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tensions
Que. What are biodiversity hotspots? Give examples from India and elaborate.
Ans. It is an area with a vast array of life-forms found nowhere else in the world and is threatened by various
factors. Focussing on biodiversity hotspots is an efficient way to save many species with the least use of time,
money and effort. Earth suffers from global warming, environmental pollution and depletion of life-supporting
resources. At the same time, it is losing critical forest cover, alarmingly fast.
British environmentalist and conservationist Norman Myers coined the term “biodiversity hotspot” to refer to
an area with a vast array of life-forms found nowhere else in the world and is threatened by various factors.
According to him, focussing on biodiversity hotspots is the way to save the most species with the least use of
time, money and effort.
Speaking specifically, two criteria must be met to classify a region as a biodiversity hotspot: One, it should
have a minimum of 1,500 species of vascular plants found solely in that region, and two, it should have lost at
least 70 % of its native vegetation. Worldwide, 34 such regions have been identified. India, one of the world‟s
17 megadiverse countries, has biodiversity hotspots in the Western Ghats, the Himalayas, the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and parts of Northeast India. Let‟s take a closer look at each of these to get a sense of what we
have and what we are rapidly losing.
Western Ghats: The Western Ghats begin in Sonagadh, Gujarat, and span the six states of Maharashtra, Goa,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to end at the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari. This 1,600-km long
chain of mountains, which runs parallel to India‟s western coastline, houses thousands of exclusive flowering
plant species as well as mind-boggling numbers of bird, mammal, amphibian, insect, reptile, mollusc and fish
species. It hosts catchment areas and dams for rivers such as the Cauvery, Godavari and Tungabhadra.
Massive deforestation - thanks to mining activities and human settlements, unchecked air and water pollution
due to agrochemicals from tea and coffee plantations as well as construction of resorts, have led this region to
be recognised internationally as one of the world‟s eight „hottest hotspots‟. To combat this and to restore
balance, 58 areas in the Western Ghats, including national parks, tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries, have
been marked out as protected areas. As many as 39 of these are classified as World Heritage sites.
The Himalayas: This vast region, which contains the world‟s tallest peaks (the Everest and K2) as well as
some of the deepest gorges, has been divided into the Eastern and Western Himalayas. The Eastern Himalayas
cover Northeast India and parts of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. The Western Himalayas cover areas of Pakistan,
Kashmir and the Kumaon-Garhwal region. With ecosystems changing every couple hundred km, the
Himalayas cradle it all: grasslands and coniferous forest to meadows atop mountains and unique plants
growing out of just rock and ice. In recent decades, timber logging, agriculture, mining and construction of
buildings and roads have resulted in massive deforestation, adversely affecting the region‟s biodiversity.
Poaching was, and still is, a major threat, with the musk deer becoming nearly extinct.
The Andamans: Almost 86 % of this 8,249-sq.km. group of islands is rainforest and home to more than 1,000
species of animals. The marine ecosystem, more than the terrestrial one, supports the flora and fauna in these
islands. The complex marine ecosystem is now under massive threat from illegal fishing and poaching. Large
populations of whales, sea turtles and sharks have been wiped out. Natural disasters, such as the 2004 Indian
Ocean tsunami, have permanently damaged these islands.
The idea of biodiversity hotspots works for conservationists and funding providers, such as corporates and
international agencies such as the World Bank, mainly because restricted areas identified as „hotspots‟ are
easy to track in terms of effort and results. However, it is important to remember that the hotspots are just the
“first” areas to focus conservation resources on—they are by no means the only ones. While we work on
saving the existing hotspots, it‟s imperative that we prevent other biodiverse regions from turning into
hotspots. The way to start doing that is to return to living in harmony with Nature.
Practice Questions
1. Does the sons-of-the-soil policy in India have Constitutional basis?
2. Write on the developing partnership between India and the USA on energy.

Today’s MCQ
I. ‘Aadi Mahotsav’, often seen in news is:
a) It is a National Tribal Festival organized by Ministry of Tribal Affairs
b) The purpose of Aadi Mahotsav is to celebrate and cherish the spirit of tribal culture, craft, cuisine and
commerce
c) Both (a) and (b)
d) Neither (a) nor (b)
II. Which among the following is not a part of ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical
and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)’:
a) Bangladesh b) Myanmar
c) Malaysia d) Thailand
III. ‘N.K. Singh Panel’ has recommended:
1. The fiscal deficit to GDP ratio of 4% till 2019-20.
2. Deviations from the stipulated fiscal targets should not be more than 0.5%.
3. The panel has introduced a concept of “Escape clause” that can allow the government to skip the fiscal
deficit target for a particular year in adverse situations.
a) 1 and 2 only b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 only d) 1, 2 and 3
IV. Consider the following about ‘Coal Bed Methane’:
1. Coalbed methane is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds.
2. It is called 'sweet gas' because of its lack of hydrogen sulphide.
3. There are no Coal Bed Methane sites in India.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
a) 1 and 2 only b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 only d) 1, 2 and 3

Today’s MCQ Answer & Explanation

I. Answer: c)
Explanation: It is a National Tribal Festival organized by Ministry of Tribal Affairs in association with
TRIFED and Ministry of Culture to celebrate and cherish the spirit of tribal culture, craft, cuisine and
commerce.
II. Answer: c)
Explanation: The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC) is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia.
These are: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. BIMSTEC has its
headquarter in Dhaka.

III. Answer: b)
Explanation: • The panel has recommended fiscal deficit to GDP ratio of 3% till 2019-20.
• The panel has advocated reaching a fiscal deficit to GDP ratio of 2.8% in 2020-21, 2.6% the next year and
2.5% in 2022-23.
• To put that in context, the government has set a fiscal deficit target of 3.2% of GDP in 2017-18, marginally
better than the 3.5% clocked last year.
• The panel has introduced escape clause triggers that can allow the government to skip the fiscal deficit target
for a particular year, in situations that include national security concerns, acts of war, national calamities, a
collapse of the agriculture sector and far-reaching structural reforms with unanticipated fiscal implications.
• It has also suggested the creation of a Fiscal Council that the government must consult before invoking
escape clauses.

IV. Answer: a)
Explanation: Currently, Great Eastern Energy Corporation and Essar Oil are the only two CBM-gas
producing blocks in the country, both from separate reserves in Raniganj, West Bengal. Reliance Industries
has reportedly begun test production from its two blocks in Madhya Pradesh. Natural gas from coal bed
methane is likely to contribute to five per cent of national gas production by 2017.