Latest news with #MinistryofEnvironment
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Centre developing legislative framework for blue economy: Govt in Lok Sabha
The central government is taking a systematic approach towards a legislative framework for implementation of the Blue Economy policy, the ministry of earth sciences informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The draft national policy on blue economy was placed in the public domain in February 2021. (PTI photo) The draft national policy on blue economy, covering seven thematic areas including ocean governance and marine spatial planning, was placed in the public domain in February 2021 and revised in July 2022 after inter-ministerial and stakeholder consultations, the response said adding that the policy is aiming to harness ocean resources sustainably for economic growth while protecting marine ecosystems ensuring national security and it also provides the foundational basis for future legislation, the response said. The deep ocean mission is a subset of the broader blue economy concept which is focused on technological development for exploring deep ocean resources, promoting climate change advisory services, conservation of deep-sea biodiversity, research on ocean biology, and harnessing energy and freshwater from the ocean. Also Read:'Samudrayaan': India's first manned deep ocean mission to be launched by 2026 end 'The current focus is on strengthening the existing environmental legal framework through targeted reforms, including amendments to existing laws and empowering the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's umbrella legislation the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. These reforms aim to introduce specific rules to address critical challenges such as e-waste (management), plastics waste management, batteries waste management, and end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) scrapping,' said Jitendra Singh, minister of state (MoS) for earth sciences. He was responding to questions by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Brijmohan Agrawal on three questions. Agrawal asked about the major legislative steps taken by the government for the Blue Economy district from policy-based approaches such as the Deep Ocean Mission along with the draft legislation; Secondly, he asked about the inter-ministerial consultations or projected timelines for a Blue Economy Law; and lastly, he asked about the existing mechanism which ensures sector-specific, legally binding environmental among others. Responding to the questions, Singh said that the various sectors in the blue economy are governed by different laws. Singh added that the regulatory gaps and overlaps are being addressed through the PARIVESH portal of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change which acts as a single window for environmental, forest, wildlife, and coastal regulation zone clearances and the National Sagarmala Apex Committee and PM Gatishakti portal also aid in integrated planning. 'There are dedicated laws and guidelines for investment, accountability, and liability including 100% FDI is permitted via the automatic route in sectors like sea-ports and aquaculture. Offshore mineral block auctions are open to foreign bidders with specified conditions. The Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, adopts international liability conventions and mandates compulsory insurance for pollution damage. Offshore safety is governed by the Oil Mines Regulations, 2017, and a draft Offshore Safety Directive', the MoS said. 'The 'Harit Sagar' Green Port Guidelines (2023) mandate ESG reporting for terminal operators. The Deep Ocean Mission requires Environmental and Social Due Diligence for its projects. Maritime Zones Act, 1976 along with updated rules like the Offshore Wind Energy Lease Rules, 2023, provides the legal framework for leasing and regulating offshore energy and mineral projects,' the response said.
