Chennai is the first city in Tamil Nadu to adopt the City Biodiversity Index (Singapore Index). The initiative is a joint effort by ICLEI South Asia, Greater Chennai Corporation, and state agencies. The index measures native biodiversity, ecosystem services, and governance through 23 indicators. For baseline year 2024, Chennai scored 38 out of 72 across 18 indicators, showing resilience and areas for improvement.

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Chipko Movement (means to hug or to embrace) Year :- 1973

Place :- Chamoli, Uttarakhand
Leaders :- Sunderlal Bahuguna, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Gaura Devi.
Cause :- Commercial logging by govt.
Method :- Villagers hugged trees to stop cutting.
Outcome :- Green felling ban in Himalayas (15 yrs)

Appiko Movement (Appiko means “to hug” in Kannada)Year :- 1983

Place :- Kalase forest of Karnataka.
Leader :- Pandurang Hegde.
Cause :- Contractors Deforestation & over-logging in Western Ghats.
Methods :- Villagers hugged trees + awareness rallies & folk methods.
Outcomes :- Logging stopped, forest policy reviewed in Karnataka.

We, our nature and us, are One.
Forestry-footprints.

🌱 Reforestation – A Type of Secondary Succession

Definition: Re-establishment of forests on lands that were previously forested but became degraded or deforested.

Examples: Natural regrowth after forest fires || Human-led tree planting on previously logged areas.

🌱 Afforestation – A Type of Primary Succession

Definition: Establishment of forests on land where no forest cover previously existed.

Examples: Tree plantation on degraded wastelands | forest creation in deserts or arid zones | Plantation on reclaimed mining areas.

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Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR)

Definition :- ISFR is a biennial report that provides a detailed assessment of India’s forest and tree cover, including forest density, types, carbon stock, and related parameters.

First Release :- The first ISFR was released in 1987.

Publishing Authority :- The report is prepared and released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), an organization under MoEFCC, Government of India.

Latest Release :- The most recent edition is the ISFR 2023. MoEFCC released the 18th India State of Forest Report 2023 .

Forest Cover :- 21.76%
Tree Cover :- 3.41%
Total Forest and Tree Cover :- 25.17%

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🎋 World Bamboo Day 🎋

Observed every year on 18th September. First celebrated in 2009.
Declared by the World Bamboo Organization (WBO).

Objectives :- To spread awareness about the importance and versatile uses of bamboo.To promote bamboo as a tool for environmental protection and sustainable development.

Facts :- The fastest growing plant on Earth – some species grow up to 1 meter in a single day.

Known as the “Poor Man’s Timber”.

More info :- https://www.instagram.com/p/DOutKvOE2xw/?igsh=cDgyNnpubjVkcXM3

📌 Is bamboo a tree or grass?

♦️ Scientifically, bamboo is classified as grass rather than a tree. However, the Indian Forest Act of 1927 categorized it as a tree, making it illegal to cut or transport bamboo outside of forests.

🚫 In 2017, an amendment to this act removed bamboo from the tree category, allowing for its cultivation and harvesting even outside forest areas without restriction.

✅ India is the world's second-largest producer of bamboo after China.
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More info :- https://www.instagram.com/p/DOutKvOE2xw/?igsh=cDgyNnpubjVkcXM3

Forestry footprints

World Rhino Day – 22 September

First celebrated: 2010 Started by: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – South Africa
Purpose: To raise awareness and unite people across the world for the protection of all

five rhino species – 1. Black Rhino 2. White Rhino 3. Greater One-horned Rhino 4. Javan Rhino 5. Sumatran Rhino

Importance :- Rhinos are called “umbrella species” because protecting them also protects other wildlife sharing their habitat.
Biggest threats: Poaching for horns, illegal wildlife trade, and habitat loss.

Good news: In India & Nepal, the Greater One-horned Rhino population has increased due to strong conservation efforts.
Population Growth :- Rhino population growth in Assam from the 1960s (600 rhinos) to 2024 (over 4,000 rhinos).

🌳 Forest Canopy Densities (as per FSI classification in India)

👉 Canopy density refers to the percentage of the ground covered by the vertical projection of tree crowns.

1️⃣ Very Dense / Closed Forest → Crown density > 70% (0.7 – 1.0)

2️⃣ Moderately Dense Forest → Crown density 40% – 70% (0.4 – 0.7)

3️⃣ Open Forest → Crown density 10% – 40% (0.1 – 0.4)

4️⃣ Scrub (Thin Vegetation) → Crown density < 10% (0.0 – 0.1)

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Two wetlands from Bihar — Gokul Jalashaya in Buxar and Udaipur Jheel in West Champaran — have received the Ramsar tag, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav announced on Friday

This brings the total to 93 Ramsar Sites, spanning 13,60,719 hectares, underscoring India’s resolve to safeguard its rich wetland ecosystems for biodiversity, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.

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Classification of forest tree species on the basis of frost Resistance.

Source :- Compendium on forestry.

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World Wildlife Fund (WWF), was established in 1961 at IUCN's headquarters in Morges, Switzerland by a group of passionate and committed individuals who sought to secure the funding necessary to protect places and species that were threatened by human development.

Morges Manifesto
Symbol : Giant panda
Current HQ : Gland, Switzerland
WWF India : Started in 1969 and operates from the Hornbill House in Mumbai, next to BNHS. Later its office was shifted to New Delhi

WWF organizes the first Earth Hour in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Earth Hour 2020 was held on March 28, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm

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Forest Classification:

Source :- Compendium on forestry.

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𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 9𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 🌳

India has achieved a remarkable milestone in global environmental conservation by moving up to the 9𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 in terms of total forest area worldwide and retaining its 3𝐫𝐝 rank globally in annual forest area gain, as revealed in the 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 2025 released by the 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐅𝐀𝐎) in 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐢, 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚.

Union Environment Minister 𝐁𝐡𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐯 highlighted that this marks an improvement from India’s 10𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 in the previous assessment, underscoring the nation’s consistent efforts towards forest conservation and sustainable management. 🌿

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"Ghosts of the mountains"

International Snow Leopard Day
It came into being in 2013, following the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration in Kyrgyzstan where 12 countries that host snow leopard populations agreed to collaborate in their conservation efforts.

Countries Hosting Snow Leopards: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Ecological Importance: Serve as top predators and Indicator species, as their presence reflects the health of their high-altitude ecosystems.

As per the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India Program, the SL population is 718 individuals in India.
Ladakh (477), Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9).

The Government of India has identified the snow leopard as a flagship species for the high-altitude Himalayas.

Hemis National Park in Ladakh is called the Snow Leopard capital of the world.

Classification of Plants Based on Temperature

1. The plants growing in high temperature throughout the year called- Megatherms

2. The plants growing in alternate high and low temperature called- Mesotherms

3. The plants growing in low temperature throughout the year called- Microtherms

4. The plants growing in very low temperature throughout the year- Hekistotherms

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Kerala has become the first state to pass a bill amending the Central Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, called the Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Act, 2025.

The amendment, passed on October 8, 2025, aims to address increasing human-animal conflicts and empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to order the shooting, tranquilizing, capturing, or translocation of animals that attack humans or stray into settlements.

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Bihar's Gogabeel Lake has been designated a Ramsar site, marking India's 94th wetland of international importance. This community-managed oxbow lake, situated between the Ganga and Mahananda rivers, highlights India's growing commitment to wetland conservation.

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Biosphere Reserves in India

India has 18 notified Biosphere Reserves covering approximately 91,425 sq. km, of which 13 are recognized by UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).

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