Environment

Global & National Events

World Environment Day 2025 – June 5; Host: South Korea (Jeju); Theme: #BeatPlasticPollution
International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) – 1st Assembly, New Delhi, June 16, 2025; chaired by Bhupender Yadav. Launched April 2023 by PM Modi. HQ & Secretariat: India
International Biodiversity Day (Udaipur) – Theme: Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development
PRAKRITI 2025 – International Carbon Market Conference, New Delhi
ICCON 2025 – Conservation conference, WII Dehradun, June 25–27
Indian Conservation Conference 2025 – Dehradun; 500+ researchers
RIMES Conference – India co-chaired, Colombo; Disaster preparedness

Reports & Rankings

India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023
- Released: Dec 2024 by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav
- Forest & Tree Cover: 8,27,356 km² (25.17% of India’s area)
- Forest Cover: 21.76%
- Tree Cover: 3.41%
- Increase from 2021: +1,445 km²
- Top states by area: MP > Arunachal > Chhattisgarh
- Top by % cover: Lakshadweep > Mizoram > A&N Islands
- Max increase: Chhattisgarh; Max decrease: MP
- Mangroves: 0.15% area
- Carbon stock: Max in Arunachal
Tiger Census Report 2022 (29 July 2023) – By WII
- Total: 3,682 tigers (75% of world’s tigers in India)
- Top states: MP (785) > Karnataka > Uttarakhand
- Bihar – 54 (31 in 2018)
- Jim Corbett (Uttarakhand) – highest number of tigers: 260
Dolphin Report – WII
- 2,220 (35% of total in Bihar)
- Total 6,327 in India across 8 states – UP > BR > AS > JH > RJ > MP > PN
Asian Waterbird Census – MoEFCC + BNHS
- Birds: Highest in Bhagalpur, Lowest in Jamui
- India Coordinator Meeting in Patna
State of Climate in Asia 2024 – WMO Report
World Air Quality Report 2024 – India 5th most polluted country (1st Chad)
- Byrnihat (Meghalaya) most polluted Indian city
- New Delhi – world’s most polluted capital
- Cleanest region – Oceania
Global Nature Conservation Index 2024 – India 176th; Luxembourg 1st

Species & Conservation

Uttarakhand – reintroduced 14 endangered plant species
Asiatic Giant Tortoise – Reintroduced at Zeliang reserve, Nagaland
Nilgiri Tahr Census – 2,668 (Tamil Nadu & Kerala)
Chevrotain (Mouse Deer) – Rediscovered in Vietnam
Elephant Crossings – AI early warning, Tamil Nadu
Operation Falcon (Assam) – Zero rhino killings
Gharial Programme – Hatchlings released in Gerua River, Katarniaghat, UP
Vatsala elephant – Asia’s oldest elephant (100+ yrs) died at Panna Tiger Reserve, MP
Nagashankar Temple (Assam) – Recognized for turtle conservation
World’s longest banana – Musa indandamanensis (Andaman & Nicobar) – Critically endangered
Rhinisotope Project – Radioisotope in rhino horns (S. Africa with IAEA)

Wildlife, Sanctuaries & Parks

Kaziranga (Assam) – 1st Grassland Bird Census
Diu – 1st district meeting 100% electricity demand from solar
Bengaluru – Leopard Capital of India (80–85 leopards)
UP Govt – Approved 2 Rhino Rehabilitation Areas in Dudhwa National Park
India’s First E-Waste Park – Holambi Kalan, Delhi
India’s First Wildlife Corridor – 12 km, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Ranthambore Tiger Reserve
India’s First Butterfly Sanctuary – Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala
Jharkhand – 1st tiger safari, Barwadih, Palamau Tiger Reserve
Greater Flamingo Sanctuary – Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu (also Gujarat’s Great Rann breeding ground)
Salkhan Fossil Park (UP) – Added to UNESCO tentative list
Tral Wildlife Sanctuary (J&K) – Declared eco-sensitive
Indore & Udaipur – India’s first Ramsar Wetland Cities
Noida Jungle Trail – India’s first waste-to-wildlife park
Asia’s largest jungle safari – Aravalli Hills, Haryana
Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve (Spiti Valley, Himachal) – India’s largest conservation reserve
Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary (MP) – Renamed Veerangana Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve; India’s 3rd cheetah habitat
Tigers Outside Reserves Scheme – MoEFCC
Project Elephant Meeting – Dehradun

