Daily Current Affairs 26 July 2023 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 26 July 2023 focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

Source: Indian Express
GS II: Environment

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

Why in News ?

Recently the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court has issued a directive to the Goa government to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas as a tiger reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 within three months from 24th July 2023.

News in Brief

• Directed the state government to take all necessary measures to develop a tiger conservation strategy.
• Also to submit it to the NTCA within three months of announcing the reserve.
• The court further determine and resolve the rights and claims of Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers in accordance with the law
• This should be preferably within 12 months from today.

Background

• An environmental watchdog organisation called Goa Foundation had filed a PIL with the court, asking for instructions on how to designate Mhadei Sanctuary and other locations as tiger reserves.
• The court ordered the state to establish anti-poaching camps in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries within six months.
• The petitioner also requested taking this action.

About Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

Location : 

• Located in the Northern part of Goa, Sanguem taluka, near Valpoi town.
• Region covering an area of about 750 km2.
• It is a a varied terrain with some evergreen species and dense, damp deciduous woods.
• It has region of waterfalls, including Vazra Sakla Falls and Virdi Falls.
• The three highest peaks in Goa are located in the region. They are
  1. Sonsogod (1027 m)
  2. Talavche Sada (812 m)
  3. Vageri (725 m).

Importance

• Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary known for its nesting grounds of critically endangered Long-billed vultures near Vazra Falls.
• The region is crucial for tiger conservation in Goa.
• Mhadei River originates in Karnataka and passes through the sanctuary.

What are the threat for habitat in the Sanctuary?

• Illegal excessive motor traffic is one threat to the Mhedai Wildlife Sanctuary’s distinctive environment and biodiversity.
• The region is having illegal mining activity. 
• Poaching of wild animal especially Tiger.
• Activities in the projects like Malaprabha Reservoir Project, Kalasa-Banduri Nala project. 

International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem 2023

Source: Money Control
GS III: Environment

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem 2023

Why in News ?

Every year on July 26 there is a celebration known as the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. 

International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem 2023

• Its goal is to increase public awareness of the value of mangrove ecosystems as a unique, special, and vulnerable ecosystem.
• Also to advance strategies for their sustainable management, conservation, and uses.
• This International Day was adopted by the General Conference of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015.

Why international day required?

• The world’s mangroves, along with all the aquatic and land creatures that depend on them, are thought to be in danger.
• With estimates placing the number at more than 75 percent.
• This is why UNESCO decided to take action to safeguard them through its Geoparks, World Heritage sites, and Biosphere Reserves, along with other unique blue carbon ecosystems.

What are Mangroves?

• Mangroves are an uncommon, magnificent, and abundant environment that bridges the land-ocean divide.
• These extraordinary ecosystems play a role in the protection, well-being, and food security of coastal populations across the world.
• They sustain a thriving biodiversity and offer fish and crustaceans a significant nursery environment.
• A natural coastal defence against storm surges, tsunamis, increasing sea levels, and erosion is provided by mangroves.
• They store enormous amounts of carbon in their soils, which are very efficient carbon sinks.
• However, mangroves are vanishing three to five times more quickly than all of the world’s forests, with negative ecological and socioeconomic effects.
• According to recent estimates, the area covered by mangroves has decreased by half during the previous 40 years.

Importance of Mangrove

• Mangroves enhance the natural recycling of nutrients.
• Mangroves moderate monsoonal tidal floods and reduce inundation of coastal lowlands.
• They provide locals with timber, firewood, medicinal and tasty plants.
• Give various fishes a secure and advantageous habitat in which to mate, reproduce, and grow.
• They enhance the deposition of sediment in areas.

Indian Mangrove Ecosystem

• With its broad coastline, numerous deltas, estuaries, and distinctive offshore islands like the Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India is home to enormous mangrove ecosystems.
• One of the biggest mangrove ecosystems in the world is the Sundarbans stretches into Bangladesh.
• People use India’s mangroves and the 37 tree species that grow there for a variety of things, including building materials, medicines, fuel, grazing land for cattle, and honey production.
• Mangrove ecosystem services offer housing for a wide variety of animals, including the Bengal Tiger.

Issues in Indian Mangrove system

• India mangroves have suffered significant losses as a result of
  • Land reclamation
  • Conversion to agri- and aquaculture
  • Urban encroachment
  • Over-exploitation
• Mangroves of Pichavaram and Vedaranyam are degraded mainly due to the construction of aquaculture ponds and salt pans.

Conservation Efforts in India

• This drop began to stabilise in the 1990s.
• With sustainable harvesting cycles, much of India’s surviving mangroves are now maintained as forest reserves.
• Some of them have seen notable increases in mangrove coverage as a result of ecosystem restoration and natural regeneration.
• Out of 40 World Heritage sites and 12 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in India Several, mangrove forests are part of its Biosphere Reserves and natural World Heritage Sites, including the Sundarbans National Park.

Biological Diversity Amendment Bill

Source: PRS
GS II: Governance

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About the Bill

Why in News ?

Biological Diversity Amendment Bill passed in Lok Sabha. 

• The bill brings changes to the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 by decriminalising biodiversity offences, among others.

About the Bill

• The Bill amends the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to simplify compliance requirements for domestic companies.

  

• The Bill removes research and bio-survey activities from the purview of benefit sharing requirements.
• The Bill decriminalises all offences under the Act.
• Benefit sharing will be based on terms agreed between the user and the local management committee represented by the National Authority.

Key Features

• Obtaining Biological Resources
  • Prior approval or intimation to the regulatory authority based on the origin of the entity for obtaining biological resources occurring in India or associated knowledge.
• Regulatory Authority
  • The regulatory authorities under the Act for these purposes are National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and State Biodiversity Boards (SBB).
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
  • The Act specifies that approval of NBA is required before
    • Applying for IPR involving biological resources obtained from India
    • Sealing of patent.
  • Approval will be required before the grant of IPR
  • Foreign entities require approval from NBA whereas domestic entities required to register with NBA.
• Benefit sharing
  • What is Benefit Sharing?: Share monetary and non-monetary benefits with benefit claimers and local people. 
  • NBA is required to determine terms of benefit sharing while granting approvals for various activities
• Offences and Penalties
  • Failing to take approval or providing prior intimation for various activities.
  • Punishable with imprisonment of up to five years, or a fine, or both.
  • Bill decriminalises the offences and makes offences punishable with a penalty between one lakh rupees and Rs 50 lakh.
  • Continued violations might result in additional fines of up to one crore rupees.
  • Enquiring Authority: officer of at least the rank of Joint Secretary of the central government or the rank of Secretary of the state government.

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