• IMPAC5 is a global forum that brings together ocean conservation professionals and high-level officials to inform, inspire and act on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
• It aims to protect 30 percent of global ocean by 2030 2030 (i.e., 30*30 campaign).
• It supported Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, “Our Ocean, Our Future, Our Responsibility” Call for Action and Ocean Conservation Pledge.
• It was jointly hosted by Host First Nations (Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh) together with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPWS), Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia.

About

• IMPAC congresses are a collaborative effort between the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the chosen host country.
• The congress brings together scientists, policy makers, practitioners, and stakeholders from around the world to discuss the latest scientific knowledge, best practices and challenges in the management of MPAs.
• The goal of IMPAC is to advance the conservation and sustainable use of the world’s marine biodiversity and to support the implementation of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’s goals for marine conservation and management.

Marine Protected Areas

• MPAs are designated areas of the ocean that are set aside for the protection and conservation of marine ecosystems and their biodiversity.
• Within the region, certain activities are limited, or entirely prohibited, to meet specific conservation, habitat protection, ecosystem monitoring or fisheries management objectives.
• MPAs do not necessarily exclude fishing, research or other human activities; in fact, many MPAs are multi-purpose areas.
• Currently, an estimated 7.65% of ocean is covered by MPAs.
• Important MPAs (coastal or marine) of India.
  • They are notified as either ‘national parks’ or ‘wildlife sanctuaries’ under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • MPAs cover less than 4.01% of the total area of all Protected Areas of India.
  • Examples of important MPAs in India: Gulf of Kachchh Marine National Park, Gulf of Mannar National Park, Sundarbans National Park and Wandoor Marine National Park.
  • Need of MPAs
    • Protect marine habitats and variety of life that they support.
    • Raising the profile of an area for marine tourism and broadening local economic options.
    • Generate income through tourism and sustainable fishing.
    • Maintaining climate change resilience as it protects coastal habitats to reduce human vulnerability.

• Three million Indians live in areas where a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) can happen at any time, the first global assessment of such areas has found.
• Together with two million Pakistanis, they form a third of the total number of people worldwide facing such a risk.
• Globally, 90 million people across 30 countries live in 1,089 basins containing glacial lakes. Of these, 15 million (16.6 per cent) live within 50 kilometres of a glacial lake
• Just four highly populous countries accounted for more than 50 per cent of the globally exposed population: India, Pakistan, Peru and China.
• The population exposed to GLOFs increases with distance from a glacial lake. Almost half (48 per cent) of exposed populations are globally located between 20 km and 35 km downstream of lakes,
• Study was conducted by scientists at UK’s Newcastle University, UK is first global assessment of areas at greatest risk of GLOF.

Glacial Lake Outburst Flood

• GLOF occurs from unstable natural dam formed from glacier retreat.
• When glacier retreats, it leaves behind large impression in ground filling it with water and lake is formed, this is known as moraine which can be impounded by pile of debris & ice.

Causes behind GLOFs

• Build- up of water pressure or structural weakness of boundary due to increase in flow of water due to climate change-induced melting.
• Earthquake (Tectonic) or cryoseism (non-tectonic seismic event of glacial cryosphere).
• Avalanche of rock or heavy snow.
• Volcanic eruptions under ice.
• Heavy rainfall/melting of snow lead to massive displacement of water in a glacial.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines for reducing GLOFs

• Identify and Mapping Dangerous Lakes.
• Use of Synthetic-Aperture Radar imagery to detect changes in water bodies, including new lake formations, during the monsoon months.
• Constructions and development in High prone areas should be prohibited.
• Robust early warning system in vulnerable zones should be put in place.

• For the first time, Geological Survey of India GSI has established Lithium inferred resources (which are in preliminary exploration stage i.e. G3) of 5.9 million tonnes in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District of J&K (UT).

Geographical Survey of India (GSI)

• GSI, attached office to Ministry of Mines, was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for Railways.
• Headquartered in Kolkata, it has six regional offices.
• It is a scientific agency of India to carry out geoscientific activities.
• The Geological Survey of India has set up 115 projects on strategic and critical minerals and 16 projects on fertiliser minerals.

