seasons are observed in 49 per cent of the area.
The net carbon sink in the region is however, only 12 per cent per annum.
A carbon sink captures a greater amount of carbon in the atmosphere than it emits.
On the other hand, a carbon source emits more carbon than it takes up.
Permafrost, which is soil or rock kept at or below 0 degrees Celsius at least two years in a row, contains enormous quantities of carbon locked up in ice.
Gulf of Eilat coral reefs in Red Sea.
Scientists have found that there was a large gap in the growth of coral reefs in the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba in the late Holocene.
Coral reefs in the gulf of Eilat have undergone an unexpected 3,000-year hiatus or stagnation in growth, between 4,400 and 1,000 years ago.
It was probably because of a low sea level that might have been caused by cooling of the earth.
Although this took a very long time, the reef has finally been restored and the coral species come back, appearing in deeper waters, which proves the natural strength.
There was amazing consistency in coral diversity and abundance before and after the hiatus.
Faunal survey of Parambikulam TR.
The Forest Department has conducted a faunal survey of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad and has added 15 species to the checklist in the reserves.
A total of 206 bird species were listed in the survey.
The new additions total into 302 species of birds in the reserve.
The reserve also had five additional butterfly species added to the checklist.
These additions increase the number of species of butterflies in the reserve to 273.
In addition, 39 species of odonates, including three new ones, have been discovered in the survey.
They are adding 69 species to the odonate checklist of the reserve.
CPCB report on Ganga water
In Prayagraj, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has also expressed concern over the presence of high faecal coliform bacteria in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
According to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), faecal bacteria was found to be very high at different stages along the two rivers around Sangam in Prayagraj.
Water contamination with faecal coliform was caused by the combination of human or livestock excreta.
Its levels measure the quality of the water and serve to check the presence of bacteria that cause diseases.
The overall level of coliform (faecal and otherwise) in the Ganga was observed to be approximately 1,400 times higher than the normal.
In the Yamuna they were 660 times greater at some places in Prayagraj.
In 2004 a committee established by the ministry of urban development recommended that the preferred faecal coliform limit must be 500 MPN/100ml.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater.
Aandivilai near the Manakudy Mangroves in the Kanniyakumari district has been found as the first known breeding site of the blue-cheeked bee-eater (merops persicus) in peninsular India.
It was mostly bred in areas like Nile Delta, Pakistan and Iran with parts of Africa being its wintering grounds.
Breeding burrows of the bird were finally discovered along the saltpans of Pazhayar river basin.
Aravali safari park project
The ambitious Haryana state government project is the Aravali safari park (3,858 hectares).
It is considered to be the largest safari park in the world.
The Aravali safari park will include animal cages, guest houses, hotels, restaurants, auditoriums, animal hospital, children parks, botanical gardens, aquariums, cable cars, a tunnel walk with exhibits, open-air theatre and eateries.
Out of around 80,000 hectares of the Aravali hills in Haryana, most is conserved by numerous pieces of legislation, and the orders of the Supreme Court and the NGT.
IUCN OECMs report
IUCN published report on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) report.
Here is the critical guidance on saving land, water and coastal areas with the help of OECMs, given in this report.
It will be supportive enough to meet the KMGBF 2022 Target 3 to preserve 3 out of every 10 areas by 2030.
The OECMs are not the official safeguarded regions (PAs) but they play a role in conserving biodiversity.
In India there are approximately 14 Other Effective Area-Based Conservation area.
New Phytopathogenic Fungus
One more species of phytopathogenic fungi which has recently been discovered by the Researchers is epicoccum indicum.
It is linked to a leaf spot disease that is emerging in Chrysopogon zizanioides (vetiver).
The pathogenic fungi causes the diseases in the plants, which results in the huge losses in agriculture and horticulture.
New Phytopathogenic Fungus
Recently, The Researchers have also made a new discovery of phytopathogenic fungi, which is also known as epicoccum indicum.