No food in forests: Bears, langurs throng Uttarakhand apple orchards as native vegetation gets taken over by invasives Subject: Environment Section: Biodiversity Context: In Uttarakhand, invasive plant species are significantly impacting the forest ecosystem, affecting the food availability for wild animals and causing increased human-wildlife conflicts. A study by the Wildlife Institute of […]

    Odisha to establish a melanistic tiger safari – a first of its kind in the world Subject: Environment Section: Protected Area Context: The Odisha Government in India announced the establishment of the world’s first melanistic tiger safari near Baripada, the district headquarters town of Mayurbhanj.  Details: This safari, to be set up adjacent […]

    Two new mammalian species added to Kaziranga’s fauna Subject: Environment Section: Species in news Context: Two new mammalian species have been added to the list of fauna in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, the primary address of the one-horned rhinoceros on earth. Details: The two mammals are the elusive binturong (Arctictis […]

    World’s biggest iceberg battered by waves as it heads north Subject: Environment Section: Climate Change Context: The iceberg named A23a is nearly more than twice the size of Greater London.  After decades stuck to the Antarctic ocean floor, it is now heading north on what could be its final journey. More About News: A23a first broke off the Antarctic coast in 1986, making it the world’s oldest iceberg as well as its largest. The iceberg, which is up to 400 metres thick in places, is currently drifting between Elephant Island and the South Orkney islands. It contains an estimated […]

    Odisha knocks on Tamil Nadu’s doors to help tackle jumbo attacks, seeks four Kumki elephants and mahouts Subject : Environment Section: Species in news Context: To mitigate man-elephant conflict which is emerging as a key challenge in Odisha, the state government has sought four Kumki elephants and their mahouts from Tamil Nadu. More […]

    New amendments in wildlife trade rules enable issuing licences for certain Schedule II species Subject: Environment Section: Environmental law and Org Context: The Indian government has revised the Wild Life (Protection) Licensing (Additional Matters for Consideration) Rules 2024, providing new guidelines for issuing wildlife trade licenses. This is the first update since 1983 […]

    Climate crisis: Drought causes mass elephant deaths in Zimbabwe game reserve Subject: Environment Section: Protected Areas Context: In the last two months of 2023, over 160 elephants and numerous other wildlife species perished in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park due to a severe drought caused by climate change, as reported by the Zimbabwe Parks […]

    Wetland ‘nature tourism’ gets a fillip Subject: Environment Section: Ecosystem In the news: The Central government has embarked on a mission to promote tourism at ecologically sensitive wetlands better known as Ramsar sites. Details: The focus would be to shift these fragile wetlands from high-value tourism to nature tourism by directly supporting conservation […]

    MNRE launches scheme to incentivise production of green hydrogen Subject: Environment Section: Species in news Context: The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has recently published guidelines and incentives to promote the procurement of green hydrogen as part of the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM). Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition […]