Category: Nature / Environment

** Raimona becomes Assam’s sixth national park

The 422 sq ft wildlife habitat in Kokrajhar district adjoins western-most buffer to Manas Tiger Reserve

Raimona in Kokrajhar district has become Assam’s sixth national park.

Eastern Assam’s Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, under stress for unregulated coal mining in the vicinity is in the process of becoming the seventh national park, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a function to mark World Environment Day on Saturday.

** World Environment Day: Book on TN flowering plants documents 6,723 species, highest in India

“A comparison of flowering plants across various Indian states conclusively points to the fact that Tamil Nadu is the most species-rich state,” author D Narasimhan told The New Indian Express

** Andhra Pradesh Govt. nod for ‘Anandaiah preparation’, excluding eye drops

AYUSH chief says the concoction is not an ayurvedic medicine

The State government on Monday permitted the usage of the herbal preparation being given to COVID patients by B. Anandaiah, an ayurvedic practitioner of Krishnapatnam in Nellore district, by taking into account the findings of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, but kept on hold its decision on the eye drops claimed to be life saving for those with dangerously low levels of oxygen.

While giving the green signal to the herbal preparation, the government warned that COVID patients should not stop taking the drugs prescribed by doctors in the normal course.

** New geometrical lines discovered in Thar Desert

The authors also suggest that the lines could be contemporary with the neighbouring memorial stones

Using Google Earth images, drone observations and field visits, two independent researchers from France have identified eight sites around Jaisalmer in the Thar Desert, that show linear features resembling geoglyphs. Geoglyphs are large, un-explained geometrical patterns on land usually proposed to be man-made features.

** Gecko named after Mizo chieftain who fought British 150 years ago

Cyrtodactylus bengkhuaiai is one of four new species of bent-toed gecko recorded from Meghalaya and Mizoram

A species of pest-controlling lizard new to science has been named after a Mizo chieftain who fought the British forces 150 years ago.

Cyrtodactylus bengkhuaiai, named in honour of chieftain Bengkhuaia, is one of four new species of bent-toed geckos recorded by two groups of scientists in October-November 2020. Two geckos each were found in Mizoram and Meghalaya.

** Water campaign fetches student Forbes honour

Environmentalist Garvita Gulhati, a 21-year-old student of PES University, was nominated for ‘Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2021’.

After learning that millions of litres of water are wasted each year in India, left unsipped in glasses in restaurants, Garvita started her youth-led organisation.

** Innovative farming of green mussel yields bumper harvest in Kerala, sold out in no time

The IMTA combines farming of fish, seaweeds and filter feeding bivalves to create balanced systems for environmental and economic stability. CMFRI started the venture in December last year.