Kathmandu Declaration

Why in News?

The 1^st General Assembly of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) was held in Kathmandu, in September 2026, adopting the Kathmandu Declaration to strengthen regional cooperation against wildlife crime.

• Kathmandu Declaration – It seeks to treat serious wildlife crime as transnational organised crime.

Kathmandu is the capital and largest city of Nepal.

• Focuses on –
  • Intelligence and information sharing
  • Coordinated enforcement operations
  • Financial investigations
  • Anti-money laundering measures
  • Asset freezing, recovery and prosecution
• Objectives –
  • To move beyond merely seizing wildlife products to targeting the criminal networks and financial structures behind trafficking.
  • To cover emerging concerns such as bio-piracy and illegal access to biological resources.
  • To promote science, technology, innovation and research for wildlife-crime enforcement.

SAWEN Implementation Plan 2026–2030

• Priority areas –
  • Regional enforcement and intelligence cooperation
  • Criminal-justice responses
  • Capacity building
  • Marine and freshwater wildlife crime
  • International cooperation
  • Research and knowledge management
  • Demand reduction
  • Institutional strengthening

About South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN)

• SAWEN – It is a regional intergovernmental mechanism for preventing and combating illegal wildlife trade.
• Formally launched in – Bhutan in 2011.
• Members – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• Headquarters – Kathmandu, Nepal.

Other Important Facts

• 30 January will be observed annually as SAWEN Day.
  • It commemorates the network's formal launch in Bhutan in 2011.
• The Assembly also endorsed a three-year programme of work and budget for 2026/27–2028/29.

Zero Poaching Toolkit 2026 was released during the SAWEN General Assembly.

Reference

National Herald India| Kathmandu Declaration

Pygmy Hog

Why in News?

The population of Pygmy Hog, once thought to be extinct, has increased from six individuals in 1996 to 194 through a captive breeding programme in Assam.

• It is the world's smallest and rarest wild pig.
• Scientific name – Porcula salvania.

Pygmy Hog is an indicator species (Organism whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition).

• Appearance - Males are slightly bigger than females. Their coats have blackish-brown bristles over gray-brown skin and they have no facial warts.
  • Both sexes have a tail and females have 3 pairs of mammae.
• Habitat – Pygmy hogs live in tall, dense grasslands that have a mixture of shrubs and trees.
• Distinct Features – Adult males possess visible upper canines that protrude from the sides of their mouths.
• Unlike other wild pigs, they lack prominent facial warts.
• Distribution – The mammals are now found in the Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Orang National Park, and Manas National Park.
• It remain hidden in tall dense grass and rarely emerge in the open.
• Diet – they have well developed teeth, with upturned canines and molars with rounded cusps. This allows them to enjoy an omnivorous diet.

Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP)

• It is a long-running partnership in Assam, India, created to save Pugmy Hog from extinction.
• Formed in – 1995 and launched breeding in 1996 after capturing 6 wild founders from Manas National Park.
• Key Partners – Assam Forest Department, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Govt. of India), IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group, Aaranyak, and EcoSystems-India.

Reference

The Hindu| ‘big comeback’ of ‘small hog’

BrahMos Belt Strategy

Prelims: Current events of national and international relations | Defense

India’s BrahMos exports to Southeast Asia are creating a “BrahMos Belt” to strengthen regional deterrence against China in the South China Sea.

• BrahMos Belt – The term refers to India’s expanding network of BrahMos missile partnerships with countries having strategic or maritime concerns involving China.
  • It is not a formal military alliance.
• Philippines was the first foreign buyer of BrahMos in 2022, through a deal worth about $375 million.
• Vietnam and Indonesia have subsequently signed deals.
• Malaysia and Thailand have also shown interest/evaluated the system.

BrahMos Missile

• BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile.
• Nomenclature – Name derived from Brahmaputra + Moskva rivers.
• Developed by – BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India’s DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia.
• It is primarily an anti-ship/land-attack cruise missile.
• Features – High speed, precision and fire-and-forget capability.
• It can be launched from Land, Warships, Aircraft, Submarine-launched variants have also been developed/tested.
• Its export and deployment enhance coastal defence and maritime deterrence.
• Strategic Significance for India –
  • Strengthens India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific engagement.
  • Enhances defence cooperation with ASEAN countries.
  • Provides India with greater strategic influence without direct military deployment.
  • Supports a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
  • Helps build regional capabilities against potential maritime coercion.

South China Sea

• One of the world's major maritime trade routes.
• China claims around 90% of the South China Sea through its Nine-Dash Line.
• China has strengthened its presence through island-building, patrols and military infrastructure.

Important Waterways

• Malacca Strait – Connects the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean.
• China’s dependence on it is often referred to as the “Malacca Dilemma.”
• Luzon Strait – Lies between Taiwan and the Philippines.
  • Connects the South China Sea with the Pacific Ocean.

Reference

India Today| Brahmos Belt strategy

India’s Artificial Sun

Why in News?

