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Environment and Ecology for UPSC 🇮🇳

@Ecology4UPSC

Nov 13, 2023

Details about Echidnas:

Image source: CNN

1. They are unique, nocturnal and shy egg-laying mammal. They are the last vestiges of an ancient animal line.

a. They are named after Echidna, a creature from Greek mythology who was half-woman, half-snake, as the animal was perceived to have qualities of both mammals and reptiles.

b. They belong to the family Tachyglossidae and the order Monotremata.

2. They are thought to have emerged about 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

3. They are found mostly in Australia, with small populations also in Tasmania and New Guinea.

4. They make up four of the five living species in a group of egg-laying mammals known as monotremes.

5. It is one of only two mammals (the platypus is the other) that lay eggs.

6. Physical Appearance:

a. They look like a quirky blend of hedgehog and anteater. But they’re not related to these creatures at all.

(Shown in the picture is Madras Hedgehog. This species has appeared in UPSC PYQ)

b. It has a tiny face with small eyes and a long nose, sometimes called a beak.

c. They can grow to be around 35-75 centimeters long and are covered by sharp spines made from modified hairs.

d. They have short legs, which are ideal for digging.

e. The beak is covered in electroreceptors, which can detect electrical signals produced from the muscles of its prey.

7. Of the four echidna species three have long beaks, other has short beak.

a. Western long-beaked echidna Zaglossus bruijnii: Critically Endangered in IUCN's Red List.

b. Eastern long-beaked echidna Zaglossus bartoni: Vulnerable in IUCN's Red List.

c. Sir David’s long-beaked echidna Zaglossus attenboroughi: Critically Endangered in IUCN's Red List.

d. Short-beaked echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus: Least Concern in IUCN's Red List.

8. They aren’t aggressive, but when threatened they will curl into a ball to protect themselves.

9. Like anteaters, the echidna has no teeth. Instead, the echidna has a long, sticky tongue to catch and chew its food: ants, termites, or earthworms.

10. Despite being solitary animals, they take part in a strange group mating ritual once a year between June and September.

a. A train of around 10 males, lined up nose to tail, will follow a female until she is ready to mate.

b. When she indicates this readiness, the males dig a trench around her and attempt to push one another into it.

c. The last echidna standing gets to mate.

d. Around 22 days after mating, female echidnas will lay a single leathery egg into a pouch on their bellies before it hatches 10 days later.

(Solve a question on our Telegram Channel: )

11. Male echidnas have a four-headed penis.

12. During the colder months, they hibernate in burrows.

13. They have a lifespan of 45 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity – far longer than most mammals of their size.

14. They are also excellent swimmer and tree climber.

15. Threats: Forest fires, droughts, feral dogs and cats as well as dingoes and foxes. Road Kills.

Other related news:

a. Scientists at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) have isolated an anti-microbial protein found in the milk of an egg-laying mammal. The protein promises to serve as an alternative to antibiotics used on livestock.

https://twitter.com/Ecology4UPSC/status/1696812291965288777

https://twitter.com/Ecology4UPSC/status/1696812291965288777

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Environment and Ecology for UPSC 🇮🇳

@Ecology4UPSC

Nov 7, 2023

Since crackers are in news.

Let us know about Green Crackers today.

1. These are firecrackers made with reduction in size of shell, elimination of ash usage etc., reduced usage of raw materials in the compositions.

2. They were developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

3. Green crackers are low-emission crackers free of harmful chemicals like sulphur nitrates, arsenic, magnesium, sodium, lead, and barium.

4. These crackers emits pollutants at a 30% lesser rate than their conventional counterparts.

5. Green crackers’ emission rate is limited to 110-125 decibels of sound; while regular crackers emit about 160 decibels of sound.

6. They are more expensive than the regular ones.

7. They are not “completely free but are significantly less pollutive”, as compared to regular firecrackers.

8. Green crackers use alternative, yet harmful chemicals like potassium nitrate and aluminium instead of magnesium and barium, and carbon instead of arsenic and other harmful pollutants.

9. Manufacturers need to sign a deal with the CSIR in order to make fireworks using the green cracker formulation.

10. Green crackers that are branded differently with a ‘Green fireworks’ logo along with a QR code. The logo will carry a ‘CSIR NEERI INDIA’ certificate and a certificate number.

11. Green crackers can be identified by scanning the QR code on the cracker using the NEERI mobile application.

12. Three types of green crackers available in India. The three crackers release water vapour or air as a dust suppressant and diluent for gaseous emissions.

a. SWAS: Safe water releaser.

b. STAR: Safe minimal aluminum.

c. SAFAL: Safe thermite cracker.

Chemicals used in crackers and health hazards associated with them.

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Environment and Ecology for UPSC 🇮🇳

@Ecology4UPSC

Nov 3, 2023

Government of Odisha has imposed a seven-month ban on fishing in three river mouths of the state to protect the Olive Ridley turtles, the state’s flagship marine species.

This is going to be a detailed post.

Enjoy reading about the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.

Introducing Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) to you all.

