General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - June 2019

Jun 2019

Apr 13, 2020

Biofortified Carrot Variety Developed By Farmer Scientist Benefits Local Farmers

Madhuban Gajar, a biofortified carrot variety with high β-carotene and iron content developed by Shri Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya, a farmer scientist from Junagadh district, Gujarat is benefitting more than 150 local farmers in the area. It is being planted in an area of over 200 hectares in Junagadh, and the average yield, which is 40-50 t/ha, has become the main source of income to the local farmers. The variety is being cultivated in more than 1000 hectares of land in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh during the last three years.
The Madhuvan Gajar is a highly nutritious carrot variety developed through the selection methodwith higher β-carotene content (277.75 mg/kg) and iron content (276.7 mg/kg) dry basis and is used for various value-added products like carrot chips, juices, and pickles. Among all the varieties tested, beta-carotene and iron content were found to be superior.

NIF Develops Wormivet, A Chemical Method To Treat Worms

National Innovation Foundation India (NIF) has developed "wormivet," an indigenous herbal medication (dewormer) in the form of commercial products for livestock owners. The product will be an alternative to the chemical method of treatment of worm. Wormivet is a medication to treat endoparasite (worm) infestation among livestock sent by Harshadbhai Patel, Gujarat.

Mar 26, 2020

Glaciers in Sikkim Are Losing Mass Faster Than Other Parts Of The Himalaya

Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun an autonomous research institute for the study of Geology of the Himalaya under the Department of Science and Technology, have found that glaciers in Sikkim are melting at a higher magnitude as compared to other Himalayan regions.
The study published in Science of the Total Environment assessed the response of 23 glaciers of Sikkim to climate change for the period of 1991-2015 and revealed that glaciers in Sikkim have retreated and deglaciated significantly from 1991 to 2015. Small-sized glaciers in Sikkim are retreating while larger glaciers are thinning due to climate change.

Great Barrier Reef Suffers Third Mass Bleaching In Five Years

Australia's Great Barrier Reef has suffered another mass bleaching event - the third in just five years.
Warmer sea temperatures - particularly in February - are feared to have caused huge coral loss across the world's largest reef system.
Scientists say they have detected widespread bleaching, including extensive patches of severe damage. But they have also found healthy pockets.
Two-thirds of the reef was damaged by similar events in 2016 and 2017.
The reef system, which covers over 2,300km (1,400 miles), is a World Heritage site recognised for its "enormous scientific and intrinsic importance".

Mar 15, 2020

India Gained C Grade, no Country Made up to A Grade: Animal Protection Index 2020

World Animal Protection released the 2nd edition of global Animal Protection Index (API) 2020, where India gained C grade (also in 1st edition in 2014) with other 8 countries which indicates India is one of the better-performing countries. Tragically no country gained A grade.
Gist about API 2020
It aims to display whether countries are doing well & where they lack on animal welfare policy and legislation, so they could take steps to improve.
It helps the countries to have good animal welfare practices such as keeping animals clean, healthy and with sufficient space to exhibit natural behaviours.
It assesses the animal welfare policies and legislation of 50 countries and ranks them from A (highest score) to G (lowest score) with 10 indicators, grouped into 4 goals namely;
Recognition of animal sentience and prohibition of animal suffering
Presence of animal welfare legislation
Establishment of supportive government bodies
Support for international animal welfare standards

Mar 12, 2020

Greenland and Antarctica Ice Loss Accelerating

Earth's great ice sheets, Greenland and Antarctica, are now losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s thanks to warming conditions.
A comprehensive review of satellite data acquired at both Poles is unequivocal in its assessment of accelerating trends.
Between them, Greenland and Antarctica lost 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice in the period from 1992 to 2017.
This was sufficient to push up global sea-levels up by 17.8 mm.
Today, the ice sheets contribute about a third of all sea-level rise, whereas in the 1990s, their contribution was actually pretty small at about 5%. This has important implications for the future, for coastal flooding and erosion.

Mar 11, 2020

New Colony of Rare Freshwater Pearl Mussels

A new colony of endangered freshwater pearl mussels has been discovered in north Highland.
The rare species was uncovered during a watercourse survey being carried out before culvert replacement work.
The pearl mussels are similar in shape to common marine mussels, but can grow larger and live for up to 130 years in fast-flowing rivers.
The Highlands and Islands are among Britain's last strongholds for the critically-endangered species.
The location of the find is being kept secret to prevent illegal poaching.
The survey was carried out ahead of habitat improvement work funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).

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