IUCN Report: Threats to India's Natural World Heritage Sites
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Environment & Ecology (Key Institutions - IUCN, UNESCO; Protected Areas - National Parks, Western Ghats as a Biodiversity Hotspot; Key Concepts - World Heritage Sites (Natural), Invasive Alien Species, Endemism, IUCN Red List); International Conventions (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 1 (Geography): Geographical features and their location (Western Ghats, Sundarbans).
General Studies Paper 3 (Environment & Biodiversity): "Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment" (CORE TOPIC). The threats mentioned in the report (hydropower, roads, tourism, invasive species) are directly relevant to this part of the syllabus.
Key Highlights from the News
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s "World Heritage Outlook 4" report classified three major natural World Heritage Sites in India as being of "significant concern".
Sites of Concern: Western Ghats, Manas National Park in Assam, and Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal.
According to the report, the main threats faced by natural heritage sites in Asia are: climate change, tourism, invasive alien species, and roads.
Some other sites in India are classified as "good with some concerns" (e.g., Kaziranga, Keoladeo). Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim is in the "good" category.
Threats faced by Western Ghats: Hydroelectric projects, waste from tourism, destruction of natural habitat by plantations, climate change, and invasive plant species (eucalyptus, acacia).
Threats faced by Sundarbans: Increasing salinity in water, pollution from heavy metals, and sea level rise.
This report is also an operational roadmap for achieving the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to prevent biodiversity loss.
COMMENTS