FEATURED TOPIC: ENVIRONMENT

FEATURED TOPIC: ENVIRONMENT

SEA TURTLES

Background

• Found in all oceans except polar regions. Flatback turtle found exclusively in the north coast of Australia. 
• Average lifetime around 80 years
• Lay eggs on beach sand. Gender of hatchling depends on temperature

Threats and Concerns

• All species of sea turtles listed as threatened or endangered. Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley and Hawksbill turtles critically endangered. Olive Ridley and green turtles are endangered, loggerhead threatened.
• Threats: fishing methods, beach development for human activity, black market trade in eggs and meat, especially in Phillippines, India, Indonesia and Latin America.
• Climate change: higher temperatures means disproportionately large number of female hatchlings

Sea Turtles in India

• Five of seven sea turtle species found in India
• Nesting beaches for Olive Ridley in Orissa
• Feeding and nesting for green and Hawksbill turtles in Andaman & Nicobar, and Lakshadweep
• Nesting of Leatherbacks in the Little Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• All sea turtles listed in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972
• Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act 1982 prohibits mechanized fishing 5 km from coast. Also prohibits mechanized fishing 20 km from coast along mouth of Devi river

RECENT NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS

Domestic

1. Hockey: China beat India in the finals of Asia Cup women’s hockey in Bangkok
2. Tennis: Rohan Bopanna and Pakistani partner Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi win doubles title at ATP Challenger event in Aachen, Germany
3. Cricket: Sachin Tendulkar completes 20 years of international cricket
4. Essar Group announced acquisition of 51% majority stake in Warid Telecom Uganda and Congo for about $160m
5. Movie theatre chain PVR acquired DT Cinemas for about Rs 62cr
6. Cyprus-based Suntera Resources exits oil and gas exploration in India
7. Food inflation climbs to 13.68%
8. Kalyan Singh quits SP, may rejoin BJP

International

1. Golf: Tiger Woods wins Australian Masters
2. Tennis: Novak Djokovic wins Paris Masters
3. NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) finds water on the Moon
4. Global fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approves USD 2.4 b for India
5. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz named Most Powerful Person in Energy by Forbes
6. Czech Republic celebrates 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution
7. Euro Zone steps out of recession after 5 quarters of economic contraction
8. Intel to pay USD 1.5 b to settle long-running disputes with AMD