General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - December 2018

Dec 2018

Dec 12, 2022

Three Himalayan Medicinal Plants Enter IUCN Red List

Three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas made it to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species following an assessment. Meizotropis pellita was assessed as 'critically endangered', Fritilloria cirrhosa as 'vulnerable', and Dactylorhiza hatagirea as 'endangered'.
Meizotropis pellita, commonly known as Patwa, is a perennial shrub with restricted distribution that is endemic to Uttarakhand. "The species is listed as 'critically endangered' based on its limited area of occupancy (less than 10 sq. km).". The species is threatened by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and forest fires.
Fritillaria cirrhosa (Himalayan fritillary) is a perennial bulbous herb. "It is reasonable to conclude a decline of at least 30% of its population over the assessment period (22 to 26 years). Considering the rate of decline, long generation length, poor germination potential, high trade value, extensive harvesting pressure and illegal trade, the species is listed as 'vulnerable'.
The third listed species, Dactylorhiza hatagirea (Salampanja), is threatened by habitat loss, livestock grazing, deforestation, and climate change. It is extensively used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and other alternative systems of medicine to cure dysentery, gastritis, chronic fever, cough and stomach aches. It is a perennial tuberous species endemic to the Hindu Kush and Himalayan ranges of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

International Nature Conservation Agency Announces New Green List Sites

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced the addition of another 16 protected areas to its Green List.
The new batch contains 11 protected areas in China, including Qianjiangyuan National Park in the eastern province of Zhejiang and the famous Huangguoshu Scenic Area in southwestern province of Guizhou.
The IUCN Green List honours successful nature conservation worldwide. A protected or conserved area that reaches its standard is certified and recognized as achieving ongoing results for people and nature in a fair and effective way.

Dec 09, 2022

U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, COP 15 Commences in Canada

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, also called as Conference of Parties (COP-15) commenced in Montreal, Canada on 7 December 2022. The two-weeklong conference (7-19 December 2022) was originally scheduled to be held in Kunming, China in October but was shifted to Montreal, Canada due to covid situation in China.
This is the second part of the COP15. The first part was hosted by China on August 18, 2021 virtually and the second part was to be held in a face to face conference but it was shifted from China to Canada. However the host of the COP15 in Montreal is still China.
During COP15, negotiators are expected to finalize and sign a document called the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. One can think of it as the Paris agreement but for biodiversity — a strategy with nearly two dozen measurable targets designed to conserve ecosystems and the benefits they provide, such as food and plant-derived medicines.

Dec 08, 2022

Cryptic New Species of Rhinoceros Snake Identified in China

Scientists described a new species of the snake genus Gonyosoma from Hainan Island, China.
Gonyosoma is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae (commonly known as colubrids).
The genus is comprised of almost 10 scientifically recognized species endemic to South Asia.
The newly-identified species, named Gonyosoma hainanense, inhabits subtropical rainforests of Hainan Island in the Chinese province of Hainan.
It is the second largest island in China, covering an area of more than 30,000 km2, and harbors many endemic species.

Dec 07, 2022

Indonesia on High Alert as Mount Semeru Volcano Erupts in Java

Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupted spewing hot ash clouds a mile into the sky and sending rivers of lava down its side, sparking the evacuation of nearly 2,000 people exactly one year after its last major eruption killed dozens.
The eruption of the highest mountain on Indonesia's main island of Java, around 800 kilometres (500 miles) southeast of capital Jakarta, prompted authorities to raise the alert status to the highest level.
The increased threat level means the danger has threatened the people's settlement and the volcano's activity has escalated.

Massive Glacier the Size of 10 Football Fields Breaks Down in Antarctica

Researchers on board the British Antarctic Survey's RRS James Clark Ross captured a major calving event as the William Glacier disintegrated into a thousand small pieces. William Glacier lies on the Antarctic Peninsula.
While such events have long been known to trigger tsunamis at the surface of the ocean, the calving event when analysed by the team revealed that the glacier calving can excite vigorous internal waves – a process that has been neglected in driving ocean mixing in computer models.
The William Glacier typically has one or two large calving events a year. With the front of the glacier towering 40 m above sea level, the team estimated that this event broke off around 78,000 square meters of ice.

Nov 30, 2022

UN Panel Recommends Great Barrier Reef be Put on 'in Danger' List

Australia's Great Barrier Reef located in Coral Sea should be listed as a world heritage site that is "in danger", a UN panel recommended, saying the world's biggest coral reef ecosystem was significantly impacted by climate change and warming of oceans.
Frequent bleaching events are threatening the reef, including four over the last seven years and the first during a La Nina phenomenon, which typically brings cooler temperatures, this year.
Bleaching happens when the water warms too much, causing corals to expel the colourful algae living in their tissues and turn white.

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