WILDLIFE & ENVIRONMENT CURRENT AFFAIRS IN DECEMBER 2024

NEW SPECIES - 

* 2 New Species Of a New CORTINARIUS SUBGENUS TELAMONIA Discovered 

* C Thindii A. Bose 

* K Das Sp. Nov 

Collected From Himalayan Sites In Uttarakhand. 

* 

FIRST TIME - 

*  The First Ever Tagging Of Ganges River Dolphin In Assam Led By Wildlife Institute Of India.

NEW BACTERIAL SPECIES - 

A New Bacterial Species, LIPINGZHANGELLA RAWALII ( Strain MCC 342OT) Isolated By DBT NCCS Pune From The Sambhar Lake, 

( ABOUT - It Thrives In High Salt And Alkaline Conditions, Its Potential To Produce Diverse Biomolecules Presents Exciting Opportunities For Application In Multiple Biotechnology Sectors ( Pharma, FMCG, Agriculture. Cosmetics) 

* A Team Of Researchers From The Bengaluru Based ASHOKA Trust For Research In Ecology And The Environment ( ATREE) Have Discovered 5 New Species Of The Darwin Wasp Sub Family MICROLEPTINAE. 

* it Is Named To Honour After Tamilazhagan ( Senior Technical Assistant, ATREE) 

* Microleptes Chiani Collected From Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserves, Tamilnadu. 

* Researchers From Central University Of Odisha (CUO) Have Discovered Two New Species Of Earthworm From Eastern Ghat Of ODISHA.

* Scientists From Zoological Survey Of India (ZSI) Have Sighted An Eutropis Clivicola ( Mountain Skink) At The Mangalore University Campus.

RARE - 

* Researchers From Bengaluru Has Discovered SAPRIA HIMALAYANA GRIFFITH - An Endoparasitic Rare And Endangered Plant In In The Eagle Nest Wildlife Sanctuary In Arunachal Pradesh.

* A New Plant Species Of Genus STELLARIA (Family - Caryophyllaceae) Was Discovered At Kalimpong District In West Bengal.

STATE OF FOREST REPORT 2023 - 

FOREST COVER NET INCRESE - 156.41 Km2

* TREE COVER NET INCREASE - 1289.40 KM2 

* OVERALL FOREST AND TREE COVER NET INCREASE - 1445.81 KM2 

STATES WITH INCREASE IN FOREST AREA 

STATES WITH DECREASE OF FOREST AND TREE 

NEW PLANTS SPECIES - 

*  Researchers From North Eastern Institute Of Ayurveda And Folk Medicine Research ( NEIAFMR) Pasighat, Has Discovered A New Plant Species Called OPHIORRHIZA GAJURELIANA In The Forest Of Mayodia, Arunachal Pradesh.

* The Species Named In Honour To Padma Raj Gajurel 

* A New Plant Species AESCHYNANTHUS CHAYANGTAJUENSIS Has Been Discovered In Arunachal Pradesh.

* The Species Named After Chayang Tajo, One Of The Oldest And Remote Village Known For Cultural And Biodiversity.

* A New Plant Species HENCKELIA ARUNACHALENSIS Has been Discovered In Patkai Hills, Arunachal Pradesh.

THEORY - 

* A Research Team Led By Biologist P Gowri Shankar With Collaboration Of UK, Sweden And Malaysia States That The Longest Venomous Snakes King Cobra Is Of Four Species.

INAUGURATION - 

Eminent Botanist Patrick Blanc's TIGER WINGS Project Recently Opened At Bengaluru. 

* Union Minister For Forest, Climate And Environment Bhupendra Yadav Has Inaugurated The Advanced Facility Of Pashmina Certification And Next Generation Of DNA Sequencing Facility At Wildlife Institute Of India (WII) Dehradun.

NEW TIGER RESERVES FOR INDIA - 

* Ratapani Tiger Reserves Became The 57th Tiger Reserves Of India.

(Madhya Pradesh) - 8TH FOR MP 

* 

LAUNCHED - 

* Kirti Vardhan Singh Has Launched The NANO Bubble Technology To Promote The Health Of Acquatic Animal In Delhi Zoo.

* 

AWARDS - 

* The Youth Mission For Clean River, Of Arunachal Pradesh Has Conferred The Excellence In Environment Conservation Award Assam 

* Noted Ecologist Academic, Writer Madhav Gadgil Is Selected For The UNEP's Champion Of The Earth Award For 2024.

* 

RANKING - 

* Indian Cities At Nature Index 2024 

84th - Kolkata 

85th - Bengaluru 

98th - Mumbai 

124th - Delhi NCR 

184th - Hyderabad 

INDIA'S FIRST GREEN STEEL TAXONOMY - 

*  Union Minister H D Kumarswamy Released The India's Green Steel Taxonomy.

FEATURES OF GREEN STEEL TAXONOMY

Green Steel” shall be defined in terms of percentage greenness of the steel, which is produced from the steel plant with CO2 equivalent emission intensity less than 2.2 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of finished steel (tfs). The greenness of the steel shall be expressed as a percentage, based on how much the steel plant’s emission intensity is lower compared to the 2.2 t-CO2e/tfs threshold.

1. Based on the greenness, the Green steel shall be rated as follows:

• Five-star green-rated steel: Steel with emission intensity lower than 1.6 t-CO2e/tfs.
• Four-star green-rated steel: Steel with emission intensity between 1.6 and 2.0 t-CO2e/tfs.
• Three-star green-rated steel: Steel with emission intensity between 2.0 and 2.2 t-CO2e/tfs.

Steel with emission intensity higher than 2.2 t-CO2e/tfs shall not be eligible for green rating.

