Two more Indian Beaches Get Coveted International 'Blue Flag' Certification
According to an official statement by the Environment Ministry, in recognition of India's commitment to protect and conserve the pristine coastal and marine ecosystems through holistic management of the resources, the globally recognised and the coveted international eco-label "Blue Flag" has accorded the Blue Flag Certification for two new beaches this year, Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry beaches.
A waving "Blue Flag" is an indication of 100% compliance to stringent criteria set by the Foundation for Environment Education in Denmark (FEE), which accords the globally recognised Blue Flag Certification.
It has also given re-certification for eight nominated beaches Shivrajpur-Gujarat, Ghoghla-Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri-Karnataka, Kappad-Kerala, Rushikonda- Andhra Pradesh, Golden-Odisha and Radhanagar- Andaman and Nicobar, which were awarded the Blue Flag in 2020.
Sep 20, 2021
Europe's Mediterranean Leaders Pledge Cooperation on Climate, Security
The leaders of Europe's Mediterranean countries pledged to expand cooperation in the fight against climate change and to back common security and defense initiatives in the European Union.
The meetings in Athens were held in the aftermath of massive summer wildfires that ravaged parts of southern Europe, and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
The nine Mediterranean countries expressed their "strong conviction that urgent and ambitious global action" to fight climate change is needed at national, regional and local levels.
Attending the talks were President Emmanuel Macron of France, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and leaders and senior representatives from Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Croatia and Portugal.
Sep 19, 2021
Explorers add 8 Miles to World's Longest Known Cave System
The world's longest known cave system just set a new record after surveyors spent hours mapping an additional 8 miles (13 kilometers) of the passageways at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, United States.
The corridors at Mammoth Cave now measure a whopping 420 miles (676 km) in length, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
Mapping the cave system was a huge undertaking, carried out by volunteers at the Cave Research Foundation (CRF), a Kentucky-based nonprofit group, and other locals, including those from the Central Kentucky Karst Coalition.
Sep 18, 2021
Firefighters Wrap Base of World's Largest Tree to Save from Wildfire
Firefighters wrapped the base of the world's largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket in an attempt to protect it from a wildfire burning in California's Sierra Nevada region.
General Sherman, which is the largest in the world by volume at 1,487 cubic meters, is in Sequoia National Park's Giant Forest in a grove of around 2,000 gigantic old-growth sequoias.
Some other sequoias, the Giant Forest Museum and other buildings were also wrapped for protection.
Sep 17, 2021
Kew Gardens Breaks Record for Largest Plant Collection
Kew Gardens has set a new record for the largest living plant collection at a single site, according to Guinness World Records (GWR).
Established in 1759, the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) at Kew had 16,900 unique plant species as of May 2019.
This makes it the most diverse collection of living flora at a single-site botanic garden.
The UNESCO World Heritage site contains many record-breaking plants including the Titan Arum, officially the world's tallest and smelliest plant.
In 2020, a specimen at the nursery at Kew earned the award for the Longest Nepenthes plant trap measuring 16.9 in (43cm) from the base to the lid.