Lecture+11+-+International+Convention+Part+2.pdf

Environment & Ecology
Class No. 11
International Conventions Part 2
UPSC Prelims

REDD and UN-REDD+
Environment & Ecology by Dr. Shivin Chaudhary Click Here to Learn More
UN-REDD REDD+
The UN Programme on Reducing
Emissions from Deforestation and
Forest Degradation (UN-REDD).
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
Membership: 64 Partner Countries.
Reducing emissions from deforestation &
forest degradation
Role: Conservation, sustainable
management of forests and enhancement
of forest carbon stocks in developing
countries
It is a multilateral collaborative
programme of FAO, UNDP and UNEP.
It was created in 2008 in response to
the
UNFCCC decisions on the Bali Action
Plan and REDD.
Voluntary climate change mitigation
approach that has been developed by
Parties to the UNFCCC.

REDD and UN-REDD+
UN-REDD REDD+
The main goal of REDD is to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by incentivizing countries to preserve
their forests instead of cutting them down. The
program achieves this by providing financial
incentives to countries that reduce their
deforestation rates.
REDD+ goes beyond deforestation and forest
degradation and aims to incentivize developing
countries to reduce emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation, conserve forest carbon
stocks, sustainably manage forests and enhance
forest carbon stocks. The "+" in REDD+ refers to
these additional activities.
REDD+ also includes a stronger emphasis on the involvement of local
communities and indigenous peoples in forest conservation and
management, as well as the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem
services.

Other Initiatives
Forest Carbon Partnership Facility
● It is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and
Indigenous peoples focused on reducing emissions from activities commonly
referred to as REDD+:
1. deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation,
2. the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries,
3. the sustainable management of forests.
● The World Bank assumes the functions of trustee and secretariat. The World
Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and UNDP are delivery partners
under the Readiness Fund and responsible for providing REDD+ readiness
support.

Other Initiatives
Forest Carbon Partnership Facility
Objectives:
1. To assist countries in their REDD+ efforts by providing them with financial and
technical assistance.
2. To pilot a performance-based payment system for REDD+.
3. To test ways to sustain or enhance livelihoods of local communities and to
conserve biodiversity.
4. To disseminate broadly the knowledge gained in Emission Reductions Programs
(ERPs).

Other Initiatives
Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) : done already
● In 2012, a few nations, along with the UNEP, came together to form the
Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
● It is a partnership of governments, public and private sector, scientific
institutions, civil society organizations, etc. committed to protecting the
climate through actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants

Other Initiatives
BioCarbon Fund Initiative
● BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes
(ISFL) is a multilateral fund, supported by donor governments and
managed by the World Bank.
● It seeks to promote reduced GHG emissions from the land sector,
from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries
(REDD+), and from sustainable agriculture, as well as smarter
land-use planning, policies, etc.

Other Initiatives
Cool Coalition
● It aims to inspire ambition and accelerate action on the transition to clean
and efficient cooling.
● It was launched at the first Global Conference on Synergies between the
2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement in 2019.
● It is a global effort led by:
1. UNEP
2. Climate and Clean Air Coalition
3. Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program
4. Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)

Other Initiatives
Global Climate Change Alliance + (GCCA+)
● GCCA+ is a European Union initiative. It helps vulnerable
countries on the front line of climate change.
● GCCA+ initiatives help mainly Small Islands Developing States
(SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) increase their
resilience to climate change.
● It also supports these group of countries in implementing their
commitments resulting from the 2015 Paris Agreement (COP21)

Other Initiatives
Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA)
● GACSA is promoted by FAO along with various governments. Its vision is
to improve food security, nutrition and resilience in the face of climate
change.
● GACSA works towards three aspirational outcomes to:
a. Improve farmers’ agricultural productivity and incomes in a
sustainable way;
b. Build farmers’ resilience to extreme weather and changing
climate;
c. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture,
when possible.

Other Initiatives
GHG Protocol
● GHG Protocol is developing standards, tools and online
training that helps countries, cities and companies track
progress towards their climate goals.
● GHG Protocol establishes frameworks to measure and manage
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private and public sector
operations, value chains and mitigation actions.
● GHG Protocol arose when World Resources Institute (WRI)
and World Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD) recognized the need for an international standard for
corporate GHG accounting and reporting in the late 1990s.

Other Initiatives
Arctic Council
● Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation,
coordination and interaction among the Arctic states, Arctic
Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common
Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and
environmental protection in the Arctic.
● The Arctic Council consists of the eight Arctic States: Canada, the
Kingdom of Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands),
Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
● Done already : CURD- FINS

Other Initiatives
Santiago Network
● The vision of the Santiago Network is to catalyze the technical assistance of
relevant organizations, bodies, networks and experts, for the implementation of
relevant approaches for averting, minimize and addressing Loss and Damage at
the local, national and regional level, in developing countries that are particularly
vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
● The Santiago Network will connect vulnerable developing countries with
providers of technical assistance, knowledge, resources they need to address
climate risks comprehensively in the context of averting, minimizing and
addressing loss and damage.
● Mandated at COP 25 in Madrid, the Santiago Network will further the work of
the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage.

Other Initiatives
Santiago Network
● The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage Associated
with Climate Change Impacts was established at the 19th session of the
Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 19) in 2013.
● It was mandated to enhance knowledge, strengthen dialogue and
coordination, and enhance action to address loss and damage associated
with the impacts of climate change in vulnerable developing countries.
● No actual money only Bol - Bachchan

Reports in News
● Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
● The IPCC, the UN body for assessing the science related to climate
change.
● It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988.
● The IPCC produces reports that support the UNFCCC.
● IPCC reports cover all relevant information to understand the risk of
human-induced climate change, its potential impacts & options for
adaptation and mitigation.
● The IPCC does not carry out its own original research. Thousands of
scientists and other experts contribute on a voluntary basis.

Reports in News
● AR1 : 1990 : Formed the basis of UNFCCC, 1992
● AR2 : 1995 : Formed the basis of Kyoto Protocol
● AR3 : 2001
● AR4 : 2007 : IPCC won the Nobel Peace Prize
● AR5 : 2014 : Formed the basis of the paris
agreement
● AR6 : Currently being published : will inform the
global stocktake in 2023.

Reports in News
● The work is shared among three Working Groups (WG), a Task Force and
a Task Group of IPCC:
● WG I aims at assessing the physical scientific basis of the climate
system and climate change.
● WG II assesses the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems
to climate change.
● WG III focuses on climate change mitigation, assessing methods for
reducing GHG emissions, and removing greenhouse gases from the
atmosphere.
● The research by the WGs is published by the IPCC at regular intervals as
comprehensive Assessment Reports for the understanding of human-
induced climate change, potential impacts and options for mitigation and
adaptation.

Reports in News
● The IPCC is currently in its 6th Assessment Cycle, during which the IPCC
will produce the following reports:
● Assessment reports (ARs) of its three WGs,
● Three special reports (SR1.5, SRCCL & SROCC),
● Special Reports on Global Warming of 1.5 °C (SR1.5 – October 2018)
● Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL – August 2019)
● Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
(SROCC – September 2019)
● A refinement to the methodology report, and
● The Synthesis report (the last of the AR6 reports) to inform the global
stocktake.

Reports in News
● Aug 2021: The WG I contribution to the AR6, Climate Change 2021: The
Physical Science Basis.
● Feb 2022: The WG II to the AR6, Climate Change 2022: Impacts,
Adaptation and Vulnerability.
● Apr 2022: The WG III to the AR6, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of
Climate Change.
● The Synthesis Report , the last of the AR6 reports was released recently

Reports in News
● Few unique points highlighted by the reports:
● Concentrations of CO2 unmatched for at least 2 million years.
● Glacial retreat unmatched for 2,000+ years.
● Sea level rise faster than any prior century for 3,000 years.
● Summer Arctic ice coverage smaller than smaller than any time in the last
1,000 years.
● Ocean warming accounted for 91% of the heating in the climate system, with
land warming, ice loss and atmospheric warming accounting for about 5%, 3%
and 1%, respectively.

Reports in News
● India- Both annual and summer monsoon precipitation will increase during the
21st century, with enhanced interannual variability.
● Covered areas and snow volumes will decrease in most regions of the Hindu
Kush Himalaya during the 21st century

Reports in News
Reports Released by
State of Global Climate Report World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Report Card,
2022
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) + Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, 2022 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) [Annually]
Climate Investment Opportunities in India's Cooling
Sector
World Bank
Climate and Development: An Agenda for Action World Bank
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Synthesis
Report, 2022
UNFCCC
Investing in carbon neutrality: Utopia or the new green
wave?
Food and Agriculture Organization + European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development

Reports in News
Reports Released by
State of Climate Action Report Climate Action Tracker, UN High-Level Climate Change Champions
etc
Climate Transparency Report Climate Transparency
Global Carbon Budget 2022 Report Global Carbon Project (GCP)
Climate Change Performance Index Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network
Carbon Pricing Leadership Report Secretariat of Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition
The World Heritage Glaciers Report UNESCO+IUCN

International Conventions
● The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
● It is a legally binding multilateral treaty.
● It was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992
and entered into force in 1993.
● Total members- 196 including India
● All UN member states — except the United States — have ratified the
treaty.

● With a focus on sustainable development, the convention has three main
goals:
1) conservation of biological diversity,
2) sustainable utilisation of its benefits/components, and
3) fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
● Topmost decision making body of CBD : Conference of Parties to CBD.

● India and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
● India is a party to the Convention. India ratified it in 1994.
● The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 was enacted for giving effect to the
provisions of the Convention.
● To implement the provisions of the Act, the government established the
National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in 2003.
● State Biodiversity Authority, Biodiversity Management Committees at
local levels have also been established.
● People's Biodiversity Register (PBR) which is a record of knowledge,
perception and attitude of people about natural resources, plants and
animals, their utilization and conservation in a village or a panchayat is
also being prepared.

● Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
● The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) is an international agreement adopted in 2000.
● It entered into force in 2003 and covers the field of biotechnology.
● It currently has 173 parties.
● India has ratified CBD and its Cartagena Protocol (signed in Cartagena, Colombia).
● Cartagena Protocol aims to ensure the safe handling, transport, and use of living
modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology.
● LMOs have novel combination of genetic material.
● Remember : CART : Transport

● The Cartagena Protocol chiefly governs the following:
● LMOs that are intentionally introduced into the environment (trees, seeds or
fish).
● Genetically modified (GM) farm commodities (grain and corn used for animal
feed, food or for processing).
● LMOs are classified as the following under the Protocol:
● LMOs for intentional introduction into the environment – subject to AIA
procedures.
● LMOs for direct usage as food or feed, or for processing – subject to simplified
procedures which include informing through the BCH.
● LMOs for contained usage (like bacteria for lab experiments) – these are
exempt from AIA procedures.

● The Protocol has provisions for an Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) procedure.
● The AIA is for ensuring that countries are given enough information to make informed
decisions before agreeing to import LMOs into their country.
● There are four components to the AIA:
● Notification by the exporter (This is a detailed written description of the LMO by the
exporter, well in advance of the first shipment)
● Acknowledgement of notification receipt by the importer
● Decision procedure (Approve/prohibit/ask for more information, etc.)
● Review of decisions
● Data will be shared regarding scientific risks etc.

