village of Praharajpur.

Naveen Patnaik, Odisha Chief Minister

They moved the State Human Rights Commission in August 2020, citing the drastic impacts on the health and livelihood of around 10 lakh people. They had also moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in January 2021 under Sections 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the NGT Act, 2010 appealing the tribunal to direct the Govt of Odisha to reopen the river mouth, according to Sisir.

In January 2021, a team of officials from the Revenue and Water Resources Departments, led by district collector Bhabani Shankar Chayini, visited the river in its 27km stretch — from its origin till the river joins the parent river Mahanadi — to take stock of the situation. Chayini directed the concerned revenue authorities to take immediate steps to clear the encroachments. The SBA also moved the Water Resource Department Secretary Anu Garg in February 2021, following which, the department officials visited the river and prepared an action plan of Rs 44 crore for its revival, pointed out Rath.

The Mahanadi River , Chhattisgarh (Wikipedia)

In a review meeting presided over by Cuttack MP Bhartuhari Mahatab on July 2 this year, Chayini had directed the Water Resources Department to prepare a detailed project report to carry the revival plan forward.

While the Cuttack district collector and the concerned engineer could not be contacted for their take on the issue, those fighting for the river know that clearing the encroachments is going to be the government’s biggest challenge. According to Dr Rath, many people have obtained pattas on the river bed by greasing the palms of some officials.

Ironically, an alleged case of encroachment may have happened in Rath’s own backyard. A pond was built at Bodhapur village in the middle of river Sukapaika in 2019 at an expenditure of Rs 16 lakh. According to Dr Rath, while the pond is of immense benefit to the people, its construction on the river bed is illegal and has been done without the permission of the Revenue Department.

Bodhapur Sarpanch Chagala Behera, however, maintained that the pond has not been constructed on the river bed, but on the river bank on unused government land demarcated by the tehsildar. It’s not illegal and is the sole source of water for the people and animals in the village, especially during the harsh summers, he said. He added that the panchayat is going to lease out the pond for fish farming soon.

The SBA and other community members are cautiously optimistic to see their efforts starting to move some pieces on the board, but they are aware it’s going to be a difficult fight and close to home. The villagers have warned that they will take to the streets if the government fails to revive the river with immediate effect. They have already lost too much.

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Environment and WIldlife India News

Govt embarks on elephant reserves, corridor mapping

The Ministry constituted a committee for identification and ground truthing of elephant corridors in April and the first meeting was held in July…reports Asian Lite News.

Starting from Friday, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) will conduct four regional workshops for state forest departments (SFDs) of elephant reserves to train them on identification and ground truthing for elephant corridors, an essential step being taken along with the mapping of such reserves.

There are 30 elephant reserves across India encompassing an area of 55,000 sq km. But 80 per cent of the elephants are outside the protected areas.

“With most of the elephants outside the elephant reserves, they come in contact with human beings and that gives rise to the human-elephant conflict (HEC) cases,” said an official from the Ministry.

Besides those elephant reserves, there are other areas where the Ministry aims to focus on.

“Once the boundaries are rationalised, we will be able to find out which are the areas so that we can identify the places of conflict and avoid HEC incidences,” the official said.

The Ministry constituted a committee for identification and ground truthing of elephant corridors in April and the first meeting was held in July.

“The Committee finalised the parametres for identification of elephant corridors. Four regional workshops will be held with all elephant range states to train SFDs on identification and ground truthing of the elephant corridors,” said Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav.

The land use land cover mapping using GIS for 23 of the 30 elephant reserves has been completed and the Ministry has already received shape files from the states.

“We are following this up with the state FDs for the remaining. Thereafter mapping shall be done, and final report prepared,” Yadav said.

The first regional consultative workshop starts on Friday for the northwest region – Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – and the final would be held on October 18.

The other three regions are north-east, south and east-central, all places where the elephant population are distributed in India.

The structural and functionality of elephant corridor would be established with the exercise.

Elephants (ANI)

“So ultimately, we would get a final picture with maximum focus on elephant movement without any hindrance in the passage. Any kind of encroachments can happen, which can hinder the movement of elephant,” the Ministry official said.

