PRELIMS BOOSTERS – 2018 · 4. State animal of Arunachal Pradesh & Nagaland 5. Habitat Forested hills and nearby grassy clearings at elevations of up to 5,900 feet. Distributed in

PRELIMS BOOSTERS – 2018

1. Subspecies of elk native to India (endemic to Jammu and Kashmir)

2. Habitat — dense riverine forests in the high valleys and mountains of the Kashmir Valley and northern Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.

3. Protected in Dachigam National Park(stands for ‘ten villages’) ▪ Zabarwan Range of the Western Himalayas ▪ Most of this coniferous forestconsists of broad leaf species. Interspersed

between these are alpine pastures, meadows, waterfalls and scrub vegetation with deep gullies, locally known as Nars ▪ River — Dagwan river known for trout fish ▪ National Park occupies almost half of the catchment zone of the

famous Dal Lake and still plays a crucial role is supplying clean drinking water to the inhabitants of Srinagar ▪ Wildlife — Leopard, Common Palm Civet, Jackal, Red Fox, Yellow-throated

Marten and Himalayan Weasel.

4. Threats Faced: ▪ habitat destruction ▪ over-grazing by domestic livestock ▪ Poaching ▪ Turmoil in Kashmir 5. Conservation efforts ▪ Included in Schedule- I (provides absolute protection – offences under these are prescribed the

highest penalties) of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Jammu & Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1978

▪ listed among the top fifteen species of high conservation priority by the Government of India ▪ Project Hangul

1. Found in — India, Nepal and Pakistan (extinct in Bangladesh). 2. They are the sole extant member of the genus Antilope 3. State animal of Andra Pradesh, Haryana & Punjab 4. The blackbuck is a diurnal antelope (active mainly during the day) 5. The blackbuck has been introduced in Argentina and the United States

Habitat — grassy plains and slightly forested areas. Due to their regular need of water, they prefer areas where water is perennially available. ▪ It is found in Central- Western India (MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Odisha)

and Southern India (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu). LEKKING: Males often adopt lekking as a strategy on the part of males to garner females for mating,

Lekking – is an aggregation of male animals gathered to engage in competitive displays, lekking, to entice visiting females which are surveying prospective partners for copulation Threats ▪ excessive hunting ▪ deforestation ▪ habitat degradation through conversion to agricultural use

Conservation efforts ▪ Bishnoi community of Rajasthan is known worldwide for their conservation

efforts to blackbuck and Chinkara ▪ In India, hunting of blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule I of the Wildlife

Protection Act of 1972 ▪ CITES Appendix III (Nepal)

Protected Areas Velavadar Blackbuck Sanctuary — Gujarat Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary Nilgiri biosphere reserve Corbett national park

Cultural important in Hinduism and Buddhism: Black buck is a vehicle of Chandrama (soma or chandra) (moon). This is a symbol of purity prosperity and peace. Its skin use in the time of taking secret thread (bratabanda) as well as at the time of worshipping. In Buddhism, a pair of buck symbolizes Buddha when he turned to the Sarnath India. The horns and skin are also regarded as sacred object in Hinduism.

1. Vulnerable — IUCN Red list 2. Habitat — warm and tropical waters of primarily in the Pacific,

Indian Ocean and Atlantic ocean. 3. Gets name from its olive colored carapace, which is heart-shaped

and rounded 4. Arribadas — synchronized nesting in mass numbers, 5. Operation Olivia — Olive Ridely Turtle protection program

undertaken byIndian Coast Guard 6. mating and breeding season — winter

7. mostly carnivorous, feeding on such creatures as jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp. They will occasionally eat algae and seaweed

8. Threats ▪ Poaching for their meat, shell and leather, and their

eggs ▪ Pet trading ▪ Accidental killing of adult turtles through entanglement

in trawl nets and gill nets due to uncontrolled fishing during their mating season around nesting beaches

▪ Development and exploitation of nesting beaches for ports, and tourist centres

▪ Predators like feral dogs and pigs, ghost crabs, snakes etc

▪ Light pollution ▪ Ingestion of marine debris that causes perforation of

the digestive system and exposure to chemicals and hence death. 9. Nesting sites in India

▪ Hope Island of Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (Andra Pradesh) ▪ Gahirmatha beach (Odisha) ▪ Astaranga coast(Odisha) ▪ Beach of Rushikulya River ▪ Devi River mouth

1. Endangered — IUCN

2. Habitat : ▪ Open montane grassland habitat of the South Western Ghatsmontane

rain forests ecoregion. ▪ Endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western

Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Southern India (ex: Anamalai Hills, Palni Hills)

3. State animal of Tamil Nadu 4. Only species of Caprine ungulate that is found south of the Himalayas

in India

5. Threats 6. Habitat loss (mainly from domestic livestock and spread of invasive

plants) 7. Poaching 8. Populations of these animals are small and isolated, making them

vulnerable to local extinction 9. Currently, the only populations with more than 300 individuals are

in Eravikulam National Park and in the Grass Hills in Anamalai. 10. Competition from domestic livestock, whose overgrazing has allowed for

the invasion of graze-resistant weedy species into preferred meadows, thus in competition with the native grasses that tahr prefers

11. Conservation efforts ▪ Eravikulam National Park — home to the largest population ▪ Silent Valley National Parks ▪ Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Sanctuary ▪ Kalakadu-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve ▪ Mukurti Wildlife Sanctuary ▪ The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is removing exotic monocultures along the periphery of the Mukurti

National Park. ▪ Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuaries ▪ Periyar National Park ▪ Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972

12. Interesting Fact: Adult males develop a light grey area or “saddle” on their backs and are hence called “saddlebacks”.

1. Critically Endangered— IUCN Red List. 2. The male gharial has a distinctive boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot

known in Hindias Hence the name. 3. Habitat — foremost flowing rivers with high sand banks that they use for basking and building nests ▪ Gharials once inhabited all the major river systems of the Indian Subcontinent, from the Irrawaddy

Riverin the east to the Indus River in the west. Their distribution is now limited to only 2% of their former range

▪ India: Girwa River, Chambal River, Ken River, Son River, Mahanadi River, Ramganga River

▪ Nepal: Rapti-Narayani River

4. Threats ▪ Hunting for skins, trophies and indigenous medicine, and their eggs

collected for consumption ▪ Decrease of riverine habitat as dams, barrages, irrigation canals and

artificial embankments were built; siltation and sand-mining changed river courses

▪ Riparian agriculture and grazing by livestock disrupts gharial behaviour and may even force local populations to desert the area

▪ Depletion of fish resources ▪ entanglement in fishing nets

5. Conservation ▪ Shedule 1 species under Indian wildlife act, 1972 ▪ Project Crocodile began in 1975 (Government of India+ United

Nations Development Fund + Food and Agriculture Organization) — intensive captive breeding and rearing program

▪ Protected areas 1. National Chambal Sanctuary 2. Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary .

1. Endangered – IUCN red list

2. Habitat ▪ Mainly diurnalarboreal, it prefers the upper canopy of primary

tropical evergreen rainforest but may also be found in monsoon forest in hilly country and in disturbed forest.

▪ It can be found in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the western ghat region. Unlike other macaques, it avoids humans

3. Threat ▪ Habitat loss and degradation— due to deforestation for logging,

conversion of forest to farmland. Logging leads to a scarcity of the fruit on which the monkeys feed, which is particularly devastating. Creation of exotic plantations such as tea, eucalyptus and coffee

▪ Hunting — for food, medicinal uses ▪ Pet trade

Certain features of the reproductive biology and ecology of this species (such as large inter-birth periods, seasonal resource availability, and female competition for mating opportunities) combine to make it intrinsically rare in the wild.

4. Conservation efforts ▪ Appendix I of CITES ▪ Schedule I, Part I, of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

Protected areas

▪ Kudremukh National Park — Karnatakaa

▪ Periyar National Park — Kerala ▪ Silent Valley National Park — Kerala ▪ Shendurney Sanctuary — Kerala ▪ Indira Gandhi Sanctuary — Tamil Nadu ▪ Kalakkad Sanctuar — Tamil Nadu

1. Critically endangered — IUCN Red data list 2. Heaviest of the flying birds 3. These birds are often found associated in the same habitat

as blackbuck. 4. Habitat ▪ Arid and semi-arid grasslands with scattered short scrub, bushes

and low intensity cultivation in flat or gently undulating terrain. It avoids irrigated areas

▪ Found in India and the adjoining regions of Pakistan ▪ In India, the bird was historically found in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar

Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Today the bustard is restricted to isolated pockets in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan

5. Threats ▪ widespread hunting for sport and food ▪ Activities such as mining, stone quarrying, growth of industries,

heavy pesticide use, grassland conversion and power projects along with the expansion of roads, electricity pylons, wind turbines, solar energy projects and other infrastructures have increased the severity of habitat degradation and disturbance

6. Protection ▪ CITES Appendix I. ▪ Schedule 1 (Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2002 ) ▪ Project Great Indian Bustard — state of Rajasthan — identifying and fencing off bustard breeding

grounds in existing protected areas as well as provide secure breeding enclosures in areas outside protected areas

7. Protected areas 1. Desert National Park Sanctuary — Rajasthan 2. Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary – Andhra Pradesh 3. Karera Wildlife Sanctuary– Madhya Pradesh

1. Endangered– IUCN 2. State animal of Sikkim 3. Native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. 4. It is arboreal, feeds mainly on bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds, and insects 5. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentaryduring the day. 6. Habitat

▪ Red panda is endemi cto the temperate forests of the Himalayas, and ranges from the foothills of western Nepal to China in the east

▪ India: the states of Sikkim, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh. 7. Threats

▪ Habitat loss and fragmentation and habitat degradation due to commercial logging, expansion of agriculture,land use changes etc

▪ Natural disasters include cyclones; landslides; floods; heavy snowfall and rainfall; bamboo flowering (which results in death of the plant and typically occurs synchronously across large areas); forest fires

▪ Another reason for declining population is natural low birth rate (usually one single or twin birth per year), and a high death rate in the wild

Protection ▪ CITES — Appendix I

a) Protected areas ▪ Kanchendzonga National Park (NP) — Sikkim ▪ Neora Valley NP – West Bengal ▪ Namdapha National Park – Arunachal Pradesh ▪ Singalila National Park – West Bengal

b) Global Species Management Plan (GSMP) for Red Pandas held in zoos around the world — contribute both directly and indirectly to Red Panda conservation by: providing a genetically and demographically sustainable and behaviorally competent back-up population for the wild population; holding the potential to supply individuals for genetic or demographic supplementation etc

1. Least concerned – IUCN 2. It is the smallest asiatic antelope

3. Basically a shy and demure animaland stays away from human

habitation 4. Behaviour: ▪ Chinkaras are shy and avoid human habitation. ▪ They can go without water for long periods and can get sufficient fluids

from plants and dew

Habitat ▪ Arid plains and hills, grasslands and desert areas , dry scrub and light

forests ▪ Western and central India, extending through Pakistan, south-western Afghanistan and into north-

central Iran. The Thar Desert of western India remains a stronghold. ▪ Found sharing habitat with Nilgai.

5. Threats

▪ Indiscriminate hunting in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. ▪ Habitat loss through overgrazing, conversion to agriculture and industrial development

1. Vulnerable — IUCN. 2. Semi domestic bovine 3. considered to be descendent from wild

Indian gaur 4. State animal of Arunachal Pradesh &

Nagaland 5. Habitat ▪ Forested hills and nearby grassy clearings

at elevations of up to 5,900 feet. ▪ Distributed in north-eastern hill region of

India and also of China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh 6. Gayal is a social animal, they found in small groups and usually contain one adult male and several females and juveniles

7. Economic importance ▪ Mainly reared for meat, which is considered to be more tender and superior over the meat of any other

species ▪ Mithun milk, though produced less in quantity, is of high quality and can be used for preparation of

various milk products ▪ Leather obtained from this species has been found to be superior to cattle.

8. Socio-cultural significance ▪ Ownership of Mithun is considered to be the sign of prosperity and superiority of an individual in the

society ▪ Also used as marriage gift and sacrificial animal for different social and cultural ceremonies. 9. National Research Centre on Mithun — for developing the scientific and sustainable mithun rearing

system and for catering the needs of mithun farmers with the following mandates: ▪ Identification, evaluation and characterization of mithun germplasm available in the country. ▪ Conservation and improvement of mithun for meat and milk. ▪ Act as a repository of germplasm and information centre on mithun.

1. Least concerned – IUCN red list 2. State animal of Delhi

3. Largest Asian antelope 4. Endemic to the Indian subcontinent. 5. Sexual dimorphismis prominent – ▪ Females and juveniles are orange to tawny ▪ Adult males have a bluish-grey coat & possess horns 6. Nilgai is diurnal(active mainly during the day) 7. They are both browsers and grazers 8. Habitat ▪ arid areas, scrub, grassy plains, dry deciduous open forests and

agricultural areas, but avoid dense forest and deserts. ▪ Major populations occur in the Terailowlands in the foothills of

the Himalayas ▪ In India, the nilgai shares its habitat with the four-horned

antelope, chinkara, chital and blackbuck; 9. Range — India and in the lowland zone of Nepal, extending into border areas of Pakistan where it is rare. Now extinct in Bangladesh. The species has been introduced to the United States of America and Mexico.

10. Threats ▪ Considered an agricultural pest in parts of India and, although legally protected in India, legislation has

been amended to permit culling when crop damage becomes excessive. ▪ Hunting for its meat ▪ Habitat destruction 11. Conservation

Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 Protected Areas

1. Gir National Park — Gujrat 2. Ranthambore National Park — Rajasthan 3. Sariska National Park — Rajasthan 4. Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary – Rajasthan 5. Satpura National Park– Madhya PRadesh 6. Bardiya National Park(Nepal)

1. Endangered (EN) — IUCN. 2. Endemic species found only in Manipur, India. 3. State animal of Manipur 4. Habitat: ▪ Floating marshy grasslands, Phumids, of the Keibul Lamjao

National Park, located in the southern parts of the Loktak Lake (largest freshwater lake in eastern India)

▪ Phumdi — floating mass of entangled vegetation formed by the accumulation of organic debris and biomass with soil

5. Threats ▪ Shrinking habitat due to continuous inundation and flooding by

high water caused as the result of artificial reservoir of the National Hydroelectric Power CorporationLoktak

▪ Poaching 6. Conservation ▪ Schedule – I animal in wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 ▪ Keibul Lamjao National Park – Manipur

7. Sangai & Manipur society

▪ Sangai is interpreted as the binding soul between humans and the nature ▪ Socially, the sangai is the symbol of a prized possession of the state.

8. Name — sangai (sa“animal” and ngai “in awaiting”) ▪ By nature, the deer, particularly the males, even when running for its life stops occasionally and looks

back as if he is waiting for someone and hence the name 9. Return of Sangai— documentary about Keibul Lamjao National Park and Sangai 10. Sangai festival— annual cultural festival organised by Manipur Tourism Department.

1. Vulnerable–IUCN Red List 2. State animal of Goa 3. Largest extant bovine 4. Native to Indian Subcontinent andSoutheast Asia. 5. Local names ▪ Seladang — Malayan gaur ▪ Pyoung — Burmese gaur ▪ Gayal or mithun — domesticated form of gaur 6. Habitat ▪ Largely confined to evergreen forestsor semi-evergreen and

moist deciduous forests, but also occur in deciduous forest areas at the periphery of their range.