● The Cartagena Protocol also sets up a Biosafety Clearing-House
(BCH) to enable information exchange on LMOs between
countries.
● It is also intended to help countries implement the Cartagena
Protocol.
● The BCH is an information-sharing mechanism for relevant
technical, scientific and legal information.
● The Protocol gives a precautionary approach to the issue of transfer
of LMOs from one country to another.

● LMOs for Food/ Feed / Processing :
● Such LMOs relevant information and risk assessment to be made
publicly available through Biosafety clearing house.
● It does not cover pharmaceuticals for humans addressed by other
international agreements and organisations or products derived
from LMOs, such as cooking oil from GM corn.

● India and Cartagena Protocol
● India is a party to the Cartagena Protocol (ratified in 2003).
● The nodal agency (Competent National Authority-CNA) in the country for the
implementation of the Protocol is the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change (MOEF&CC)
● Regarding setting up of procedures for regulating LMOs, India was one of the
early movers in the development of a biosafety regulatory framework, way back
in 1989, and has a systematic and structured science-based regulatory system.
● In the Indian regulations, the terms Genetically Engineered Organism or
Genetically Modified Organism are used, which are synonymous with LMOs.
● In India, series of guidelines are available for risk assessment and risk
management of GMOs

● Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol
● The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and
Redress is a supplementary protocol to the Cartagena protocol on
Biosafety.
● After several years of negotiations, the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety adopted the Supplementary Protocol on 15 October 2010, in
Nagoya, Japan
● The Supplementary Protocol requires that response measures are taken in
the event of damage resulting from living modified organisms, or where
there is sufficient likelihood that damage will result if timely response
measures are not taken.
● The Supplementary Protocol also includes provisions in relation to civil
liability.

● Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing : 3rd objective
● At the 10th Conference of Parties (COP10 2010) to the Convention on
Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, the Nagoya Protocol was adopted.
● It is the second Protocol (supplementary agreement) to the CBD. It entered
into force in 2014.
● It presently has 137 parties, including India.
● India signed the Nagoya Protocol in 2011 and ratified it in October 2012.
The ratification by India was done at the 11th Conference of Parties (COP)
to the CBD, which was conducted in Hyderabad.
● Nagoya Protocol is about “Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and
Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization”, one of the
three objectives of the CBD.

● The parties to the protocol are obliged to take actions with respect to
access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing, and compliance.
● Access to Genetic Resources
● Access measures should have legal certainty, transparency, and clarity.
● The rules and procedures thereof should be fair and non-arbitrary.
● There should be clear rules for prior informed consent and mutually agreed
to terms.
● The rules should have provisions for the issuance of a permit (or its
equivalent) when granted access.
● Encourage research that will contribute to the conservation of biodiversity
and its sustainable use.

● Cases of imminent emergencies that threaten plant, animal, or human
health should be considered.
● Take into consideration the importance of genetic resources for food and
agriculture, to have food security.

● Benefit-sharing
● Benefit-sharing measures should have provisions for the fair & equitable
sharing of benefits that arise from the utilization of genetic resources with
the contracting party that provides genetic resources.
● Utilization implies R&D on the biochemical or genetic composition of
genetic resources, and also resultant applications & commercialization.
● Both Monetary and non monetary, commercial and non commercial uses
are covered.
● Sharing should be subject to mutually-agreed terms.
● Benefits could be non-monetary or monetary. Benefits could be in the
form of royalties and/or sharing of the results of the research.

● Compliance
● This includes having legal provisions for the implementation of the
protocol.
● This also includes having dispute resolution mechanisms in place for
resolving any disputes.

● The country must translate the provisions into domestic legislations to
ensure legal certainty.
● There are official checkpoints in terms of PIC and MAT.
● India : Biodiversity Act, 2002 to ensure compliance to the CBD and its
additional protocols.

● International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture (PGRFA)
● PGRFA is popularly known as the International Seed Treaty. It is an
international agreement in harmony with CBD.
● It aims at guaranteeing food security through the conservation, exchange,
and sustainable use of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture, as well as the fair and equitable benefit sharing arising from its
use.
● Context
● India hosted the Ninth Session of the Governing Body (GB9) of the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
(ITPGRFA).

About Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA)
● Any plant materials, such as seeds, fruits, cuttings, pollen, and other organs
and tissues from which plants can be grown.
● Include traditional crop varieties and their wild relatives, modern
cultivars, breeding lines etc. which provide food, feed for domestic
animals, fibre, clothing, shelter, medicine and energy.
● National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), established in
1976, is the nodal organisation in India for planning, conducting,
promoting, coordinating and lending all activities concerning plant.
● Threats to PGRFA conservation and utilization: Population growth and
urbanization; pollution; climate change; invasive alien species; genetic
vulnerability and erosion; etc.

● Major decisions taken at GB9
● Historical first: Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII)
contributed Rs 20 lakhs to the Benefit-Sharing Fund (BSF).
● India appointed as Co-Chair of the Working Group on
Enhancement of Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-
sharing (MLS).
● Consensus on implementation of Farmers Rights reached.
● GB9 considered the options for encouraging, guiding and
promoting the realization of Farmers’ Rights.

● Contracting Parties acknowledged the intervention made by India, and
supported by many African nations, regarding effect due to institutional
reform within the CGAIR system (a global research partnership for a food-
secure future) on funding of gene-banks globally.
● Decisions deferred for later: Issues like the multilateral system (MLS) of
access and benefit sharing (ABS) and digital sequence information
(DSI).
● Multilateral system (MLS) of access and benefit sharing (ABS)- MLS
refers to global system that enables countries to exchange much-needed
plant genetic material with one another.
● The benefit sharing includes financial and non-financial support of PGRFA
conservation activities around the world.

