Current Affairs: Passage of the Day - 22 October 2024 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The 14th Biennial Lake Conference, titled ‘Lake 2024 - Wetlands for Human Well-being,' concluded after four days of in-depth discussions at the Dr VS Acharya Hall at Moodbidri on Sunday. Organised by Alva's Education Foundation, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, and the Energy and Wetlands Research Group, the conference proposed several actionable recommendations.
Among the key outcomes was the call to notify ecologically sensitive panchayats under Section 5(1) of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, by the MoEFCC to enhance ecosystem health through location-specific conservation efforts.
The conference lauded the designation of the Aghanashini estuary as a Ramsar site on Jan 30. It also advocated for sustainable wetland use in line with Ramsar guidelines.
Lake 2024 also raised concerns about the proposed urbanisation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The forum urged the govt to conduct a carrying capacity assessment before proceeding with various projects.
The conference recommended adopting the Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) as a metric to account for nature's contributions to society, advocating for the integration of ecological benefits into govt assessments. A natural capital accounting framework was proposed to support eco-compensation policies based on ecosystem services.
Addressing concerns about the ineffectiveness of most gram panchayat biodiversity management committees (BMCs) since the implementation of the
Biodiversity Act, 2002, the forum suggested that zilla panchayats should oversee BMCs to improve ecosystem health and enforce the access and benefit sharing provisions of the MoEFCC. This would be phased in under the supervision of state biodiversity boards.
The vital role of students in documenting ecosystems and biodiversity was emphasised, with Lake 2024 recommending that academic credits be awarded to students participating in biodiversity mapping and inventorying under teacher guidance. The forum also supported the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's activity-based learning approach and called for its nationwide implementation.
The creation of a Western Ghats Task Force in each peninsular Indian state was suggested to ensure good governance of natural resources, focusing on water and biodiversity conservation for regional food and water security.
During the valedictory function, Swastishri Bhattaraka Charukeerthi Panditacharyavarya Mahaswamiji of Sri Jain Mutt Moodbidri stressed the deep connection between science, knowledge, art, and environmental care. Fr. Melwyn D'Cunha, pro vice-chancellor of St. Aloysius Deemed University, Mangaluru, called on the youth to actively engage in biodiversity conservation.
[Excerpt from Down To Earth "14th Biennial Lake Conference" Dated 22/10/24]

Q1: What was the theme of the 14th biennial lake conference held in Moodbidri in 2024? 
(a) Wetlands for biodiversity
(b) Lake 2024 – wetlands for human wellbeing
(c) Ecological lakes for the future
(d) Water resources and human health

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Q2: What law does the recommendation to notify ecologically sensitive panchayats align with? 
(a) Biodiversity Act 2002
(b) Environment Protection Act 1986
(c) Indian Forest Act 1927
(d) Water Protection Act 1990

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Q3: What was suggested to improve the effectiveness of Gram Panchayat Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)? 
(a) Central government oversight
(b) Zilla panchayat oversight
(c) Village-level monitoring
(d) Self-regulation

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Q4: What new economic metric was proposed during the conference to measure Nature’s contributions to society? 
(a) Gross National Product (GNP)
(b) Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP)
(c) Environmental Impact Index (EII)
(d) Natural Resource Metric (NRM)

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Q5: What task force did the conference recommend for each peninsular Indian state? 
(a) Water Conservation Task Force
(b) Wetland Protection Task Force
(c) Western Ghats Task Force
(d) Biodiversity Management Task Force

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