15 yesars of conservation efforts reunites gibbons separated by a railway line in India: Assam
For the hoolock gibbons of India’s Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, a rail line bisecting the forest has for decades proved an impassable barrier, dividing the animals into two separate areas. Now bridge of tree canopy reunites gibbons separated by a railway line.
In 2006, conservationists, the local forest department and communities began planting thousands of trees along the tracks in an effort to create a natural canopy bridge. The tree-planting effort finally bore fruit in 2019, when the first gibbons were observed crossing over the tracks.
This year, an entire family has been observed making use of the bridge. The effort dates back to a 2004-2006 conservation plan proposed by regional wildlife NGO Aaranyak, in collaboration with the forest department in the district of Jorhat, where the sanctuary is located, and with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Ape Conservation Fund.
From 2006 onward, with cooperation from the local community and the forest department, Aaranyak oversaw the planting of 3,000 saplings alongside the tracks, representing 71 species of plants known to provide food or habitat for gibbons.
Residents seeking cancellation of coal mining in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand begin march
Around 250 residents of Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand started a march from Surguja district to Raipur, around 330 kilometres away, on Monday demanding cancellation of all coal mining projects in their region.
Environmentalists and activists are also taking part in the march. The villagers are also demanding that all land acquisitions without prior consent from village councils be immediately withdrawn.
There are 23 coal blocks in Hasdeo Arand, which is one of the largest contiguous stretches of dense forest in central India spanning 170,000 hectares. In 2009, the environment ministry categorised Hasdeo Arand as a “no-go” zone for mining because of its rich forest cover. But the region was opened again to mining.
150 pollution hotspots identified in Delhi: Environment Minister Gopal Rai
As many as 150 pollution hotspots have been identified in Delhi. City’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday said the hotspots were identified based on the complaints received through the ‘Green Delhi‘ application.
‘Green War Room’ was launched by the Delhi government last year to monitor and coordinate anti-pollution efforts. Meanwhile, ‘Green Delhi’ application was introduced to effectively address complaints related to pollution-causing activities.
The 13 pollution hotspots earlier identified in Delhi were Rohini, Dwarka, Okhla Phase-2, Punjabi Bagh, Anand Vihar, Vivek Vihar, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, R K Puram, Bawana, Mundka, Narela and Mayapuri.
👉Mint
Climate change: 14% coral reefs lost since 2010, says study
In the last decade, the world lost about 14 per cent of its coral reefs, according to a new report. Ocean-acidification, warmer sea temperatures and local stressors such as overfishing, pollution, unsustainable tourism and poor coastal management pose a combined threat to the coral ecosystems, the paper said.
The report by Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) was drawn from a global dataset gathered by over 300 members of the network covering four decades from 1978 to 2019. It had almost 2 million observations from more than 12,000 sites in 73 reef-bearing countries across the globe.
The report, the first of its kind in 13 years, underlined the catastrophic consequences of global warming but said that some coral reefs can be saved by arresting greenhouse gases.
Coral bleaching events caused by rise in elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) were responsible for coral loss, according to the report. The worst-hit are the corals in South Asia, Australia, the Pacific, East Asia, the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman.
👉DTE
Special Task Force (STF) jawan and 17 other booked for smuggling pangolin from UP forest
A Special Task Force (STF) jawan from Bihar and 14 others have been arrested by UP Police in Bijnor for allegedly smuggling a rare pangolin. The accused planned to sell it for Rs one crore in the black market.
For “security and safe passage” of the pangolin, the suspects “hired” the STF jawan for Rs 10 lakh. Bijnor SP Dharamveer Singh said the pangolin was caught from the forest area of Najibabad division four days ago.
Eighteen individuals from UP, Haryana and Bihar were involved in the purchase at Banowali village under Nagina Dehat police limits when the police raided the hideout. Three smugglers from Najibabad and one from Bihar are absconding.
Environment India 