▪ Habitat is characterized by large, relatively undisturbed forest tracts, hilly terrain below an altitude of 1,500 to 1,800 m (4,900 to 5,900 ft), availability of water, and an abundance of forage in the form of grasses, bamboo, shrubs, and trees

7. Threats

▪ Diseases, particularly rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease, transmitted by domestic cattle are a potentially serious threat.

▪ Hunting for food, medicinal products and handicrafts products.

▪ Loss of suitable habitat

8. Conservation ▪ CITES Appendix I ▪ Protected areas ▪ Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve ▪ Mudumalai ▪ Bandipur , Bhadra, Nagarahole — –Karnataka

1. Goat-like or antelope-like mammals of the genus Capricornis 2. Live in central or eastern Asia. 3. There are 6 species ▪ Japanese serow ▪ Taiwan serow, ▪ Sumatran serow ▪ Chinese serow

▪ Red serow ▪ Himalayan serow

4. India – only 2 ▪ Himalayan serow — most of the the entire Himalayan range ▪ Red Serow — South Assam Hills, below the Brahmaputra river

Red serow ▪ Near threatened – IUCN red list ▪ State animal of Mizoram

Habitat ▪ Inhabiting rugged steep hills and rocky places, as well as hill and

mountain forest areas with gentler terrain. ▪ Range — Mishmi Hills in Assam, eastwards through the hill ranges of Yunan and Szechuan, the hills of

Burma, Siam, Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra Local names— Saza / Gya / Sumatran serow

1. exceedingly active animals, not only on rocks but also on flat ground 2. They are good climbers and are solitary creatures 3. Their call is a whistling scream

Threats ▪ Heavily hunted, mostly for local consumption ▪ Trade — Horns are exported to Thailand to be attached to the spurs

of fighting cocks (this is believed to give them more power). ▪ Disease — goat pox epidemic caused by the Capripox Virus that

wiped out the Serow last year (2015)

Conservation ▪ Appendix I of CITES. ▪ Schedule – I animal of wildlife (Protection) act, 1972

The Himalayan serow (Capricornis thar) is a goat-antelope native to the eastern Himalayas and eastern and southeastern Bangladesh. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is considered to be declining due to habitat loss and hunting for its meat

1. Vulnerable –IUCN Red List 2. State animal of Odisha 3. Nocturnal and solitary 4. Native range — Indian subcontinent, southern China, and Southeast Asia 5. Habitat

▪ Gentle slopes and the steeper parts of forested hillsides. They prefer to live near cultivated areas like gardens and plantations, where they can find food, but are also seen in swamp forests, thick forests and open scrub ▪ Wide range due to broader diet ▪ Thorn and arid forests — Gujarat and Rajasthan ▪ Moist and dry deciduous forests — peninsular India ▪ Pine and oak forests — Himalayan foothills ▪ Evergreen and semi-evergreen forests — northeastern India

and the Western Ghats ▪ Temperate-latitude and alpine-zone woodlands – Taiwan 6. Threat ▪ hunted for sport, food, medicinal products and other purpose ▪ industrial exploitation of habitat

7. conservation ▪ Schedule – I of wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 ▪ Protected areas like Kanha, Corbett, Ranthambore,

Bandhavgarh, Gir, Dudhwa, Manas, Kaziranga and Sariska

1. Vulnerable — IUCN Red List 2. State animal of West Bengal 3. Medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia 4. Habitat ▪ Strongly associated with wetlands, typically inhabit swamps and

marshy areas, around oxbow lakes, reed beds, tidal creeks and in mangrove forests

▪ In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats.

5. Threats ▪ Habitat loss — destruction of wetlands, which are increasingly

being pollutedand converted for agricultural use and human settlements.

▪ Hunting for food

▪ Over-exploitationof local fish stocks and retaliatory killing

6. Conservation ▪ CITES Appendix II ▪ Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

1. Endangered (EN) – IUCN 2. Species of lutungfound in Southeast Asia 3. State animal of Tripura

4. Habitat ▪ Prefer mixed moist deciduous forests, primary and secondary

evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. They also found in woodlands, bamboo areas and near tea plantations

▪ Range– Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laosand Vietnam

5. Threats ▪ Habitat disturbance and fragmentation ▪ Pollution ▪ Inbreeding ▪ Local trade in the animals for zoos and as food ▪ Hunting for traditional “medicine” and bushmeat

6. Conservation ▪ Schedule – I animal, wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 ▪ CITES Appendix II

1. Vulnerable — IUCN 2. State animal of Himachal Pradesh 3. Native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia

4. Habitat ▪ Inhabits alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m

(9,800 to 14,800 ft), ranging from western Afghanistan to Mongolia and western China( Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau)

▪ India — Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh

5. Threats ▪ Habitat loss and degradation ▪ Decline of the cats’ large mammal prey

▪ Poaching — body parts used for traditional Chinese medicine

6. Protected areas ▪ Hemis National Park — Jammu and Kashmir ▪ Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary ▪ Nanda Devi National Park — Uttarakhand

7. Global Snow Leopard Forum, 2013 12 countries encompassing the snow leopard’s range (Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) Bishkek Declaration – To protect the species and it’s environment

8. Global Snow Leopard and Eco-system Protection Program ▪ joint initiative of range country governments, international agencies, civil society, and the private sector ▪ Goal — secure the long-term survival of the snow leopard in its natural ecosystem.

9. 2015 — International Year of the Snow Leopard

1. Vulnerable– IUCN Red List 2. state animal of Meghalaya 3. CITES Appendix I animal 4. Named after the distinctive ‘clouds’ on its coat – ellipses partially edged in

black, with the insides a darker colour than the background colour of the pelt.

5. Habitat ▪ Tropical evergreen rainforests but can also be found in dry tropical forests

and mangrove swamps. It has been found at relatively high altitudes in the Himalayas

▪ Range : Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China ▪ India : Assam, northern West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal

Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura

6. Threats ▪ Hunted for the illegal wildlife trade ▪ Trade in bones for medicines, meat for exotic dishes and live animals

for the pet trade ▪ Habitat fragmentation and degradation ▪ Human-leopard conflict

1. Least Concern — IUCN Red List (As the global population is considered stable) 2. State animal of Madhya Pradesh 3. passerine bird 4. native to the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and Myanmar 5. Males have elongated central tail feathers 6. Insectivorous — feed on insects 7. Local Name – Dudhraj or shah bulbul 8. Other subspecies ▪ Himalayan paradise flycatcher ▪ Ceylon paradise flycatcher 9. Habitat ▪ They prefer thick forests and well-wooded habitats. They also found in forest,

gardens, shady groves light deciduous jungle, and bamboo ravines ▪ found in India, Sri Lanka, and Turkestan to Manchuria and west to the Malay

Archipelago where they inhabit the islands of Sumba and Alor ▪ spend the winter season in tropical Asia. 10. Schedule – IV bird, according to wildlife (Protection) act, 1972.

