Indian Bison
- An Indian Bison, or Gaur, in Pune’s urban landscape died due to human-animal conflict.
- It is mainly found in South and Southeast Asia.
- In India, the Gaur is mainly found in Western Ghats, the forests of central India and forest patches in the Northeast.
- It has been listed as ‘Vulnerable’ since 1986 on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- It is listed in Appendix I of the CITES.
TWG Meeting on Chabahar Port
- The first Trilateral Working Group Meeting between India, Iran and Uzbekistan on the joint use of Chabahar Port was held virtually.
- The participants discussed joint use of Chabahar Port for trade and transit purposes and enhanced regional connectivity.
- India has proposed to hold "Chabahar Day” on the sidelines of the International Maritime Summit to be hosted by India in January 2021.
- To know more about the Chabahar Port, click here.
Pink Phenomenon
- In Avalapandi, a village in Kerala, an aquatic plant forked fanwort has painted the water bodies pink, which led to the ‘pink phenomenon’.
- This plant comes from the family of Red Cabomba (Cabomba furcata).
- Cabomba is a submerged perennial aquatic plant that grows in stagnant to slow-flowing freshwater.
- It is an invasive species that belongs to Central and South America.
- It requires a huge amount of oxygen to grow and that could badly affect freshwater biodiversity.
- It has a high natural dispersal potential due to its ability to readily fragment and spread.
Invasive Species
- Invasive alien species are any biological species that are introduced outside their natural range.
- They would negatively impact the native biodiversity, ecosystem function, health and human welfare.
- They could reproduce rapidly and out-compete the native species for food, water and space.
- They are the second-biggest cause for biodiversity loss, next to habitat destruction.
Himalayan Griffon Vulture
- It is a migratory bird species native to Himalayas, has been spotted in Point Calimere wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
- It is usually found in the high-altitude regions.
- Their originate from Himalayan Chain and Plateau of Tibet
- The IUCN status of the bird is Near threatened.
- It is listed in Appendix II of the CITES.
CSE Coal Analysis
- According to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), coal will continue to be the mainstay of India’s power generation till at least 2030.
- But efforts must be made to ensure that it is used efficiently to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Improving fleet technology and efficiency, propagating biomass co-firing and investing in carbon capture and storage are among the measures, among others, that could help cut GHG emissions by 22%.
Biomass co-firing
- It is a globally accepted low-cost method for decarbonising a coal fleet.
- It is an option for efficiently and cleanly converting biomass to electricity by adding biomass as a partial substitute fuel in high-efficiency coal boilers.
Source: AIR, The Indian Express, Down To Earth, Times of India