India’s indigenous nuclear fusion research reached a key milestone with the installation of Steady State Superconducting Tokamak-1 (SST-1) at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

India’s ‘Artificial Sun’

• Not an Actual Sun - It refers to ground-based experimental nuclear fusion reactors, specifically tokamaks, designed to replicate the core energy-generation process of the Sun.
• Core Mechanism - Unlike nuclear fission (splitting heavy atoms like Uranium), fusion forces light atomic nuclei (typically isotopes of hydrogen - Deuterium and Tritium) together under extreme temperature and pressure to form Helium, releasing massive clean energy.
• Temperature Requirement - Reaching fusion conditions requires heating hydrogen gas into a superheated ionized state called plasma.
• In India's experiments, plasma temperatures have exceeded 200 million°C (over 10 times hotter than the core of the Sun).

Key Highlights of the SST-1 Upgrade

• Role of the Gyrotron - A gyrotron is a high-power vacuum tube device that generates high-frequency microwave energy.
• It provides Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) to heat and sustain plasma.
• Upgraded Performance- Replaces older 42 GHz systems.
• Thus, enhancing India’s capacity to heat, maintain stability, and extend the confinement time of ultra-hot plasma without touching the reactor walls.
• Magnetic Confinement- Utilizes strong superconducting magnets to trap the plasma inside a donut-shaped chamber (torus).

India’s Indigenous Tokamaks

• ADITYA / ADITYA-U- India's first medium-sized conventional air-core tokamak with copper coils, used for basic plasma physics research.
• SST-1 (Steady State Superconducting Tokamak)- India's first superconducting tokamak designed for long-duration, steady-state plasma operation.

Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) Located in Gandhinagar (Gujarat), it is an autonomous R&D institute under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) leading domestic fusion research.

Reference

News 18 | India’s 'Artificial Sun' Project

Self-assembly of Organic Molecules

Why in News?

Researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru have developed a novel metal-free organic photocatalyst for solar-driven green hydrogen production by utilizing the self-assembly of organic molecules.

• Molecular Synthesis - The team functionalized a light-absorbing organic dye molecule, perylene diimide (PDI) with a naturally occurring amino acid, aspartic acid.
• Spontaneous Supramolecular Self-Assembly - In water, these modified molecules spontaneously organized into highly ordered, two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets without altering their fundamental chemical composition.
• Synergistic Molecular Drivers
  • Aspartic acid moiety- Promotes strong, extended hydrogen bonding and increases the molecular dipole moment.
  • PDI chromophore - Drives strong π–π stacking and efficient light harvesting.

Key Technical Advantages

• Enhanced Photocurrent- The self-assembled 2D nanosheets generated nearly 18% higher photocurrent during solar-driven water splitting compared to their bulk counterpart.  
• Broadened Light Absorption - Supramolecular reorganization broadened the solar absorption spectrum and increased the accessible surface area available for catalytic reactions.
• Improved Charge Transport- Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the structural alignment
  • Enhances charge transport,
  • Reduces recombination losses, and
  • Effectively separates photo-generated charges to drive the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Significance

• Eliminating Precious Metals - Most existing photocatalysts for water splitting rely on expensive inorganic semiconductors or scarce noble metals (e.g., Platinum, Ruthenium).
• This design provides a sustainable, cost-effective, and fully metal-free alternative.
• Green Hydrogen Mission Alignment- Supports India's National Green Hydrogen Mission by advancing indigenous research in solar fuel generation, artificial photosynthesis, and next-generation renewable energy materials.

Reference

DST | Self-assembly of organic molecules

CAZRI Moth Bean Varieties

Why in News?

Recently, 4 newly developed drought-tolerant moth bean varieties, CAZRI Moth-4, 5, 6, and 7, developed by the ICAR–Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur.

Moth Bean

• It is extremely drought-resistant Kharif pulse crop.
• Botanical Name - Vigna aconitifolia.
• Native - South Asia, predominantly cultivated across hot, rainfed, and marginal desert ecosystems of the Thar Desert (western Rajasthan), Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab.
• Agronomic Value
  • Acts as a vital source of plant-based protein and essential nutrients for arid rural populations.
  • Yields protein-rich green and dry fodder (pala) for livestock during dry post-monsoon periods.
  • Assists in soil nitrogen fixation, crop rotation, and sand-dune stabilization.

Key highlights of the recent field performance

• Severe Moisture Deficit- During the critical growth phase, the crop experienced a 35-day moisture-less dry spell with a cumulative pan evaporation of ~180 mm.
• Resilience at Critical Stage - Despite surface soil moisture (0–10 cm) dropping from 15–16% to 5–6%, the sub-surface moisture (10–40 cm) sustained the deep root zone, allowing the 55-day-old crop to remain green and set profuse pods.
• Mechanism of Adaptation
  • Early Flowering - Starts flowering within ~30 days of sowing.
  • Developmental Plasticity- The plants dynamically adapt their growth cycle and maturity timeline based on soil water availability.
  • It accelerates reproductive maturity before severe physiological drought sets in.

Optimal Crop Management Practices

• Sowing Geometry - Timely sowing with monsoon onset using a spatial arrangement of 45 cm × 10 cm.
• Soil Interculture -Mechanical interculture executed at 20 days post-sowing to conserve soil moisture, break capillary action, and control weeds.
• Performance in Poor Soil - Achieved high survival and pod development even under poor soil conditions (low organic carbon of 0.13–0.18% and high alkalinity pH 7.9–8.1).

Reference

Deccan Herald | ICAR-CAZRI’s moth bean varieties