Daily Quiz #65 UPSC Prelims Marathon – January 18, 2020

Explanation: Snow Leopard: The ounce or popularly known as snow leopard is native to the mountain ranges of South and Central Asia. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of its global population which is estimated to be below 10,000.
Four big cat species are found in India in wild viz. Gir Lion, Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Snow leopard. Further, clouded leopard is also found in India. The Big Cats that are not found in their natural habitats in India are Jaguar and Cheetah. Cheetah got extinct as back as 1940s.
Earth’s largest living crocodilian—and, some say, the animal most likely to eat a human—is the saltwater or estuarine crocodile. Average-size males reach 17 feet and 1,000 pounds, but specimens 23 feet long and weighing 2,200 pounds are not uncommon.
Habitat: Saltwater crocs, or “salties,” as Australians affectionately refer to them, have an enormous range, populating the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. They are excellent swimmers and have often been spotted far out at sea.

Explanation: India’s Environment Ministry has declared the elephant a National Heritage Animal in order to increase protective measures for the country’s nearly 29,000 elephants. Declaring it the National Heritage Animal will give it due place as emblem of ecological sensitivity. It will also mark recognition for its centrality in our plural cultures, traditions and oral lore.

Explanation: Status: NBWL is a statutory body as it has been constituted under Section 5 A the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Mandate: It is the apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries i.e. Protected Areas.
Timeline: In 2003, NBWL was constituted. Its term lapsed in 2013. In 2014, it was reconstituted (was notified on July 22, 2014).
Composition: It is a 47-member board (including the chairman) which usually meets once a year. It is chaired by Prime minister.
Standing committee:
•The environment ministry has delegated all powers of the NBWL to a compliant Standing Committee which regularly meets and clears projects in Protected Areas.
•The National Board may, at its discretion, constitute a Standing Committee under sub-section (1) of Section 5B to be chaired by Union Minister in charge of Forests and Wildlife.

Explanation: Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP):
The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is highly dynamic, with many socioeconomic and environmental drivers of change at play, including climate change. The impacts of these changes challenge the resilience of natural and human capacities and the environment. The increased incidence of extreme weather events and magnitude of associated natural disasters, believed to be related to climate change, are exacting high economic and social costs. The Himalayan region and the downstream areas that depend on its water supply and ecosystem services, including the Indo-Gangetic plain – ‘the grain basket of South Asia’ – are particularly vulnerable to these changes.
HICAP is a pioneering collaboration among three organizations – CICERO, ICIMOD, and GRID-Arendal – aimed at contributing to enhanced resilience of mountain communities, particularly women, through improved understanding of vulnerabilities, opportunities, and potentials for adaptation. Women in the region have important responsibilities as stewards of natural and household resources and are therefore well positioned to contribute to adaptation strategies; but they are more vulnerable than men to climate change as they face more social, economic,
HICAP will generate knowledge of climate change impacts on natural resources, ecosystem services, and the communities depending on them, contributing to policy and practice for enhanced adaptation.
HICAP is implemented in collaboration with local partners, and is funded by the governments of Norway and Sweden.

Explanation: The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) was launched in 2008 as a global alliance of governments, international organizations, civil society, the conservation and scientific communities and the private sector, with the aim of working together to save wild tigers from extinction. In 2013, the scope was broadened to include Snow Leopards.
The GTI’s founding partners included the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Smithsonian Institution, Save the Tiger Fund, and International Tiger Coalition (representing more than 40 non-government organizations). The initiative is led by the 13 tiger range countries (TRCs).
In November 2010, leaders of the tiger range countries (TRCs) assembled at an International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia to adopt the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation and endorsed its implementation mechanism, called the Global Tiger Recovery Program. Their overarching goal was to double the number of wild tigers across their geographical area from about 3,200 to more than 7,000 by 2022.