About Lithium

• Lithium, referred as white gold, is first of alkalis in periodic table. It’s a non-ferrous metal.
• It is lightest solid metal. It is extracted from either brines or mined rocks. It has lowest density of all metals.
• 50 percent of global lithium resources are located in Bolivia (maximum), Chile, and Argentina, which forms Lithium Triangle in South America.
• Australia is global leader in lithium production.
• India has discovered first lithium reserves in igneous rocks located in Marlagalla-Allapatna region of Karnataka’s Mandya district.

Significance of Lithium

• Key component of rechargeable batteries (used in EVs) and energy storage solutions.
• Lithium oxide is used in special glasses and glass ceramics.
• Critical mineral for energy transition, and net-zero emissions will require higher reliance lithium.

• The large-scale dumping of garbage by Baijnath Municipal Council in Binwa, a tributary of the Beas, has become a cause for concern for the health authorities.
• The river is a major source of drinking water in the lower areas of Baijnath. The Jal Shakti Department lifts its water for half a dozen drinking water supply schemes feeding 50 villages.
• The civic body threw waste in the river as there was no place for garbage dumping in the townas per Executive Officer, Baijnath MC
• A new piece of land for the garbage dumping site is being identified since the existing one is embroiled in dispute and the final decision of the High Court on it can take time. Salem Aazam, SDM, Baijnath

• Prey-centric approach is a must to conserve snow leopards in Himachal Pradesh, reveals a study conducted by the researcher of Ashoka University in Sonepat, Haryana.
• The snow leopard population is healthier in regions that have a higher prey base having, among others, ungulates (blue sheep, Himalayan tahr and Himalayan ibex).
• The university conducted this study in collaboration with the state Forest Department in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti.
• Snow leopards are the flagship species for conservation. The first photographic documentation of the snow leopard done in 1975 highlighted this magical beast’s rare and elusive nature. Studying the distribution and population of snow leopards remains a challenge.

About Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia):

• Snow leopards act as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live, due to their position as the top predator in the food web.
• Habitat: Mountainous regions of central and southern Asia. In India, their geographical range encompasses:
  • Western Himalayas: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh.
  • Eastern Himalayas: Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Hemis National Park is the biggest national park in India and also has a good presence of Snow Leopard.

Protection Status:

• The snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List of the Threatened Species.
• In addition, it is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
• It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
• It is also listed in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), affording the highest conservation status to the species, both globally and in India.
• It is also protected by several national laws in its range countries.

• India, under ‘Operation Dost’ has sent its sixth plane carrying National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, essentials, and medical equipment for the earthquake-hit Turkey.
• The 6th flight carries more rescue teams, dog squads, and essential medicines. A field hospital under Operation Dost has been set up by the Indian Army in Hatay province of Turkey.
• India has also sent a transport aircraft with medical supplies to Syria.
• The earthquake of magnitude 7.7 on the Richter scale hit Turkey and Syria on 6 Feb 2023 followed by a series of aftershocks causing huge devastation, major loss of lives and damage to infrastructure in the two countries.
• Operation Dost symbolises that India is a friend of Turkey and the two must deepen their relations.
• Earlier, the NDRF was sent to two similar international operations – the 2011 Japan triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown) and the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

• The findings are part of report by UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on environmental dimensions of AMR, which already is taking a serious toll on health of humans, animals, and plants, as well as the economy.
  • AMR occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi become resistant to antimicrobial treatments to which they were previously susceptible.

Key Findings of the report

• Microorganisms (particularly bacteria) can acquire resistance following contact with resistant microorganisms that may have originated or introduced in environment.
• When antimicrobials are released into environment new AMR can develop by:
  • Spontaneous mutation, acquisition and transmission by mobile genetic elements.
  • Horizontal gene transfer events between environmental and plant, animal or human associated bacteria.
• AMR challenges are closely linked to triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and waste.
• 3 key sectors of AMR development and spread in environment:
  • Pharmaceuticals and other chemical manufacturing,
  • agriculture and food production,
• Transmission and spread of AMR are not confined to point-sources. Transient and diffuse sources, which include water agricultural runoff, airborne transmission, wildlife migration etc can also be important.