● Digital Sequencing Information- Data derived from or linked to genetic resources.
Placeholder term for genetic information, bioinformation, sequence information, natural
information, genetic sequence data, nucleotide sequence data or genetic resources.
● Help in developing vaccines, regulating invasive species, ecosystem research etc

● Aichi Biodiversity Targets
● At CBD COP 12 (2014), parties discussed the implementation of the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011- 2020 & its Aichi Biodiversity Targets
— to be achieved before 2020.
● Officially known as “Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020”, it
provided a set of 20 ambitious yet achievable targets collectively.
● Aichi Targets in India : India agreed to form the National Biodiveristy
action plan with 12 targets, similar to the aichi targets.

● None of the 20 ‘Aichi Biodiversity Targets’ agreed on by national
governments through the CBD has been met, according to CBD’s Global
Biodiversity Outlook 5 report.
● Sharm El Sheikh Declaration – New Deal for Nature
● COP 14 of CBD adopted this declaration in Sharm El city (also called the
city of peace) in Egypt.
● It focuses on integrating biodiversity into legislative & policy frameworks.
● It aims to develop a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (after failed
Aichi Biodiversity Targets) to achieve the 2050 vision for biodiversity
known as New Deal for Nature- catalyse action from all stakeholders in
support of biodiversity conservation.

● COP 15
● The 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological
Diversity recently concluded in Montreal, Canada.
● About COP15
● Chaired by China and hosted by Canada.
● Held in two phases:
● Phase one took place virtually in Kunming, China, in October 2021
● Phase two was recently held in Montreal, Canada.
● Objective: To adopt a Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which will
replace the Aichi Biodiversity Targets that expired in 2020.
● GBF and its underlying documents are not legally binding.

● Adoption of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to
address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems and protect indigenous rights,
with:
● 4 long-term goals for 2050 related to the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity
● 23 action-oriented global targets for urgent action over the decade to
2030.

● 30x30 target explained
● Target 3 calls for 30 percent of the world’s terrestrial, inland water,
and of coastal and marine areas, to be in effective protection and
management by 2030.
● For this, a high ambition coalition was setup (intergovernmental
group co chaired by Costa Rica and France and by UK as co chair,
championing a global deal for 30x 30.
● India is part of this High Ambition Coalition.

● Global Environment Facility requested to establish a Special Trust Fund
in 2023, and until 2030, to support the implementation of the GBF.
● Fund would have its own “equitable governing body” dedicated to
achieving the goals of the GBF and must be prepared to receive “financing
from all sources”, including official development assistance
● Set clear indicators to measure progress to form an agreed synchronized
and cyclical system based on National biodiversity strategies and action
plans (NBSAPs), National reports, Global review of collective progress,
Voluntary peer reviews etc.
● Revised or updated NBSAPs in alignment with the Kunming-Montreal
global biodiversity framework and its goals and targets to be
communicated in a standardized format by COP-16 in Turkey in 2024.

● Parties should submit national reports containing agreed headline
indicators in 2026 and 2029.
● Multilateral mechanism for benefit-sharing from the use of digital
sequence information on genetic resources: This may include innovative
revenue generation measures and a global fund within GBF.
● Adoption of the Gender Plan of Action to support and promote the
gender-responsive implementation of the GBF and its associated
mechanisms.

● Events alongside COP 15
● World Restoration Flagships
● Context- The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
declared first 10 World Restoration Flagships at the side-
lines of COP15 of CBD.
● For honouring the best examples of large-scale and long-
term ecosystem restoration in any country or region,
embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade.
● Initiatives eligible to receive United Nations-backed
promotion, advice or funding.

● Progress of all Flagships to be transparently monitored through the Framework for
Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring, the UN Decade’s platform for keeping track of
global restoration efforts.
● First 10 Flagships stretch across 23 countries and all ecosystems.
● Together aim to restore more than 60 million hectares and create more than 13 million
jobs.
● Flagship Initiatives Selection Criteria
● Clearly identifiable geographically.
● Part of nominated area already under successful, measurable, and well-documented
restoration.
● Well-defined ecological, cultural, and socio-economic objectives and goals.

Flagship Initiative Countries Aim
Trinational
Atlantic
Forest Pact
Argentina, Brazil,
Paraguay
To mend South America’s iconic Atlantic Forest and restoring 15
million ha of degraded forest by 2050.
Abu Dhabi
Marine
Restoration
United Arab
Emirates
To restore coral, mangrove and seagrass in Abu Dhabi, creating a
refuge for the dugong, a fast-disappearing aquatic mammal.
Great Green
Wall for
Restoration
and Peace
Burkina Faso,
Djibouti, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger,
Senegal, Sudan,
Chad
To restore savanna, grasslands and farmlands across an 8,000km
belt of Africa known as the Sahel.

Namami
Gange
India To rejuvenate India’s sacred Ganges River and surrounding basin and
restore people’s connection to the river, while reducing pollution and
reversing deforestation.
Multi-country
Mountain
Flagship
Democratic
Republic of the
Congo,
Kyrgyzstan,
Rwanda, Serbia,
Uganda
To protect mountain landscapes in Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Serbia and
Uganda and to safeguard a range of imperiled species, including
mountain gorillas and snow leopards
Small Island
Developing
States
Vanuatu, Comoros,
Saint Lucia
To restore sensitive ecosystems in Vanuatu, St. Lucia and Comoros
and help the island nations safeguard wildlife, brace for climate
change
and strengthen their economies.