3. The threshold limit for defining the star rating of Green Steel shall be reviewed every three years.
4. The scope of emissions shall include Scope 1, Scope 2, and limited Scope 3, up to finished steel production. Scope 3 emissions shall include agglomeration (including sintering, pellet making, coke making), beneficiation, and embodied emissions in purchased raw materials and intermediary products, but shall not include upstream mining, downstream emissions and transportation emissions, both within and outside the gates of a steel plant.
5. The National Institute of Secondary Steel Technology (NISST) shall serve as the nodal agency for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) as well as for issuing the greenness certificates and star ratings for the steel.
6. The certificate shall be issued on yearly basis (financial year). In case the steel plants opt for MRV more frequently, then the certificate may be issued more than once in a year as per the requirement.

CHAMPION OF THE EARTYH AWARDS 2024 - 

* SONIA GUAJAJARA, (BRAZIL MINISTER) 

Policy Leadership Category - 

* AMY BOWERS CORDALIS ( 

* GABRIEL PAUN ( Romanian Environmentalist) 

Forestry 

* LU QI, ( Chinese Scientists)

- SCIENCE & INNOVATION CATEGORY

* MADHAV GADGIL ( INDIAN ECOLOGIST)

- LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 

* WORKS IN Western Ghat Region 

* SEKEM ( 

- Entrepreneurs Vision Category 

RENAME LOGO CHANGED IN DECEMBER 2024

* Rasulabad Ghat In Prayagraj Has Been Renamed As The Chandrasekhar Azad Ghat.

* Noida International Airport Has Named His Training Zone After Squadron Leader Avni Chaturvedi.

* Max Life Has Been Rebranded To Axis Max Life Insurance.

NEW DISTRICT - 

*  The Uttar Pradesh Government Has Declared The Maha Kumbh Area Of Prayagraj As New District.

* 

LOGO - 

*  Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Unveiled The Centenary Celebration Logo Of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.

*  Brazil Has Unveiled The New Logo Of BRICS 2025 Presidency.

SCHEME LAUNCHED IN DECEMBER 2024

STATES - 

* Arunachal Pradesh Government Launched The Mission ARUN HIMVEER.

( To Enhance The Market Linkage For Local Agricultural And Horticulture Producer.

*  The Ministry Of Women And Child Development Has Launched The Nationwide BAL BIBAH MUKT Bharat Campaign.

* Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Launched The NIKSHAY - NIRAMAYA Chhattisgarh Program. 

* The Scheme Will Run For 100 Days. 

* It Will Help To Eradicate Disease Like Leprosy & Malaria. 

* Karnataka Governor Launched YUVA SHUDHHI ABHIYAN To Fight Against Drug Abuse. 

* The Delhi Government Has Launched The SANJEEVANI Scheme For Citizen Above 60. 

* Delhi Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Launched Dr Ambedkar Samman Scholarship Yojana. 

* Prime Minister Narendra Modi Launched The New Scheme For Only Women Named BEEMA SAKHI SCHEME.

* Government Of India In Collaboration With LIC Launched The Scheme For WOMEN Employment 

* Women Who Have 10th Passed Can Be Part Of This Scheme.

* Every Month Basic Stipend To Be Provides For 3 Years.

* For The First Year Stipend Gets 7000

For Second Year Stipend Get 6000

For Third Year Get Stipends 5000 / Month 

* The Age Group For This Scheme 18-70 Years Who Passed 10th Standard.

HIMACHAL PRADESH 

* FOR NATURAL FARMING Introduced - HIM BHOG ATTA ( Prepared From Maize Grown Using Natural Farming Practices) 

* Under This Government Procured 398 matric tonne of Maize From 1506 Farmers From 10 Districts And Transferred Rs 1.20 Crores Directly To Their Bank Accounts 

* Under The Indira Gandhi Sukh Sikshya Yojana Disbursing Rs. 1.38 Crores To Eligible 5145 Beneficiaries 

* This Scheme Aims To Cover 23000 Children Education and Well Being Widows, Destitute Woman, Disabled Woman, Disable Parents 

* Under The Age Of 18 Gets Monthly 1000 

* CM Launched The Rs 1292 Crores Himachal Pradesh Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation And Value Addition Project ( HP SHIVA) To Expand Horticulture Development Across 7 States. 

* CM Sukhu Launched 5 Mobile Ayush Healthcare Units To Serve Remote Area Tribal Region. 

* CM Extended The Financial Aid Amounting To Rs 1.90 Crores Under The Mukhya Mantri Sukh Ashraya Yojana ( MMSAY) To 

* Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu Unveiled The SWARNA ANDHRA 2047 Vision.

* Government Of India Has Launched The New Credit Guarantee Scheme 

* Guarantee Loan Covers Up to 75 Lakhs For Farmers

* Guarantee Cover Loans Up to 2 Crores To MSME/ FPO/ Traders

APPROVED - 

* National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) Has Sanctioned Financial Assistance Of Over Rs 7708 Crores For The Development Of Cooperative Society.

*  Ministry Of Home Affairs Has Approved The Release Of Rs 944.80 Crores To The State Government Of Tamilnadu For CYCLONE FENGAL.

* 

* Cabinet Approved Minimum Support Price For COPRA For 2025 Season.

* MILLING COPRA - 11,582 Per Quintal 

* BALL COPRA - 12,100 Per Quintal 

*  Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaih Has Approved The Proposal From Zoho Backed Silectric Semiconductor Manufacturing Private Limited To Invest 3425 Crores in Mysuru (State's First).

* Union Minister J P Nadda Launched a 100 Days Intensified Nationwide Campaign To Reduce TB Incidence And Mortality In Panchkula, Haryana. 

*  Karnataka Approved Konkon Railway Merger With Indian Railways