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Environment for General Studies UPSC Civil Services Exam Websites: https://www.pmfias.com and https://store.pmfias.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PoorMansFriend2485 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/poormansfriend Newsletter: https://www.pmfias.com/newsletters Environment PDF 1. Environment and Ecology...................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Environment ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Biosphere ............................................................................................................................................................ 7 Habitat ................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Ecosystem ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Components of an Ecosystem .......................................................................................................................... 10 1.2 Ecology – Principles and Organizations .................................................................................................. 14 Levels of Organizations in Ecology ................................................................................................................... 14 Principles of Ecology ......................................................................................................................................... 16 1.3 Ecotone ................................................................................................................................................... 22 2. Functions of Ecosystem ....................................................................................................................... 25 2.1 Ecological Succession ............................................................................................................................. 25 Stages ............................................................................................................................................................... 26 2.2 Homeostasis in Ecosystem ..................................................................................................................... 30 Homeostasis ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 2.3 Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem – Trophic Levels ............................................................................ 32 Food Chain ........................................................................................................................................................ 33 Food Web ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Ecological Pyramids .......................................................................................................................................... 38 Pollutants and Trophic Level – Biomagnification ............................................................................................. 44 2.4 Biogeo Chemical Cycling or Nutrient Cycling ......................................................................................... 46 Types of Nutrient Cycles ................................................................................................................................... 47 Carbon Cycle (Gaseous Cycle) .......................................................................................................................... 48 Nitrogen Cycle (Gaseous Cycle) ........................................................................................................................ 51 3. Natural Ecosystem .............................................................................................................................. 61 3.1 Biomes or Terrestrial Ecosystems .......................................................................................................... 61 Tundra Biome ................................................................................................................................................... 62 Taiga or Boreal Biome ...................................................................................................................................... 63 Temperate Deciduous Biome (North-Western Europe – British Type Climate) .............................................. 64 Temperate Rainforest Biome ........................................................................................................................... 64 Sub-Tropical Deciduous Biome in Eastern China, South Eastern USA ............................................................. 64 Steppe or Temperate Grassland Biome ........................................................................................................... 65 Temperate Deciduous Biome (Mediterranean Climate) .................................................................................. 65 Tropical Deciduous Biome (Monsoon Climate) ................................................................................................ 65 1 Savanna or Tropical Wet and Dry Biome .......................................................................................................... 65 Tropical Rain Forest Biome ............................................................................................................................... 65 Desert Biome .................................................................................................................................................... 66 3.2 Aquatic Ecosystems ................................................................................................................................ 66 Aquatic Organisms ............................................................................................................................................ 67 Factors Limiting the Productivity of Aquatic Habitats ...................................................................................... 67 Wetland Ecosystem .......................................................................................................................................... 68 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands ..................................................................................................................... 74 Estuarine Ecosystem ......................................................................................................................................... 83 Mangroves ........................................................................................................................................................ 86 4. Global Environmental Issues and Environmental Degradation ............................................................. 91 4.1 Major Causes of Environmental Degradation ........................................................................................ 92 4.2 Consequences of Environmental Degradation ...................................................................................... 92 4.3 Air Pollution ............................................................................................................................................ 93 Classification of Pollutants ............................................................................................................................... 94 Major Gaseous Air Pollutants, Their Sources & Effects .................................................................................... 98 Prevention and Control of Air Pollution ......................................................................................................... 103 Effects of Air Pollution: Acid Rain – Acidification ........................................................................................... 110 Ocean Acidification ......................................................................................................................................... 115 4.4 Water Pollution .................................................................................................................................... 117 Causes of Water Pollution .............................................................................................................................. 117 Effects of Water Pollution .............................................................................................................................. 122 Water Pollution Control Measures ................................................................................................................. 123 Eutrophication – Ageing of Lakes ................................................................................................................... 132 4.5 Radioactive Pollution ........................................................................................................................... 135 Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Radiation ............................................................................................................... 136 Accidents at nuclear power plants ................................................................................................................. 139 Safe Disposal of Nuclear Wastes .................................................................................................................... 140 Impact of Radiation from Mobile Phone Towers ........................................................................................... 140 4.6 Soil Pollution ......................................................................................................................................... 141 Causes and Sources of Soil Pollution .............................................................................................................. 141 Effects of soil pollution ................................................................................................................................... 142 4.7 Noise Pollution ..................................................................................................................................... 143 4.8 Solid Wastes ......................................................................................................................................... 143 Effects of Plastic Waste .................................................................................................................................. 143 Industrial solid waste ...................................................................................................................................... 144 Plastic waste in road construction ................................................................................................................. 144 Issues with treatment and disposal of solid waste ........................................................................................ 144 Waste Minimization Circles (WMC) ............................................................................................................... 146 4.9 Hazardous Waste ................................................................................................................................. 146 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants .............................................................................. 147 Basel Convention ............................................................................................................................................ 147 Rotterdam Convention ................................................................................................................................... 147 4.10 Electronic waste | E-WASTE ................................................................................................................. 148 Source and health effects ............................................................................................................................... 148 E-Waste in India .............................................................................................................................................. 150 Heavy Metal Toxicity and Methods of Their Prevention ................................................................................ 151 2 4.11 Marine Pollution ................................................................................................................................... 153 Convention on Dumping of Wastes at Sea ..................................................................................................... 153 The United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea........................................................................................ 155 4.12 Land Degradation ................................................................................................................................. 155 Deforestation .................................................................................................................................................. 156 Overgrazing..................................................................................................................................................... 