Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Environment & Geography) – June 21, 2020

The United Nations Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, with a universal membership of all 193 Member States.

• The Assembly meets biennially in Nairobi, Kenya, to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law.
• Through its ministerial declaration and resolutions, the Assembly provides leadership, catalyzes intergovernmental action on the environment, and contributes to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The UN Environment Assembly is also the governing body of the UN Environment Programme.

Earth First! was named in 1979 in response to a lethargic, compromising, and increasingly corporate environmental community.

• Earth First! takes a decidedly different tracks towards environmental issues. We believe in using all the tools in the tool box, ranging from grassroots organizing and involvement in the legal process to civil disobedience.
• Earth First! is different from other environmental groups.
• Here are some things to keep in mind about Earth First! and some suggestions for being an active and effective Earth First!er: First of all, Earth First! is not an organization, but a movement.
• There are no “members” of Earth First!, only Earth First!ers. It is a belief in biocentrism, that life of the Earth comes first, and a practice of putting our beliefs into action.
• While there is broad diversity within Earth First! from animal rights vegans to wilderness hunting guides, from shrill voices to careful followers of Gandhi, from whiskey-drinking backwoods riffraff to thoughtful philosophers, from misanthropes to humanists there is agreement on one thing, the need for action!

Geographically, black soils are spread over 5.46 lakh sq km (i.e. 16.6 per cent of the total geographical area of the country) encompassed between 15°N to 25°N latitudes and 72°E to 82°E longitudes.

• This is the region of high temperature and low rainfall. It is, therefore, a soil group of the dry and hot regions of the Peninsula.
• These soils are mainly found in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
• The black colour of this soil may even be derived from crystalline schists and basic gneisses such as in Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh.
• The black soil is very retentive of moisture. It swells greatly and becomes sticky when wet in rainy season. Under such conditions, it is almost impossible to work on such soil because the plough gets stuck in the mud.
• However, in the hot dry season, the moisture evaporates, the soil shrinks and is seamed with broad and deep cracks, often 10 to 15 cm wide and upto a meter deep. This permits oxygenation of the soil to sufficient depths and the soil has extraordinary fertility.
• Remarkably “self ploughed” by loosened particles fallen from the ground into the cracks, the soil “swallows” itself and retains soil moisture. This soil has been used for growing a variety of crops for centuries without adding fertilizers and manures, or even fallowing with little or no evidence of exhaustion.
• Because of their high fertility and retentivity of moisture, the black soils are widely used for producing several important crops.
• Some of the major crops grown on the black soils are cotton, wheat, jowar, linseed, Virginia tobacco, castor, sunflower and millets.
• Rice and sugarcane are equally important where irrigation facilities are available. Large varieties of vegetables and fruits are also successfully grown on the black soils.

Hindustan Copper is focusing on re-opening its closed mines and expand existing ones in its quest to increase ore production five times from the current level of 4.1 million tonne (MT) by 2025.

• The Miniratna Company will be reopening the Rakha mine in Jharkhand during this financial year which was closed in 2002 owing to operational reasons. It will also start operations at the Chapri-Sidheswar mines in the same state.
• For the Malanjkhand project in Madhya Pradesh, which holds proven reserves of 245.66 MT and estimated resources of 331.59 MT, the company is expanding the production capacity from the present 2 MT to 8 MT by developing an underground mine below the existing open cast mine at an investment of Rs 2,900crore. It is the copper producer’s largest project.

The Gujarat Forest Department has recently announced that the number of Asiatic lions in the state has gone up till 674 from 523 that were reported in a Lion Census done five years ago.

• What is interesting about this year’s announcement is that the number was not estimated via Census but some observational method called Poonam Avlokan.
• The exercise is carried out monthly and in-house every full moon.
• On this day, all the officers and field staff members assess the number of lions for 24 hours across various areas within their respective jurisdictions.
• The exercise this time involved around 10 districts where lions have been spotted over the years by 13 forest divisions.
• The exercise took place this Friday in the afternoon from 2 pm to Saturday 2 pm and the forest department announced the lion number announced yesterday was based on this method.

Indian gazelles or chinkara (Gazella bennettii), are primarily found in the northwestern region of India in the state of Rajasthan.

