What is Red Tide?

The name "red tide" comes from the fact that over growth of algae can cause the color of the water to turn red, as well as green or brown

Chemicals from farming, factories, sewage treatment plants, and other sources can become dissolved in water on the land, which eventually flows into the ocean and can cause algae to grow faster, leading to red tides

Red tides can be dangerous because some of the algae that cause a red tide produce powerful toxins that can kill fish, shellfish, mammals, and birds. If people eat fish or shellfish that have been in the water with toxic algae, they will also ingest the toxins, which can make them sick.

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What is dieback?

Dieback refers to the gradual deterioration of health in trees, sometimes leading to tree death. It is a condition in which a tree or shrub begins to die from the tip of its leaves or roots backward, owing to disease or an unfavorable environment.

Reasons -
Dieback is usually caused by a combination of factors, such as disease and pathogens, insect attacks, and/or stressful climate conditions.

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Plowprint Report 2023
Released by - WWF

Objective- Plowprint Report analyzes the rate of grasslands plow-up across the US, and Canadian portions of the Great Plains.

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Osun River
- The Osun River is one of the major rivers in southern Nigeria, draining into the Gulf of Guinea.

- It’s culturally linked to the ancient city of Osogbo.

- A stretch of the river that flows by a sacred grove in the ancient town of Osogbo has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its cultural significance.

- The river have suffered plastic pollution, heavy metals contamination as a result of illegal gold mining as well as pollution from human generated waste.

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•Operation “Save Kurma” to focus on the poaching, transportation and illegal trade of live turtles and tortoises.

•“Operation Turtshield– I” and Operation Turtshield-II” was taken up to tackle the illegal trade of live turtles.

•Operation “Lesknow”, “Lesknow-II” and Operation “Lesknow-III” to gain attention of enforcement agencies towards the illegal wildlife trade in lesser-known species of wildlife.

•“Operation Clean Art” towards illegal wildlife trade in Mongoose hair brushes.

•“Operation Softgold” to tackle Shahtoosh Shawl (made from Chiru wool) illegal trade and to spread awareness among the weavers and traders engaged in this trade.
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Kali Tiger Reserve
●Kali Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve, is located in Karnataka state. 
●They are primarily moist deciduous and semi-evergreen, with excellent patches of evergreen forests in the westernmost parts as well as in deep valleys.
●Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Bison, Wild dog, Sambar, Spotted deer, Sloth bear, Wild boar, Hanuman langur, Bonnet macaque, varieties of reptiles and birds including all four species of hornbills as its residents., etc.
●Kali Tiger Reserve is home to rare black panthers.
●The Kali River flows through the tiger reserve and is the lifeline of the ecosystem and hence the name. 

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NEWLY DISCOVERED SPECIES IN NEWS FOR UPSC CSE PRELIMS (Part 1)

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Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
●POPs sometimes known as "forever chemicals" are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes.
●The Stockholm Convention on POPs, which was adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004, is a global treaty whose purpose is to safeguard human health and the environment from highly harmful chemicals that persist in the environment and affect the well-being of humans as well as wildlife.
●POPs pose a particular hazard because of four characteristics:
1) they are toxic;
2)they are persistent, resisting normal processes that break down contaminants;
3)they accumulate in the body fat of people, marine mammals, and other animals and are passed from mother to fetus; and
4) they can travel great distances on wind and water currents.

●Even small quantities of POPs can wreak havoc in human and animal tissue, causing nervous system damage, diseases of the immune system, reproductive and developmental disorders, and cancers.

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Osun River
- The Osun River is one of the major rivers in southern Nigeria, draining into the Gulf of Guinea.

- It’s culturally linked to the ancient city of Osogbo.

- A stretch of the river that flows by a sacred grove in the ancient town of Osogbo has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its cultural significance.

- The river have suffered plastic pollution, heavy metals contamination as a result of illegal gold mining as well as pollution from human generated waste.

#prelims #environment #rivers

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NEWLY DISCOVERED SPECIES IN NEWS FOR UPSC CSE PRELIMS (Part 1)

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Important For Prelims
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Facts For Prelims

Bonn Challenge- To restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030.

Bonn Convention- An international agreement that aims to conserve migratory species within their migratory ranges.

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India's first "frozen zoo"

What is frozen zoo?
- A frozen zoo is like a deep freezer for animals’ genetic material. It stores things like DNA, sperm, eggs, and embryos from animals — especially those that are rare or endangered and may go extinct in the future.
- Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling is India's first "frozen zoo".

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What is Teal carbon?

Teal carbon refers to carbon stored in freshwater (non-tidal) wetlands, including marshes, lakes, rivers, and peatlands. In contrast, carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems like mangroves and seagrasses is termed blue carbon.


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List of Grassland Bird Species Found In Kaziranga NP -
1. Bengal florican (Critically Endangered)
2. Finn’s weaver (Endangered)
3. Swamp grass babbler (Endangered)
4. Black-breasted parrotbill (Vulnerable)
5. Marsh babbler (Vulnerable)
6. Swamp francolin (Vulnerable)
7. Jerdon’s babbler (Vulnerable)
8. Slender-billed babbler (Vulnerable)
9. Bristled grassbird (Vulnerable)

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