The Star
14 hours ago
- General
- The Star
Cambodia's forest guardians honoured on World Ranger Day
Cambodian forest rangers often face arduous conditions, with forest patrols lasting as long as 15 days. - Environment Ministry PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's environmental rangers are undergoing increasingly intensive training — similar to their brothers and sisters in the military — and learning how to use the newest technology to boost their effectiveness in protecting natural resources and ensuring their own safety while they are deep in the forest. Ministry of Environment spokesperson Khvay Atitya highlighted their rigorous training as he marked World Ranger Day 2025, on Thursday (July 31). He noted that the kingdom's rangers show remarkable dedication and face numerous challenges as they patrol forests to protect natural assets. These include threats from illegal loggers, as well as natural hazards. 'Our rangers are dealing directly with the groups that commit forest crimes. That's why we work to enhance their capabilities through physical and tactical training, similar to military drills, to better protect Cambodia's natural treasures,' he explained. He added that rangers are also being trained in the use of modern technology such as drones and satellite mapping. These tools are being introduced gradually to strengthen enforcement and reduce risks while improving protection strategies. In addition, rangers often face health risks, arduous travel and harsh living conditions in remote forest areas. 'We are truly grateful to them. They make great sacrifices, leaving their spouses and children behind while they serve the mission of conservation. They endure hazardous areas, rainfall, disease and poisonous wildlife. Patrols typically last at least 15 days,' added Atitya. Cambodia's protected areas cover around 41 per cent of national land area, or approximately 7.3 million hectares, all of it under the management of the environment ministry. At present however, the ministry employs just 1,070 rangers, which is insufficient for this vast territory, he noted. Therefore, the ministry works closely with authorities, local communities and other partners to safeguard Cambodia's valuable natural resources. Conservation management is being carried out in line with intersectoral environmental strategies, focusing on legal enforcement, collaboration with subnational authorities, the deployment of drone technology and satellite maps, and partnerships with law enforcement agencies and the armed forces. Conservative NGOs also observed World ranger Day, expressing their gratitude to Cambodia's forest and wildlife rangers, community members and armed forces, for their dedication and bravery in protecting the country's rich biodiversity. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Bengaluru, Davanagere, and Hubballi-Dharwad see reduction in PM10 levels
MANGALURU: Bengaluru, Davanagere, and Hubballi-Dharwad have made modest strides in improving air quality under the Union Government's ambitious National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). This was revealed as a response by the ministry in the ongoing Lok Sabha session. While Karnataka received significant funding and saw measurable improvements in several cities, challenges in full implementation and fund utilisation remain. Launched in 2019, NCAP aims to reduce air pollution levels across 130 non-attainment and million-plus cities through city-specific Clean Air Action Plans (CAPs). Karnataka has been actively participating, with the Centre sanctioning Rs 597.52 crore from FY 2019-20 to FY 2024-25 and allocating Rs 194.41 crore for 2025-26. However, only Rs 14.2 crore has been released so far this year, raising concerns over the slow pace of fund disbursement and on-ground implementation of the programme. According to the ministry, Bengaluru, Davanagere and Hubballi-Dharwad have reported a 20-40% reduction in PM10 levels in FY 2024-25 compared to the base year 2017-18. Also, Davanagere and Kalaburagi have met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), with PM10 concentrations below 60 gm.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Science
- The Hindu
World's smallest known snake makes big comeback
For nearly two decades, no one had spotted the world's smallest-known snake. Some scientists worried that maybe the Barbados threadsnake had become extinct, but one sunny morning, Connor Blades lifted a rock in a tiny forest in the eastern Caribbean island and held his breath. 'After a year of searching, you begin to get a little pessimistic,' said Blades, project officer with the Ministry of Environment in Barbados. The snake can fit comfortably on a coin, so it was able to elude scientists for almost 20 years. Too tiny to identify with the naked eye, Blades placed it in a small glass jar and added soil, substrate and leaf litter. Several hours later, in front of a microscope at the University of the West Indies, Blades looked at the specimen. It wriggled in the petri dish, making it nearly impossible to identify. 'It was a struggle,' Blades recalled, adding that he shot a video of the snake and finally identified it thanks to a still image. It had pale yellow dorsal lines running through its body, and its eyes were located on the side of its head. 'I tried to keep a level head,' Blades recalled, knowing that the Barbados threadsnake looks very much like a Brahminy blind snake, best known as the flower pot snake, which is a bit longer and has no dorsal lines. On Wednesday, the Re:wild conservation group, which is collaborating with the local environment ministry, announced the rediscovery of the Barbados threadsnake. 'Rediscovering one of our endemics on many levels is significant,' said Justin Springer, Caribbean program officer for Re:wild who helped rediscover the snake along with Blades. 'It reminds us that we still have something important left that plays an important role in our ecosystem.' The Barbados threadsnake has only been seen a handful of times since 1889. It was on a list of 4,800 plant, animal and fungi species that Re:wild described as 'lost to science.' The snake is blind, burrows in the ground, eats termites and ants and lays one single, slender egg. Fully grown, it measures up to four inches (10 centimeters). 'They're very cryptic,' Blades said. 'You can do a survey for a number of hours, and even if they are there, you may actually not see them.' But on March 20 at around 10:30 a.m., Blades and Springer surrounded a jack-in-the-box tree in central Barbados and started looking under rocks while the rest of the team began measuring the tree, whose distribution is very limited in Barbados. 'That's why the story is so exciting,' Springer said. 'It all happened around the same time.' S. Blair Hedges, a professor at Temple University and director of its center for biology, was the first to identify the Barbados threadsnake. Previously, it was mistakenly lumped in with another species. In 2008, Hedges' discovery was published in a scientific journal, with the snake baptized Tetracheilostoma carlae, in honor of his wife. 'I spent days searching for them,' Hedges recalled. 'Based on my observations and the hundreds of rocks, objects that I turned over looking for this thing without success, I do think it is a rare species.' That was June 2006, and there were only three other such specimens known at the time: two at a London museum and a third at a museum collection in California that was wrongly identified as being from Antigua instead of Barbados, Hedges said. Hedges said that he didn't realize he had collected a new species until he did a genetic analysis. 'The aha moment was in the laboratory,' he said, noting that the discovery established the Barbados threadsnake as the world's smallest-known snake. Hedges then became inundated for years with letters, photographs and emails from people thinking they had found more Barbados threadsnakes. Some of the pictures were of earthworms, he recalled. 'It was literally years of distraction,' he said. Scientists hope the rediscovery means that the Barbados threadsnake could become a champion for the protection of wildlife habitat. A lot of endemic species on the tiny island have gone extinct, including the Barbados racer, the Barbados skink and a particular species of cave shrimp. 'I hope they can get some interest in protecting it,' Hedges said. 'Barbados is kind of unique in the Caribbean for a bad reason: it has the least amount of original forest, outside of Haiti.'
eNCA
4 days ago
- Science
- eNCA
World's smallest snake makes big comeback
BRIDGETOWN - A snake so small it could be mistaken for a worm has been spotted in Barbados, nearly two decades after it was thought to have been "lost" to science. The Barbados threadsnake (Tetracheilostoma carlae) was found hiding under a rock in central Barbados during an ecological survey in March by the Barbados Ministry of the Environment and National Beautification and conservation group Re:wild. "Barbados threadsnakes are blind snakes, so they're very cryptic," said Connor Blades, a project officer with the Ministry of Environment in Barbados who helped make the finding, in a statement. "They're quite rare also, it seems. There have only been a handful of confirmed sightings since 1889, so there are not many people who have ever seen it, unfortunately." Measuring just eight to 10 centimetres when fully grown -- tiny enough to almost fit on a US quarter coin -- the Barbados threadsnake is the world's smallest species of snake. It is distinguished by orange stripes along its back, eyes on the sides of its head and a small scale on its snout. "When you are so accustomed to looking for things and you don't see them, you are shocked when you actually find it," said Justin Springer of Re:wild, who made the discovery alongside Blades. "You can't believe it. That's how I felt. You don't want to get your hopes up too high." The breakthrough came after more than a year of searching, as the pair upturned rocks trapped beneath a tree root. The tiny snake, which was found alongside an earthworm, was taken to the University of West Indies for careful examination under a microscope -- it closely resembles the Brahminy blind snake, an invasive species, so the finding had to be validated -- before it was returned to the forest. Only two percent of the Caribbean island's primary forest remains intact, with the rest cleared for agriculture since the start of the colonial era 400 years ago. The Barbados threadsnake remains particularly vulnerable since it reproduces sexually and females lay a clutch of only one egg. Female Brahminy blind snakes, by contrast, can produce fertile eggs without mating. "The threadsnake's rediscovery is also a call to all of us as Barbadians that forests in Barbados are very special and need protection," said Springer. "Not just for the threadsnake, but for other species as well. For plants, animals and our heritage."
