Going green- T.N.’s conservation, climate change announcements are Avante-garde

Subject: Environment

Context-

Tamandu has taken several steps for ensuring sustainable development and countering climate change.

A few of these steps are-

It has declared its intention to create green parks in 100 villages, that would cater to local requirements too
Getting the Ramsar Site declaration for a record number of ecological zones as a well-planned and implemented initiative
It has also proposed are an elephant reserve at Agasthiyarmalai in the south
India’s first dugong conservation park in the Palk Bay
A new bird sanctuary at Tiruppur
Establishing India’s first-ever wildlife sanctuary for the slender loris in Dindigul and Karur district.
The recently appointed governing council on Climate Change has experts including Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Nandan Nilekani and Erik Solheim.
It will provide policy directives to the Climate Change Mission,advise on climate adaptation and mitigation activities, provide guidance to the State Action Plan on Climate Change and provide strategies for implementation.
The setting up of a Green Climate Fund corpus.
Additionally, a special purpose vehicle, Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company, has been set up to advise on managing three important missions — Climate Change, Tamil Nadu Green and Wetlands.

RAMSAR SITES IN TAMILNADU-

Dugongs-

Dugong (Dugong dugon) also called ‘Sea Cow’ is one of the four surviving species in the Order Sirenia and it is the only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea including in India.
Dugongs are an important part of the marine ecosystem and their depletion will have effects all the way up the food chain.
Distribution and Habitat: They are found in over 30 countries and in India are seen in the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Palk Bay, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable
- Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I

Threats:

Dugongs graze on seagrass and the loss of seagrass beds due to ocean floor trawling is one of the most important factors behind decreasing dugong populations in many parts of the world.
- Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats.
- It is harmful to the environment because it damages the seafloor, coral reefs and other marine animals.
Human activities such as the destruction and modification of habitat, pollution, rampant illegal fishing activities, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting or poaching and unplanned tourism are the main threats to dugongs.
Dugong meat is consumed under the wrong impression that it cools down human body temperature.

About slender lorises-

The slender lorises (Loris) are a genus of lorisnative to India and Sri Lanka.
Slender lorises spend most of their life in trees, travelling along the tops of branches with slow and precise movements.
They generally feed on insects, reptiles, plant shoots, and fruit.

Habitat:

They are found in tropical rainforests, scrub forests, semi-deciduous forests, and swamps.

Types:

Protection Status:

Threat:

It is believed that they have medicinal properties and they are captured and sold. Since there is great demand for keeping these animals as pets, they are illegally smuggled.
Habitat loss, electrocution of live wires and road accidents are other threats that have caused its populations to dwindle.