Restoration of Banni grasslands of Kachchh

Context:

• In a new study, researchers have assessed the suitability of different areas of Banni for sustainable grassland restoration.

Grasslands:

• One of the largest ecosystems in the world.
• Distributed mainly in semiarid and arid areas.
• Include savannahs, grassy shrublands, and open grasslands.
• Harbour a large number of unique and iconic species.
• Offer several ecosystem services such as carbon storage, climate mitigation, and pollination.
• Face the problem of degradation due to deforestation, overgrazing, agriculture, urbanisation, and other natural and human-made reasons.
• 49% of grassland areas worldwide are estimated to be experiencing degradation.

Indian case:

• In India, grasslands account for about 24% of the country’s total land area.
• Threatened by agricultural conversion, tree-based plantation projects, invasive species, and mega-development projects.
• The issue is exacerbated by the strong bias of government and non-profit organisations for the conservation and protection of forests.

Banni grasslands:

• The Kachchh district in Gujarat houses one of the largest tracts of grasslands. Popularly known as ‘Banni’.
• Bird species such as the great Indian bustard and the Bengal florican prefer to breed in these grasslands.
• Grassland areas are shrinking constantly due to anthropogenic activities, threatening biodiversity as well as the ecosystem services they provide.
• Once covered an area of approximately 3,800 sq. km, now decreased to about 2,600 sq. km.

Restoration:

• They can be restored by providing them with adequate water sources, either through irrigation or rainwater harvesting.
• They can also be managed through interventions such as terracing;
• With supplementary inputs like fertilizers; and
• By protecting from high water run-off and erosion, and salt intrusion.

Monitoring:

• Analysis of multiple characteristics of soil, such as the availability of the three important nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and
• Four essential micronutrients, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper, … soil acidity, soil texture, soil organic carbon, salinity, the water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, bulk density, and infiltration rate etc.
• Use of satellite data to check aspects such as land use and land cover, geomorphology, and land slope.

Recent studies:

• Aimed at not only assisting identification of lands suitable for grassland development but also to help manage them in a sustainable manner.
• They can help generate evidence-based recommendations for sustainable grassland management, including biodiversity conservation and the enhancement of livelihoods for local communities dependent on grasses for their livestock.
• Note: The satellites that provided data on slope, land use, and land cover were the U.S. Sentinel 2 satellite and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER).

Conclusion:

• Banni grasslands have a vital role to play particularly in the context of climate change as they are a great source for sequestration of carbon dioxide.
• There is an urgent need for government agencies and other stakeholders to make efforts to conserve Banni grasslands for the future generations.

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

Context:

• The head of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), the Centre’s marquee project to clean the Ganga and its tributaries, expressed concern over the tardiness of river-cleaning projects being executed in various States under the mission.

About NMCG:

• National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has started the Mission Clean Ganga with a changed and comprehensive approach to champion the challenges posed to Ganga through four different sectors:
• Wastewater management
• Solid waste management
• Industrial pollution and
• River front development
• NMCG was registered as a society in 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
• It acted as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986.
• NGRBA has since been dissolved in 2016, consequent to constitution of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (National Ganga Council-NGC).

Aims and objectives of NMCG:

• To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral co-ordination for comprehensive planning and management and
• To maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.

Key Functions:

• Implement the work programme of National Ganga Council (NGC).
• Implement the World Bank supported National Ganga River Basin Project.
• Undertake any additional work or functions as may be assigned by Ministry of Ganga Rejuvenation.
• Take all such actions as may appear necessary or incidental for the achievements of the objectives of the NGC.

National Ganga Council (NGC):

• It is responsible for the protection, rejuvenation, and management of the Ganges River.
• It is chaired by the Prime Minister of India.

South China Sea

Context:

• Chinese, Philippine ships collide in South China sea.
• Each blamed the other for the collision near Sabina Shoal, a disputed atoll in the Spratly Islands, where Vietnam and Taiwan also have overlapping claims.
• Sabina Shoal lies about 140 km west of the Philippines’ western island province of Palawan.

Location:

• It is an arm of the western Pacific Oceanthat borders the Southeast Asian mainland.
• Borders: It is bounded on the northeast by the Taiwan Strait(by which it is connected to the East China Sea);
• On the east by Taiwanand the Philippines;
• On the southeast and south by Borneo, the southern limit of the Gulf of Thailand, and the east coast of the Malay Peninsula; and
• On the west and north by the Asian mainland.

Economic aspects:

• It is rich in marine life.
• Large reserves of oil and natural gas have been discovered under the floor of the South China Sea.
• It contains some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Territorial Disputes:

• Paracel Islands: Sovereignty is disputed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
• Scarborough Shoal/Panatag Shoal: Also referred to as “Minzhu Reef.” Disputed territory claimed by China, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
• Spratly Island (Nansha Islands): Disputed claims by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
• Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands): China/Taiwan sovereignty dispute.
• Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands: Three-country dispute over the uninhabited island chain known as the Senkakus in Japan, the Diaoyus in China, and the Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan.
• Natuna Islands: Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and Taiwan over waters northeast of the islands.

Nine-dash line:

• China claims the largest portion of territory in an area demarcated by its so-called “nine-dash line”.

Donetsk region

Context:

• Russia said its troops captured a major settlement in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Donetsk Oblast:

• It is an oblast (administrative division) located in south-eastern Ukraine.
• Borders: It borders the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts to the southwest, the Kharkiv Oblast to the north, the Luhansk Oblast to the northeast, the Rostov Oblast in Russia to the east, and the Sea of Azov to the south.
• Historically, the region has been an important part of the Donbas region.
• In 2014, parts of the oblast, including Donetsk, came under the control of Russian-backed separatists who declared the Donetsk People’s Republic, leading to a war against government forces.
• During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia declared the annexation of the entirety of the oblast.

Donbas:

• It includes much of the Ukrainian oblasti (provinces) of Donetsk and Luhansk.