Image credits: WWF India

1. Olive Ridley Turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.

2. They are marine reptiles and come to the surface to breathe. They are pelagic species living near the surface of the ocean.

3. Olive Ridley Turtle gets its name from the olive green color of its heart-shaped shell.

4. They inhabit warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. They are found throughout the world.

Image source: NOAA

5. They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada (meaning "arrival" in Spanish), where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. 🐢

It is to be noted that even Kemp's sea turtles are known for this kind of mass nesting.

a. They are remarkable navigators and usually return to a beach in the general area where they hatched. 🫡

b. Although other turtles have been documented nesting in groups, no other turtles (marine or land) have been observed nesting in such mass numbers and synchrony.

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Environment and Ecology for UPSC 🇮🇳

@Ecology4UPSC

Nov 3, 2023

Biosphere reserves:

1. These are sites established by countries and recognized under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science.

2. The programme of Biosphere Reserve was initiated by UNESCO in 1971.

3. The purpose of the formation of the biosphere reserve is to conserve in situ all forms of life, along with its support system, in its totality, so that it could serve as a referral system for monitoring and evaluating changes in natural ecosystems.

4. Biosphere reserves are ‘learning places for sustainable development’.

5. They are sites for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity.

6. They are places that provide local solutions to global challenges.

7. They are nominated by national governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located.

Note: Nilgiri is spread over Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. (correction in Pic).

Image source: Indian Express

Biosphere Reserves integrate three main functions:

a. Conservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity.

b. Economic development that is socio-culturally and environmentally sustainable.

c. Logistic support, underpinning development through research, monitoring, education and training.

These above functions are pursued through the Biosphere Reserves' three main zones:

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Environment and Ecology for UPSC 🇮🇳

@Ecology4UPSC

Nov 3, 2023

Every year, 3rd November is celebrated as International Day for Biosphere Reserves.

The first International Day for Biosphere Reserves in 2022.

The World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) was formed in 1971, as a backbone for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and living in harmony with nature.

There are now 738 properties in 134 countries, including 12 in India, four in Sri Lanka, and three in the Maldives.

Note: Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal do not have biospheres as yet.

World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) :

1. It an amazing network of sites of excellence and is a unique tool for cooperation through sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences, building capacity and promoting best practices.

2. In South Asia, over 30 biosphere reserves have been established.

a. The first one was the Hurulu Biosphere Reserve, in Sri Lanka, with 25,500 hectares of tropical dry evergreen forest.

b. In India, the first biosphere reserve was designated by UNESCO in 2000, namely, the Blue mountains of the Nilgiri stretching over Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

3. All biosphere reserves are internationally recognized sites on land, at the coast, or in the oceans.

4. Governments alone decide which areas to nominate.

a. Before approval by UNESCO, the sites are externally examined.

b. If approved, they will be managed based on a plan, reinforced by credibility checks while remaining under the sovereignty of their national government.

https://twitter.com/Ecology4UPSC/status/1720309657254998183

https://twitter.com/Ecology4UPSC/status/1720309657254998183

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Environment and Ecology for UPSC 🇮🇳

@Ecology4UPSC

Oct 20, 2023

First flock of Amur Falcons arrive in Manipur.

Manipur to conduct first-ever census of Amur falcon, world’s longest travelling raptors.

Amur falcon (Falco amurensis):

1. It is a small raptor of the falcon family. It is the world’s longest travelling raptors.

2. These migrants breed in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China and winter in southern Africa, often congregating in huge roosts on passage through India.

3. In India, Amur falcons roosts in parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam. It is locally known as Akhuipuina.

4. They feed mainly on insects that they either catch on the wing or pick from the ground.

5. Physical Appearance: The combination of reddish-orange eyering, cere, and feet distinguishes them from all other falcons.

6. Nagaland: Falcon Capital of India: Doyang Lake located in Nagaland is known as a stopover for the Amur falcons during their annual migration from their breeding grounds to warmer South Africa.

Image credits: CMS website.

7. It is protected under Schedule IV of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

8. It is listed as LEAST CONCERN in the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.

9. It is also protected under Appendix II of Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

10. It is also protected under Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

11. Threats: Degradation of grassland habitats by agriculture, mining, etc.

12. Farmers' friend: Amur falcons have been helping the farmers since they feast on the various kinds of insects which destroy the verdant paddy and other plants.

Why do the Amur falcons stop over every autumn only in Northeast India?

a. A study by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WWI) said that almost the entire Amur falcon population converges on parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya between October and mid-November to "refuel" and build up fat reserves by eating the swarm of termites in the region following monsoon rains.

b. The halt is primarily to prepare for the birds' non-stop flight to non-breeding grounds, Amur falcons extensively forage in the region, building up their fat reserves.

Amur falcon conservation success has led to India signing the CMS Raptors MoU, an agreement on conservation of migratory birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia, in March 2016.

In 2001, Changtongya Community Conservation Reserve was declared by the villagers to protect Amurs.

Look at the path travelled by these birds, even though smallest in the falcon family.

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