Environment and Ecology: October 2022 UPSC Current Affairs | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

Sandalwood Spike Disease (SSD)

Context

Recently, Sandalwood Spike Disease started infecting natural habitats in Karnataka and Kerala.

About:

• India’s sandalwood trees, particularly of Karnataka are facing a serious threat with the return of the destructive Sandalwood Spike Disease (SSD).
• The infection has resurfaced in the aromatic tree’s natural habitats in Karnataka and Kerala.
• The natural population of sandalwood in Marymoor Sandal Forest of Kerala and various reserve forests in Karnataka, including MM Hills (Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary), are heavily infected with SSD.
• Presently, there is no option but to cut down and remove the infected tree to prevent the spread of the disease.

Sandalwood Spike Disease:

• It is an infectious disease which is caused by phytoplasma.
• Phytoplasmas are bacterial parasites of plant tissues which are transmitted by insect vectors and involved in plant-to-plant transmission.
• The disease is characterized by a huge reduction in leaf size which is also accompanied by stiffening and reduction of internode length.
• At the advanced stage of the disease, the entire shoot gives the appearance of a spike of the inflorescence.
• There is no cure as of now for the infection.
• Emergence of the disease-  The disease was first reported in Kodagu in 1899. 
  • More than a million sandalwood trees were removed in the Kodagu and Mysuru region between 1903 and 1916 which prompted the Maharaja of Mysuru to announce a reward in 1907 of ₹10,000 for anyone finding a remedy. 
  • The growing stock had been reduced to 25% of its initial level between 1980 and 2000 in Karnataka.
  • Following this, the International Union of Conservation of Nature declared Sandalwood as “Vulnerable” in 1998.

Reasons for spread: 

• The present rapid spread of the infection is largely due to restrictions on green felling in forests, which has allowed vectors to spread the disease to healthy trees.
• Green felling (silviculture felling) is the felling of green trees of one or more types.

Concerns: 

• SSD has been one of the major causes of the decline in sandalwood production in the country for over a century.
• About 1% to 5% of sandalwood trees are lost every year due to the disease, scientists warn that it could wipe out the entire natural population if measures are not taken to prevent its spread.

Key Facts about Sandlewood:

• India has been the traditional leader of sandalwood oil production for perfumery and pharmaceuticals. As early as 1792, Tippu Sultan had declared it a ‘Royal Tree’ of Mysuru.
• Red Saunder/ Red Sandlewood- Found in southern Eastern Ghats mountain range of South India.
  • This tree is valued for the rich red colour of its wood. The wood is not aromatic.
  • The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has put it under the category of near threatened from earlier endangered species in the Red List.
  • It is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
  • The tree is not to be confused with the aromatic Santalum sandalwood trees that grow natively in South India.
  • Red sandalwood has been used for making the bridge and also the neck of the Japanese musical instrument Shamisen and in furniture in China for its porch appearance.

Emissions Gap Report 2022: UNEP

Context

Ahead of COP27, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report titled ‘Emissions Gap Report 2022: The Closing Window — Climate Crisis Calls for Rapid Transformation of Societies’.

• This is the 13^th edition of the UNEP Emissions Gap Report. It assesses the gap between anticipated emissions in 2030 and levels consistent with the 1.5°C and 2°C targets of the Paris Agreement. Every year, the report features ways to bridge the gap.

What are the Findings?

• The top 7 emitters (China, the EU27, India, Indonesia, Brazil, the Russian Federation and the United States of America) plus international transport accounted for 55% of global GHG emissions in 2020.
• For these countries GHG emissions rebounded in 2021, exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
• Collectively, G20 members are responsible for 75% of global GHG (Greenhouse Gas Emission) emissions.
• The global average per capita GHG emissions was 6.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) in 2020.
• India remains far below the world average at 2.4 tCO₂e.
• World is falling short of the goals set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement adopted in 2015, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place.
• The Paris Agreement defined a global warming limit of 2°C above pre-industrial levels (preferably 1.5°C), which if exceeded, can result in extreme weather events such as extreme heat waves, droughts, water stress, etc.
• National pledges since COP26 (Glasgow, UK) make a negligible difference to predict 2030 emissions.

What are the Recommendations?

