Category: Environment Current Affairs

Mangroves as Ecological Buffers: A study published in Current Biology has revealed how mangrove plants survive extreme saltwater conditions, offering insights that could help develop salt-tolerant crops amid climate change and rising sea levels.A Current Biology study reveals that mangroves survive extreme salinity through unique cell-level adaptations such as thick cell walls and specialised salt […]

Tapanuli Orangutan: Scientists fear that Cyclone Senyar may have swept away a significant number of Tapanuli orangutans. The Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) is a species of orangutan found in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. It is one of three known species of orangutan, alongside the Sumatran orangutan, found farther northwest on the island, and […]

Policy for Auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient & Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU): The Union Cabinet has approved creation of a new CoalSETU window under the NRS Linkage Policy, enabling long-term coal linkages for any industrial use and exports. CoalSETU is a new auction-based coal linkage window under the Non-Regulated Sector (NRS) Linkage Policy, allowing […]

New Ramsar Sites: Added Siliserh Lake, in Alwar, Rajasthan and Kopra Jalashay near Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh have been designated as Ramsar Sites. New Ramsar Sites: Siliserh lake is located in in the state of Rajasthan. It is a human-made lake within the buffer zone of Sariska Tiger Reserve. It was built in 1845 by Maharaja Vinay […]

Rhinophis siruvaniensis: A new shieldtail species, Rhinophis siruvaniensis, has been described with the help of citizen scientists after it was found recently in the Siruvani Hills which fall in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a new species of shieldtail snake. It was discovered in Siruvani Hills, located in the Western Ghats in Kerala […]

Charaichung Royal Bird Sanctuary: ‘Charaichung Festival’ was hosted in Assam’s Majuli island to revive Asia’s first protected royal bird sanctuary. It is Asia’s first protected bird sanctuary. It was established in 1633 AD by Ahom king Swargadeu Pratap Singha. It is located at Majuli – the world’s largest river island. It hosts varieties of indigenous […]

Western Tragopan: A captive-breeding programme at Sarahan Pheasantry, Himachal Pradesh, has successfully stabilised the Western Tragopan population, giving conservationists fresh hope. The Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) — also called Jujurana or “king of birds” — is one of the world’s rarest pheasants and the state bird of Himachal Pradesh. It is a flagship species of […]

Goniopora Coral: Scientists have reported that a combination of extreme heat stress and a rare Black band disease has wiped out 75 per cent of Goniopora coral colonies at a site on the Great Barrier Reef.It is also known as flowerpot or daisy corals, is a type of hard, soft coral belonging to the Poritidae […]

Deodar Tree: Deodar trees in Himachal Pradesh’s Sangla Valley have revealed the process of climatic shifts from wetter spring conditions that prevailed during pre-historic times to drier conditions from the year 1757 onwards.It is also known as the Himalayan Cedar. The name Deodar is derived from the Sanskrit word Devadāru, meaning “wood of the gods,” […]