Environment Quiz: Environment Impact Assessment & Ecosystem | Nov 27,2020

Sand acts as an aquifer, and as a natural carpet on the bottom of the river.
•Stripping this layer leads to downstream erosion, causing changes in channel bed and habitat type, as well as the deepening of rivers and estuaries, and the enlargement of river mouths.
•As the river system lowers, local groundwater is affected, which leads to water scarcities aggravating agriculture and local livelihoods.
Source: Shankar

Bharathappuzha, also known as the Nila or Ponnani River, is a river in India in the state of Kerala.
•With a length of 209 km, it is the second longest river in Kerala after the Periyar.
•Nila has groomed the culture and life of South Malabar part of Kerala.
•Despite numerous prohibitions and regulations, sand mining continues rapidly on the riverbed of the Bharathapuzha in kerala.
•Water tables have dropped dramatically and a land once known for its plentiful rice harvest now faces scarcity of water.
Source: The Hindu

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a new tag-name presently being given to a condition that is characterized by an unexplained rapid loss of a Bee colony’s adult population.
•Sudden loss of a colony’s worker bee population with very few dead bees found near the colony.
•The queen and brood (young) remained, and the colonies had relatively abundant honey and pollen reserves.
•But hives cannot sustain themselves without worker bees and would eventually die.
•This combination of events resulting in the loss of a bee colony has been called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Source: Shankar

Article 48A (DPSP) of the Indian Constitution, it is stated that the State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country.
Source: Indian Constitution

With a view to stop the inhuman hunting of sharks and to enable the enforcement agencies to monitor the illegal hunting/poaching of the species of Sharks, Rays and Skates (Elasmobranchs) listed in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, Minister of for Environment and Forests has approved a policy for prohibiting the removal of shark fins on board a vessel in the sea.
Source: Shankar

UNEP defines Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project prior to decision-making.
•It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.
•Environment Impact Assessment in India is statutorily backed by the Environment Protection Act, 1986 which contains various provisions on EIA methodology and process.
Source: The Hindu

The Global Carbon Project (GCP) is an organization seeks to quantify global greenhouse gas emissions and their causes.
Established in 2001, its projects include global budgets for three dominant greenhouse gases
•Carbon dioxide,
•Methane,
•Nitrous oxide
GCP‘s complementary efforts are in areas of urban, regional, cumulative, and negative emissions.
•The main object of the group has been to fully understand the carbon cycle.
•The project has brought together emissions experts, earth scientists, and economists to tackle the problem of rising concentrations of greenhouse gases.
•The Global Carbon Project is currently chaired by Rob Jackson of Stanford University.
Source: The Hindu

Himalayan tailless bush blue, Arhopala ganesa ganesa, is a butterfly that is usually present in the elevation between 1200 meters and 2400 meters in the states of Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand.
•It later recorded an altitude 3577 meters in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand.
•Researchers believe that these butterflies have migrated in search of a suitable climate where the climates in several Himalayan mountain ranges have already noticed significant changes.
Source: The Hindu

The Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) is one of the six expert commissions of IUCN. CEM provides expert guidance on integrated approaches to the management of natural and modified ecosystems to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
The commission promotes the adoption of and provides guidance for ecosystem-based approaches to the management of landscapes and seascapes and builds resilience of socio-ecological systems to address global challenges.
Source: The Hindu

Recognising that sound coastal resource management is critical to sustainable development and climate adaptation, the Government of Maldives is developing and implementing policies to protect coral reefs and support marine management.
Project REGENERATE is generously funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and works towards building capacity for marine management and climate change adaptation of ecosystems, local communities and government in the Maldives.
Source: The Hindu