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  T he Silent Valley project was a proposed hydroelectric dam across the Kunthipuzha river in Kerala, India, that would have submerged a large area of pristine evergreen forest in the Silent Valley region.  The project was opposed by a social and environmental movement that started in the 1970s and lasted for over a decade. The movement was led by various groups and individuals, such as the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP), a voluntary organization of scientists and writers, the poet Sugatha Kumari, the environmentalist S. P. Godrej, and the activist Medha Patkar. The movement used various methods to raise awareness and protest against the project, such as letters, petitions, seminars, rallies, publications, and legal actions. The movement succeeded in convincing the government to cancel the project in 1983 and declare the Silent Valley as a national park in 1986123 .  The Silent Valley project was a controversial issue that sparked a debate on the trade...

  Fig.: Appiko Movement T he Appiko movement was a forest conservation movement in India that started in the 1980s. The movement was similar to the Chipko movement, which also involved people hugging trees to prevent them from being cut down by loggers. The Appiko movement was mainly active in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, where the natural forests were threatened by monoculture plantations of teak and eucalyptus. The movement was founded and led by environmental activist Panduranga Hegde, who was inspired by Sundarlal Bahuguna, a leader of the Chipko movement.  The aim of the movement was to protect the biodiversity and livelihoods of the local communities that depended on the forests.  The Appiko movement succeeded in achieving some of its objectives, such as:  Stopping the felling of green trees in some areas and forcing the government to withdraw the logging contracts.  Promoting afforestation and reforestation activities on degraded la...

Fig.: Chipko Movement   T he Chipko Movement The Chipko movement was a forest conservation movement in India that started in the 1970s. The name of the movement means “to hug” or “to cling to” in Hindi, because the protesters used to embrace the trees to prevent them from being cut down by loggers. The movement was mainly led by women, who depended on the forests for their livelihood and well-being. The movement also inspired many environmental activists and organizations to fight for the protection of nature and the rights of local communities. Some of the leaders of the Chipko movement were Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Sundarlal Bahuguna, Gaura Devi, and Medha Patkar. The Chipko movement began in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, where the forests were threatened by commercial logging and development projects. The villagers, especially the women, realized that the deforestation was causing soil erosion, water scarcity, floods, landslides, and loss of biodiversity. They also ...

  CONSEQUENCES & OUTCOMES OF DEFORESTATION IN INDIA Deforestation is the widespread destruction of major forests in India, which causes environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change impacts, and livelihood threats for many people. CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION  IN INDIA: Conversion of forest land for agriculture, urbanization, industrialization, infrastructure development, etc.  Pollution of forest water and soil due to domestic sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, solid waste dumping, etc.   Overexploitation of forest resources such as timber, firewood, fodder, non-timber forest products, etc.  Invasion of exotic species that compete with native species and alter the forest ecology.  Forest fires that destroy large areas of vegetation and wildlife. SOME OF THE EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION IN INDIA: Soil erosion and land degradation that reduce the fertility and productivity of land.  Loss of habitat and species divers...

fig.: Various ways of deforestation   I n simple words we all know the meaning of "Deforestation" which is cutting of a large group of trees at a specific area. But the point of deforestation is to development of an area by cutting the tree which is quite bad from environmentalist's perspective. As plants are the largest ecosystem that sinks carbon and removes it from the environment after cutting plants the concentration of carbon di-oxide increases in the environment, and it gives the reason for "air pollution". In India if you see a waste land or any dumping area these are the perfect example of deforestation. Sometimes forests are cut down by the name of roads, to join the villages with the cities and for the development purposes. But we forget about the ecosystem. One day nature will make us to pay for it. It is important that if we cut a tree we have to plant another tree for a balanced ecosystem. Deforestation is also a natural disaster a simple example o...

