Darfur region

Context:

• Shelling by Sudanese paramilitary forces killed at least 12 people in the north of the vast Darfur region.
• The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting the regular army since April last year.
• The army has largely been confined to the North Darfur state capital of El-Fasher since the paramilitaries swept through the rest of the region last year.

About Darfur region:

• It is a region of western Sudan.
• Because of the War in Darfur between Sudanese government forces and the indigenous population, the region has been in a state of humanitarian emergency and genocide since 2003.
• The factors include religious and ethnic rivalry, and the rivalry between farmers and herders.
• It is largely a semi-desert plateau.

Himalayan glacial lakes

Context:

• Himalayan glacial lakes saw 10.81% area expansion from 2011 to 2024: Report

More info:

• Glacial lakes and other water bodies across the Himalayan region saw a 10.81% increase in area from 2011 to 2024 due to climate change, signalling a heightened risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), according to a government report.
• The Central Water Commission’s (CWC) report states that with a 33.7% expansion of the surface area, the lakes in India experienced an even more substantial rise.
• The report identified 67 lakes in India that witnessed an over 40% increase in surface area, placing them in the high-risk category for potential GLOFs.
• Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh showed the most notable expansions, signalling a heightened risk of GLOFs and the need for intensified monitoring and disaster preparedness.
• Glacial lakes and other water bodies across the Himalayan region saw an overall area increase of 10.81% due to climate change, the report said.
• The rapid expansion of these lakes is attributed to accelerated melting of glaciers due to rising temperatures in the region, with potentially severe consequences for downstream communities, infrastructure and biodiversity, it said.
• Physically, the shrinking of mountain glaciers and expansion of glacial lakes are amongst the most recognisable and dynamic impacts of climate warming in this environment, it said.
• Under such a changing environment, a close watch on the relative change in water spread area of even smaller lakes has become very crucial in this region, the report said.
• The sudden and often catastrophic floods occur when glacial lakes breach their natural moraine dams, releasing large volumes of water downstream.
• The CWC stressed that the increased water spread of these lakes demands rigorous monitoring and urgent risk management strategies.
• To overcome challenges in tracking these remote lakes, the CWC has leveraged advanced satellite technology, particularly the Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery that enable precise and all-weather monitoring.
• The high-resolution capabilities of these satellites allow CWC to detect changes in lake size with 10-metre accuracy, even in challenging conditions such as cloud cover.
• This monitoring technology is critical in providing timely updates on the state of these high-risk lakes, thereby enabling early interventions when necessary.
• The CWC report also underscored the transboundary risks posed by expanding glacial lakes in neighbouring countries, including Bhutan, Nepal and China.
• Given the interconnected nature of river basins across the Himalayan watershed, collaboration with these countries is crucial to managing the potential impacts of GLOFs, it underlined.
• The report called for joint monitoring efforts and data sharing to build a more comprehensive risk assessment and mitigation strategy.
• It highlighted the urgent need for international and regional cooperation in developing early warning systems, enhancing disaster management plans, and promoting community awareness initiatives to safeguard vulnerable populations.
• The implications of area expansion of glacial lakes extend beyond flood risks and can impact water availability in the region’s major river systems, including the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus.
• Using data from 2011 and drawing comparisons with five and 10-year averages, the CWC’s report identified patterns of glacial lake expansion that allow authorities to pinpoint high-risk areas.
• With its commitment to reducing monitoring intervals and improving data precision, the CWC aims to establish a robust system for early detection and response to the evolving challenges posed by the Himalayan glacial lakes.

UPSC Mains PYQ (2020):

• How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far- reaching impact on the water resources of India?

Key takeaways from COP-16

Is a bigger corpus going to be available for the conservation and preservation of biological diversity?

Introduction:

• The 16th edition of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali, Colombia involving about 190 countries saw representatives of countries trying to iron out a conclusive deal well past the deadline.

About convention:

• This convention follows meetings in 2022 at Montreal, Canada.
• At that meet, countries agreed to protect 30% of land and water by 2030, known as the ‘30-by-30 agreement’, at a time when less than 17% of land and 10% of marine areas were protected.
• In 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), as it is formally known, set 23 action-oriented global targets for urgent action in the decade to 2030.
• The actions listed in each target needed to be initiated immediately and completed by 2030.
• Other than the 30-by-30 goals, targets include reducing the introduction of invasive alien species by 50% and minimising their impact by 2030.
• It also aimed to reduce pollution risks and the negative impact of pollution from all sources to tolerable levels by 2030; set up a mechanism for “benefit-sharing from the use of digital sequence information on genetic sources” and traditional knowledge, and integrating biodiversity into policies, regulations, planning and development processes.
• A key aim of the COP-16 was to agree on mechanisms to implement these targets as well as discuss ways to organise funding.
• While there were calculations that about $200 billion would be required annually to achieve these targets, less than tenth of this money has actually been committed.