1. Vulnerable — IUCN Red List 2. state bird of Jammu and Kashmir 3. It is reveredin Buddhist traditions and culturally protected across much of its range 4. Range

Tibetan Plateau and remote parts of India and Bhutan 5. Habitat Breeds in alpine bog meadows and riverine marshes, favouring lacustrine marshes from 2,600-4,900 m. It prefers to nest at large water bodies 6. Threats ▪ damage to the eggs and chicks, caused by feral dogs ▪ loss of habitat due to human pressure on the wetlands ▪ increased grazing pressure on the limited pastures near the wetlands is

leading to the degradation of the wetland habitat. 7. Conservation ▪ Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 ▪ Appendix I of CITES

1. Vulnerable — IUCN 2. Strictly marine herbivorousmammal 3. Largely dependent on sea grasscommunities for subsistence and is thus

restricted to the coastal habitats which support sea grass meadows 4. Habitat Coastal areas, shallow to medium deep, warm waters with sea grass beds

5. Threats

▪ Incidental capture in fishing gear, shark nets for bather protection ▪ Hunting: legal (i.e. culturally sanctioned) and illegal ▪ Boat strikes and boating activities (e.g. acoustic pollution) ▪ Damage/modification/loss of habitat caused by human settlement on coasts, shipping, trawling

destructive fishing, natural processes (e.g. cyclones and tsunamis) ▪ Threats to sea grass (including untreated sewage

disposal, coastal dredging and reclamation, inshore commercial trawling, agricultural pollution)

▪ Chemical pollution (e.g. oil spills and heavy metal loads)

▪ Climate change (extreme weather events and high temperatures)

1. Least Concern (LC) — IUCN Red List 2. Neelkant — throat and upper breast are purple in color 3. state bird of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka and Telangana 4. Range — widely across tropical Asia from Iraq eastward across the Indian

Subcontinentto Indochina 5. Best known for the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season

6. Habitat — lowland regions below 1,200 metres, and prefers open cultivated areas or light deciduous forest

7. Cultural significance: ▪ Said to be sacred to Vishnu – hence caught and released during festivals such

as Dusseraor the last day of Durga Puja. ▪ The Adding its chopped feathers to grass and feeding them to cows was

believed to increase their milk yield

1) Background 1. At 1945 — UN conference in Bretton Woods, 1944 2. Headquarters — Washington 3. Member — 189 countries

2) Responsibility — ensure the stability of the international monetary system. It does so in three ways:

1. keeping track of the global economy and the economies of member countries 2. lending to countries with balance of payments difficulties 3. giving practical help to members

3) Board of Governors — highest decision-making body of the IMF and is vested with all powers of IMF ▪ one governor & one alternate governor for each member country ▪ governor is appointed by the member country and is usually the minister of finance or the governor of

the central bank 4) Resources for IMF loans — provided by member countries, primarily through their payment of quotas. 5) Voting share – Based on the quota of country 6) Quota — based broadly on its relative position in the world economy. Quota and voting shares will change as members pay their quota increases

1. The current quota formulais a weighted average of ▪ GDP — 50% weight ( at market exchange rates (60%) and PPP exchange rates (40%)) ▪ Openness — 30% ▪ economic variability — 15% ▪ international reserves — 5% 2. Who conducts the review? ▪ Board of Governors at regular intervals (usually every five years). ▪ Any changes in quotas must be approved by an 85% majority of the total voting power ▪ member’s quota cannot be changed without its consent ▪ Review is based on the size of an overall increase in economy and the distribution of the increase among

the members. 3. largest member — United States (quota – SDR82.99 billion) 4. smallest member – Tuvalu( quota – SDR2.5 million)

5. India — quota – 2.76% (8th position) & Voting share – 2.64% 7) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) — international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves 1. value is based on a basket of five major currencies—the US dollar, the euro, the Chinese renminbi (RMB), the Japanese yen, and the British pound sterling 2. The SDR is neither a currency, nor a claim on the IMF. Rather, it is a potential claim on the freely usable currencies of IMF members. 3. Holders of SDRs can obtain these currencies in exchange for their SDRs in two ways a) through the arrangement of voluntary exchanges between members b) by the IMF designating members with strong external positions to purchase SDRs from members with weak external positions. 4. Review of the Method a) conducted every five years by the IMF’s Executive Board, or earlier if warranted by developments. b) Why the review? — to ensure that the SDR basket reflects the relative importance of major currencies in the world’s trading and financial systems, with a view to enhancing the SDR’s attractiveness as an international reserve asset 8) Publications

1. World economic outlook

2. Global financial stability report 3. Fiscal monitor 4. Regional economic prospects 5. Finance and Development

1. It was established in 1971 by Klaus Schwab as a not-for-

profit foundation 2. headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland 3. Formerly called European Management Forum

Motto : committed to improve the state of the world 1. It is the International Organization for Public-Private

Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

2. It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests. 3. The Forum strives in all its efforts to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while

upholding the highest standards of governance. Moral and intellectual integrity is at the heart of everything it does.

Governance ▪ Chairperson : Founder and Executive Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab ▪ Board of Trustees : exceptional individuals who act as guardians of its mission and values, and oversee

the Forum’s work in promoting true global citizenship. Its membership is divided equally between representatives of the business community and leaders from international organizations and civil society.

▪ Managing Board : acts as the executive body of the WEF& acts as its representative to outside parties. ▪ The organization also convenes some six to eight regional meetings each year in locations across Africa,

East Asia, and Latin America, and holds two further annual meetings in China, India and the United Arab Emirates

▪ Until 2012, it had observer status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council; it is under the supervision of the Swiss Federal Council.

Publications ▪ Global risk report, 2018 ▪ Readiness for the future of production ▪ Global gender gap report ▪ Inclusive development index ▪ Global competitiveness report (index) ▪ Global human capital report (index) ▪ Travel and tourism competitiveness report (index) ▪ Global energy architecture performance index report

1. Founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade ▪ Headquarter — Paris, France

2. Origin

▪ Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) was founded in 1948 to help administer the Marshall Plan

▪ In 1961, the OEEC was reformed into the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development by the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and membership was extended to non-European states

▪ Intergovernmental economic organisation ▪ Official United Nations observer ▪ It works through consensusto develop policy recommendations and other “soft law” instruments to

encourage policy reform in member countries 3. Membership ▪ Current -35 members ▪ India is not a member but key partner (The countries which are invited for annual ministerial

conference. Other key partners are – Brazil, China, Indonesia and South Africa ) ▪ It is forum of countries describing themselves as committed to democracyand the market economy ▪ Most OECD members are high-income economieswith a very high Human Development Index (HDI) and

are regarded as developed countries ▪ It provides a platform to compare policy experiences, seeking answers to common problems, identify

good practices and coordinate domestic and international policies of its members. 4. Resources — funded by contributions from member states at varying rates 5. Governance ▪ OECD Council — provide direction and guidance to the work of Organisation. Each member country is

represented. ▪ OECD Substantive Committees — oversee all the work on each theme (publications, task forces,

conferences, and so on) ▪ OECD Secretariat — led by the Secretary-General provides support to Standing and Substantive

Committees 6. Special bodies and entities ▪ International Transport Forum (ITF) (formally known as the European Conference of Ministers of

Transport) ▪ International Energy Agency ▪ Nuclear Energy Agency ▪ Partnership for Democratic Governance (PDG) ▪ Trade Union Advisory Committee(TUAC)

7. PISA — Regular assessment of the performance of educational systems

8. Publications ▪ OECD Economic survey of India ▪ Government at a Glance

▪ Education at a Glance ▪ Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 (in association with FAO) ▪ Multilateral Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (MCAA) — multilateral

convention on administrative assistance in taxation matters ▪ How migrants can contribute to developing countries economies ▪ Employment Protection Index ▪ Your Better Life Index

1. Established in 1974 as per framework of the OECD 2. MISSION – The IEA works to ensure reliable, affordable

and clean energy for its 30 member countries and beyond. Our mission is guided by four main areas of focus: energy security, economic development, environmental awareness and engagement worldwide

3. Headquarters (Secretariat): Paris, France

4. Origin Established in the wake of the 1973-1974 oil crisis, to help its members respond to major oil supply disruptions, a role it continues to fulfill today. IEA’s mandate has expanded over time to include tracking and analyzing global key energy trends, promoting sound energy policy, and fostering multinational energy technology cooperation

4. Members: 30 A candidate country must be a member country of the OECD. But all OECD members are not IEA members (Ex:Chile, Iceland, Israel, Latvia and Slovenia To become member a candidate country must demonstrate that it has: ▪ crude oil and/or product reserves equivalent to 90 days of the previous year’s net imports, to which the

government has immediate access (even if it does not own them directly) and could be used to address disruptions to global oil supply

▪ a demand restraint programme to reduce national oil consumption by up to 10% ▪ legislation and organisation to operate the Co-ordinated Emergency Response Measures (CERM) on a

national basis ▪ legislation and measures to ensure that all oil companies under its jurisdiction report information upon

request; ▪ measures in place to ensure the capability of contributing its share of an IEA collective action

5. Association countries (7) — Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Singapore, and Thailand

6. IEA mandate: ▪ To focus on the “3Es” of effectual energy policy:

Energy security Economic development Environmental protection ▪ Promote alternate energy sources (including renewable energy), rational energy policies and

multinational energy technology co-operation. ▪ It acts as energy policy advisor to 29 member countries and also non-member countries like China, India

and Russia.

7. IEA collective action — initiated in response to a significant global oil supply disruption and would involve IEA Member Countries making additional volumes of crude and/or product available to the

global market (either through increasing supply or reducing demand), with each country’s share based on national consumption as part of the IEA total oil consumption.

8. Reports ▪ Global Energy & CO2 Status Report 2017 ▪ World Energy Outlook ▪ World Energy Statistics 2017 ▪ World Energy Balances 2017 ▪ Energy Technology Perspectives ▪ Oil 2018 — annual five-year forecast of global oil demand, supply refining, and trade

9. Ocean Energy Systems (OES) — It seeks to harness energy from all forms of ocean renewable

resources through international cooperation and information exchange by promoting advance research, development and technologies.

1. Established – 1967 2. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland 3. Predecessor organization — United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual

Property established in 1893 to administer the ▪ Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, 188 — applies to industrial property in the

widest sense, including patents, trademarks, industrial designs, utility models, service marks, trade names, geographical indications and the repression of unfair competition.

▪ Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, 1886 — protection of works and the rights of their authors

4. Membership: 191 member states 5. Global forum for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation. 6. self-funding agency 7. specialized agency of the UN (1974)

8. WIPOnet — a global information network. It seeks to link over 300 IP offices in all WIPO Member States 9. WIPO Lex — online database of national legislation of the member States of WIPO, WTO and UN and

international treaties in the field of intellectual property and international treaties related to intellectual property

10. Article 6ter of the Paris Convention — protects the flags and emblems of states that are party to the Paris Convention, as well as the names and emblems of international intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) against unauthorized registration and use as trademarks.

11. WIPO Standards — It provides a single, common framework for working with the information contained within industrial property documents. They cover patents, trademarks, and industrial designs and are used at all stages of the industrial property prosecution process (filing, examination, publication, grant, etc.), as well as for data dissemination.

12. Reports ▪ World Intellectual Property Report (biennial) ▪ Patent Landscape Reports ▪ World Intellectual Property Indicators

13. IP protection systems – Enables the inventor to simultaneously seek protection for an invention in a very large number of countries by filing single application

▪ PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) – The International Patent System ▪ Madrid System – The International Trademark System (116 countries) ▪ Hague system — The International Industrial design system

▪ Lisbon System – The International System of Appellations of Origin 13. Budapest System – The International Microorganism Deposit System (patents involving biological

material)

14. WIPO administered Treaties ▪ Beijing Treaty, 2012 — IP in Respect of Audiovisual Performances ▪ Marrakesh Treaty — Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually

Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled ▪ Washington Treaty, 1989 – IP in Respect of Integrated Circuits ▪ Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, 2006 — establishes common standards for procedural

aspects of trademark registration and licensing. ▪ Trademark Law Treaty (TLT) – to standardize and streamline national and regional trademark

registration procedures ▪ Patent Law Treaty (PLT) 2000 — harmonizing and streamlining formal procedures with respect to

national and regional patent applications and patents and making such procedures more user friendly. ▪ Nairobi Treaty — Protection of the Olympic Symbol – five interlaced rings – against use for commercial

purposes (in advertisements, on goods, as a mark, etc.) without the authorization of the International Olympic Committee.

13. WIPO conventions ▪ Geneva Phonograms Convention 1971 — Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms

Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms (sound recordings) ▪ Rome Convention, 1961 — Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting

Organizations (administered UNESCO+ ILO + WIPO) ▪ Brussels Convention (Satellites Convention ) — provides for the obligation of each Contracting State

to take adequate measures to prevent the unauthorized distribution on or from its territory of any programme-carrying signal transmitted by satellite.

14. WIPO agreements on IP classification

1. Strasbourg Agreement, 1971– Concerns with the International Patent Classification. It establishes a common classification for patentsfor invention, inventors’ certificates, utility models and utility certificates, known as the “IPC”

2. Nice Agreement – Concerns with the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks

3. Locarno Agreement — Establishes an International Classification for Industrial Designs 4. Vienna Agreement — Establishes an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks

Established as an autonomous organization in 1957

1. 1. Headquarter — Vienna. 2. Objective: promote the peaceful use

of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.

3. Though independent of UN it reports to both the United Nations General Assemblyand Security Council

4. Nobel Peace Prize in 2005

5. Mission ▪ Peaceful uses: Promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy by its member states,

▪ Safeguards: Implementing safeguards to verify that nuclear energy is not used for military purposes, and

▪ Nuclear safety: Promoting high standards for nuclear safety

7. Board of Governors ▪ 22 member states (must represent a stipulated geographic diversity) — elected by the General

Conference (11 members every year) – 2 year term ▪ At least 10 member states — nominated by the outgoing Board ▪ Board members each receive one vote ▪ Recommendations to the General Conference on IAEA activities and budget ▪ Responsible for publishing IAEA standards ▪ Responsible for making most of the policy of the IAEA ▪ Appoints the Director General subject to General Conference approval

8. General Conference ▪ 169 member states — one vote per member ▪ Forum for debate on current issues and policies ▪ Meets once a year ▪ Approve the actions and budgets passed on from the Board of Governors ▪ Approves the nominee for Director General

9. Secretariat ▪ The Secretariat is the professional and general service staff of the IAEA ▪ Headed by the Director General ▪ Responsible for enforcement of the actions passed by the Board of Governors and the General

Conference ▪ Selected by the Board and approved by the General Conference for renewable four-year terms.

10. Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI), 2010 –To mobilise extrabudgetary contributions which supplement the Technical Cooperation Fund to support technical cooperation projects and other unfunded projects of the IAEA in the areas of peaceful application of nuclear technology

11. Nuclear Data Services — nuclear data for energy and non-energy applications, as well as atomic data for fusion energy research

12. Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank in Oskemen in Kazakhstan.

13. Programs a) Program of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT)

1. ▪ partnership with the WHO and other ▪ Supports IAEA Member States to expand access to health technologies, build skills and mobilize

resources to develop a complete range of quality, effective and sustainable cancer services. b) Human Health Program

1. ▪ Support Member States in using nuclear techniques to prevent, diagnose and treat Non-

communicable diseases

▪ It provides a holistic approach to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of non-communicable diseases, covering four main support areas: nutrition; diagnosis and follow-up; radiation oncology and radiotherapy; and quality assurance.

c) IAEA Water Availability Enhancement Project 1. ▪ Helping Member States improve the long-term access to freshwater by using science-based,

comprehensive assessments of national water resources. ▪ Primary goal is to strengthen national capacities for collecting, managing and interpreting water

resource data and to use advanced techniques to improve resource management. d) International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles, 2000

1. ▪ It’s membership-based project ▪ It supports its members on their long-term planning and collaboration on innovations in reactors,

fuel cycles and institutional approaches that will promote the sustainable development of nuclear energy

1. International body for assessing the science related to climate

change. 2. Set up in 1988 by ▪ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ▪ United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) 3. IPCC assessments provide a scientific basis for governments at

all levels to develop climate related policies, and they underlie negotiations at the UN Climate Conference – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

4. Members — 195 members 5. Participation is open to all member countries of the WMO and United Nations

6. IPCC Bureau — elected by member governments,

Provides guidance to the Panel on the scientific and technical aspects of the Panel’s work and advises the Panel on related management and strategic issues .. 7. Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventoriesoversees the compilation of global warming emissions and removals by country

8. IPCC works by assessing published literature. It does not conduct its own scientific research. 9. Reports ▪ Till now it has released five assessment reports ▪ Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) ▪ Special report on renewable energy sources and climate change mitigation (SRREN)

1. International & inter-governmental organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean 2. Aim — strengthen regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region 3. Secretariat — Ebene,Mauritius 4. Members – -21

5. Origin ▪ Originated during a visit by late President Nelson

Mandela of South Africa to India in 1995. ▪ Indian Ocean Rim Initiative in Mauritius– 1995 ▪ Indian Ocean Rim Association (then known as the

Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation) – March 1997

6. Indian Ocean Rim Initiative & Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), is regional forum, tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of

▪ Government ▪ Business ▪ Academia

7. It is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion as well as Social Development of the region. The Coordinating Secretariat of IORA is located at Ebene, Mauritius.

8. objectives ▪ To promote sustainable growth and balanced development of the region and member states ▪ To focus on those areas of economic cooperation which provide maximum opportunities for

development, shared interest and mutual benefits ▪ To promote liberalization, remove impediments and lower barriers towards a freer and enhanced flow

of goods, services, investment, and technology within the Indian Ocean rim.

7. Priority areas a) Council of Ministers Meeting held in Tehran (2007) identified 6 priority areas for medium to long term association: ▪ Maritime Security, ▪ Trade and Investment facilitation, ▪ fisheries management, ▪ disaster risk reduction, ▪ academic and scientific cooperation and ▪ tourism promotion and cultural exchanges.

b) 11th COM meeting, in Bengaluru, India (2015 )re-invigorated priority areas list to add blue economy and women’s economic empowerment 10. Structure a) Council of (Foreign) Ministers (COM) ▪ meets annually or more often, as collectively decided ▪ formulates policy, reviews progress on co-operation and makes decisions on new areas of co-operation. ▪ elects a Chair and a Vice Chair of the Association, each for a period of two years.

b) Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) ▪ comprised of senior Government Officials of Member States which meets as often as collectively decided

(but at least once a year). ▪ It reviews the implementation of the decisions taken by the COM,

c) Troika ▪ consisting of the Chair, the Vice-Chair and the previous Chair. ▪ It reports to the COM and the Member States on any important matters relating to the Association,

including progress achieved, the establishment of additional mechanisms, policy direction, and the appointment, term of office, mandate and duties of the Secretary-General.

1. Antarctic Treaty and related agreements are collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) 2. It regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica

3. Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude

4. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat Headquarters — Buenos Aires, Argentina

5. Antarctic treaty a) First arms control agreement established during the Cold War b) Signed in Washington on 1959(1 December) by the twelve countries whose scientists had been active in and around Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58 c) Entered into force in 1961 d) Currently has 53 parties e) Sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve f) Provisions ▪ Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only(Art. I) ▪ Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica and cooperation toward that end … shall continue(Art. II). ▪ Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available(Art. III).

6. Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty ▪ Signed in Madrid on October 4, 1991 ▪ In 1998 — entered into force ▪ designates Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science” ▪ It sets forth basic principles applicable to human activities in Antarctica ▪ Article 7 — prohibits all activities relating to Antarctic mineral resources, except for scientific research.

7. Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR),1982 ▪ Secretariat — Hobart, Tasmania ▪ To conserve Antarctic marine life. ▪ Why ? response to increasing commercial interest in Antarctic krill resources, a keystone component of

the Antarctic ecosystem. ▪ It practises an ecosystem-based management approach.

8. India’s research centres in Antarctic

a) Dakshin Gangotri — established during the third Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1983/84 ▪ Abandoned as it was burried in ince in 1990

b) Maitri (1989) –– second permanent research station ▪ situated on the rocky mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis ▪ India also built a freshwater lake around Maitri known as Lake Priyadarshini.

c) Bharti, 2012 d) Sagar Nidhi, 2008 ▪ An ice class vessel, it can cut through thin ice of 40 cm depth and is the first Indian vessel to navigate

Antarctic water

1. 1996 – Ottawa declaration

2. Intergovernmental forum which addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and people living in the Arctic region

3. Not a treaty-based international organization but rather an international forum that operates on the basis of consensus.

4. The decisions, recommendations or guidelines of the Arctic Council are non-enforceable and strictly the prerogative of the individual state.

5. Its mandate explicitly excludes military security.

6. Origin ▪ September 1989 – Initiative of Finland — 8 Arctic countries

met in Rovaniemi, Finland to discuss cooperative measures to protect the Arctic environment.

▪ As a result numerous technical and scientific reports being prepared ▪ 1991 — Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) signed by 8 arctic members — declaration on

the protection of Arctic environment

7. Focus areas ▪ The Environment and climate change. ▪ Bio-diversity. ▪ Oceans ▪ The indigenous Arctic peoples.

8. Organization structure a) Chairmanship ▪ rotated every two years once

b) Secretariat ▪ Rotated biennially with the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council ▪ It supports the Chair of the Arctic Council ▪ It manages logistics related to the biennial member states’ meetings and the more frequent SAO

meetings c) SAO ( Senior Arctic Official) ▪ a government representative, usually from a member states’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs ▪ guides and monitors Arctic Council activities in accordance with the decisions and instructions of the

Arctic Council Foreign Ministers.

9. Members a) 8 countries with territory above the Arctic Circle (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation, and the United States) b) 6 Permanent Participants (PP) groups Permanent Participants a) Organizations that represent indigenous peoples in the Arctic Council; either by representing a) a single Indigenous People resident in more than one Arctic State; or, b) more than one Arctic Indigenous People resident in a single Arctic State. b) They are fully consulted in all deliberations and activities of the Arctic Council. c) The Indigenous Peoples Secretariat (IPS) in Copenhagen, Denmark, serves the six Permanent Participant organizations: ▪ Aleut International Association (AIA) ▪ Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) ▪ Gwich’in Council International (GCI) ▪ Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) ▪ Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East (RAIPON)

▪ Saami Council (SC)

10. Observer status in the Arctic Council a) is open to: ▪ Non-arctic states ▪ inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary organizations, global and regional ▪ non-governmental organizations

b) observer country is invited to the meetings of the council c) India granted the observer status in 2013 at Kiruna Ministerial Meeting

11. Arctic Council working groups — engage in scientific-oriented studies on issues concerning the Arctic environment and its inhabitants. ▪ Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP)— strengthening and supporting mechanism to

encourage national actions to reduce emissions and other releases of pollutants. ▪ Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) — monitors the Arctic environment,

ecosystems and human populations, and provides scientific advice to support governments as they tackle pollution and adverse effects of climate change.

▪ Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) — addresses the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, working to ensure the sustainability of the Arctic’s living resources.

▪ Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR)— protect the Arctic environment from the threat or impact of an accidental release of pollutants or radionuclides.

▪ Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) –protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment.

▪ Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) — works to advance sustainable development in the Arctic and to improve the conditions of Arctic communities as a whole

1. 1974– in response to the Indian nuclear test (smiling Buddha) 2. multilateral export control regime 3. group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to

prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.