  W e can say by the degree of dependency on environment that conservation of biodiversity is necessary.  As an area with higher species abundance has a more stable environment compared to an area with lower species abundance. As a human, we depend directly on various species of plants for our various needs. As well as, we also depend on various species of animals and microbes for different reasons. Biodiversity is being lost due to various reasons like Pollution, Over-grazing, Deforestation, Over-population, Hunting and poaching, climate change, etc. So, as we are more depended on this environment it's our duty to conserve our biodiversity. Laws Governing Biodiversity Conservation in India  (i) The Madras Wild Elephant Preservation Act, 1873.  (ii) All India Elephant Preservation Act, 1879.  (iii) The Indian Fisheries Act, 1897.  (iv) Wild Birds and Wild Animals Protection Act, 1912.  (v) The Indian Forest Act, 1927.  (vi) Bengal Rhinoceros Act, ...

  T he Forest administration in India is more than 100 years old. Efforts to identify plant species as a part of wildlife and to recognize the importance for providing special protection to endangered plant species have so far been negligible. The extinction of certain attractive animals stimulated efforts to protect fauna, but no special heed was given to flora. The word ‘Wildlife’ had till recently been considered synonymous with animal life and consequently, conservations and naturalists have their attention only to conservation of animal species. It was only in the year 1968 at an International Conference (UNESCO 1968) that the problem of conservation of flora and fauna was appreciated and several recommendations were made urging the International Biological Programme (IBP), .the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources (IUCN) and various international and national organizations to initiate studies in to the problems involved, particularly the proble...

 Unfortunately it has to say that main threats to biodiversity are Humans. Humans are fully depended on the natural resources but it is possible to use all these resource without harming the nature, without disrupting the biodiversity, without harming the habitat and the most important thing is not to waste natural resources. We should consume the resources till a limited amount and conserve the resources for our future generation and for other species too; by doing this it is possible that we can keep our climate safe, we can prevent our biodiversity by being threat. By destroying habitat, we eliminate not only prominent species but also many obscure ones of which we may not even be aware. Over harvesting of food species is probably the most obvious way in which humans directly destroy biological resources. There are many, ancient examples of human disturbances of natural systems. Once-fertile areas have become deserts because of frail forestry, grazing, and agricultural practices...

Hotspots of biodiversity are areas that have an exceptionally high concentration of unique and threatened species. These regions are considered crucial for conservation efforts, as they harbor a significant proportion of the world's biodiversity. Characteristics of hotspots: 1. High endemism: Many species found in these areas are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on Earth. 2. High species diversity: Hotspots have a large number of different species, including plants, animals, and microorganisms. 3. Threatened species: Many species in hotspots are threatened or endangered due to habitat loss, climate change, and other human activities. Examples of hotspots: 1. Madagascar: Known for its unique lemurs, fossa (Madagascar's top predator), and a variety of bird species. 2. Amazon Rainforest: Spanning across nine countries in South America, it's home to an estimated 10% of all known plant and animal species. 3. Congo Basin: Second-largest tropical rainforest in the w...

  Biodiversity encompasses the complexity and richness of life on our planet, from the tiniest microbe to the mightiest tree, and from the simplest ecosystem to the most intricate web of relationships. The United Nations Environment Programme  (UNEP) defines biodiversity as "the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part". Biodiversity is the vast array of all the species of plants, animals, insects and the microorganisms inhabiting the earth either in the aquatic or the terrestrial habitats. The human civilization depends directly or indirectly upon this biodiversity for their very basic needs of survival–food, fodder, fuel, fertilizer, timber, liquor, rubber, leather, medicines and several raw materials. This diversity’s the condition for the long-term sustainability of the environment, continuity of life on earth and the maintenance of its integrity....