Decisions taken at COP-16:

• Though a final approved text is still in the works, negotiators have decided on setting up a subsidiary body that will include indigenous groups and peoples in discussions around conservation and biodiversity, according to a report by the Associated Press.
• In the run-up to COP-16, one of the most contentious issues was on the Digital Sequence Information (DSI) agreement.
• This deals with “benefit-sharing” or how, for example, medicines and drugs made from analysing the DNA of living organisms, stored in databases and which are used in commercial products, can be shared with the local communities where such organisms are housed.
• There were plans to create a ‘multi-lateral mechanism’, but no agreement was forthcoming on which countries or corporations ought to be contributing, and how.
• The major texts that have so far been formally adopted by the convention include agreements on biodiversity and climate change, mainstreaming biodiversity, putting a check on invasive species and the technical needs to support the implementation of the KMGBF.

India’s contribution to COP-16:

• India has been a consistent participant at the biodiversity COPs.
• This year too, a delegation led by the Minister of State for Environment, participated at the proceedings in Colombia.
• India presented an ‘updated’ biodiversity plan where it stated that it expects to spend around ₹81,664 crore from 2025-30 (FY) on biodiversity and conservation.
• From 2018-22 (FY), India spent ₹32,207 crore on biodiversity and conservation, and to meet the higher financing requirements, it would require funds from sources beyond routine government expenditure.
• The expenditure from 2018-2022 was solely made by the Centre, through allocations to various Ministries or statutory bodies for conservation and biodiversity-linked programmes.
• Indian officials at the conference said international finance would be necessary to meet these goals.
• It is necessary to provide means of implementation including financial resources, as laid down in target 19 of the KMGBF as well as from DSI, for implementation of the NBSAP (National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan).
• Target 19 calls for mobilising $200 billion per year for biodiversity from all sources, including $30 billion through international finance.
• In the updated assessment, India has cited the “significant step in global wildlife conservation” it has taken by establishing the International Big Cat Alliance which is aimed at protecting the world’s seven major big cat species, as their presence is indicative of a healthy ecosystem and rich biodiversity.
• India had raised its Ramsar sites, which are wetlands of ecological importance under the Ramsar Convention, from 26 to 85 since 2014.
• It is soon projected to reach 100.

UPSC Mains PYQ (2021):

• Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parses (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)? What are the commitments made by India in this conference?

Adopt a Heritage programme

Why India’s ‘Adopt a Heritage’ programme needs a more enlightened approach

How many monuments will be under the charge of private companies and will their efforts take into account local requirements and national ideals?

Introduction:

• A new government initiative, Adopt a Heritage, poses both interest and danger, given that conventional Indian attitudes to conservation are both rigidly preservationist or thoughtlessly liberal.
• The idea of the adoption initiative is two-fold.
• By allowing companies from the public sector and select private business houses to become ‘monument mitras’, the adopted landmark would supposedly be both scrupulously maintained and appropriately highlighted for tourism.
• So far, 66 monuments across India have come under the adoption scheme.
• These include the Konark Sun Temple, the Elephanta Caves and the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, among others.
• At Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb, a restaurant and a sound and light show have been proposed within the grounds of the mausoleum, including private dining and special events in the gardens.

Threat of polarisation:

• With 3,700 monuments under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, how many will now be under the charge of private companies and how much transformation will they be made to bear?
• Will temples in South India at Pattadakkal and Badami be freshly landscaped and surrounded by new boundary walls, or will they be closed because they are too delicate and precious to be opened to tourism?
• Will companies consider seasonal restrictions to their new charges, or keep them open to private functions, such as conferences and fashion shows?
• Moreover, will the current attitude of religious polarisation also spread to cultural and heritage sites?
• Would the government spend equivalent effort in the revitalisation of the Ajmer Dargah as it did on the Varanasi corridor project?
• Beyond self-interest, heritage is of little concern to trusts, big corporations and governments.
• It will take great magnanimity to give culture and heritage the wider apolitical berth they deserve.

Conclusion:

• If at all citizens are to benefit from the heritage buildings, a more enlightened policy on reuse needs careful consideration, something that takes into account local requirements and national ideals.
• The truly innovative feature of future conservation will be to bring together the rarefied frame of history and contemporary life in ways that make them easily compatible.
• Like the Italians, we may find that an experience of origins is as important as the appreciation of an ongoing process.

UPSC Mains PYQ (2018):

• Safeguarding the Indian Art Heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss.