Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle:
✅The red-crowned roofed turtle, or Bengal roof turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to South Asia.
✅Scientific Name: Batagur kachuga
Distribution:
✅It is native to India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
✅Historically, the species was widespread in the Ganga River, both in India and Bangladesh.
✅It also occurs in the Brahmaputra basin.
✅Currently in India, the National Chambal River Gharial Sanctuary is the only area with a substantial population of the species.
Features:
✅It is a medium-sized turtle that can grow up to 56 cm in length and can weigh up to 25 kg.
✅In comparison to their female counterparts, the males are shorter and reach only half their length.
✅They have a reddish-orange colored head with a black crown and a greenish-brown carapace (upper shell) with yellowish patterns.
✅Their plastron (lower shell) is yellow with black markings.
✅They have a broad head, strong jaws and webbed feet.
✅It is omnivorous and feeds on a variety of plants and animals.
✅Conservation Status:
🔸IUCN : Critically Endangered
🔸Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I
🔸CITES : Appendix II
✅The red-crowned roofed turtle, or Bengal roof turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to South Asia.
✅Scientific Name: Batagur kachuga
Distribution:
✅It is native to India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
✅Historically, the species was widespread in the Ganga River, both in India and Bangladesh.
✅It also occurs in the Brahmaputra basin.
✅Currently in India, the National Chambal River Gharial Sanctuary is the only area with a substantial population of the species.
Features:
✅It is a medium-sized turtle that can grow up to 56 cm in length and can weigh up to 25 kg.
✅In comparison to their female counterparts, the males are shorter and reach only half their length.
✅They have a reddish-orange colored head with a black crown and a greenish-brown carapace (upper shell) with yellowish patterns.
✅Their plastron (lower shell) is yellow with black markings.
✅They have a broad head, strong jaws and webbed feet.
✅It is omnivorous and feeds on a variety of plants and animals.
✅Conservation Status:
🔸IUCN : Critically Endangered
🔸Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I
🔸CITES : Appendix II
🔆Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India (GHCI)
✅The Government of India has recently initiated a green hydrogen certification scheme to promote transparency and credibility in production.
✅It was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, aiming to establish India as a global hub for green hydrogen production and export.
✅The scheme emphasizes accuracy in emissions data, strict monitoring, and international compatibility, aiming to boost investor confidence and support the growth of a credible green hydrogen market in India.
📍Features of GHCI:
✅Hydrogen can be officially recognized as “green” only if its non-biogenic greenhouse gas emissions do not exceed 2 kg of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e)/kg of hydrogen, averaged over 12 months, under the
The scheme outlines a comprehensive certification process for producers to verify that the hydrogen is produced using renewable energy and that the greenhouse gas emissions do not exceed 2 kg of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e)/kg of hydrogen.
✅This threshold is measured across the production stages within a defined system boundary.
✅The certification framework includes clear definitions, objectives, roles of stakeholders, eligible production pathways (electrolysis and biomass conversion) and emissions quantification methods.
✅Producers must appoint Accredited Carbon Verification (ACV) agencies, recognized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, for independent verification.
✅The GHCI operates with four types of certificates: Concept Certificate, Facility-Level Certificate, Provisional Certificate and Final Certificate.
✅The Government of India has recently initiated a green hydrogen certification scheme to promote transparency and credibility in production.
✅It was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, aiming to establish India as a global hub for green hydrogen production and export.
✅The scheme emphasizes accuracy in emissions data, strict monitoring, and international compatibility, aiming to boost investor confidence and support the growth of a credible green hydrogen market in India.
📍Features of GHCI:
✅Hydrogen can be officially recognized as “green” only if its non-biogenic greenhouse gas emissions do not exceed 2 kg of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e)/kg of hydrogen, averaged over 12 months, under the
The scheme outlines a comprehensive certification process for producers to verify that the hydrogen is produced using renewable energy and that the greenhouse gas emissions do not exceed 2 kg of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e)/kg of hydrogen.
✅This threshold is measured across the production stages within a defined system boundary.
✅The certification framework includes clear definitions, objectives, roles of stakeholders, eligible production pathways (electrolysis and biomass conversion) and emissions quantification methods.
✅Producers must appoint Accredited Carbon Verification (ACV) agencies, recognized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, for independent verification.
✅The GHCI operates with four types of certificates: Concept Certificate, Facility-Level Certificate, Provisional Certificate and Final Certificate.
🔆Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve
✅State Government has notified Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve under Section 36A of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972.
