Environment and ecology
Karaiyavetti Bird Sanctuary
- Karaiyavetti Bird Sanctuary was notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests under Section 18(1) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, covering an area of 453.71 hectares.
- The sanctuary is essentially an irrigation lake.
- The lake receives water from the Mettur reservoir from September onwards.
- The sanctuary is one of the most important freshwater lakes in Tamil Nadu for migratory waterfowl. It is also one of the largest lakes in the state.
- The lake has been recorded as the site of the highest waterfowl migration in the state.
- Out of the 188 bird species in the sanctuary, 82 species are waterfowl. The endangered bar-headed duck is one of the major visitors to the lake.
BEACON INDIA Initiative
- Initiative Name: BEACON INDIA (Building Ecosystem for Accelerating Contribution to NDC through Climate Innovation Incubation for India).
- The initiative will be anchored by TREC-STEP (Tiruchi Regional Engineering College Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park).
- It will establish a climate innovation incubation and scale-up ecosystem — the first of its kind in India.
- The program is scheduled to be officially launched in early 2026.
- Aim to reduce or avoid 1.08 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
- Encourage start-ups in climate adaptation and green technology sectors, rather than conventional tech fields like e-commerce or fintech.
Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF)
- India is set to join the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) — a new nature financing model that rewards countries for protecting forests.
- The initiative aims to promote sustainable forest conservation through annual payments of $4 per hectare of forest protected.
- Funding Mechanism: Operated by the Tropical Forest Investment Facility (TFIF).
- Investors’ initial contributions are invested, and the returns are used to both reward forest-protecting nations and repay investors in full — making it a budget-neutral model.
India’s Climate Achievements
- India reduced the emission intensity of GDP by 36% between 2005 and 2020, and this trend continues.
- India expanded its forest and tree cover, creating an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent between 2005 and 2021.
- Non-fossil power now accounts for over 50% of India’s total installed capacity, enabling the country to reach its revised NDC target five years ahead of schedule.
Significance:
- The TFFF represents a new financial mechanism for rewarding forest conservation without burdening national budgets.
- India’s participation strengthens its commitment to climate action ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
About Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF)
- Initiative by: Brazil
- It is a global fund formed on the side-lines of COP-30 in Belem, Brazil for providing a long-term finance to make forest preservation a viable economic model.
- Objectives: To incentivize the conservation and expansion of tropical forests by making annual payments to Tropical Forest Countries (TFCs) that maintain their standing forest.
- The facility seeks to mobilize approximately $125 billion through a mix of public (20-25%) and private investment (70-80%).
- Eligibility: The TFFF could support over 70 TFCs that meet certain criteria, such as annual deforestation rate below 0.5%; fair resource allocation to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, etc.
Terminalia arjuna Trees
- Researchers from the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (Chennai) and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department enumerated 10,127 Terminalia arjuna (neer maruthu) trees in the Moyar Valley of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).
- The study was funded by the Mudumalai Tiger Conservation Foundation, Udhagamandalam (2024).
- Terminalia arjuna is a keystone species in the riparian forest ecosystem.
- The Terminalia arjuna trees serve as the primary nesting site for the Critically Endangered White-rumped vulture.