158 Faulty Methods of Agriculture ....................................................................................................................... 158 Soil Salinity and Soil Alkalinity ........................................................................................................................ 158 Desertification ................................................................................................................................................ 160 Waterlogging .................................................................................................................................................. 161 Characteristics of Indian Soils ......................................................................................................................... 162 Soil Erosion ..................................................................................................................................................... 162 Soil Conservation ............................................................................................................................................ 164 4.13 Human Modified Ecosystems and Environmental Degradation .......................................................... 169 Agroecosystems.............................................................................................................................................. 169 Plantation Forest ............................................................................................................................................ 170 Aquaculture .................................................................................................................................................... 170 Dams, Reservoirs and Diversions ................................................................................................................... 171 Environmental Issues in the Himalayas .......................................................................................................... 172 5. Biodiversity .......................................................................................................................................176 5.1 Definitions ............................................................................................................................................ 177 5.2 Biodiversity of India .............................................................................................................................. 180 Realms ............................................................................................................................................................ 180 Biomes of India ............................................................................................................................................... 181 Bio-geographic Zones ..................................................................................................................................... 181 Bio-geographic provinces ............................................................................................................................... 182 Wildlife Diversity of India ............................................................................................................................... 183 5.3 Loss of Biodiversity ............................................................................................................................... 186 Cause for the loss of biodiversity ................................................................................................................... 186 5.4 Biodiversity Conservation .................................................................................................................... 192 In situ conservation ........................................................................................................................................ 192 Ex Situ Conservation ....................................................................................................................................... 198 5.5 Historic Citizen Movements to Conserve Biodiversity ......................................................................... 199 Chipko Movement .......................................................................................................................................... 199 Appiko Movement .......................................................................................................................................... 200 5.6 Biodiversity Hot Spots .......................................................................................................................... 200 Biodiversity hotspots in India ......................................................................................................................... 201 5.7 World Heritage Sites ............................................................................................................................ 203 Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB programme) ..................................................................................... 204 6. International Union for Conservation of Nature .................................................................................204 6.1 BirdLife International ........................................................................................................................... 204 6.2 CITES ..................................................................................................................................................... 205 6.3 TRAFFIC ................................................................................................................................................. 206 World Wide Fund for Nature (World Wildlife Fund) ...................................................................................... 207 6.4 IUCN Red List or Red Data List or Red Book ......................................................................................... 207 3 6.5 IUCN Red List India (As of March 2019) ............................................................................................... 209 ‘Critically Endangered’ Mammals ................................................................................................................... 209 ‘Endangered’ Mammals.................................................................................................................................. 213 ‘Endangered’ Marine Mammals ..................................................................................................................... 219 ‘Vulnerable’ Mammals ................................................................................................................................... 220 ‘Vulnerable’ Herbivorous Marine Mammals .................................................................................................. 224 ‘Near Threatened’ Mammals ......................................................................................................................... 225 Least concern .................................................................................................................................................. 228 ‘Not Evaluated’ Mammals .............................................................................................................................. 229 Crocodile species in India ............................................................................................................................... 229 ‘Critically Endangered’ Birds ........................................................................................................................... 230 Endangered Birds ........................................................................................................................................... 233 ‘Vulnerable’ Birds ........................................................................................................................................... 234 ‘Critically Endangered’ Reptiles ...................................................................................................................... 235 ‘Vulnerable’ Reptiles ...................................................................................................................................... 237 ‘Near Threatened’ Reptiles ............................................................................................................................. 239 ‘Critically Endangered’ Fish ............................................................................................................................ 239 ‘Endangered’ Fishes ........................................................................................................................................ 241 ‘Critically Endangered’ Spiders ....................................................................................................................... 241 ‘Critically Endangered’ Corals ......................................................................................................................... 242 Others ............................................................................................................................................................. 243 Steps Taken by the Government for Wildlife Protection ............................................................................... 244 6.6 Misc. Topics .......................................................................................................................................... 245 Indian Vulture Crisis........................................................................................................................................ 251 7. Climate Change ..................................................................................................................................256 7.1 Greenhouse effect and Global Warming ............................................................................................. 256 Importance of Natural Greenhouse Effect ..................................................................................................... 257 Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) ............................................................................................................................. 257 Global Warming – Impacts ............................................................................................................................. 262 Sea Level Change ............................................................................................................................................ 263 7.2 Reducing Carbon in the Atmosphere to fight Climate Change ............................................................ 266 Clean coal technology to reduce CO in atmosphere ..................................................................................... 266 2 Carbon capture and storage ........................................................................................................................... 267 Carbon Sink and Carbon Sequestration.......................................................................................................... 268 7.3 Ozone Depleting Substances ................................................................................................................ 272 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer ............................................................................ 273 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer .................................................................. 273 Kigali amendment to Montreal Protocol 2016 ............................................................................................... 273 The Ozone Depleting Substances Rules ......................................................................................................... 275 8. International Conventions, NGOs, Laws .............................................................................................276 8.2 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972) ........................................................ 277 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) or UN Environment ......................................................... 277 8.3 UNCED or Earth Summit 1992, Rio De Janeiro Brazil ........................................................................... 280 8.4 Agenda 21 ............................................................................................................................................. 282 Rio+5 (1997) ................................................................................................................................................... 283 Rio+10 (2002) or Earth Summit 2002 ............................................................................................................. 283 Rio+20 (2012) ................................................................................................................................................. 283 2030 Agenda – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ................................................................................ 284 4
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