UPSC Environment Ecology PSIR

2021-07-12 21:00:04 Nilgai
●The nilgai is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent.
●Nilgai antelopes live in dry areas with a variety of land types.
●They range from grassy, steppe woodlands, to hillsides.
●In India, they occur in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains southward to Mysore.
●In India, the nilgai is protected under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
●In the IUCN Red List the Nilgai is categorised as ‘Least Concern'

#species #env Open / Comment

2021-07-12 21:00:03 Gaur
●The gaur (Bos gaurus; /ɡaʊər/), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South and Southeast Asia
●It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986.
●Its included in the Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.
●The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 mature individuals in 2016.
●Gaurs survive only in scattered herds in India, Myanmar (Burma), West Malaysia, and Thailand.
●Gaur is mainly found in Western Ghats, the forests of central India and forest patches in the the Northeast.

#species #env Open / Comment

2021-07-12 04:58:55 JALDAPARA NATIONAL PARK
• Jaldapara National Park situated at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in Alipurduar District of northern West Bengal and on the banks of the Torsa River.

• Jaldapara is situated at an altitude of 61 m and is spread across 216.51 km2 (83.59 sq mi) of vast grassland with patches of riverine forests.

• It was declared a sanctuary in 1941 for protection of its great variety flora and fauna.

• Today, it has the largest population of the Indian one horned rhinoceros in the state, an animal threatened with extinction, and is a Habitat management area (Category IV).

• The nearby Chilapata Forests is an elephant corridor between Jaldapara and the Buxa Tiger Reserve Near by is the Gorumara National Park, known for its population of Indian rhinoceros.

#National_parks #10thOctober #IAS2021 Open / Comment

2021-07-12 04:58:55 VIKRAMSHILA GANGETIC DOLPHIN SANCTUARY
• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary is located in Bhagalpur District of Bihar, India.

• The sanctuary is a 60 km stretch of the Ganges River from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur District. Designated in 1991, it is protected area for the endangered Gangetic dolphins in Asia. Once found in abundance, only a few hundred remain, of which half are found here.

• The Gangetic dolphins have been declared as the national aquatic animal of India. Open / Comment

2021-07-12 04:58:55 GIR NATIONAL PARK AND WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
• Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is a forest and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India. It is part of the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.

• The 14th Asiatic Lion Census 2015 was conducted in May 2015. In 2015, the population was 523 (27% up compared to previous census in 2010). The population was 411 in 2010 and 359 in 2005. The lion population in Junagadh District was 268 individuals, 44 in Gir Somnath District, 174 in Amreli District, and 37 in Bhavangar District. There are 109 males, 201 females and 213 cubs.

• Gir National Park is closed from 16 June to 15 October every year. Open / Comment

2021-07-08 03:33:36 #Species_IUCN_red_list

Komodo dragon

Komodo dragons are the largest and heaviest lizards on Earth.

They have long, flat heads with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bowed legs, and huge, muscular tails.

Komodo dragons can eat almost anything, including invertebrates, birds, and mammals like deer, pigs, and even large water buffalo.

They have venom glands loaded with toxins which have been shown to secrete anticoagulants.

The venom lowers blood pressure, causes massive bleeding, and induces shock.

Conservation:

IUCN Status: Vulnerable.

CITES: Appendix I. (The commercial trading of live specimens or any parts, dead or alive of Komodo is prohibited.) Open / Comment

2021-07-08 03:33:35 Manas National Park

Manas National Park is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam, India

It is located in the Himalayan foothills,

It is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan

The Manas river flows thorough the west of the park and is the main river within it. It is a major tributary of Brahmaputra river

The Manas river also serves as an international border dividing India and Bhutan Open / Comment

2021-07-03 21:10:19 #Environment
■Baihetan Hydropower Plant went
on-stream

China has began operating 289-metre high Baihetan Hydropower Station, which is second in the world only to the country's Three Gorges Dam in terms of power generation.

It is part of a cascade of dams on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze (the longest river in Asia).

It is part of Chinese efforts to curb surging fossil fuel demand by building more hydropower capacity, despite dams having fallen out of favour in other countries due to environmental complaints

It disrupt the ecology of rivers, threatening for fishes and other species.

●About the Dam:

It has been built with a total installed capacity of 16,000 megawatts.

It will eventually be able to generate enough electricity each day once to meet the power needs of 5,00,000 people for an entire year.

China's pledge in 2020 to reach carbon neutrality by 2060 had also added urgency to the construction. Open / Comment

2021-07-03 21:10:10 #Environment
■Renewable power generation cost in 2020 report

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has published the 'Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2020' report

It showed that between 2000 and 2020, renewable power generation capacity worldwide increased 3.7-fold, from 754 gigawatts (GW) to 2799 GW, as their costs have fallen sharply

●Key points:

In 2020, the global weighted-average levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from new installed capacity of onshore wind and solar photovoltaics will decline.

Renewable power generation costs have fallen sharply over the past decade, driven by steadily improving technologies, economies of scale, competitive supply chains and improving developer experience.

Costs for electricity from utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) fell 85% between 2010 and 2020.

The cost of electricity from solar and wind power has fallen, to very low levels

Since 2010, globally, a cumulative total of 644 GW of renewable power generation capacity has been added with estimated costs that have been lower than the cheapest fossil fuel-fired option in each respective year.

world's existing coal-fired plants 38
percent of the total global energy capacity - now have higher operating costs than new utility-scale photovoltaics and onshore wind energy.

Replacing these coal-fired plants would cut annual system costs by USD 32 billion per year and reduce annual CO2 emissions by around 3 Gigatonnes of CO2.

Around 162 GW or 62 per cent of total renewable power capacity added last year had lower costs than the cheapest new fossil fuel option.

●Reason of cost decreased:

Steadily improving technologies,

Economies of scale,

Competitive supply chains and

Improving the developer experience

●International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA):

It is an intergovernmental organization

It was officially founded in Bonn, Germany, in January 2009

Currently, it has 164 members, India is the 77th Founding Member of IRENA.

It is mandated to facilitate cooperation, advance knowledge, and promote the adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy.

Headquarter: Masdar City, Abu Dhabi,UAE

It is an official United Nations observer.

SOURCE - DOWN TO EARTH Open / Comment

2021-07-03 21:10:05 Open / Comment