• Their distribution extends from south of the Krishia River, as far east as central India, and into the north-central region of Iran (east of the Zagros Range and south of the Alborz).
• Sixty to 70 percent of the global population of Indian gazelles is presently found in western Rajasthan.
• Indian gazelles can thrive in a variety of habitats. They have been observed in dry deciduous forests, open woodlands, and dry areas such as sand dunes, semi-arid deserts, and arid valleys that have an annual rainfall of 150 to 750 mm.
• Indian gazelles are facultative drinkers and can withstand relatively long intervals between visits to water points by conserving metabolic water and taking advantage of water found in vegetation.
• According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Chinkara is around 50,000-70,000 mature individuals. There are also estimated populations of this species in the following areas: in India (in 2011) there were more than 100,000 animals with 80,000 animals living in the Tahr Desert; in Iran – around 1,300 animals.
• Currently, Chinkara are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but their numbers today are decreasing.

Sugarcane is a tropical plant and grown as cash crop in the world. Sugarcane is the main source of sugar (80%) globally and holds a prominent position as a cash crop.

• It is one of the main crops of earning foreign exchange. The sugar juice is used for making white sugar, brown sugar (khandsari) and jaggery (gur).
• There are two distinct agro-climatic regions of sugarcane cultivation in India, viz., tropical and subtropical.
• Tropical region has about 45% area and contributes 55% of the total sugarcane production in the country. Thus, sub-tropical region accounts for 55% area and shares 45% of total production of sugarcane. The average sugarcane yield in the country is about 69.4 t/ha.
• In world, sugarcane is grown, between the latitude 36.7° N and 31.0° S of the equator extending from tropical to subtropical zones. There is no country where sugar is not being used and produced by sugarcane or sugar beet crops only.
• About 80% of sugar is obtained from sugarcane and the remaining 20% is produced through sugar beet. An average person consumes about 24 kg of sugar every year.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India has published a document titled “Connecting Tiger Populations for Long-term Conservation”, which has mapped out 32 major corridors across the country, management interventions for which are operationalised through a Tiger Conservation Plan, mandated under section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Madhav National park is situated near Shivpuri town in Madhya Pradesh. It is a part of the upper Vindhyan hills.

• The Park was the hunting ground of Mughal emperors and Maharaja of Gwalior.
• It got the status of a National Park in 1958.
• The Park is a combination of dry deciduous & dry thorn forests that make home for different varieties of antelopes like Nilgai, Chinkara and Deer.
• The park is home to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) like Saharia.

Important waterfalls in India.

• Agaya Gangai Waterfall: Located in the Kolli Hills (Eastern Ghats, Tamil Nadu). It provides serene solitude, and is a great attraction in the Tamil Nadu tourism. The approach is, however, tortuous.
• Ayyanar Waterfall: It is situated in the Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats. It gets water mainly during the retreating monsoon rain. The water from the falls is mainly used for drinking purposes by the people of Rajapalayam. It is a famous tourist spot for the people of neighbouring districts.
• Barakana Falls: Situated in the Shimoga District of Karnataka, Barakana is one of the highest waterfalls of the country. Currently, Barkamna Falls are the prime source of one of the hydro-electric projects of Karnataka.
• Dudhsagar (Goa): Dudhsagar (The Sea of Milk) is a tiered water fall located in the upper reaches of Mandovi River in the state of Goa. It is a great attraction for the national and international tourists.
• Duduma Waterfall (158 m): Situated about 92 km from Koraput, it lies on the Machhkund River in Orissa. A large hydro-electric project has been constructed at this waterfall. Machhkund is an important place for pilgrimage.
• Gokak Falls (53 m):They are located in the upper reaches of the Ghataprabha (a tributary of the Krishna) in Belgaum District of Karnataka. The waterfall is about six km. away from Gokak, a nearby town. It resembles to Niagra Falls. It is a great attraction for the domestic and international tourists.
• Jog Falls (253 m):Located on the Sharavathi River in the Shimoga District of Karn’ ataka, they are the highest untiered waterfalls in India. Jog falls is one of the major attractions in Karnataka tourism. It is also called by alternative names of Gerusoppe Falls, Gersoppa Falls and Jogada Gundi.
• Kiliyur Falls:Kiliyur are the waterfalls in the Servary Hill of Eastern Ghats (Tamil Nadu). Having an elevation of about 100 m, it is a great attraction in the tourism of Tamil Nadu. Drainage 3.45.
• Kurtalam Falls Situated in the Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, the Kurtalam waterfalls is a great attraction for the domestic and international tourists.
• Lodh Waterfalls (also known as Buddha Ghagh Falls) :The Lodh Waterfalls are located on the Budh River about 40 km from Ranchi (Jharkhand). The falls, named Gautam Budha, also have a Buddha Temple there.
• Shivasamudram Waterfall: Shivasamudram Falls formerly known as the Cauvery Falls are the second highest waterfall in India. It is located 80 km from Mysore and 120 km from Bangalore. It is a major attraction in Karnataka tourism.