ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
SUBMITTED TO: Prof. POOJA SOLANKI SUBMITTED BY: LOVEESH SINGLA
[EVS Lecturer] [BMS 1(B) 20118]
QUESTIONS
Question 1 - Discuss various case studies on the conservation of biodiversity.
The variability of life on Earth is called Biodiversity. Biodiversity takes into account all the living organisms
present on Earth. Healthy and good biodiversity indicate a healthy and good ecosystem. Biodiversity is
typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Hence, biodiversity is very
important. A healthy ecosystem also includes the availability of pure water, pure air, healthy land, good
climate, and availability of nutrients on Earth. Therefore, biodiversity conservation plays an important role in
the quality of life of all living organisms.
A number of factors like pollution, erosion, evolution, urbanization, industrialization, population, and depletion
lead to the loss of biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity is very harmful to the ecosystem as it indicates either loss
of species, or reduction of species in a natural habitat, or both of them on a global level. Loss of biodiversity
has a poor impact on the ecosystem. Loss of biodiversity directly impacts the ecosystem and food chains in it. It
affects agriculture and weakens the resistance to natural disasters like floods, drought, etc.
Conservation of biodiversity is protection, upliftment, preservation and scientific management of biodiversity
so as to maintain it at its threshold level and derive sustainable benefits for the present and future generation
ensuring that they are healthy and functional.
The three main objectives of Biodiversity Conservation are as follows
- To protect and preserve species diversity.
- To ensure sustainable management of the species and ecosystems.
- Prevention and restoration of ecological processes and life support systems.
CASE STUDIES ON THE CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
➢ Project Tiger (1973)
It was launched for conservation of Indian Tiger whose population had reduced from 40000 in 1900 to a mere
1800 by 1972. It was a centrally sponsored scheme to protect the species and its habitat as a natural heritage for
benefit of the people. It also aimed to harmonize the rights of the tribals in and around such areas. Tiger reserves
were notified for protection of tiger and its prey. A statutory body National Tiger Conservation Authority headed
by PM would be setup to monitor these reserves. State government would notify such reserves on
recommendation of this body.
In 1973, Project Tiger was launched in the Palamau Tiger Reserve, and various tiger reserves were created in the
country based on a ‘core-buffer’ strategy. Project Tiger was launched in Jim Corbett National Park of Uttarakhand
in 1973. India has more than 80 national parks and 441 Sanctuaries of which some have been declared as Tiger
reserves.
Tiger reserves would have a core and buffer area. Core area would remain inviolate for any human interference.
The buffer areas would see co-existence of human activity and habitat protection. The NTCA and National board
of Wildlife would recommend and approve the denotification or alteration of Tiger reserves after which the state
governments could proceed.
Functions of N.T.C.A (Established in December 2005):
1. Approve tiger conservation plan of state governments.
2. Disallow ecologically unsustainable activities in tiger reserves.
3. Monitor tiger conservation activities, capacity building measures and regulate tourism in core and buffer
areas.
4. Allow diversion of land for economic activities after approval of National board of Wildlife.
➢ Project Elephant (1992)
It was launched as a central sponsored scheme in 1992 for protection of elephants and their habitat. States were
given financial assistance in their efforts of conservation and capacity building of staff. Protection of elephant
corridors, preventing man animal conflict, stop poaching and protect tamed elephants are objectives of this
project.
Elephant corridors are areas that connect habitats of elephant colonies. These are located in everywhere in India
except western regions. Apart from mining ivory hunting is another serious problem. "gajah" is the mascot of the
movement.
Tiger faces threat of extinction, whereas the elephant faces threat of attrition.
The elephant numbers have not increased or decreased drastically but there is an increasing pressure on the
elephant habitats.
Project elephant was launched in 1992.
It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
Objectives of Project Elephant:
1. To assist states having populations of wild elephants and to ensure long term survival of identified viable
populations of elephants in their natural habitats
2. Addressing man-animal conflict.
3. Developing scientific and planned management measures for conservation of elephants.
4. Protecting the elephants from poachers, preventing illegal ivory trade and other unnatural causes of death
➢ Project One Horned Rhino (2005)
Launched in 2005, Indian Rhino Vision 2020 is an ambitious effort to attain a wild population of at least 3,000
greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020. Assam
forest department and Bodo council are implementing Indian rhino vision 2020 for increasing rhino population
to 3000 by 2020 and to distribute them over 7 protected areas for conservation. International Rhino Fund has
partnered with the Assam Forest Department, the Bodoland Territorial Council, the Worldwide Fund for Nature
(WWF), and the US Fish & Wildlife Service to address the threats facing Indian rhinos. They are moving rhinos
from overcrowded areas, like Kaziranga National Park and Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary, to other protected areas
where they can breed. Along with continuing strict protection and community engagement, spreading Indian
rhinos out among more protected areas will create a larger, safer and more stable population.
Unfortunately, this population has also been touched by poaching – part of a region-wide increase in poaching
beginning in 2012-2013. After losing eight animals, IRV 2020 halted rhino translocations to Manas in 2013 to
focus on improving security. Training in new patrolling methods, along with the support of new park leadership,
has made a big difference – only one rhino was lost to poaching in Manas in 2014 and one in 2017. The current
population of 32 rhinos in Manas continues to thrive. The Project is now ready to start building a stable rhino
population in a second protected area, and are planning to move at least six Indian rhinos from Kaziranga National
Park to the Laokhowa-Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary beginning in 2019-2020. The species has recovered from
about 200 animals in the early 1990s to around 2900 today.
➢ Project Snow Leopard (2009)
Snow leopard was once globally endangered species, but now it is IUCN red list status has been changed from
endangered to vulnerable. The snow leopard population is around 7500 surviving individuals in the world in the
areas of Central Asian mountains, Himalayas and in Russia s remote Altai mountains. India has around 10% of
the Global snow leopard population in less than the 5% of Global snow leopard habitat. In India, snow leopards
are found in the high-altitude areas above the forested areas above 3000m. India has an estimated snow leopard
population of 400 to 700 snow in these five Himalayan States. Project snow leopard, launched in 2009 with the
ultimate goal of safeguarding and conserving India's unique natural heritage of high-altitude wildlife and their
habitats by ensuring their conservation and welfare through the participation of local population and through
supportive actions of government.
Threats to snow leopards
1. Loss of Habitat and species: There have been concerns over loss of habitat and prey species in the
mountainous areas due to anthropogenic actions. Habitat degradation Habitat fragmentation and Habitat
loss are caused due to human intrusion. Overgrazing has damaged the high-altitude grasslands which have
left less food for the Prey species of snow leopard such as wild goats and sheep. Further, hunting of Snow
leopards’ natural prey for meat is also a major threat to the survival of snow leopards.
2. Retribution killings: As the snow leopard Habitat lacks a sufficient number of prey species, snow leopard
has increasingly been adapted to prey on domestic livestock. This has led to man-animal conflict. Loss of
even a single sheep or goat causes great economic hardship for the herder communities. All these have
led to retaliatory killings of the Snow Leopards.
3. Poaching of snow leopards: Snow leopards are hunted for their fur and skin. The bones and other body
parts of snow leopards are used in traditional Asian medicines, which has frequently led to poaching of
snow leopards.
4. Other anthropogenic activities: Other activities such as tourism, construction of roads, human settlement
in the snow leopard habitat also poses a great threat to the snow leopards.
Aim and objectives of project snow leopard
1. Promoting a knowledge-based adaptive conservation strategy which fully involves the participation of
local communities who share the snow leopard habitat in the conservation and protection efforts under
project snow leopard.
2. Conserving India's unique natural heritage of high-altitude wildlife by promoting conservation, protection
and management through the participatory policies and actions.
➢ Project Sea turtle (1999)
Sea turtles have been around for millions of years and grace the waters of all the world’s oceans except the Arctic.
Unfortunately, sea turtles face many threats to their survival. All seven species are listed as endangered by CITES
(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna); six of the seven species of
sea turtles are classified as threatened with extinction by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (International
Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). The primary objective of the project is to develop
sustainable programs and activities for protecting the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and conservation and
land use management of the Green Sea Turtle nesting beach habitat in the project area through interventions
based on the concept of environmental stewardship and participatory management. Ministry of environment and
forest and UNDP started this program currently implemented by Wildlife institute of India. Aim is conservation
of egg hatching sites of olive ridley turtles in all 10 coastal states of India especially Orissa.
1. A significant proportion of world’s Olive Ridley Turtle population migrates every winter to Indian coastal
waters for nesting mainly at eastern coast.
2. With the objective of conservation of olive ridley turtles and other endangered marine turtles, MoEF
initiated the Sea Turtle Conservation Project in collaboration of UNDP in 1999 with Wildlife Institute of
India, Dehradun as the Implementing Agency.