4. The NSG first met in November 1975 in London, and is thus popularly referred to as the “London Club”

5. Not a formal organization, and its guidelines are not binding. Decisions, including on membership, are made by consensus

6. Membership: 48 supplier states Criteria for membership ▪ The ability to supply items (including items in transit) covered by the annexes to Parts 1 and 2 of the

NSG Guidelines; ▪ Adherence to the Guidelines and action in accordance with them; ▪ Enforcement of a legally based domestic export control system which gives effect to the commitment to

act in accordance with the Guidelines; ▪ Full compliance with the obligations of one or more of nuclear nonproliferation agreement ▪ Support of international efforts towards nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and of their

delivery vehicle

7. Non-Proliferation Principle — The NSG Guidelines adopted in 1994

▪ Cover the rare but important cases where adherence to the NPT or to a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty may not by itself be a guarantee that a State will consistently share the objectives of the Treaty or that it will remain in compliance with its Treaty obligations.

▪ A supplier, notwithstanding other provisions in the NSG Guidelines, authorizes a transfer only when satisfied that the transfer would not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

8. INFCIRC/254 –– NSG Guidelines were published in 1978 by the International Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA) ▪ It is to ensure that nuclear transfers for peaceful purposes and ▪ Ensure that such transfers would not be diverted to an unsafeguarded nuclear fuel cycle or nuclear

explosive activities.

9. India and NSG a) 2006 — US Congress allowed the US laws to be amended to accommodate civilian nuclear trade with India b) 2008 – India granted a ‘clean waiver’ from its existing rules, which forbid nuclear trade with the non signatory of NPT. ▪ This approval was based on a formal pledge by India stating that it would not share sensitive nuclear

technology or material with others and will uphold its voluntary moratorium on testing nuclear weapons

c) Opposition — China – It insisted that India should sign NPT for NSG membership. It wants a non-discriminatory criterion for the admission of countries who have not signed NPT. d) Why the membership is important ? ▪ Membership will increase India’s access to state-of-the-art technology from the other members of the

Group. ▪ Access to technology and being allowed to produce nuclear equipment will give a boost to the Make in

India program. That will, in turn, boost the economic growth of our country. ▪ As per India’s INDC under the Paris Climate agreement, we have committed to reducing dependence on

fossil fuels and ensuring that 40% of its energy is sourced from renewable and clean sources. In order to achieve this target, we need to scale up nuclear power production. This can only happen if India gains access to the NSG.

▪ Namibia is the fourth-largest producer of uranium and it agreed to sell the nuclear fuel to India in 2009. However, that hasn’t happened, as Namibia has signed Pelindaba Treaty, which essentially controls the supply of uranium from Africa to the rest of the world. If India joins the NSG, such reservations from Namibia are expected to melt away.

▪ India will get an opportunity to voice it’s concern if in case of change in the provision of the NSG guidelines

1. Established in 1996 2. Headquarter — Vienna 3. Multilateral export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods

and Technologies 4. Predecessor — Cold War-era Coordinating Committee for Multilateral

Export Controls (COCOM) — created to restrict exports to the former Soviet Union and Eastern bloc

5. Name — Wassenaar, a suburb of The Hague – place where the agreement to start such a multi-lateral cooperation was reached in 1995

6. Participating states — 42 including India ▪ All permanent members of UN Security Council except China are its members ▪ Participating states of WA, through their national policies, seek to ensure that transfers (export) of arms

and ammunition in Control list of WA do not contribute to development or enhancement of military capabilities undermining regional security.

▪ Every six months member countries of WA exchange information on deliveries of conventional arms to non-WA members that fall under eight broad weapons categories.

7. Goal — to “promote transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies”.

8. Importance of Wassanar group for India ▪ Admitted in December, 2017 ▪ India will be able to more easily access dual use technologies and materials and military equipment that

are proscribed for non-participating members. Such access to high technology, which will help address the demands of Indian space and defence sectors.

▪ India will also be able to sell its nuclear reactors and other materials and equipment indigenously produced without attracting adverse reactions

▪ Better position to collaborate with other countries in developing such capabilities ▪ Enhance its credentials in the field of non-proliferation despite not being signatory to Non-Proliferation

Treaty (NPT) ▪ WA membership is also expected to build up strong case for India’s entry into the 48-member NSG. ▪ Help energy starved India to secure the supply of nuclear fuel more easily, since it has low reserves of

uranium required for its civil nuclear energy programmes.

For More: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/what-is-wassenaar-arrangement/article21297847.ece http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/why-is-wassenaar-arrangement-important-to-india/article21822896.ece

1. The Australia Group is a multilateral export control regime (MECR) and an informal group of countries (now joined by the European Commission) established in 1985 (after the use of chemical weapons by Iraq in 1984)

2. The principal objective of Australia Group participants’ is to use licensing measures to ensure that exports of certain chemicals, biological agents, and dual-use chemical and biological manufacturing facilities and equipment, do not contribute to the spread of CBW.

3. The Group achieves this objective by harmonising participating countries’ national export licensing measures.

4. The export control lists of the Australia Group are considered fairly comprehensive and go beyond even the scope of the 1925 Geneva Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and BTWC (Biological and toxin weapon convention)

5. All participants in the Australia Group are States Parties to both the BWC and the CWC. 6. Members —43

▪ India – 43rd member – 2018 ▪ China, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea are not its members

7. How does it work?

▪ Australia Group gives a set of guidelines and a technology list to its participant countries. ▪ The participant countries are supposed to incorporate the guidelines and technology list in their

export controls systems.

1. Established:1997

Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands 2. Implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force in 1997 3. Working relationship with the United Nations. 4. Membership:192 States ▪ Israel — signed but not ratified the Convention ▪ Egypt, North Korea, Palestine and South Sudan — neither signed nor acceded

5. Goal: preventing chemistry from ever again being used for warfare, thereby strengthening international security via

▪ Destroying all existing chemical weapons under international verification by the OPCW ▪ Monitoring chemical industry to prevent new weapons from re-emerging; ▪ Providing assistance and protection to States Parties against chemical threats; and ▪ Fostering international cooperation to strengthen implementation of the Convention and promote the

peaceful use of chemistry 6. 2013 Nobel Peace Prize — for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons”.

7. Organization structure

a) Conference of the States Parties (CSP) ▪ Convened yearly ▪ All countries participate and have equal voting rights ▪ Countries are generally represented in the Conference by a permanent representative to the

organization, which in most cases is also the ambassador to the Netherlands ▪ It decides on all main topics regarding the organization (for example, taking retaliation measures) and

the convention (approving guidelines, imposing retaliating measures against members). b) Executive Council (EC) ▪ Executive organ of the organization ▪ Consists of 41 States Parties — appointed by the Conference on a 2-year term ▪ Oversees the budget ▪ Cooperates with the General Secretariat on all matters related to the convention

c) Technical Secretariat (TS) ▪ Inspection, verification etc.

d) Director-General ▪ Appointed by the Conference for a maximum of two four-year terms 8. OPCW budge – contribution of courtiers based on a UN scale of assessments. 9. The OPCW–The Hague Award— established to honor select individuals and institutions by

highlighting their exceptional contributions towards the goal of a world permanently free of chemical weapons.

10) National Authority Chemicals Weapons Convention (NACWC) ▪ Established under the Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000 ▪ Implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production,

Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction

1. Established in 1987, by G-7 countries – USA, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and Japan 2. Aim — to limit the spread of ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems that could be

used for chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons of above 500kg for more than 300km 3. Membership : 35 members ▪ India- Admitted in 2016 ▪ China is not a member 4. It is not a legally-binding treaty. 5. MTCR Chairmanship — rotates on an ad hoc basis. Normally the country that hosts the Plenary then

serves as Chair for the ensuing year. 6. MTCR decisions including decisions on membership require a consensus decision by all current Regime

members. 7. MTCR Guidelines — common export control policy adhered to by the MTCR Partners. The Guidelines

define the purpose of the MTCR and provide the overall structure and rules to guide the member countries and those adhering unilaterally to the Guidelines.