• The world needs to reduce greenhouse gasses by unprecedented levels over the next eight years.
• There is a need for alternative technologies in heavy industry, to reverse the rise in carbon intensity of global steel production.
• Urgent transformation is needed to deliver the enormous cuts needed to limit GHG emissions by 2030.
• Unconditional and conditional NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) are expected to reduce global emissions by 5% and 10%, respectively, by 2030, when compared to current policies.
• To be on the most cost-effective path to limiting global warming to 2°C or 1.5°C, these percentages must reach 30% and 45%.

New Species of Genus Allmania Spotted

Context

Recently, a plant spotted in Palakkad is the second species of the genus Allmania.

• It is an annual herb that grows to a height of about 60 cm.

About Allmania Multiflora

• Background:
  • The first species, Allmania nodiflora, was originally published under the genus Celosia as Celosia nodiflora in 1753. 
  • Specimens found in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) were first described as Allmania nodiflora in 1834.
• Location:
  • The plant is spotted on the granite hillocks of Palakkad.
• Scientific name:
  • Allmania multiflora.
• Characteristics:
  • It is found at heights ranging between 1,000 to 1,250 metres.
  • It is an annual herb, erect, with branches arising from the base.
  • The stem is red to violet at the base and green above.
  • Flowering and fruiting occurs from May to September.
  • It has been so named for having a higher number of florets within an inflorescence.
• IUCN Status:
  • Critically Endangered in IUCN Red List criteria.
• Threats:
  • Its population is quite small.
  • It could be accidentally exploited by local people as a vegetable along with amaranths. 
• Significance
  • The species is quite special from both the botanical and conservation points of view.
  • The discovery has come 188 years after the genus and the first species were described by botanists.

Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

Context

• Important steps taken by the Government for protection of Great Indian Bustards in the country including details of captive breeding facilities have been highlighted recently.

Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

• About:
  • One of the heaviest flying birds endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
  • State Bird of Rajasthan
• Habitat: 
  • Untamed, Arid grasslands.
  • A Maximum number of GIBs were found in Jaisalmer and the Indian Army-controlled field firing range near Pokhran, Rajasthan.
  • Other areas: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
• Population:
  • As per the studies conducted by Wildlife Institute of India, there are around 150 Great Indian Bustards left across the country which includes about 128 birds in Rajasthan and less than 10 birds each in the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
• Protection Status:
  • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.
  • Listed in Wildlife Protection Act’s Schedule 1.
• Threats to the Bird:
  • Hunting, Intensification of agriculture, Power lines.

Indian Initiatives for Protection of GIB

• ‘Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard-an integrated approach’:
  • The Ministry with financial support from National Authority for Compensatory Afforestation Funds has sanctioned an outlay of Rs. 33.85 crores for the duration of five years for the programme titled ‘Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard-an integrated approach’. 
• The objective :
  • to build up the captive population of Great Indian Bustard and to release the chicks in the wild for increasing the population and also to promote in-situ conservation of the species.
• Task Force:
  • The Ministry has also constituted a Task Force for suggesting Eco- friendly measures to mitigate impacts of power transmission lines and other power transmission infrastructures on wildlife including the Great Indian Bustard.
• The Great Indian Bustard has been included in the Appendix I of Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) on the basis of a proposal submitted by India. 
  • It was also the mascot of the prestigious 13th CMS Conference of Parties held in Gandhinagar giving wider publicity for the conservation of the species.
• Important habitats of Great Indian Bustards are designated as National Parks/Sanctuaries for their better protection.
• The species has been identified for conservation efforts under the component ‘Species Recovery Programme’ of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS)-Development of Wildlife Habitat. 
• Directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT): NGT ordered a time-bound action plan for the implementation of mitigation measures such as installation of bird diverters and their regular maintenance and monitoring by power agencies.
• A Bustard conservation breeding centre in Rajasthan has been set up in Jaisalmer.
• Conservation Reserves: Great Indian Bustard habitats to be declared as conservation reserves.
• Project Great Indian Bustard launched by the Rajasthan government

New Varieties of Neelakurinji Flowers

Why in News? 

• Recently, 6 new varieties of Neelakurinji Flowers have been identified in the Kallippara hills in Santhanpara region of Western Ghats. 
• Neelakurinji Flowers are in full bloom on a vast area on the Kallippara hills in Idukki, Kerala.