Recommendations

• A concerted systems approach like One Health Approach.
• Integration of environmental considerations into AMR National Action Plans.
• Create robust national level governance, planning and legal framework.
• Increase global efforts to improve integrated water management.
• Environmental monitoring and surveillance.

• Agnikul-Cosmos, a space-tech startup incubated in IIT-Madras, has successfully conducted the flight acceptance test for its 3D printed rocket engine “Agnilet”
• Unlike other rocket engines, Agnilet was built in a single step, eliminating thousands of parts that are typically assembled in a conventional rocket engine.
• It is a semi-cryogenic engine, which uses a mixture of liquid kerosene at room temperature and super cold liquid oxygen as fuel.
• During the test, it generated sea level thrust of 6 kilo Newton.
• Agnilet Engine will power the company’s launch vehicle, Agnibaan, which is capable of carrying payloads of up to 100kg to a low-earth orbit.
• Launch of Agnibaan will be the second by a private firm – after Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace’s Viksram-S, which took place in November 2022.
• Earlier Agnikul also unveiled India’s first privately designed and operated rocket launchpad and mission control centre (located at Sriharikota).
• It is specifically built to support liquid-stage controlled launches while also addressing ISRO’s need for monitoring key flight safety parameters during launches.

• Recently, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the historic Grishneshwar temple, which is the 12th Jyotirlinga in the country.

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple

• Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple also known as Ghushmeshwar Temple, is one of the shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva that is referenced in the Shiva Purana.
• The word Ghrneshwara means “lord of compassion”.
• The temple houses carvings and sculptures of many Hindu gods and goddesses.
• It is an important pilgrimage site in the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, which considers it as the twelfth Jyotirlinga (linga of light).
• It is situated in the state of Maharashtra. This pilgrimage site is located in Ellora (also called Verul), less than a kilometer from Ellora Caves – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Historical background:
  • The temple structure was destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th and 14th-century.
  • It went through several rounds of rebuilding followed by re-destruction during the Mughal-Maratha conflict.
  • It was rebuilt in the current form in the 18th century by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, after the fall of the Mughal Empire.
• Architectural Design:
  • The Grishneshwar temple is an illustration of maratha temple architectural style and structure.
  • It is built of red rocks and is composed of a five-tier shikara.
  • This 240 ft x 185 ft temple is the smallest Jyotirlinga temple in India.
  • A court hall is built on 24 pillars. There is a Nandi bull in the court hall.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), along with the Indian Navy, has conducted an important trial for the Gaganyaan, human space flight mission.
• Recently they carried out initial recovery trials of the Crew Module in the Navy’s Water Survival Test Facility (WSTF) in Kochi.
• The trials were part of the preparation for crew module recovery operations for the Gaganyaan mission that will be carried out in Indian waters with the participation of Indian Government agencies.
• The overall recovery operations are being led by the Indian Navy.

Significance of the trial:

• According to ISRO, as the safe recovery of the crew is the final step to be accomplished for any successful human spaceflight, it is of paramount importance and it has to be carried out with the minimum lapse of time.
• These trials assist in validating the SoP, and training recovery teams as well as the flight crew.
• They provide valuable inputs for the utilization of recovery accessories.
• The feedback from the recovery team/trainers helps improve the recovery operations SoP, design various recovery accessories, and finalize the training plan.

About Gaganyaan project

• The Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a three day mission and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.
• The first trial (uncrewed flight) for Gaganyaan is being planned by the end of 2023 or early 2024. This will be followed by sending Vyom Mitra, a humanoid and then with the crew onboard.
• This manned mission will be the first of ISRO’s human spaceflight missions.
  • The US, Russia and China are the only three countries to have conducted human spaceflights yet.
• It will be launched by ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV Mk III (3 stages heavy-lift vehicle).

Significance of the mission

• It will help India in achieving self-reliance, in line with the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat and also boost the capacity development in launching satellites under the Make in India Initiative.
• It will also enhance the research and development (R&D) at science and technology levels especially in the space sector.
• It is in line with India’s progress towards a sustained and affordable human and robotic programme to explore the solar system and beyond.
• Gaganyaan will focus on regional needs because one International Space Station (ISS) may not be enough to cater to global requirements.
• The programme will strengthen international partnerships and global security through the sharing of challenging and peaceful goals.