📍Conservation Reserve
✅Conservation Reserve is considered a protected area under WPA 1972 and can be declared by State Governments and Central Government for protecting landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna.
✅These typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India
✅Regulation: Conservation Reserve Management Committee, appointed by the state Government, advises Chief Wild Life Warden.
✅Grasslands—or open regions are dominated by grass and characterised by warm, dry climate—are one of the most widely distributed terrestrial biomes globally.
✅Grasslands cover 20–40% of global land area and approximately 24% of India’s geographical area.
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#environment
@upsc_4_environment
✅State Government has notified Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve under Section 36A of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972.
📍Conservation Reserve
✅Conservation Reserve is considered a protected area under WPA 1972 and can be declared by State Governments and Central Government for protecting landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna.
✅These typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India
✅Regulation: Conservation Reserve Management Committee, appointed by the state Government, advises Chief Wild Life Warden.
✅Grasslands—or open regions are dominated by grass and characterised by warm, dry climate—are one of the most widely distributed terrestrial biomes globally.
✅Grasslands cover 20–40% of global land area and approximately 24% of India’s geographical area.
#gs3
#environment
@upsc_4_environment
🔆The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has launched two genome-edited rice varieties named "DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala)" and "Pusa DST Rice 1".
📍Key Features and Significance:
✅DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala):
Developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Hyderabad, this variety exhibits higher yields, drought tolerance, and early maturity compared to its parent, Samba Mahsuri
✅Pusa DST Rice 1:
Developed from Maharashtra Technology University 1010 (MTU1010), this variety is salinity tension tolerant, making it suitable for areas with saline soil conditions.
✅Climate Resiliency:
Both varieties are designed to be more resilient to climate change challenges, such as drought and salinity.
✅Yield Boost:
Cultivating these varieties in 5 million hectares of recommended area is expected to produce an additional 4.5 million tons of paddy and save a minimum of 7,500 million cubic meters of irrigation water.
#gs3
#gs3
#environment
@upsc_4_environment
📍Key Features and Significance:
✅DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala):
Developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Hyderabad, this variety exhibits higher yields, drought tolerance, and early maturity compared to its parent, Samba Mahsuri
✅Pusa DST Rice 1:
Developed from Maharashtra Technology University 1010 (MTU1010), this variety is salinity tension tolerant, making it suitable for areas with saline soil conditions.
✅Climate Resiliency:
Both varieties are designed to be more resilient to climate change challenges, such as drought and salinity.
✅Yield Boost:
Cultivating these varieties in 5 million hectares of recommended area is expected to produce an additional 4.5 million tons of paddy and save a minimum of 7,500 million cubic meters of irrigation water.
#gs3
#gs3
#environment
@upsc_4_environment
Forwarded from UPSC Editorial analysis
✅At CBD COP-16 (2025), a permanent subsidiary body for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) was created to uphold rights in biodiversity conservation.
✅Amid global exclusionary trends, India’s Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 stands out for linking community forest governance with conservation.
📍FRA – A Rights-Based Conservation Model:
✅The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 legally recognizes 13 categories of forest rights, empowering gram sabhas for community-led biodiversity conservation.
✅It acknowledges historical injustice faced by tribal communities and integrates tenure security with ecosystem protection.
📍Global Trends – Fortress Conservation Model:
✅Many global laws (e.g., Wildlife Acts in Africa and Latin America) adopt an exclusionary “protected area” model, displacing 10–20 million IPLCs worldwide (g.: Batwa in Uganda, Masai in Kenya).
✅This “fortress conservation” criminalizes traditional users and centralizes forest control under the state or private actors.
#gs2
#environment
#polity_governance
✅Amid global exclusionary trends, India’s Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 stands out for linking community forest governance with conservation.
📍FRA – A Rights-Based Conservation Model:
✅The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 legally recognizes 13 categories of forest rights, empowering gram sabhas for community-led biodiversity conservation.
✅It acknowledges historical injustice faced by tribal communities and integrates tenure security with ecosystem protection.
📍Global Trends – Fortress Conservation Model:
✅Many global laws (e.g., Wildlife Acts in Africa and Latin America) adopt an exclusionary “protected area” model, displacing 10–20 million IPLCs worldwide (g.: Batwa in Uganda, Masai in Kenya).
✅This “fortress conservation” criminalizes traditional users and centralizes forest control under the state or private actors.
#gs2
#environment
#polity_governance