24-Aug-2019: National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology at SACON
Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), a centre of excellence under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt of India has been conducting reach on various issues pertaining to conservation of birds in India for over two and half decades.
On the 24th August 2019, Shri Prakash Javadekar, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Chance, Govt of India inaugurated the National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology at SACON to study the movement of environmental contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, poly chlorinated biphenyls and drugs through food chain, and their harmful effects on birds.
The centre would explore the impact of chemical contaminants on individual species of birds and, where possible, link them to population and communities. Ecotoxicological studies assume significance at a stage when ecological factors are unable to explain continued mortality of birds leading to population decline over a period of time. In the recent past, the centre has documented the levels of contaminants in around 125 species of birds received from different parts of India. Sarus Crane, Demoiselle Crane, Vulture, Peafowl, Pelican are a few to name.
Analytical chemistry, being an integral part of Ecotoxicological studies, warrants state-of-the-art analytical equipment to quantify and qualify the presence of elusive chemicals in different biological and non-biological matrices.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India through a project at an estimated cost of 4 crores funded modernizing the facility at SACON to handle the challenges posed by the continued entry of newer chemicals into the environment. While there may be analytical facility available elsewhere in India, to deal with environmental contamination, SACON is the only institute which does Ecotoxicological research, focusing on birds.
The modernized facility at SACON is equipped with sophisticated instruments, namely High Performance Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS/MS), High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC), Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Gas Chromatograph (GC), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) and UV / Visible Spectrometer. These equipment will help us estimate the levels of an array of chemicals such as pesticides, heavy metals and even drugs that cause harm to birds and their environment. Eventually the output will help the Government in framing policies towards protecting not only birds but also other life forms.
28-Jan-2019: Africa Center for Climate and Sustainable Development inaugurated in Rome
A major focus on boosting the agricultural sectors and promoting rural development in Africa is needed to ensure a better future for the continent's youth who, if given the chance, can be the drivers of development, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said at the inauguration of the Africa Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development.
The Africa Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development, was established by the Italian government in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and FAO. It will facilitate much-needed exchange of information and coordination to increase efficiencies and build synergies across Africa, develop and scale-up innovative solutions for sustainable development and implement the goals of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Climate Agreement.
Sustainable development in Africa "is a pillar of Italy's foreign policy" and shared challenges ranging from security, migration and climate change represent a "common destiny," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new center, which he said will initially focus on the Sahel region.
“Safeguarding our planet in terms of climate, environment and social cohesion can only be assured if we start from Africa,” said Sergio Costa, Italy’s Environment Minister. A committee of advisors for the Centre, comprised of African ministers, will be constituted.
Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, noted the new center was conceived thanks to an Italian initiative at the meeting of G7 environment ministers in Bologna in 2017 and offers a "practical foundation" for speeding up responses to the known challenges of the future.
Today, sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of undernutrition - and farm yields are far below those obtained elsewhere. There are a host of reasons, such as infrastructure deficits and the lack of access to markets and credit. Conflict and climate change are also having a strong impact on vulnerable rural populations.
The Africa Center for Climate and Sustainable Development is a response to recognition at the G7 summit of the need for a center dedicated to the promotion of sustainable development, with a special interest in initiatives linked to climate, Climate-Smart Agriculture, access to water, clean energy generation, gender equality.
The Center has identified communication and support initiatives linked to accessing international funds, identifying and evaluating projects and enhancing the involvement of resources from the private sector in programmes as core functions.
Several ministers from African countries attended the inauguration and participated - along with Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, and Ibrahim Thiaw, the UN Secretary General's Special Adviser for the Sahel - in a round-table discussion. This explored how the Center can contribute to Africa's needs and how G7 countries can steer their cooperation to contrast environmental degradation and promote sustainable economic growth in the region.
The Italian government has set up a trust fund for the Center, and one of its first tasks has been to support initiatives promoted by the United Nations Secretary General for sustainable development in the Sahel region.
FAO is helping many member states develop national plans to strengthen rural livelihoods and inclusive governance schemes that benefit family farmers and will provide expertise on food security and sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture.
3-Oct-2018: India's first dolphin research centre to be setup in Patna
National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC), India’s and Asia’s first dolphin research centre is likely to be set up next month on the banks of the Ganga river in the Patna University premises. It will play an important role in strengthening conservation efforts and research to save the endangered mammal.
The process to set up the NDRC started after the Patna University agreed nearly two months ago to provide the land. The university’s Syndicate had earlier stalled the proposal for over three years. Unhappy over the delay, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had threatened earlier this year to shift NDRC to Bhagalpur.
The dolphin habitat has been threatened and disturbed in the river. The water level has been decreasing and the flow has slowed down. Besides, siltation is increasing in the river. All this is not favourable for dolphins.
The Gangetic river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal but frequently falls prey to poachers and is sometimes killed inadvertently after being trapped in plastic fishing nets and hit by mechanized boats.
The mammals are being killed at an alarming rate with wildlife officials saying poachers covet them for their flesh, fat and oil.
The mammal’s presence signals a healthy river ecosystem. Dolphins prefer water that is at least 5-8 feet deep. They are usually found in turbulent waters where there is enough fish for them to feed on.
Gangetic dolphins prefer deep water with adjoining shallow water. They live in a zone where there is little or no current that helps them save energy. If they sense danger, they can go into deep waters. The dolphins swim from the no-current zone to the edges to hunt for fish and return.
NDRC’s foundation stone is likely to be laid on October 5.
The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, India’s only dolphin sanctuary, spread over 50 km along the Ganges, is located in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district. Bihar is home to around half of the country’s estimated 3,000 dolphin population. The state government has decided to conduct a study-cum-survey of the Gangetic dolphin in 2018 in the 525-km stretch of the Ganga river between Chausa (Buxar) in the west and Manihari (Katihar) in the east. The Wildlife Institute of India will help the government in this. The last survey was conducted in 2012 and nearly 1,500 dolphins were counted.
Gangetic river dolphins fall under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and have been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Gangetic river dolphin is one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are found in the Yangtze river, the Indus river in Pakistan and the Amazon river.
The Gangetic river species — found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal — is almost completely blind. It finds its way and prey using echoes — with sound being everything for them to navigate, feed, escape danger, find mates, breed, nurse babies and play.