Indian scientists identify rice varieties that can reduce fertiliser use, reaping environmental & financial gains Sub : Env Sec: Agri Discovery of Natural Variations in Rice NUE: Indian scientists discovered significant natural variations in rice nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) along with associated traits and genes. The study found high NUE rice varieties like […]
New projects to safeguard Miombo forest, boost food security in Mozambique & Zimbabwe Sub : Env Sec: Protected Area Context: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) signed agreements on July 31, 2024, in Maputo (Mozambique) for projects protecting the miombo forest and facilitating trade between Mozambique […]
New tech promises to kill weeds in rice and wheat fields, remove need for stubble-burning Subject: Environment Sec: Agriculture Context: A push for direct-seeded rice and zero-tillage wheat, using a new non-GM herbicide-tolerance technology, has the potential to reduce the environmental footprint of India’s two major cereal crops. More on News: Cultivating rice […]
Legal challenges to the Great Nicobar infrastructure project Sub: Env Sec: Env legislation Great Nicobar Island Project (GNI): GNI Project is a mega project to be implemented at the southern end of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The project includes an international container transhipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, township development, and a […]
Centre reissues draft notification on Eco sensitive areas in Western Ghats Sub: Env Sec: Env legislation Context: In response to the Wayanad landslide, the Union government has reissued a draft notification for the sixth time in a decade, classifying parts of the Western Ghats in six states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and […]
How can people across the Indian Subcontinent prevent fatal encounters with sloth bears? Learn from species’ behaviour towards tigers, advise scientists Sub: Env Sec: Species in news Sloth Bear: The sloth bear, also known as the Indian bear, is native to the Indian subcontinent and is the only species in the genus Melursus. […]
What was Madhav Gadgil-panel report which recommended no urbanisation on Western Ghats? Sub: Env Sec: Env legislation Context: As the devastating series of landslides hit Kerala’s Wayanad district, claiming nearly 160 lives with the toll expected to rise as rescuers search through the debris, the 13-year-old Madhav Gadgil-panel report on Western Ghats is […]
India’s open ecosystems face an unusual threat: trees Sub: Env Sec: Ecosystem Context: A study published in Global Change Biology reported that an increase in tree cover in open ecosystems like savannahs and grasslands has led to a substantial decline in native grassland birds, with the African Savannah experiencing a more than 20% […]
Charles Darwin’s frog: Endemic Andaman species breeding in unnatural sites due to habitat loss & competition for limited resources Sub: Env Sec: Species in news Context: The Charles Darwin frog, Minervarya charlesdarwini, found only in the Andaman Islands, exhibits unique mating behavior, involving upside-down mating and egg-laying. Researchers from Harvard University and the […]