3. The project is being implemented in 10 coastal States of the country with special emphasis in State of
Orissa.
4. The project has helped in preparation of inventory map of breeding sites of Sea Turtles, identification of
nesting and breeding habitats along the shore line, and migratory routes taken by Sea Turtles, development
of guidelines to safeguard and minimize turtle mortality.
5. One of the important achievements have been demonstration of use of Satellite Telemetry to locate the
migratory route of Olive Ridley Turtles in the sea and sensitizing the fishermen and State Government for
the use of Turtle Exclusion Device (TED) in fishing trawlers to check turtle mortality in fishing net.
➢ Project Crocodile (1975)
The Indian Crocodile Conservation Project has pulled back the once threatened crocodilians from the brink of
extinction and place them on a good path of recovery. The gharial, salt water crocodile and mugger are focus of
this scheme. Crocodile conservation and breeding center. Hyderabad is involved in this and one aim is to sensitize
local populations for effective conservation.
Objectives of The Indian Crocodile Conservation Project
1. To protect the remaining population of crocodilians in their natural habitat by creating sanctuaries.
2. To rebuild natural population quickly through ‘grow and release’ or ‘rear and release’ technique.
3. To promote captive breeding, (Captive breeding means that members of a wild species are captured, then
bred and raised in a special facility under the care of wildlife biologists and other expert). Bringing an
animal into captivity may represent the last chance to preserve a species in the wild.
4. To take-up research to improve management.
5. To build up a level of trained personnel for better continuity of the project through training imparted at
project-sites and through the (erstwhile) Central Crocodile Breeding and Management Training Institute,
Hyderabad.
6. To involve the local people in the project intimately.
➢ Project Hangul (1970s)
Kashmir stag or Hangul is the state animal of J&K. The habitat destruction had brought this animal on brink of
extinction. These deer once numbered from about 5,000 animals in the beginning of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, they were threatened, due to habitat destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock, and
poaching. This dwindled to as low as 150 animals by 1970. However, the state of Jammu & Kashmir, along with
the IUCN and the WWF prepared a project for the protection of these animals. It became known as Project
Hangul. This brought great results and the population increased to over 340 by 1980. But it was short lived.
Many factors are responsible for the failure of this project.
1. There was no local people participation in the project. It was carried without the involvement of local
communities such as Gujjars, Bakerwals, Nambardars, Chowkidars and Patwaris.
2. The project was confined focus around Dagwan, in a radius of 10 kms crying foul of Sheep breading
Farm.
3. The government departments allowed establishing Cement factories around Dachingam National Park.
They disturbed the wild areas.
4. There was illegal and reckless unscientific extraction of limestone stretching over miles after miles was
carried under its nose. Those areas created death traps for animals.
5. The onset of militancy dealt a blow to conservation efforts.
Later the project was rechristened as “Save Kashmir’s Red Deer Hangul” in 2009. Another attempt to save the
Hangul was to breed it in captivity. Funds were sanctioned for captive breeding. Under the Species Recovery
Programme, conservation breeding centres are opened at Sikargah Tral, Pulwama District and Kangan. But there
not much progress on increasing the numbers.
➢ Project Ganges River Dolphin (2015 – 2016)
The Ministry of Environment and Forests notified the Ganges River Dolphin as the National Aquatic Animal.
In India, the Ganges River Dolphin is threatened by river water pollution and siltation, accidental entanglement
in fishing nets and poaching for their oil. In addition, alterations to the rivers in the form of barrages and dams
are separating populations. It is estimated that their total population is around 2,000 and they are listed in
Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
Objectives of the project:
1. Develop a mobile application for the monitoring of chemical and biological water quality as well as fish
abundance, and test the mobile application with community members
2. Work to engage local fishing communities and high school students from socio-economically
marginalised groups and castes within Karnali-Mohana in the data collection, which will then be
submitted and analysed by experts
3. Better understand the underlying threats to dolphin populations in the region
4. Lobby policymakers at the local, regional and national levels to develop policies that address the root
causes of Ganges river dolphin decline
Question 2 - Explain the process of Solid-waste management.
Solid-waste management refers to the collection, treatment, and disposal of solid material that is discarded
because it has served its purpose or is no longer useful. Improper disposal of municipal solid waste can create
unsanitary conditions, and these conditions in turn can lead to environmental pollution and an outbreak of vector-
borne diseases. They also pose a wide variety of administrative, economic, and social problems that must be
managed and solved.