Energy & Technology

Kandla Port – 1st Green Hydrogen Plant
India’s 1st Water Technology Park – Assam
India – 3rd largest auto industry
India – 3rd largest biofuel producer, 4th largest consumer
India’s first hydrogen truck – Adani Enterprises, Chhattisgarh
India’s first hydrogen train – 1200 HP, Jind–Sonipat (Haryana)
India’s first hydrogen ferry – Cochin Shipyard, Kochi
India’s first Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactor – Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu (2026)
Green Hydrogen Certification – Launched by MNRE
Nuclear Energy Mission – Union Budget 2025–26; ₹20,000 crore; Target 100 GW by 2047
DST – 5 Carbon Capture & Utilisation (CCU) testbeds for cement sector
Bharat Forecast System (IMD) – First indigenous high-resolution weather model
India’s first Climate Change Station – Udhampur, J&K

Projects & Initiatives

Matri Van – Urban forest in Gurugram, Haryana under ‘Ek ped maa ke naa’
Amrut Biodiversity Park (Delhi) – Yamuna floodplain restoration project
River Cities Alliance – NMCG; rejuvenation in 145 cities
Miyawaki Technique – Dense forest in Prayagraj for Mahakumbh 2025
Green Transition Alliance – Denmark-India
SeaCURE Project (UK) – Ocean-based CO₂ capture
AIM4NatuRe – FAO-UK global ecosystem monitoring project
Baku-Belem Roadmap – $1.3 trillion climate fund for developing nations by 2035
Green Grabbing – ADB-backed Assam Solar Park protests
Modern cowshed with Bio-CNG plant – Gwalior, MP
Maruti Suzuki – Largest in-plant automobile railway siding, Manesar (Haryana)
HP Government – Free steel bottles for students
Kulsi River Project – Assam-Meghalaya; hydropower; Gangetic dolphin habitat

International & Global Context

Kariyachalli Island – Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu (sinking; reef restoration)
Tokara Islands – Japan
Bitra Island – Lakshadweep
Mount Cilo Glaciers – Turkey
ICJ ruling – Environment = fundamental human right (Vanuatu case)
Tarragona wildfire – Catalonia, Spain
Typhoon Kajiki – Philippines, Vietnam, China
Krasheninnikov Volcano – Erupted after 600 yrs, Kamchatka, Russia
Venezuela – All glaciers lost; Humboldt last glacier
Ningaloo Reef (Australia) – Severe coral bleaching
World’s first Thorium Molten Salt Reactor – China, Gobi Desert
Wallace Line – Divides Asia & Australia ecozones
‘Vruthi’ Campaign – Kerala; Cleanliness drive

New Terms & Concepts

Thirstwave – New term for prolonged high atmospheric evaporative demand
Aravalli Green Wall Project – Along Aravalli Range; combat land degradation, desertification

