What a giant stingray says about the Mekong
Published 21 May 2025, 03:49 PM IST
It took a dozen men to load Boramy, a giant stingray, onto the scales. At just under 300kg, she is the biggest freshwater fish ever weighed. She was caught by a Cambodian fisherman on the Mekong, South-East Asia's longest river, on June 13th. She was the fourth giant stingray recorded in the area in the past few months. She swam away tagged.
The discovery of such a large fish has cheered conservationists. The Mekong river, which starts in the Tibetan plateau and snakes through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, feeding some 66m people along the way, is home to more species of huge freshwater fish than any other in the world. But they are suffering. In the past 50 years the population of giant fish has dropped by 94%.
Dams are part of the problem. Over 140 of them have been built on the Mekong and its tributaries to feed the region's growing demand for electricity. Dozens more are under construction. Dams alter the amount and quality of water and nutrients in the river. They also block fish from migrating.
Changing weather patterns do not help. The wet season is shorter than it used to be and tends to start later, says Courtney Weatherby of the Stimson Centre, a think-tank. Between 2019 and 2021, the water level in the Mekong was the lowest since records began 60 years ago. Poor dam management, climate change and El Niño, a weather pattern that affects rainfall in the region, are all thought to contribute to the problem.
That Boramy is both massive and alive shows that pockets of the river remain resilient and worth protecting. Her discovery also points to improving relations between fishermen and conservationists. Her captor could have sold her as food. Instead he called Wonders of the Mekong, a local conservation group, which paid him some $600 to keep Boramy alive so that she could be tagged and released. Villagers along the river are also paid modestly to maintain the acoustic receivers that pick up signals from the group's tags.
Conservationists hope that by tracking Boramy, they will learn which parts of the river to protect, including breeding and birthing spots. But big fish may yet lose out to big hydropower. A new dam is being proposed just upstream of where Boramy was found.
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This could have an impact on the climate. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct. — Albedo refers to how much energy a surface reflects. Dark colours have an albedo near 0, indicating that little or no energy is reflected. Pale colours have an albedo close to 100%, which means that almost all of the energy is reflected. Hence, statement 3 is not correct. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. (Other Source: Which of the following terms refers to the growing tendency of companies, organisations or even countries to make dubious or unverifiable claims about their activities, products or services being environment-friendly or climate-friendly? (a) Sustainability theatre (b) Greenwashing (c) Bluewashing (d) Greenhushing Explanation What is greenwashing? — Although greenwashing as a term has been used in the limited context of advertising in these guidelines, it has a much broader scope. Greenwashing refers to the growing tendency of companies, organisations or even countries to make dubious or unverifiable claims about their activities, products or services being environment-friendly or climate-friendly. Due to heightened sensitivity to climate change, there is rising pressure on corporations and governments to carry out their activities in a way that causes the least damage to the environment. Many of them also have legal commitments, or targets, to adhere to in this regard. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. With reference to Forest Rights Act, 2006, consider the following statements: 1. It recognizes the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs. 2. The Gram Sabha is a highly empowered body under the Act, enabling the tribal population to have a decisive say in the determination of local policies and schemes impacting them. 3. It protects forest dwellers from unlawful evictions and also provides for basic development facilities for the community of forest dwellers to access facilities of education, health, nutrition, infrastructure etc. but limits the forest dwellers to access and use the forest resources to protect, conserve and manage forests. Which of the above given statements is/are correct? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 and 3 only (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Explanation — Underlining that forest-dwelling communities were protected from unlawful eviction under the Forest Protection Act, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has directed the states to create an institutional mechanism to ensure compliance with the law and set up a mechanism to address grievances, it is learnt. — The Ministry has asked the state tribal development and forest departments for a report detailing the name and number of villages situated in tiger reserves; the tribes and forest-dwelling communities in such villages; and all the forest rights claims received, vested, and rejected. It has also sought to know the process of seeking consent and the likely compensation. — 'The provisions under FRA explicitly empower forest-dwelling communities by legally recognising their rights, protecting them from unlawful eviction, and ensuring that any resettlement is carried out with their informed consent and participation,' the Ministry is learnt to have said. According to — 'The Act further enjoins upon the Gram Sabha and rights holders the responsibility of conservation and protection of bio-diversity, wildlife, forests, adjoining catchment areas, water sources and other ecologically sensitive areas as well as to stop any destructive practices affecting these resources or cultural and natural heritage of the tribals. The Gram Sabha is also a highly empowered body under the Act, enabling the tribal population to have a decisive say in the determination of local policies and schemes impacting them. — Thus, the Act empowers the forest dwellers to access and use the forest resources in the manner that they were traditionally accustomed, to protect, conserve and manage forests, protect forest dwellers from unlawful evictions and also provides for basic development facilities for the community of forest dwellers to access facilities of education, health, nutrition, infrastructure etc.' Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. Which of the following states is implementing three externally aided projects to ensure the protection of forests and the livelihood of forest dwellers? (a) Arunachal Pradesh (b) Nagaland (c) Goa (d) Tripura Explanation — Tripura's Forest and Environment Minister, Animesh Debbarma, announced that the state government is implementing three externally funded programs to safeguard forests and ensure the livelihoods of forest inhabitants. — The first project was supported by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the second by the Federal Republic of Germany through the KfW bank, and the third by the World Bank for Rs 1,764.94 crore, he added. — 'The projects aimed to generate employment for youths and women through the promotion of forest-based entrepreneurship,' Debbarma said while launching the 76th state-level Vanmahotsava at the Behalabari School playground in Khowai district. Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer. Consider the following statements with reference to Green Credit Programme (GCP): 1. Non-government organisations selected by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will be the implementing agencies (IA) for tree plantation based Green Credit Programme. 2. Industries, companies, non-government organizations, philanthropists, and individuals are encouraged to participate in the Green Credit Programme. Which of the above given statements is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Explanation — The Green Credit Programme (GCP) rolled out by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2023 was flagged by the Ministry of Law and Justice before its rollout, over legality of the business model built into it. — The ambitious government scheme seeks to invite voluntary participation in sectors ranging from plantations to water conservation in exchange of tradable credits. According to — 'Forest Departments/Forest Development Corporations of States and UTs will be the Implementing agency (IA) for tree plantation based Green Credit Programme. IA is responsible for identifying the suitable plantation blocks and further carrying out the plantation activities on the land selected by the entities.' Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 115) Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 117) Daily subject-wise quiz — Science and Technology (Week 117) Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 117) Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 116) Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 116) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