Process of Solid-waste management
1). Generation of Waste
Waste generation includes all materials discarded, whether or not they are later recycled or disposed in a landfill.
The generation of solid waste is the inevitable consequence of all processes where materials are used. Extraction
of raw materials, manufacture of products, consumption and waste management, all generate wastes.
2). On-site processing and primary collection of waste
Processing (includes separation of waste components and resource/ energy recovery) and storage at or near the
point of generation.
Before disposal, a waste should be considered for the following possibilities:
▪ Reduction in Raw Materials and Solid Waste
This can be achieved by - i) reducing the amount used in the manufacture of a product
ii) increasing the life of the product
iii) reducing the amount used for packing the consumer goods.
▪ Reuse of Waste Materials
Reuse of waste materials now occurs most commonly in those situations where a product has utility in more than one
application. For example, the plastics bottles are reused to store water.
▪ Material Recovery and Recycling
A number of materials present in municipal and industrial wastes are suitable for recovery and recycling. About 10-15 per
cent of solid wastes are recoverable like paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals (mostly
aluminium) and rubber. On the contrary, leather, textile and food wastes are unsuitable candidates for materials recovery.
Fly ash from thermal power plants can be used to make bricks for construction.
▪ Composting
Another method of treating municipal solid waste is composting, a biological process in which the organic portion of refuse
is allowed to decompose under carefully controlled conditions.
▪ Energy Recovery
After segregation of wastes in the above-mentioned categories, the remainder is considered for the recovery of heat by
burning (incineration). Because, about 70 per cent of the components that comprise solid waste are organic, the potential
for recovery of heat energy is high. The energy content in the waste matter is converted to a form that can be used more
easily. The remainder (ash) is also more compact and weighs less, occupying a smaller volume.
3). Communal storage of Waste
Picking up of waste from sources by external bodies (common in industrialized countries) and transfer station or
closely located disposal sites, or collection of waste by micro-enterprises.
4). Transfer station
Storage for all categories of waste at communal bins, containers or designated places for picking up of solid waste
by external organizations. This is common in many low-income countries.
5). Secondary collection of Waste
Transfer of waste from small collection vehicles to large haulage vehicles.
6). Recycling, processing, resources recovery
Picking up of waste from secondary storage site and transport to final disposal site.
7). Disposal of Waste
Solid waste disposal management is usually referred to the process of collecting and treating solid wastes. It
provides solutions for recycling items that do not belong to garbage or trash. Solid waste management can be
described as how solid waste can be changed and used as a valuable resource. Treatment plant is usually the final
stage of solid waste management.
Here are the methods of solid waste disposal and management:
✓ Solid Waste Open Burning
Solid waste open burning is not the perfect method in the present scenario.
✓ Sea dumping process
This sea dumping process can be carried out only in coastal cities. This procedure is very costly and not environment
friendly.
✓ Solid wastes sanitary landfills
Solid wastes sanitary landfills process is simple, clean and effective. In this procedure, layers are compressed with some
mechanical equipment and covered with earth, levelled, and compacted. A deep trench of 3 to 5 m is excavated and
micro-organisms act on the organic matter and degrade them.
✓ Incineration method
Incineration method is suitable for combustible refuse. High operation costs and construction are involved in this
procedure. This method would be suited in crowded cities where sites for land filling are not available. It can be used to
reduce the volume of solid wastes for land filling.
✓ Composting process
Composting process is similar to sanitary land-filling and it is popular in developing countries. Decomposable organic
matter is separated and composted in this procedure. Yields are stable end products and good soil conditioners. They can
be used as a base for fertilizers.
Two methods have been used in this process: i) Open Window Composting
ii) Mechanical Composting
✓ Disposal by Ploughing into the fields
Disposal by ploughing into the fields are not commonly used. These disposals are not environment friendly in general.
✓ Disposal by hog feeding
Disposal by hog feeding is not general procedure in India. Garbage disposal into sewers including BOD and TSS increases
by 20-30%. Refuse is ground well in grinders and then fed into sewers.
✓ Salvaging procedure
Materials such as metal, paper, glass, rags, certain types of plastic and so on can be salvaged, recycled, and reused.
✓ Fermentation/biological digestion
Biodegradable wastes are converted to compost and recycling can be done whenever possible. Hazardous wastes can be
disposed using suitable methods.