8. MTCR Annex — Regime’s list of controlled items. The Annex is divided into two parts: ▪ Category Iitems — include complete rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle systems (including ballistic

missiles, space launch vehicles, sounding rockets, cruise missiles, target drones, and reconnaissance drones), capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kg to a range of at least 300 km,

▪ Category IIitems — include other less-sensitive and dual-use missile related components, as well as other complete missile systems capable of a range of at least 300 km, regardless of payload. Their export is subject to licensing requirements

9. Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation ▪ Formerly known as — International Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation ▪ Establish a norm against missiles that could be armed with chemical, biological, or nuclear warheads ▪ 138 member states — including all MTCR members except Brazil. Brazil has expressed concerns about

how the initiative might affect its space program

1. Headquarter — New York City 2. United Nations’ global development network. 3. Executive board within the United Nations General Assembly. 4. Objective : Helping countries to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and

exclusion. 5. It publishes Human Development Report 6. Currently works with 170 countries

7. Origin ▪ Established in 1965 with the merging of the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA) and

the Special Fund. ▪ Rationale was to avoid duplication of [their] activities ▪ EPTA — set up in 1949 to help the economic and political aspects of underdeveloped countries ▪ Special Fund — to enlarge the scope of UN technical assistance.

8. Focus area:

▪ Sustainable development ▪ Democratic governance and peacebuilding ▪ Climate and disaster resilience 9. UNDP’s mandate does not permit to provide financial assistance to individuals (including students

seeking scholarships for their studies), companies or private groups. 10. Strategic Plan 2018-2021 — sets out the direction for a new UNDP, optimized to help countries

achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 11. 2015 — UNDP adopted mandatory Social and Environmental Standardsfor all of its projects and

programmes. 12. UNDP is guided by the United Nations Development Group’s common approach implementing the SDGs,

called MAPS, or Mainstreaming, Acceleration, and Policy Support.

1. Established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit 2. Aim: to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems 3. Independently operating financial organization. It provides grants for projects related

to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, sustainable cities

4. UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP of 18 agencies — including United Nations agencies, multilateral development banks, national entities and international NGOs — working with 183 countries to address the world’s most challenging environmental issues

5. FINANCIAL MECHANISM for ▪ United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ▪ United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) ▪ Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) ▪ United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) ▪ Minamata Convention on Mercury.

1. Established in 1972 — result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference)

2. Headquarter — Nairobi, Kenya 3. Agency of United Nations that coordinates its environmental activities, assisting developing countries in

implementing environmentally sound policies and practices 4. Publishes Global environment outlook 5. seven thematic areas of work: ▪ climate change ▪ disasters and conflicts ▪ ecosystem management ▪ environmental governance ▪ chemicals and waste ▪ resource efficiency ▪ environment under review 6. secretariats of multilateral environmental agreements ▪ The Convention on Biological Diversity ▪ The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ▪ The Minamata Convention on Mercury

▪ The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions ▪ The Vienna Convention for the Protection of Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol ▪ The Convention on Migratory Species – Bonn convention ▪ The Carpathian Convention – 2003 — subregional treaty to foster the sustainable development and the

protection of the Carpathian region ▪ The Bamako Convention – 1998 — treaty of African nations prohibiting the import into Africa of any

hazardous (including radioactive) waste ▪ The Tehran Convention — Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of

the Caspian Sea,

1. It is an international non-governmental organization 2. Founded in 1961 3. Headquarter — Gland (Switzerland). 4. Aim : wilderness preservation & the reduction of human impact on the environment 5. Formerly name — World Wildlife Fund 6. world’s largest conservation organization 7. objectives ▪ Conserving the world’s biological diversity ▪ Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable ▪ Promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption

8. Reprts & programmes ▪ Living Planet Report— published every two years by WWF since 1998; it is based on a Living Planet

Index and ecological footprint calculation ▪ Earth hour ▪ Debt-for-nature swaps–financial transactions in which a portion of a developing nation’s foreign debt

is forgiven in exchange for local investments in environmental conservation measures. ▪ Marine Stewardship Council(MSC) — independent non-profit organization which sets a standard

for sustainable fishing ▪ Healthy GrownPotato — eco-brand that provides high-quality, sustainably grown, packaged, and

shipped potatoes to consumers by leveraging integrated pest management(IPM) farming practices on large scale farms

1. Established in 1948 2. Headquarter — Gland, Switzerland

3. Former name ▪ International Union for the Protection of

Nature(1948–1956) ▪ World Conservation Union(1990–2008)

4. International organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources

5. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education. 6. Observer and consultative status at the United Nations, 7. Global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. 8. UCN Council – the governing body

9. IUCN World Conservation Congress ▪ Held once every four years

▪ Brings together several thousand leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, indigenous peoples, business, and academia, with the goal of conserving the environment and harnessing the solutions nature offers to global challenges.

▪ Forum — hub of public debate, bringing together people from all walks of life to discuss the world’s most pressing conservation and sustainability challenges

▪ Members’ Assembly— IUCN’s highest decision-making body. A unique global environmental parliament, it involves governments and NGOs – large and small, national and international – taking joint decisions on conservation and sustainability

▪ UCN Red List of Threatened Species( IUCN Red Listor Red Data List) ▪ Founded in 1964 ▪ World’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species

Species are classified into nine groups based on criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation

1. Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining 2. Extinct in the wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its

historic range 3. Critically endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild 4. Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild 5. Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild 6. Near threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered in the near future 7. Least concern (LC) – Lowest risk (Does not qualify for a more at-risk category; widespread and

abundant taxa are included in this category.) 8. Data deficient (DD) – Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction 9. Not evaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria

1. Former name — International Council for Bird Preservation 2. Formation — 1922 3. Type – INGO ( international not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation) 4. Headquarters — Cambridge, United Kingdom 5. global partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and

global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources 6. It is the world’s largest partnership of conservation organisations, 7. Official listing authority for birds for the World Conservation Union’s Red List of threatened

species 8. Regional work: BirdLife International has conservation work programmes in the following parts of the

world, which it describes as “regions” – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific

9. BirdLife partnership has 6 Regional BirdLife Coordination Offices throughout the world and a Global Office in Cambridge, UK – together known as “The BirdLife International Secretariat”. The Secretariat co-ordinate and facilitate the BirdLife International strategies, programmers and policies.

10. Important Bird and Biodiversity Area(IBA) –area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. Criteria are ▪ A1. Globally threatened species — hold a population of a species categorized by the IUCN Red

List as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. ▪ A2. Restricted-range specie ▪ A3. Biome-restricted species — adequate representation of all species restricted to a given biome, both

across the biome as a whole and for all of its species in each range state.

▪ A4. Congregation

1. international body set up under International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) 2. headquarters — Impington,

near Cambridge, Englan 3. International Convention for the

Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) governs the commercial, scientific, and aboriginal subsistence whaling practices of fifty-nine member nations signed in Washington, D.C., United States, in 1946

4. objective ▪ provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks ▪ orderly development of the whaling industry

5. 1982 — moratorium on commercial whaling 6. Whale sanctuaries

1994 — Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary — surrounding the continent of Antarctica. Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary 7. Membership — 87 members ▪ open to any country in the world that formally adheres to the 1946 Convention. ▪ Each member country is known as a Contracting Government and represented by a Commissioner, who

is assisted by experts and advisers. ▪ India – joined in 1981

1. Founded in 1976 as a strategic alliance of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

2. Headquarters — Cambridge, UK 3. Type — International non-governmental organization 4. Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network 5. aim — ‘ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature 6. It is governed by the board of trustees of TRAFFIC International 7. TRAFFIC’s 2020 goal — help reduce the pressure of illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade on

biodiversity, and enhance the benefits to wildlife conservation and human well-being that derive from trade at sustainable levels.