5 September CA

1.

In the most extensive study on invasive species carried out till date, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in its new publication – the “Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control’’ – has found that there are 37,000 alien species, including plants and animals, that have been introduced
by many human activities to regions and biomes around the world, including more than 3,500 invasive alien species and that invasive alien species have played a key role in 60% of global plant and animal extinctions recorded.

The report, which was released on Monday, said that invasive alien species are one of the five major direct drivers of biodiversity loss globally, alongside land and sea use change, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, and pollution.

The IPBES released its report following a week- long plenary from August 28th, with representatives of the 143 member States which have approved the report. IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body established to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services, working in a similar way to the IPCC, which is the UN’s climate science body. The study, which has taken place over a period of four years, has been by 86 leading experts from 49 countries, drawing on more than 13,000 references.

The report has noted that the number of alien species (species introduced to new regions through human activities) has been rising continuously for centuries in all regions, but are now increasing at unprecedented rates, with increased human travel, trade and the expansion of the global economy.

The water hyacinth is the world’s most widespread invasive alien species on land. Lantana, a flowering shrub, and the black rat are the second and third most widespread globally. The brown rat and the house mouse are also widespread invasive alien species.

The report said that the annual costs of invasive alien species have at least quadrupled every decade since 1970, as global trade and human travel increased. In 2019, the global economic cost of invasive alien species exceeded $423 billion annually.

The reduction of food supply, has been cited by the report as the most common impact of alien invasive species. For example the European shore crab impacting commercial shellfish beds in New England or the Caribbean false mussel damaging locally important fishery resources in Kerala, by wiping out native clams and oysters. The Caribbean false mussel was originally from the Atlantic and Pacific coast of South and Central America, but are believed to have travelled to India via ships, later spreading to estuaries through smaller fishing vessels.

Invasive alien species like Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegyptii spread diseases such as malaria, Zika and West Nile Fever, while others also have an impact on livelihood such as the water hyacinth in Lake Victoria in East Africa led to the depletion of tilapia, impacting local fisheries.

The IPBES report has further warned that warming temperatures and climate change could favour the “expansion of invasive species’’.

“Climate change is also predicted to increase the competitive ability of some invasive alien species, extending the area suitable for them and offering new opportunities for introductions and establishment. Invasive alien species can also amplify the impacts of climate change.

For example, invasive alien plants, especially trees and grasses, can sometimes be highly flammable and promote more intense fires,’’it said.

2.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Monday launched a revamped version of the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ programme apart from an Indian Heritage app and an e-permission portal.

Initially launched in 2017 under the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the ASI which invited corporate stakeholders to adopt from over 3,000 protected monuments spread across the country, ‘Adopt a Heritage 2.0’, is the upgraded version of ‘Adopt a Heritage’ programme. The programme encourages corporate stakeholders to utilise their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to enhance facilities at historically-important monuments.

The app, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive guide to monuments under ASI’s ambit. It lists historical structures along with pictures, public facilities available on site and geo-tagged locations.

The e-permission portal has been designed to simplify and speed up the process for acquiring approvals for photography, filming, and developmental initiatives concerning heritage monuments, with the goal of expediting the permission-granting process.

The Adopt a Heritage 2.0 has incorporated a host of changes to the programme after a leaner management and supervision structure for the partner agencies, clear guidelines for semi-commercial activities and detailed scope of work and amenities required for monuments was proposed in the earlier version. 1,000 additional monuments have also been added to the list for adoption.

Earlier, the corporate partners’ proposed visions and expression of interest would go through two levels of scrutiny via three committees. Corporate partners were also encouraged to adopt smaller monuments or “low visibility sites” along with the monuments they adopted. However, according to the Additional Director General of the ASI, Gurmeet Chawla, these policies were not met with enthusiastic response and would often prevent companies from adopting monuments altogether.

In the updated programme, more freedom has been given to companies such as the option to either adopt a monument in whole and develop its tourism infrastructure, or provide a particular amenity such as drinking water facility or cleaning services for one or several sites.

3.

The Indian Air Force kickstarted its annual mega training exercise Trishul on Monday as part of which its Western Air Command (WAC) will activate all its combat assets from Leh in Kashmir to Nal in Rajasthan.

As per officials, the internal exercise is being held from September 4 to14 and all frontline assets under the command such as fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters will be deployed. The exercise is aimed at testing the command’s operational preparedness and given its scale and complexity, a high-level of coordination and preparedness involved. With several IAF assets slated to be deployed for Delhi airspace security for the G20 Summit later this week, it is not immediately clear whether the exercise will be paused during the period.

The IAF has airlifted nearly 70,000 Army troops and heavy platforms as part of efforts towards enhancing the overall operational preparedness in eastern Ladakh.

4.

Universities in Maharashtra have been told to bring out Marathi translation of textbooks used in Science and Commerce streams by the end of September, abiding by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 that recommends higher education in Indian regional languages.

While the state’s plan is to provide university education in Marathi, translated textbooks are going to be used as reference books this year to help students understand the concepts better.

The higher and technical education department entered into an agreement with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in January this year to develop a technology for translating English textbooks into Indian regional languages.

5.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking’s (BEST) iconic open double-decker non-AC buses, a significant part of Mumbai’s tourism scene for many years, will be completely out of service in October.

These buses provide tourists with a unique way to explore the city’s popular attractions such as the Gateway of India, Flora Fountain, and Colaba, among others.

The service will come to an end due to the lack of replacement buses and the ageing fleet.

The last three ageing buses in BEST’s ownership will be scrapped on different dates in September and October. These buses have been a popular choice for tourists, offering curated and non-curated rides at varying prices, depending on the duration of the ride.

The fact that the first open double-decker bus service for tourists was started in collaboration with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in 1997 highlights its long history of serving tourists.

Additionally, the regular non-AC double-decker buses, which have been a part of Mumbai’s public transportation system since 1937, will also be scrapped from September 15, leaving only AC-closed double-decker buses in service for commuters. It marks the end of an era for these iconic buses.

There are plans to preserve the legacy of these buses by placing one of them in a museum, as per BEST officials.