About Neelakurinji Flower

• It is a shrub of the Acanthaceae family that famously blooms once every 12 years. 
• It is endemic to Western Ghats, covering the slopes of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Their scientific name is 'strobilanthes kunthiana', 
  • Strobilanthes is a genus of about 350 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia and Madagascar.
  • The Topli Karvy (Strobilanthes sessilis), the Karvy (Strobilanthes callosa) and the Kurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana), all belong to the Strobilanthes genus.
  • The Topli Karvy is found more in the northern section of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra. 
  • The Karvy grows on the steepest cliffs where trees can’t grow.
• They are seen mostly on the Nilgiri hills, which even got its name from the flowers -- 'neela', meaning blue and 'kurinji', referring to the flowers.

Context
Sri Lanka recently asks India to translocate 6 Indian bisons or gaurs to reintroduce them in the island after three centuries.

Details:

More on the news:

• Close on the heels of the project that translocated cheetahs from Namibia, the Indian government is considering a proposal from Colombo to export a number of gaurs, or Indian bisons, to Sri Lanka to revive the population of gavaras that have been extinct in the island since the end of the 17th century.
• If the project is cleared, it would be the first such agreement between India and Sri Lanka, and part of a global trend of “wildlife or zoological diplomacy”.

About Indian Bison:

• Indian Bisons are one of the largest extant bovines. It is one of the largest species among the wild cattle, reaching a shoulder height of up to 220 cm.
• The Indian gaur, a reclusive beast that lives in the wild, is the largest wild bovine that is a protected species and included in Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 and listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
• They are found on the forested hills and grassy areas of south to south east Asia.
• There are about 13,000 to 30,000 gaurs in the world with approximately 85% of the population present in India. It is also found in Burma and Thailand.
• The Western Ghats in southern India constitute one of the most extensive extant strongholds of gaur, in particular in the Wayanad – Nagarhole – Mudumalai – Bandipur complex.
• The first-ever population estimation exercise of the Indian gaur carried out in the Nilgiris Forest Division in February 2020 estimated around 2,000 Indian gaurs to be inhabiting the division.
• The gaur is the State Animal of Goa and Bihar.
• It is a protected species and included in Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972
• Listed as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
• It is listed in CITES Appendix I.
• Zoological Diplomacy: means the translocation and reintroduction of a species, particularly between neighbouring countries with similar eco-systems. It is considered as a potent tool in
• For example, American bison herds were supplemented with animals from Canada after the U.S. herds were almost all wiped out
• The U.K. has recently introduced the European bison (Wisent) after an estimated 10,000 years in June 2022
• Israel has for decades pursued reintroductions, including of Persian fallow deer.
• Arabian oryx and other species have been released into the Negev desert, and South Africa has recently used the export of cheetahs to other African countries as a diplomatic tool during the post-apartheid era.
• More recently, Cambodia has requested translocating tigers from India, which is under consideration.

Giraffe

Context

• About 150 years ago, British colonialists brought batches of species of the northern giraffe to India, from their other colonial possessions in Africa.

Recent Genealogical Study

• A recent genealogical study of the largest captive herd in India at the Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata has confirmed that the individuals in this facility, are most likely “critically endangered” Nubian giraffes ( Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) or the endangered Rothschild giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi).

Giraffes

About:

• Giraffe, (genus Giraffa) any of four species in the genus Giraffa of long-necked cud-chewing hoofed mammals of Africa.
• They are the world’s tallest mammals.
• The genus Giraffa is made up of the northern giraffe (G. camelopardalis), the southern giraffe (G. giraffa), the Masai giraffe (G. tippelskirchi), and the reticulated giraffe (G. reticulata).

Diet: Herbivorous

Nubian giraffes:

• The Nubian giraffes are believed to be among three sub-species of the northern giraffe.
• The northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), also known as three-horned giraffe. It is an exotic species to India, brought to India by the British from Africa.
• 95% of the population of Nubian Giraffes has declined in the past 3 decades.
• Found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan, however, currently extinct in the wild of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Eritrea.

IUCN Status:

• Nubian Giraffes: Critically Endangered
• Rothschild giraffes: Endangered
• West African Giraffe: Vulnerable

Challenges:

• Hunted for their hides, meat, and body parts
• They are quickly losing their living spaces