Most of the elephant reserves in India started getting notified since 2002 and over the two decades — these reserves by themselves don’t have any legal sanctity and are just notified — there have been lot of changes on ground.

There are a total of 101 corridors, identified by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in 2017 in their book “Right of Passage”.

When the identification and ground truthing was done in 2005, only 88 corridors were identified then, and they found a place in Gaja Task Force.

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-Top News Abu Dhabi Environment and WIldlife

First ever ‘Abu Dhabi Red List of Wildlife Species’ launched

First ever 'Abu Dhabi Red List of Wildlife Species' launched

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) recently launched the first ever Abu Dhabi Red List of Wildlife Species (AD-RLS), which is an assessment of the threat status of the emirate’s terrestrial and marine species….reports Asian Lite News

A total of 244 species were assessed, including 101 plants, 49 birds, 9 marine species, 32 terrestrial mammals, 25 invertebrates, 26 reptiles and 2 amphibians. Out of the 244 species assessed, 74 are under different threat categories, such as critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable.

First ever ‘Abu Dhabi Red List of Wildlife Species’ launched

“The Abu Dhabi Red List is a welcome addition to our knowledge on the threat status of species found in Abu Dhabi,” said Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, EAD’s Secretary-General. “The List is based on the internationally recognised Red List Criteria, developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the assessments of threat status have gone through extensive external review from a team of experts from the IUCN, the Red List Authority, and independent experts.”

Ahmed Al Hashmi, Acting Executive Director, Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector, said, ‘‘The Abu Dhabi Red List of Wildlife Species has been long overdue, and it is an important addition to our understanding of the threats to the species in line with the global standards of IUCN.

First ever ‘Abu Dhabi Red List of Wildlife Species’ launched

“The Abu Dhabi Red List also complements the National Red List development undertaken by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and is consistent with the development of such lists at local, national and regional levels.”

ALSO READ: New species of Jurassic era hybodont shark discovered in Jaisalmer

EAD has undertaken some of the most ambitious and successful projects to reintroduce species that were on the brink of extinction such as the Arabian Oryx and Scimitar-horned Oryx, and Abu Dhabi now houses the largest herd of Arabian Oryx in the world.

First ever ‘Abu Dhabi Red List of Wildlife Species’ launched

The Shaikh Zayed Network of 13 terrestrial and six marine protected areas, managed by the Agency, provides protection to some of the most threatened and important terrestrial and marine species and their habitats.

Furthermore, EAD has a plant nursery with a production capacity of nearly 500,000 plants annually and has more than 70 different native plant species propagated to date. These plant species include many rare and threatened species and are used for habitat restoration efforts across the Emirate.

First ever ‘Abu Dhabi Red List of Wildlife Species’ launched

The Agency has successfully rehabilitated important plant species such as the Al Sarh, Ghaf and Samar trees in their natural habitat to ensure that they continue to remain part of the Emirate’s landscape and its cultural heritage.

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Environment and WIldlife India News

New species of Jurassic era hybodont shark discovered in Jaisalmer

The newly discovered crushing teeth in Jaisalmer represent a new species named by the research team as ‘Strophodusjaisalmerensis’…reports Asian Lite News.

In a rare discovery, the teeth of a new species of hybodont shark of the Jurassic era have been reported found for the first time in Jaisalmer by a team comprising of Krishna Kumar, Pragya Pandey, Triparna Ghosh and Debasish Bhattacharya from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Western Region, Jaipur.

This finding has been published in Historical Biology, a Journal of Palaeontology, in its August, 2021, 4th issue. Prof Sunil Bajpai, heading the department of earth sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, who is a co-author of this publication, played a significant role in the identification and documentation of this discovery.

According to Krishna Kumar, senior geologist, palaeontology division, Western Region, “Hybodont sharks have been reported for the first time from the Jurassic rocks (approximately, between 160 and 168 million years old) in the Jaisalmer region of Rajasthan. They comprise an extinct group of sharks, which was a dominant group of fishes in both marine and fluvial environments during the Triassic and early Jurassic time. However, hybodont sharks started to decline in marine environments from the Middle Jurassic onwards until they formed a relatively minor component of open-marine shark assemblages. Hybodonts finally became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago.”

The newly discovered crushing teeth in Jaisalmer represent a new species named by the research team as ‘Strophodusjaisalmerensis’. The genus Strophodus has been identified for the first time in the Indian sub-continent and is only the third such record from Asia, the other two being from Japan and Thailand. This species has recently been included in the Shark references.com, an international platform operating in association with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Species Survival Commission (SSC), and Germany.

This discovery marks an important milestone in the study of Jurassic vertebrate fossils in the Jaisalmer region of Rajasthan, and it opens a new window for further research in the domain of vertebrate fossils.

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Environment and WIldlife

IIT Madras’ e-Source seeks to tackle e-waste

E-waste is one of the pressing issues in India as well, with the country being the world’s third largest producer. Further, between 2019 and 2020, Indians generated 38 per cent more e-waste…reports Asian Lite News.

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) is developing an innovative model to tackle electronic waste (e-waste) by linking stakeholders in the formal and informal economy.
Called ‘e-Source,’ it will be an exchange platform that will serve as an online marketplace for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and facilitate a formal supply chain between buyers and sellers, a IIT-M release said.
This initiative can become a critical resource by enabling reverse logistics supply chains and help recycle 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste world generates annually, and is potentially a $50 billion market, it said.
According to studies, global e-waste is expected to double in the next 16 years. Studies also estimated that 85 per cent of this is being lost globally. IIT Madras researchers focused on the “circular economy”, and are working to address the gaps in the e-waste sector, which can potentially open doors to a $50 billion economy.
E-waste is one of the pressing issues in India as well, with the country being the world’s third largest producer. Further, between 2019 and 2020, Indians generated 38 per cent more e-waste. However, what is more worrying is that only 5 per cent of e-waste is recycled responsibly in the country, the release said.

Carbon emission(Pixabay)

The e-Source initiative is being spearheaded by the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS), which believes that the problem of e-waste could be resolved by connecting different buyers and sellers of used and waste electronic equipment and components without compromising their interests, the release said.
Highlighting the need for ‘e-Source’ initiative, IGCS faculty member Prof Sudhir Chella Rajan said: “E-wastes are typically either completely stripped down for precious metals and other high-value materials or dumped in landfills by waste handlers, without exploring potential re-use and repurposing options. Unscientific recycling methods are harmful for waste handlers and the environment.”
Rajan, also a faculty in the IIT-M’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, said: “e-Source is a unique open-source platform that will evolve towards using machine learning for better traceability of e-waste in compliance with guidelines and help increase the opportunities for repair and re-use of e-waste. This will potentially improve livelihoods for youth and women in periurban settings by upgrading their skills and improving occupational health and safety, reduce the flow of toxic materials in waste streams and broaden the market for affordable, second-hand e-devices.”
This initiative requires forging collaborations and influencing the stakeholders in the informal markets who are primary users/buyers of used electronic goods and sellers of electronic spares, ICT components and electronic equipment. This would ensure enough volumes are generated for repair, re-use, and recycling for larger players (e.g., authorised recyclers) to operate along with aiding stand-alone repair-men to acquire electronic components independent of the centralised grey markets, the release added.
A majority of India’s pollution control agencies remain closed entities when it came to sharing information with the public with a mere handful of India’s pollution control boards and authorities are adequately putting out environmental and governance information into the public domain, a new rating study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found.
For calculating the Transparency Index and rating of pollution control boards on public disclosure – as the study is titled – the CSE assessed the data disclosure performance of 29 state pollution control boards (PCBs) and six pollution control committees from across the country. Of these, only 17 boards and committees scored 50 per cent or above.

These are from Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, Karnataka, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
“Governance and functioning-related data remains paper-bound: Information on functioning, actions taken by a board against polluting industries, public hearing data on new projects etc are rarely disclosed or remain difficult to access on the websites,” CSE said in a release here.
“State PCBs are entrusted with several functions under the provisions of the Water Act, 1974; Air Act, 1981; Water Cess Act, 1977; and various rules and notifications issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. One of these functions under Section 17(C) of the Air and Water Acts is to collect and disseminate information related to air and water pollution and also about its prevention, control or abatement. The law asks the boards to share the data in public domain. But this is rarely done in practice,” said programme director, Industrial Pollution Unit, CSE, Nivit Kumar Yadav.

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