  A behavior that occur in any organism after specific interval of time is known as Biological rhythm. eg; Wake and sleep cycle, Migration, Hibernation etc.   Biological clock   is self maintained physiological clock which regulate both external behavior and endogenous activity. It is an innate clock in our body which is so useful for biological rhythm. Types of Biological Rhythm: Circadian Rhythm: These are the rhythm with a period of 24hours(about a day). eg;   Sleep and wake cycle, Migration of organism to the top of sea at night. Types of  Circadian Rhythm Diurnal Rhythm: Organisms are active at day time. eg; Human, be. Nocturnal Rhythm: Organisms are active at night. eg; Bat, Owl. Crepuscular Rhythm: Organisms are active during dawn and dusk hours. eg; Rats. Vespertine Rhythm: Organisms are active at evening. eg; Mosquito. Arhythmic: No regular daily pattern of organisms.   2. Circannual Rhythm: It occurs over a period of approximately an ann...

  HAZARDOUS WASTE TREATMENT   Hazardous waste treatment involves various processes to reduce the toxicity, volume, or concentration of hazardous substances to minimize their impact on human health and the environment.  Different treatment method include:   Physical method: The physical method involves the separation or removal of hazardous components from waste streams through the process of sedimentation or filtration.    Chemical treatment: Chemical processes to treat hazardous waste include some of the processes like neutralize, oxidize, reduce, or otherwise change the composition of hazardous waste.   Biological method: Microorganisms break down organic hazardous wastes during aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Some of the methods are composting, aerobic and anaerobic decomposition, activated sludge, enzyme treatment, etc.   Thermal method: High temperatures are used to destroy hazardous waste. Incineration, boiling, auto...

  CHARACTERISTICS OF HAZARDOUS WASTES   The Environmental Protection Agency of America (EPA) defines the characteristics of hazardous waste as:     1. IGNITABILITY: The waste that explodes with the application of fire, electricity spark, or any source of heat; wastes with high ignitable potential or which burn vigorously and persistently. Such waste has a flash point of less than 600C. Examples of these types of wastes are :- solvent washes, waste oil, alcohols, aldehydes, paint wastes, petroleum wastes, cleaning solvents, etc.  2.CORROSIVITY: It is the ability of the waste to cause skin and mucosal membrane damage, burns and erosions and dissolve or corrode metallic surfaces. Such wastes have pH value of 2.512.5 at normal room temperatures (250 C). The corrosion rate for material damage is at 0.625 meters per year at 550 C.   Examples: acid sludge, battery acid wastes, caustic wastewater, alkaline cleaning wastes, rust remover waste, etc. 3.REA...

  Hazardous waste is any waste material with properties that make it dangerous or capable of having harmful effects on human health or the environment. Hazardous wastes are those that may contain harmful and toxic substances like heavy metals that are generated from Industries, hospitals and even some types of domestic waste. The concern towards hazardous waste management was stimulated by undesired massive health effects that were noticed in the neighborhood of Niagara Falls in New York State in the United States in the 1970s. These wastes could be corrosive, inflammable, explosive, or react when exposed to other materials. Some hazardous wastes are highly toxic to the environment including humans, animals, and plants. It comprises the waste generated during the manufacturing processes of the commercial products such as industries involved in petroleum refining, production of pharmaceuticals, petroleum, paint, aluminum, electronic products etc. Hazardous Waste managem...

Nitrogen is an essential constituent of proteins, which are the building blocks of all the living beings. Our atmosphere contains 78% of Nitrogen but it can not be used directly by the majority of living organisms.  There are Five main processes on the basis of which the entire nitrogen cycle can be explained. 1.Nitrogen Fixation : This process involves conversion of gaseous nitrogen into ammonia or nitrates which can be used by plants. It involves the following two steps: a.) Activation: activation of nitrogen requires 169kcal of energy fixation of each mol of nitrogen(28g) & the molecular nitrogen is converted into atomic nitrogen.          N^2---> 2N b.) Fixation : Activated nitrogen combines with hydrogen to from ammonia. In this step per mol synthesis of ammonia liberates 13kcal of energy. 2N+3H^2------> 2NH^3 Atmospheric nitrogen can be fixed to converted to biologically usable form: 1.Atmospheric Fixation:  Lightening, combustion...