Context:
World Environment Day is celebrated on 5th June every year to encourage awareness and environmental protection. In a remarkable initiative to combat deforestation and restore biodiversity, two environmentalists have spearheaded the creation of India’s first biospheres within tiger reserve
Relevance:
GS III: Environment and Ecology
Dimensions of the Article:
- Key Facts About World Environment Day
- India’s First Biosphere in a Tiger Reserve
Key Facts About World Environment Day
Establishment and Purpose
- Established by: The United Nations Assembly in 1972.
- Historical Context: The first day of the Stockholm Conference on the human environment.
- Annual Celebration: World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year with a specific theme and slogan focusing on major environmental issues.
Recent Hosts and Themes
- WED 2024 Host: Saudi Arabia.
- India’s Role: Hosted the 45th celebration in 2018 under the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.
Key Initiatives
- UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: Initiated in 2021, a global mission to revive billions of hectares, including forests, farmlands, mountains, and seas.
- 2024 Theme: Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience.
- Significant Milestone: 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Significance of Land Restoration
- Combats Environmental Issues: Addresses land degradation, drought, and desertification.
- Economic Benefits: Each dollar invested can yield up to USD 30 in benefits from healthy ecosystems.
- Socioeconomic Impact: Creates jobs, reduces poverty, and improves livelihoods.
- Climate Resilience: Helps communities better withstand extreme weather events.
- Carbon Storage: Increases carbon storage in soil and slows the pace of warming.
- Biodiversity Conservation: Restoring just 15% of degraded land could prevent a significant portion of expected species extinction.
India’s First Biosphere in a Tiger Reserve
- Initiative by Environmentalists: Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana have created India’s first biosphere in a tiger reserve.
- Name and Location: The Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB) is located within the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand.
Project Scope:
- Area: The biosphere covers a 35-acre private forest.
- Goals: It aims to identify and revive rare and endangered species of native trees while protecting the area from poaching and mining.
- Previous Land Condition: The land designated for the RRB was previously barren and degraded.
- Future Development: They are also developing a second biosphere above the Koyna River in the buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve near Pune, Maharashtra, along the Western Ghats.
-Source: The Hindu, PIB
