CURRENT AFFAIRS DESTINATION FOR UPSC & STATE CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATIONS
Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on 12 February 2018, released the India State of Forest Report 2017 in New Delhi. The India State of Forest Report 2017 is 15th report in the series. Here are the main features of the ISFR 2017: Total forest and tree cover: The total forest and tree cover is 24.39 per cent of the geographical area of the country. According to the report the total Read More …
Sehuencas water frog (Telmatobius yuracare) has been looking for the female for the last 10 years in the Cochabamba Natural History Museum in Bolivia. But all efforts to find the female Sehuencas have failed so far. The Global Wildlife Conservation has been trying over the past decade to find Romeo a mate and save the species. In this way, the search for Juliet of Romeo water frog continues for the past 10 years and funds are also Read More …
Scientists have discovered spider-like four creatures with a tail in amber from Myanmar. The scientists described four specimens of the arachnid, called Chimerarachne yingi, that inhabited a Cretaceous Period tropical forest about 100 million years ago during the dinosaur age. The arachnid spider, a relative of modern spiders and scorpions, have many similarities with modern spiders including fangs and spinnerets, which are appendages used to spin silk but unlike its spider cousins alive Read More …
Scheme: The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) is a Central Sector Scheme. When: It was set up in the year 2015-16. Aim: The overall aim of NAFCC is to support concrete adaptation activities which mitigate the adverse effects of Climate change. Implementation: The activities under this scheme are implemented in a project mode. Who will get funding: The projects related to adaptation in sectors such as agriculture, animal Read More …
The Supreme Court on January 29, 2018, agreed on the Central Government’s proposed plan to end stubble burning in Haryana, Punjab and Western UP. The Supreme court in its order, asked the government to follow the deadline fixed by the high level task force. On November 23, 2017, a high level task force, headed by the principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for management of air pollution in Delhi Read More …
Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRISS) has released the first country wide global list of alien and invasive animals and plant species. The first list, lists 6414 alien species found in 20 countries of the world. These are the species which have gone out of their native place and have become engrossed in the atmosphere of the host country. As per the list, nn South Africa, 2107 alien Read More …
When: The tenth Environment Performance Index 2018 (EPI 2018) was released on 23 January 2018 during World Economic Forum summit at Davos. Publisher: It is a biennial report and published by Yale and Columbia Universities in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. About Index: It ranks 180 world countries on 24 environment performance indicators across 10 environmental issue categories involving environmental health to ecosystem vitality. India Ranking: According to the Read More …
Union Ministry of Environment and Climate change on January 24, 2018, unveiled a new strategy for conservation and rejuvenation of major Indian river water systems. What is ‘new’ in the new strategy? As per the Union Environment minister, the new strategy is a holistic approach which takes into account the entire river basin, which is contributing its flow to the particular river stretch for conservation. So far the strategy for Read More …
It is n secret that to protect itself from predators, some animals, including snake do mimicry to fool them. And in this way they survive the tough jungle life. But the first time Indian researchers have reported about a snake who performs dual mimicry to protect itself from predators and in latter stage changes its colour so that prey doesn’t scare away from it. Researchers have found the ‘Calliophis bibroni’ Read More …
The Blue Nile patas monkey has been identified as a distinct monkey species. This species can be identified with ‘handlebar moustache’. This is found in Ethiopia and Sudan. Actually, it was recognised as a separate species way back in 1862, but in 1927, on the basis of some scientists argument, it was categorised with other patas monkeys to form a single species. But now, once again scientists accepted it a Read More …
-Recenly, a new dinosaur was discovered in China that had iridescent feathers like a modern hummingbird. -This crow-sized, bird-like dinosaur was discovered from Hebei Province of China that lived 161 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. It has a crested head that more closely resembles that of a Velociraptor. -Due to its iridescent feathers, it has been named Caihong juji. In Mandarin language the meaning of the name is “rainbow with the big crest”. Read More …
-A rare Himalayan Serow, also called Himalayan deer, was spotted in Nainital Town of Uttarakhand on 15 January, 2018. -The Himalayan Serow falls under the Schedule 1 of the extinct species list of Wildlife -Due to it’s shrinking habitat and killing for meat, it’s population is decreasing year by year. That is why it is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. -Himalayan Serow’s scientific name is Capricornis Thar. –
-Two old female elephants namely, Pawanpari and Sonakali at the Corbett Tiger Reserve, will retire soon after serving thousands of tourists and forest staff. -Now they will be free to bask in the sun, graze in the open grounds and bathe in the Sonanadi that flows inside the reserve. -For the first time, in six decades history of Corbett decided to retire jumbos at the age of 65. -This decision Read More …
-According to a new research published in Current Biology, rising temperatures around the world can turn Green Sea turtle populations female. As per this study, global warming is turning 99 percent of the baby sea turtles from male to female (Feminisation). And this process in long run can endangered the whole population of green sea turtles. -Their study is based on an experiment where they found that Raine Island, near hot Australia Read More …
Odisha State forest department has denied a habitat rights to Manikidia primitive tribes near Simlipal Sanctuary. District administration was trying to help Mankidia people getting their habitat rights under Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 so that they can be mainstreamed in the development process. -The Odisha State Forest Department has objected habitat rights on grounds that Mankidias could be attacked by wild animals, Read More …
