Indian leopards in danger due to poaching 30% got died due to it
A Total of 614 leopards died across India in 2021, with Maharashtra accounting for the most number of casualties at 178, data compiled by a non-profit has found. While about 30% of the deaths were caused by poachers, 93 big cats became victims of roadkill.
Conservationists say the government should plan roads and train lines keeping in the mind the movement of wild animals. As per the data compiled by NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India, Madhya Pradesh saw 74 leopard deaths, after Maharashtra, followed by 72 in Uttarakhand.
Citing the death of 93 leopards due to vehicles and trains last year, the study said linear infrastructure poses a grave threat to wildlife. It says mitigation measures must be put in place while implementing road and rail projects passing through or close to wildlife sanctuaries, forests and national parks.
Wildlife conservationist Kedar Gore from The Corbett Foundation said the deaths due to poaching are only reported data and the actual number could be much higher. As per the study, there have been 120 seizures of body parts, while 62 leopards were poached. A total of 216 leopards were found dead of which 31 were killed by villagers and 9 were shot dead by forest officials following man-animal conflicts.
👉 Midday
100s of Birds and fish die in fire at locked pet shops in Kalyan: Maharashtra
Hundreds of birds, animals and fish kept for sale at three pet shops in Kalyan died after a fire broke out around 8.30 am on Wednesday. Fire brigade officials managed to save a few of the birds, rabbits and fish by breaking open the doors of the shops.
There were parrots, pigeons, rabbits and fish. A passer-by noticed smoke billowing from one of the shops and alerted the fire brigade. When officials reached the spot, the fire had spread to the adjacent shops. Fire officer Vinayak Lokhande said the fish were struggling to stay alive in tanks as the fire had generated much heat.“
These pet shops are running without any registration or license from the authorities. Maharashtra Animal Welfare Board is the registering authority for these pet shops. The pet shops in Kalyan have not been registered and are illegally operating,” said Sashikant Purohit, a 24-year-old animal lover from Mumbai, who lodged an FIR with the Mahatma Phule police station on Wednesday night.
Forest Survey Report 2021: India’s states, already facing climate change, lose forest and mangrove cover
There has been an increase in forest loss in India’s mountainous states along its Himalayan frontier, which are already in the throes of climate change, according to the latest report by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). Forest cover has declined by 22.62 sq km in 52 tiger reserves across the country and by 33.42 sq km in lion habitats in the last 10 years.
India’s State of Forest Report is a biennial publication. The report for 2021 was released by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav January 13, 2022.
The report has classified India’s forests into four categories. One of them is Very Dense Forest (with tree canopy density of 70% or above). Another category of forest as defined in the report is Open Forest (tree canopy density of 10% or above but less than 40%). The report has attributed the loss of forest cover in the Himalayas and North East to an increase in developmental activities as well as agriculture.
The report has also mapped climate change hotspots in Indian forests, based on projections for 2030, 2050 and 2080. It predicted that Himalayan states and UTs like Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will record the maximum increase in temperature and also possibly experience decrease in rainfall. Beside this the very dense mangrove, which acts as the barrier against cyclones and storms, shrank from 1,038 sq km in 2011 to 999 sq km in 2017. In the last four years, it dropped further to 994 sq km.
👉 DTE
Railway Protection Force recovers 61 live turtles from Gaya junction in Bihar
As many as 61 live turtles have been recovered by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) team from Gaya junction in Bihar, the official informed on Thursday.
RPF Inspector Ajay Prakash said the secret information was received that a train coming on the platform of Rishikesh-Howrah Yog Nagri Express of East Central Railway is smuggling live turtles.
On the basis of the information, raids were conducted on the said train and four bags were recovered and on searching, 61 live turtles were found, Prakash said.
The passengers sitting nearby were questioned in relation to all the bags recovered in unclaimed condition but no one accepted ownership, he said. Later, all the recovered turtles were handed over to the Forest Department Officials, no arrest has been made in this case so far, he added.
Time’s running out: Is India ready to handle 34,600 tonnes of solar waste by 2030?
India does not have a solar waste management policy, but it does have ambitious solar power installation targets. Solar waste — the electronic waste generated by discarded solar panels — is sold as scrap in the country. It can increase by at least four-five-fold by the next decade.
India should focus its attention on drafting comprehensive rules to deal with solar waste. The issue was not addressed in the last electronic waste management regulations in 2016. SolarPower Europe and PVCycle, supported by the European Union in India and the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, could generate over 34,600 tonnes of cumulative solar waste in India by 2030, according to a report prepared by the National Solar Energy Federation of India.
Solar panels have a life of 20-25 years, so the problem of waste seems distant. It is likely that India will be faced with solar waste problems by the end of this decade, and solar waste will end up being the most prevalent form of waste in landfills soon.
👉 DTE
Environment India 