Bihar-Specific Environment & Climate

Bihar’s 2nd Tiger Reserve – Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary (1st: Valmiki Nagar, West Champaran)
Bihar’s Clean Air Survey Report 2024 – Patna ranked 14th, Gaya ranked 58th
Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 – Patna 21st/40 in Million Plus Cities; Patna & Gaya got 3-star garbage-free + Water Plus
Bihar’s Largest Floating Solar Plant – Fulwaria Reservoir, Nawada (10 MW)
Lion Breeding Centre – Rajgir Zoo Safari (India’s 4th)
Elephant Corridor – Jamui–Jhajha–Chakai Stretch, 1st in Bihar
Butterfly Rearing Centre – Bodhgaya
Dinosaur Park – Rajgir
Bihar’s 3rd Zoological Garden – Ranjganj, Araria
India’s First Seed Gene Bank – Bhagalpur
Special Tiger Protection Force – To be constituted
Kabartal Lake (Begusarai) – NGT formed committee for development
Bihar Earth Day – 9 August
Van Mahotsav 2025 – Target 5 crore saplings (Patna, 14 July 2025)
Son River Dispute – Indrapuri Reservoir Project cleared
Solid Waste Management Cluster – Patna (PPP)
Eco Campaign – “Har Ravivar, Eco Friendly Kaam- Ek Ghanta Paryavaran ke Naam”
Climate-Smart Schools – Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria & Purnia
Namami Gange Project – Patna and Chapra selected
Canal Bank Solar Energy Project – Bikram Lock Canal, Patna (2 MW)
Bihar’s First Nuclear Power Plant – SMR-based, Rajauli (Nawada)
Bacteria Discovery – Rajgir Hot Spring (antibiotic-producing)
Atlas of Water Bodies – Bihar’s 1st released by Revenue Minister
Bihar Tree Protection Day – Raksha Bandhan, 9 Aug 2025
Eco-Tourism Camps – Banka, Vikramshila, Bhimbandh, Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Kakolat Waterfall, Ghodhakatora
Carbon Emissions Bihar – Thermal power stations & brick kilns main sources
Climate Pathway Report – BSPCB + UNEP; Bihar 3% GHG share
Ramsar Sites – Nagi & Nakti Bird Sanctuaries (Jamui); Bihar now has 3 Ramsar sites
Bird Museum – Jamui (Bihar’s first, India’s 2nd)
Flood Severity Index – Patna ranked 1st, East Champaran 9th (IIT Delhi + IIT Roorkee)
Solar Power Plant – 50 MW in Banka (largest in Bihar)
Aquatic Life Health Lab – Fisheries College Muzaffarpur & Research Centre Patna
Lightning Study – Bihar in top 3 lightning-affected states
Reptile Diversity Survey – West Champaran highest, Bhagalpur lowest
Kalughat Terminal (Saran) – 5-star SVAGRIHA rating
Medicinal Plants Discovery (Brahmayoni Hill, Gaya) – Gymnema Sylvestre, P. dulce, Z. jujuba
Aranya Project (BPCL) – Drone afforestation at Godda & Bhagalpur
BAU Sabour – Organic Makhana cultivation in Purnea
L&T Solar Plant – 185 MW, Kajra (Lakhisarai)
Safe Drinking Water – Sasaram, Dehri & Aurangabad (Son river)
Centre of Excellence – Indigenous Breed Animals, Motihari
IARI Delhi – Declared 10 villages (Gaya, Buxar) climate friendly
Bird Aviary – Rajgir Zoo Safari
New Zoos – Sasaram, Gaya & Jamui (in addition to Patna & Rajgir)
Maa Mundeshwari Wildlife Ecopark – Bhagwanpur, Kaimur (Bihar’s 1st Wildlife Ecopark)

Environment – Bihar Data & Indices

Forest cover in Bihar – 7532.45 km² (8% of land area)
Target – 17.1% forest cover by 2028
Highest forest cover (Area wise) – Kaimur > West Champaran > Jamui
Highest forest cover (Percentage wise) – Kaimur > Jamui > Munger
Matsyagandha Lake – Saharsa
Disaster Risk Reduction – All districts in 5 categories, Most sensitive = Araria, Index = 0.46
Naregani – Ganga Corridor – Ara to Bagaha (225 km)
Muzaffarpur – Underground aquifer recharge from canals

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

Statutory Body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Established: 2006, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Objectives

Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives becomes legal.
Fostering accountability of Centre–State in management of Tiger Reserves by providing a basis for MoU with States within the federal structure.
Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

Composition

Chairperson: Minister in charge of MoEFCC
Vice-Chairperson: Minister of State in MoEFCC
Other Members:
- Three Members of Parliament
- Secretary (MoEFCC)
- Other nominated members

Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR)

in Rajasthan.
At the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges.