Xenotransplantation
It is a process that involves the transplantation (works on active tissue), implantation, or infusion into a human host of either
a. live cells, tissues, or organs from a nonhuman animal source, or
b. human body fluids, cells, tissues, or organs that have had ex vivo contact (outside of the living body) with live nonhuman animal cells, tissues, or organs.
c. Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenografts or xenotransplants.
d, Pig Organs: Genetically modified pigs, known as “xenotransplantation donors,” are bred with specific modifications to reduce the risk of organ rejection in the human recipient.
Lake Tanganyika
2. Lake Tanganyika:
As per a report by Save the Children (a humanitarian organisation), migration in East Africa’s Burundi in recent
years has been seen mainly because of the rapid and significant rise of Lake Tanganyika.
Key Points:
• It is the second-largest lake in eastern Africa.
• It is the longest freshwater lake in the world and 2nd deepest after Lake Baikal in Russia.
• The lake is shared among four countries namely Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),
Tanzania, and Zambia.
• It is situated on the line dividing the floral regions of eastern and western Africa. Oil palms, which are
characteristic of the flora of western Africa, grow along the lake’s shores.
• Rice and subsistence crops are grown along the shores, and fishing is of some significance. Hippopotamuses
and crocodiles abound, and the birdlife is varied.
Great Green Wall
Recently, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations said in a study that Africa’s Great Green
Wall (GGW) programme is an important contribution towards combating climate change.
About Great Green Wall:
• The Great Green Wall is an African-led movement with an epic ambition to grow an 8,000-kilometre-long and 15- km-wide mosaic of trees, grasslands, vegetation and plants across the entire width of Africa.
• It was launched in 2007 by African Union, this green wall snakes the Sahel region from Senegal in the West
to Djibouti in the East of Africa.
• The Great Green Wall is a symbol of hope in the face of one of the biggest challenges of our time that is desertification.
• Once complete, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet, 3 times the size of Great Barrier Reef.
Objectives
• By 2030, the ambition of the initiative is to restore 100 million ha of currently degraded land, sequester 250
million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs.
• So far between 2007 and 2019, the Great Green Wall initiative has restored only four million hectares of
land.
Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021
1. The amendments propose to streamline wildlife management and monitoring by setting up standing committees of state wildlife boards. These committees will act like the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). It will be able to make decisions on wildlife management and permissions granted for projects without having to refer most projects to the NBWL.
2. It also proposes to insert a new chapter VB in the parent Act for the regulation of international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora.
3. The Ministry has also rationalized Schedules for Wildlife under the Act, bringing it down from 6 to 4 major schedules.
4. A new section 42A has also been inserted. Any article or animal surrendered under this Section shall become the property of the State Government.
5. The Ministry has also mandated that Wildlife Management Plans which are developed for sanctuaries and national parks across the country will now become a part of the Wildlife Act and will have to be approved by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state.
Earlier, the plans were approved through executive orders.
Need For The Amendment:
• It seeks to ensure that the Wildlife Protection Act,1972 complies with the requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• India has been blacklisted by CITES once before, and if a second blacklisting were to happen, then India will no longer be able to trade in important plant specimens. This would affect the livelihood of a large section of Indian society that relies heavily on this
trade.
Kunming Declaration On Biodiversity
• The Kunming Declaration was adopted by over 100 countries at the first part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in the Chinese city of Kunming, which was held virtually in 12th and 13th October 2021.
• Kunming Declaration: Signed by all countries, it calls for “urgent and integrated action” to reflect biodiversity considerations in all sectors of the global economy.
• Theme: “Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”.
• “30 by 30” Goal, is a proposed commitment to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030.
Kunming Biodiversity Fund:
• China has pledged to inject USD 233 million into a new fund to protect biodiversity in developing countries.
China is referring to the fund as Kunming Biodiversity Fund.
• However, some countries have reservations regarding this fund. Some countries have called this fund as “a
drop in the bucket” given that China is the world’s biggest polluter.
Cheetahs To Be Reintroduced In Kuno National Park
• Union Environment Ministry officials have confirmed that Cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa are likely to be reintroduced in Kuno National Park.
• Just as the tiger is the flagship species of the forest, the cheetah is the flagship species of the grassland, scrubland and open forest. Therefore, with the reintroduce of the cheetah, these dryland ecosystems of India will have a chance to return to their natural state.
• Asiatic cheetah, which is now found only Iran, is classified as a critically endangered species in the IUCN Red
List. While the African cheetah is classified as a vulnerable in the IUCN red list.
• African cheetah is bigger in size as compared to Asiatic cheetah.
• In India, last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947 and it was declared extinct in the country in
1952.
Kuno National Park Located in Madhya Pradesh.
• Kuno River, one of the major tributaries of Chambal River, flows through the entire length bisecting the
National Park division.
NGT: All Encroachments To Be Removed From Gujarat’s Banni Grasslands Within Six Months
● The court said the Maldharis will continue to hold the right to conserve the community forests in Banni Grasslands area. These rights were granted to them as per provisions in Section 3 of Forest Rights Act, 2006.
● Situated near the Great Rann of Kutch, Banni Grassland is considered to be the largest Grassland in Asia (spread over 2618 sq km).
● Maldharis are a tribal herdsmen community in Gujarat.
● The Maldharis have lived in the Gir National Park, in the Banni Grasslands Reserve area, for the past thousand years.
● Maldhari community breeds Banni Buffaloes, a species endemic to the region. The buffaloes are adaptive to Kutch’s hot weather condition.
Global Forest Goals Report, 2021
The Global Forest Goals Report 2021 was prepared by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (UNDESA), through its United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFFS). These goals are:
1. Reverse Forest Cover Loss
2. Improve Forest Benefits and Livelihoods
3. Protect forests and use sustainable Forest Products
4. Mobilize resources
5. Promote Inclusive forest Governance
6. Cooperate and work across sectors
**Many regions, in particular, Asia, Europe and Oceania, appear to be on track to reach one of the key targets of the Global Forest Goals-increasing Forest area by 3% by 2030.
Aerial Seeding
● It is a plantation technique wherein seed balls — seeds covered with a mixture of clay, compost, char, and other components — are sprayed using aerial devices, including planes, helicopters, or drones.
● The plant species which are native to the area and hardy, with seeds that are of an appropriate size for preparing seed balls are usually used for aerial seeding, with a higher survival percentage.
● Seeds balls/pellets are dispersed in a targeted area by low-flying drones, with the coating providing the required weight for seeds to airdrop on a predetermined location rather than getting deterred by the wind.
● These pellets sprout when there is enough rain, with nutrients present within them helping in initial growth.
Advantages of Aerial Seeding:
**Access to Inaccessible Areas
**Eliminate Need of Ploughing
**Prevents Soil Runoff
**Most useful for tropical forests because they absorb carbon much faster.
Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme (PVDPS) of Haryana
It is an initiative to honor all those trees that are of the age of 75 years and above and have served humanity throughout their life by producing oxygen, reducing pollution, providing shade and so on.
● Such trees will be identified throughout the state and looked after by involving local people in this scheme.
● For maintenance of trees older than 75 years, a “pension amount” of Rs 2,500 would be given per year in the name of PVDPS. The Urban Local Bodies shall give the pension for the upkeep of the trees, installing plates, grilles, etc.
**Haryana is also launching Oxy Van. They are identified pieces of land, on which as many as 3 crore trees would be planted.
**The Oxy Vans will occupy 10 % of the 8 lakh hectares of land across Haryana.