Environment

  Fresh water ecosystems- The salt content of fresh bodies is very low, always less than 5 ppt  (parts per thousand). E.g lakes, ponds, pools, springs, streams, and rivers Marine ecosystems – the water bodies containing salt concentration equal to or above that of sea water (i.e., 35 ppt or above). E.g shallow seas and … Read more

  Areas of marsh, fen, peatland/water, whether natural (or) artificial, permanent (or) temporary with water that is static (or) flowing, fresh, brackish (or) salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6 mtrs. Wetlands Classification- Inland wetland- a)Natural- Lakes / Ponds, Ox-bow Lakes, Waterlogged, Swamp/marsh b) Manmade- … Read more

Various Programmes of the government  related to prevention and control of pollution are : Environmental Statement (as part of Environmental Audit) Environmental Statistics and Mapping Development and Promotion of Cleaner Technologies Adoption of Cleaner Technologies in Small Scale Industries Waste Minimizing Programme for improvement of Quality of Automotive Fuels (Motor Gasoline and Diesel) for reducing … Read more

The Way Forward  Renewable energy, which includes solar and wind, contribute 1% to our energy mix. Both are clean, sustainable and abundant sources of energy. The problem for both not becoming very popular has been the high cost of power. With technological improvements it has now reached levels where it is commercially viable to generate … Read more

India State of Forest Report 2019 has been prepared by Forest Survey of India (FSI). It is a biannual report. The report is prepared after mapping of forests and trees through satellite. Key highlights of the report are as follows: the forest area has increased by 3976 kilometers and the area of trees by 1212 … Read more

Impact of climate change on Flora: All the plants/tree species requires a specific temperature for their life processes like germination of seed, growth, flowering, fruiting etc. Changes in temperature have changed this cycle. Trees which are unable to adjust to this change are becoming endangered and might get extinct if not saved. Because of the … Read more

Ex-Situ Conservation Conservation of plants and animals outside their natural homes Offsite Collections – 1500 botanical gardens and 800 zoological gardens – captive breeding program (species with less number of individuals – when number increases they are released in wild) – restock depleted population, reintroduce species in wild and restore degraded habitats Gene Banks – … Read more

There are three interrelated hierarchical levels of biodiversity namely, genetic diversity, species diversity and community or ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity It describes the variation in the number and types of genes as well as chromosomes present in different species. The magnitude of variation in genes of a species increases with increase in size and environmental … Read more

  aggravated because of four developments: Increasing traffic, growing cities, rapid economic development, and industrialization contamination of air by the discharge of harmful substances   Major air pollutants and their sources Carbon monoxide (CO) It is a colourless, odourless gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of carbon – based fuels including petrol, diesel, … Read more

The rapid growth of technology, upgradation of technical innovations and a high rate of obsolescence in the electronics industry have led to one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world which consist of end of life electrical and electronic equipment products. It comprises a whole range of electrical and electronic items such as … Read more