Conventions, ecosystems and pollution frameworks in the environment news. 49 concepts, each with its definition, key details and a timeline of every news story that touched it.
The NGT is a specialised judicial body established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to...
ENSO is a recurring climate pattern involving fluctuations in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, coupled...
The Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA), 1972 was the first comprehensive legislation for wildlife conservation in independent India. It established a legal...
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) is a landmark legislation that recognises the...
The NGT was established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, to handle cases relating to environmental protection, conservation of forests, and...
The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 is India's principal legislation for wildlife conservation. The Asian elephant is listed in Schedule I, which affords...
El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle — a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon centred on the equatorial Pacific Ocean....
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the periodic alternation of warming (El Niño) and cooling (La Niña) of sea surface temperatures in the central...
India's Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), submitted under the Paris Agreement in 2022, commits to three core 2030 targets: reducing the...
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a leading conservation challenge in India, arising from shrinking forest cover, expanding human settlements, and wildlife...
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) was declared extinct in India in 1952. After decades of planning and legal battles — including a Supreme Court reversal in...
The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri, are one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots identified by Conservation International. The mountain range...
CAQM was established by the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, replacing earlier ad-hoc...
As glaciers retreat, meltwater accumulates in glacial lakes dammed by loose moraine deposits. When these natural dams fail — due to seismic activity...
Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh was selected as the primary site for cheetah reintroduction after extensive habitat...
The National Green Hydrogen Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2023, aims to make India a global hub for production, use, and export of green...
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands form one of India's most ecologically sensitive regions. The islands are part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot and...
The Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (under Article 244) provides for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in...
Kaziranga National Park, located in Assam along the Brahmaputra floodplain (Golaghat and Nagaon districts), is one of India's most significant biodiversity...
The MMDR Act is the primary central legislation governing the mining sector in India. It regulates the grant of mining leases and prospecting licences for...
The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) was enacted on 24 December 1996 to extend Part IX of the Constitution...
The WPA 1972 is the foundational legislation for wildlife protection in India, providing the legal basis for protected areas, species protection, and...
WMO is a United Nations specialized agency for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology, and related geophysical sciences. Established in...
The Zoological Survey of India was established on July 1, 1916, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). It is India's premier...
CITES is the primary international legal framework regulating trade in wild animals and plants. It operates through a permit system administered by national...
India's Southwest Monsoon (June–September) is strongly modulated by ENSO. El Niño years are associated with suppressed monsoon rainfall — weakened pressure...
A GLOF occurs when the water contained within a glacial lake is suddenly released, usually because the natural dam holding it back — commonly a moraine...
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. Maintained by...
Mangroves are salt-tolerant intertidal forest ecosystems found along tropical and subtropical coastlines. They perform critical ecological services: acting...
A marine heatwave is a prolonged period of anomalously high sea surface temperature relative to the historical average for that location and time of year...
The NTCA is the apex statutory body for tiger conservation in India. Its constitution and powers derive from the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (WPA), as...
The Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015) is a legally binding international climate treaty requiring each signatory to submit Nationally Determined Contributions...
The One Health approach recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, and the environment are deeply interconnected. It is the conceptual...
The Paris Agreement, adopted at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015, is a legally binding international climate treaty under the UNFCCC framework. It entered...
Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973 from Jim Corbett National Park by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in response to a dramatic decline in India's...
India's wildlife conservation architecture rests on the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which provides for National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries...
The Central Asian Flyway is one of nine global flyways for migratory waterbirds, covering a vast area from the Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding grounds in...
An Eco-Sensitive Zone is a buffer area notified around a Protected Area (National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, Tiger Reserve) under the Environment...
Forest fire management in India is governed by a combination of central legislation and operational guidelines. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the...
The Gram Sabha, defined under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), is the assembly of all adult members of a village. In the...
The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is one of the heaviest flying birds and among the most endangered birds in the world, with its last viable...
A heatwave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, generally exceeding the historical average by a defined threshold for a minimum number of days....
India has committed to ambitious renewable energy targets aligned with its international climate pledges. At COP26 (Glasgow, 2021), India committed to...
The Kunming-Montreal GBF, agreed at COP15 in December 2022 in Montreal, is the successor to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2010–2020) under the Convention...
Global plastic production has reached approximately 400 million tonnes per year. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been leading...
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (formally, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat) is an intergovernmental...
The UNCCD is one of three Rio Conventions adopted in 1992 — alongside the UNFCCC (climate change) and CBD (biodiversity). It entered into force in December...
The Urban Heat Island effect refers to the phenomenon where urban areas record significantly higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to the...
Western disturbances (WDs) are extratropical cyclonic storms that originate over the Mediterranean Sea — and to a lesser extent the Caspian and Black Seas —...