Atlyn Dala
Conservation
Initiative
Kazakhstan To conserve and restore Kazakhstan’s steppe, semi-desert and
desert ecosystems across the historical range of the Saiga
antelope
Central
American Dry
Corridor
Costa Rica, El
Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Nicaragua, Panama
To restore 300,000 ha of drought-stricken Central American
farmland and forests.
Building with
Nature in
Indonesia
Indonesia To naturally regenerate mangroves and protect Indonesia’s coast
against flooding
Shan-Shui
Initiative in
China
China To restore 10 million hectares of ecosystems across China,
including
forests, grasslands and waterways.

Restoration Barometer report
● Context
● The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched its
first Restoration Barometer Report at COP 15
● Restoration Barometer was launched in 2016 as the Bonn Challenge Barometer.
● Tracks restoration progress across terrestrial ecosystems including coastal and
inland waters where use or management rights can be identified (i.e., not high
seas).
● Has 8 indicators that build a comprehensive picture of a country’s restoration
progress and progress towards global goals.

● Currently, 22 countries are using the Barometer to
report the progress of their restoration targets and more
than 50 have endorsed it.
● Findings of 2022 report:
● Financial investments of $26 billion across 18 countries.
● 14 million hectares of degraded landscapes.
● Data from Ecuador, India, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan is
being finalized and will be published later.

High Seas Treaty
● High Seas Treaty
● High seas are open ocean areas that are outside the jurisdiction of any
country—the reason why the treaty is commonly known as the agreement
on “biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions”, or BBNJ.
● It will regulate all human activities in the high seas with the objective of
ensuring that ocean resources, including biodiversity, are utilised in a
sustainable manner, and their benefits are shared equitably among countries
● The high seas comprise 64 percent of the ocean surface, and about 43 per
cent of the Earth.
● These areas are home to about 2.2 million marine species and upto a trillion
different kinds of microorganism.

High Seas Treaty
● Treaty has been concluded, but it has not entered into force yet.
● Think : When will it enter into force?

High Seas Treaty

High Seas Treaty
● The High Seas Treaty will work as an implementation agreement under the
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), much
like the Paris Agreement works under the UNFCCC
● The High Seas Treaty has four main objectives:
● Demarcation of marine protected areas (MPAs), rather like there are
protected forests or wildlife areas;
● Sustainable use of marine genetic resources and equitable sharing of
benefits arising from them;
● Initiation of the practice of environmental impact assessments for all major
activities in the oceans
● Capacity building and technology transfer

High Seas Treaty
● Active recall : WTO agreement in recent meeting?
● The treaty is the result of more than 20 years of protracted negotiations.
The details of all the major contentious provisions, including
environmental impact assessments, sharing of benefits from genetic
resources, and mobilisation of funds for conservation activities, are still to
be worked out. Many issues remain unaddressed, including the
mechanisms for policing the protected areas, the fate of the projects that
are assessed to be heavily polluting, and the resolution of disputes.

UN Ocean Conference
● Context
● The second UNOC, co-hosted by Kenya and Portugal at Lisbon, ended
with the Lisbon Declaration, a political declaration entitled ‘Our Ocean,
Our Future: call for action’.
● About UNOC
● First UNOC was held in 2017 at UN Headquarters in New York, co-hosted
by the Governments of Fiji and Sweden.
● Key Highlights of second UNOOC
● India was a participant and committed to a Coastal Clean Seas Campaign
and will work toward a ban on single use plastics.

UN Ocean Conference
● Over 150 countries collectively agreed to scale up science-based and
innovative actions to address ocean emergency, supporting the
implementation of SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
● This is in line with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development (2021- 2030).
● Emphasized the particular importance of implementing the Paris
Agreement (2015) and Glasgow Climate Pact (2021) to help ensure the
health, productivity, sustainable use, and resilience of the ocean.
● States made voluntary commitments to conserve or protect at least 30% of
the global ocean by 2030 within Marine Protected Areas, and other
effective area-based conservation measures.
● UNESCO launched its key State of the Ocean Report (pilot edition) during
the event.

UN Ocean Conference

CITES
● Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES)
● Also known as the Washington Convention, is an international agreement
(multilateral treaty) between governments to ensure that international trade
in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
● It was drafted due to a resolution adopted by members of IUCN in 1963.
● It entered into force in 1975.
● CITES is legally binding on the Parties (184 (including EU)).
● However, it does not take the place of national laws.
● It only provides a framework to be respected by each Party. The parties
need to adopt their own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is
implemented at the national level.

CITES
● Conference of Parties to CITES (CoP)
● The CITES CoP (World Wildlife Conference) is where parties convene
every two to three years to review and decide on regulating trade in
endangered species.
● The CoP will decide on proposals to list, remove, or change species listing
on the CITES appendices.
● The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices according
to the required degree of protection:
● Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in
specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional
circumstances — like for captive breeding. (Legal international trade of
the species does not take for commercial purposes)

CITES
● Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction
but in which trade must be controlled to avoid utilisation incompatible
with their survival. It also includes species that resemble other species and
need to be preserved for them.
● Appendix III contains species protected in at least one country which has
asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade.
● At each regular meeting of the CoP, Parties submit proposals to amend
Appendices I and II.
● Those amendment proposals are discussed and then submitted for a vote.

CITES

CITES
● Functioning of CITES
● CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected
species to specific controls.
● All import and export of species covered by CITES must be authorised
through a licensing system.
● Each Party designates one or more Management Authorities for
administering the licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities
to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species.
● Recall our discussion wrt to recent amendments to the Wildlife Protection
Act, 2022.

CITES
● Acts regulating International trade in all wildlife species of India (including the
species covered under CITES):
● Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972, Export–Import Policy (EXIM Policy) under
the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act of 1992 and Customs Act
of 1962.
● Management Authority for CITES (CITES-MA) in India: Director of
Wildlife Preservation, Government of India.
● Management authority competent to grant permits : Wildlife Crime Control
Bureau.

CITES
● Government of India appointed five Scientific Authorities to assist the CITES
MA on scientific aspects of CITES
● Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata.
● Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Kolkata.
● Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Cochin.
● Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.
● Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore.

CITES
● CoP 18
● In CoP18, held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2019, India submitted proposals
● to move Smooth-Coated Otter (VU), Small-Clawed Otter (VU), Indian Star Tortoise
(VU), Tokay Gecko (LC) and Wedgefish (CR) from Appendix II to Appendix I.
● to remove Indian Rosewood (VU) from Appendix II.
● In 2019, Star tortoise (VU), Asian Small-Clawed (VU) and Smooth-Coated Otters (VU)
were moved to Appendix I. A complete ban was enforced on their trade.

CITES
● 19th Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP19)
● CoP19 was held in Panama in November 2022.
● 52 proposals have been put forward that would affect the regulations on
international trade for sharks, reptiles, elephants, turtles, etc.
● Operation Turtshield, India’s efforts to curb turtle wildlife crime was
acknowledged at CoP19.

CITES
● 19th Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP19)
● First World Wildlife Trade Report was released at the COP19.
● It gave insights into the international trade in animals and plants regulated
under the CITES treaty.
● According to the report, majority of CITES-regulated trade involved
artificially propagated (for plants) or captive-produced (for animals bred or
born in captivity) species.
● Only 18% of all trade involved wild-sourced species (which are dominated
by plants).

CITES
● India’s Proposals
● India proposed moving the Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga – CR) and
Leith's softshell turtle (Nilssonia leithii – CR) from Appendix II to I.
● India’s proposal to include the Jeypore Ground (Indian) Gecko (EN) in Appendix II was
adopted by the members of the CITES Working Group.
● On India’s initiative a proposal to clarify the quantity of Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) items
such as furniture was considered.

Species in News
● Jeypore Ground Gecko
● Context- Jeypore Ground Gecko has been included in Appendix
II of CITES
● Characteristics:
● Nocturnal, comes out during the evening, after darkness, and
forages on ground.
● Threats: Habitat loss and poaching for domestic and international
trade.
● Habitat: Endemic to peninsular India. Found in Eastern Ghats
and southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh.

Species in News
● Leith’s soft-shell turtle (Nilssonia leithii).
● Context- has made to Appendix I from Appendix II of CITES
● Characteristics: Large fresh-water soft-shelled turtle.
● Can grow upto 1 m with average adult size varying from 700
mm to 1 m.
● Threats: High demand in traditional Chinese medicine and soup
delicacy
● Habitat:Endemic to peninsular India and inhabits rivers and
reservoirs.
● Found in all major rivers of the states of Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa,
like- Cauvery, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Bhavani, Godavari
and Moyar.

CITES
● Shisham
● It is found in abundance in India.
● However, it is included in CITES Appendix II because of the challenges in
distinguishing different species of genus Dalbergia in their finished forms.
● As of now, every shisham consignment of weight above 10 kg requires a
CITES permit.
● Due to this restriction, exports of furniture and handicrafts made of
shisham from India have continuously fallen.
● On India’s initiative at CoP19, it was agreed that any number of shisham
timber-based items of weight less than 10kg could be exported as a single
consignment without CITES permits.
● Further, it was agreed that for the net weight of each item, only shisham
timber used would be considered.

CITES
● Thelenota (Sea Cucumbers)
● The EU proposed three species under genus Thelenota (sea cucumbers) to
be included in Appendix II.
● CoP19 accepted the proposal. Sea cucumbers were one of the most
frequently trafficked marine species from coastal India.
● Ivory Trade : proposal to allow regular form of controlled ivory trade
defeated
● The ivory trade was banned globally in 1989 when all African elephant
populations were put in CITES Appendix I.
● However, the African elephants of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and
Zimbabwe were later transferred to Appendix II to allow one-time sales of
ivory accumulated from deaths and poacher seizures.

CITES
● The endangered Asian elephant was included in CITES Appendix I in 1975,
which banned the export of ivory from the Asian range countries.
● In CoP18, Zambia floated a proposal to downlist its elephants from
Appendix I to Appendix II, which in effect, would have meant resuming the
sale of its ivory stockpile. CoP rejected the proposal.
● India had abstained from voting against a similar proposal at CoP19.
● CITES Tiger Enforcement Task Force
● CoP19 has proposed a tentative budget of $150,000 for the Big Cat Task
Force. The objective of the task force is to curb illegal trade in big cats like
lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, etc, in their range.

CITES
● Monitoring the illegal killing of elephants (MIKE)
● MIKE is an international collaboration that measures the trends and causes
of elephant mortality. It was established by a CITES Resolution adopted in
1997. One of the core mandates is to build capacity in elephant range
States.
● MIKE’s information base is used to support international decision-making
related to the conservation of elephants in Asia and Africa. The information
and analyses are also presented at annual CITES meetings.

CITES
● TRAFFIC is an NGO (CITES, on the other hand, is a multilateral treaty)
founded in 1976 as a joint programme of the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) and IUCN. Its headquarters is in Cambridge, UK.
● TRAFFIC is complementary to CITES. Its mission is to ensure that trade
in wild plants and animals is not a
● threat to the conservation of nature. It investigates wildlife trade trends,
patterns, impacts and drivers to provide the leading knowledge base on
trade in wild animals and plants.

Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
● Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
● It is an international treaty, concluded under the aegis of the UN
Environment Programme in 1979 in Bonn, Germany.
● It entered into force in 1983.
● CMS is also known as Bonn Convention or Global Wildlife conference.
● It is the only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization
established exclusively for the conservation of terrestrial, aquatic, and
avian migratory species throughout their range.
● Under CMS, migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on
Appendix I (CMS global conservation list), and Parties strive towards
strictly protecting these animals.

● Migratory species that would significantly benefit from international
cooperation are listed in Appendix II.
● For this reason, the Convention encourages the Range States to conclude
global or regional agreements.
● In this respect, CMS acts as a framework Convention.
● The agreements may range from legally binding treaties (called
Agreements) to less formal instruments, such as Memoranda of
Understanding, and can be adapted to the requirements of particular
regions.
● The development of models tailored according to the conservation needs
throughout the migratory range is a unique capacity to CMS.

● Example of Tailored Model :
● Raptor MoU : under aegis of UNEP and CMS : protection of birds of prey
in africa and eurasia. India has many such birds, so india agreed to it in
2008. It is not legally binding.

● 13th Conference of the Parties to CMS (CoP13)
● CoP13 was organized in 2020 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
● India has been designated the President of the COP for the next three years.
● Uzbekistan will host CoP14 on 23-28 October 2023.
● Ten new species were added to CMS Appendices at COP13.
● Seven species were added to Appendix I, which provides the strictest protection.
● The Asian Elephant (EN), Great Indian Bustard (CR), Bengal Florican (CR), Little
Bustard (NT) are among the 7 species.
● COP13 also adopted the Gandhinagar Declaration.
● It calls for ecological connectivity for migratory species to be integrated in the
Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Mascot of COP13- Great Indian
Bustard

United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD)
● UNCCD, along with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and
the UNFCCC, emerged from the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit.
● UNCCD was established in 1994 in Paris.
● It is ratified by 196 countries & European Union.
● India ratified the UNCCD Convention in 1996.
● UNCCD is an agreement for ensuring global action against land
degradation.
● It is the only legally binding international agreement that links environment
and development to sustainable land management.
● Desertification is NOT the creation of desert. We will understand this in
pollution class.

● The Convention requires countries to draw up their national action
programmes (NAP) using a bottom-up approach — from the local
community up — to restore degraded lands.
● The Global Mechanism (GM) was established under UNCCD to assist
countries in the mobilization of financial resources to implement the
Convention.

● COP of the UNCCD
● The CoP is the supreme decision-making body of UNCCD.
● It is held every two years.
● The CoP reviews the implementation of the Convention, formulates
strategies, coordinates its work with other agencies and NGOs, and so on.
● Recent COPs under UNCCD:
● COP 13 – 2017 - Ordos City (China)
● COP 14 – 2019 - New Delhi (India)
● COP-15 – 2022 - Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

● Future meetings of the biennial Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD
& its subsidiary bodies will be held in Saudi Arabia (COP16 in 2024) &
Mongolia (COP17 in 2026).
● COP 14, New Delhi (2019)
● The Delhi Declaration was adopted to focus on better access and
stewardship over land, with gender-sensitive transformative projects
● “Restore land, sustain future” was the theme of COP14.
● Only 25% of nations include gender discussions in land degradation
targets
● The UNCCD mandates gender mainstreaming in advancing the efforts of
countries to achieve their Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets.

● Report on Soil Organic Carbon
● Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is pivotal in providing multifaceted benefits.
It combats droughts, reduces soil diseases and soil compacting, and helps
in organic production.
● Because of its multifunctional roles and itssensitivity to land management,
SOC is one of the three global indicators of Land Degradation Neutrality
(LDN).

● Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
● A state whereby the amount and quality of land resources, necessary to
support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security,
remains stable or increases within specified temporal and spatial scales
and ecosystems.
● The concept of LND emerged from the UN Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20) in 2012.
● Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) initiative
● In 2015, LDN became a target for the SDG 15, which is about sustaining
life on land.

● At COP12 to UNCCD, Parties adopted LDN as a “strong vehicle for
driving implementation of UNCCD” and called on countries to set
voluntary targets to achieve “no net loss” by 2030.
● New Delhi Declaration: 190+ countries agreed to achieve ‘land
degradation neutrality’ by 2030 and vowed to ensure that the efforts in this
direction do not affect land rights of forest dwellers and women.
● The countries will, however, must mobilise a huge sum of $300 billion to
step up the restoration exercise.
● India’s LND Targets: India will restore 26 million hectares of degraded
land by 2030; earlier the target was 21 mha.

● The Global Land Outlook (GLO) is a UNCCD publication that
underscores land system challenges, showcases transformative policies to
cost-effective pathways to scale up sustainable land & water management
● 40 per cent of our planet’s land is degraded, which will directly affect
half of humanity & is a threat to about 50 per cent of global GDP or
around $44 trillion.
● The world is slow on the restoration of one billion hectares of degraded
land by 2030.
● Findings of the report
● Loss of cropland due to urbanization
● Human settlements have historically developed in the most fertile and
accessible lands

● Urbanisation is projected to cause the loss of between 1.6 and 3.3 million
hectares of prime agricultural land per year in the period between 2000
and 2030
● Increasing meat consumption across the world has put great pressure on
land.
● Reducing the average meat consumption from 100 grams to 90 grams per
person per day would make a significant impact on both, human health
and climate change
● Water
● The demand for water is projected to outgrow extraction capacity by 40
per cent by 2030.
● Around two-thirds of the world’s population would be living in water-
stressed countries by 2025.

● Demand of water for agricultural purposes will double by 2050 due to
growing demands for food.
● The most water-intensive crops per kg of production are:
1. cotton (7,000 to 29,000 litres/kg),
2. rice (3,000 to 5,000 litres/kg),
3. sugar cane (1,500-3,000 litres/kg),
4. soya (2,000 litres/kg) and
5. wheat (900 litres/kg).
● At present, two billion people and 40 per cent of irrigation were
dependent on ground water. India (39 million hectares), China (19 mha)
and the US (17 mha) were intensively using ground water.

● Drought
● There is a strong nexus between land use and drought and the
management of both, land and drought, need to be fundamentally linked.
● Drought was one of the five ‘Strategic Objectives’ of the UNCCD for
2018-2030. UNCCD introduced the concept of 'drought-smart land
management' (D-SLM) within the broader group of SLM (sustainable land
management)-based interventions.
● Cost
● An investment of $1.8 trillion in climate-adaptation measures over the
next decade will bring about concrete transformation on the ground.
● [Mains 2020] The process of desertification does not have climatic
boundaries. Justify with examples. (150 words).

● COP 15, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
● COP15 theme: ‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity’.
● Target is to restore one billion hectares of degraded land between now &
2030.
● The three key declarations of COP-15 included:
1. Abidjan Call issued by the Heads of State & Government to boost long-
term sustainability.
2. Abidjan Declaration on achieving gender equality for successful land
restoration.
3. COP-15 “Land, Life & Legacy” Declaration, as a response to the findings of
the UNCCD’s flagship report, Global Land Outlook 2 (second edition of the
GLO).

● New commitments
● Accelerate restoration of one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030
by improving data gathering and monitoring.
● Establish an Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought for 2022-2024
to support a shift from reactive to proactive drought management.
● Address sand and dust storms and other escalating disaster risks by
designing and implementing plans and policies.
● Ensure greater synergies among the three Rio Conventions: Convention
on Biological Diversity, UNCCD, and UNFCCC.

● Other Initiatives
● Drought in Numbers, 2022 report: Identified that in 2022, more than 2.3
billion people face water stress.
● Business for Land initiative: for bringing visibility to the commitments
made by participating companies towards land degradation neutrality, both
in supply chains and CSR activities.
● Sahel Sourcing Challenge: To enable communities growing Great Green
Wall (GGW) to use technology to monitor progress, create jobs and
commercialize their produce.
● GGW: An African-led movement, to grow an 8,000 km belt of trees across
the entire width of Africa.
● Droughtland: a new UNCCD public awareness campaign.

● The Sahel is a semiarid region that forms a transitional zone between the
Sahara to the north & tropical savannas to the south.
● It contains the fertile delta of the Niger.
● The Sahel's fertile land is rapidly becoming desert because of drought,
deforestation, & intensive agriculture.
● The Great Green Wall Initiative
● It was launched in 2007 by the African Union. This ambitious project is
being implemented across 22 African countries & will revitalize thousands
of communities across the continent.

● The GGW initiative’s ambition is to restore 100 mha of currently degraded
land; sequester 250 million tons of carbon & create 10 million green jobs
by 2030.
● Barely 18 per cent of the Great Green Wall's objectives for 2030 have been
achieved.
● Lack of communication, funds, & coordination are among the greatest
challenges faced by GGW.

● Initiatives launched under the UNCCD to combat land desertification
and degradation
● Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Target Setting Programme:
● UNCCD in collaboration with multiple international partners, are
supporting interested countries with their national LDN target setting
process.
● To date, over 120 countries, including India, have committed to setting
LDN targets.
● Land Degradation Neutrality Fund (LDN Fund):
● Officially launched at UNCCD COP 13 in Ordos, China, it is the first-of-
its-kind investment vehicle leveraging public money to raise private capital
for sustainable land projects.

● Land for Life Programme was launched at the tenth UNCCD Conference
of the Parties (COP10) in 2011 as part of the Changwon Initiative. The
Programme seeks to address the challenges of land degradation
desertification and mitigation of drought.
● Other initiatives:
● Bonn Challenge:
● Launched by the Government of Germany and IUCN in 2011, it is a global
goal to bring 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes
into restoration by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. India has
pledged to restore 21 million ha of degraded and deforested land by 2030.

● Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation:
● It aims to strengthen the implementation of existing frameworks to prevent,
halt, and reverse land degradation within G20 member states and globally.
● Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
(REDD+):
● It is a mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
● It creates a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering
incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands
and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development.

● Steps taken by India to tackle the issue of land degradation
● India is a party to UNCCD and has pledged to reach land degradation
neutrality targets by 2030 as a part of the Convention’s Land
Degradation Neutrality Strategy.
● India promotes sustainable land management practices in agriculture sector
through schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY),
Soil Health Card Scheme, Soil Health Management Scheme, Pradhan
Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna (PKSY), Per Drop More Crop, etc. which
are helping to reduce land degradation.

● Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
consolidated the intervention on participatory forest management
through the National Forest Policy, 1988, and then through enabling
guidelines in 1990 on Joint Forest Management (JFM).
● JFM is a partnership involving both the forest departments and local
communities in natural forest management.
● MoEFCC is implementing three major schemes for development of forest
areas i.e., National Afforestation Programme (NAP) scheme, National
Mission for a Green India (GIM) and Forest Fire Prevention &
Management Scheme (FFPM).

● Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought (BOLD) Project
● Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched Bamboo Oasis
on Lands in Drought (BOLD) Project in Rajasthan.
● Project BOLD seeks to create bamboo-based green patches in arid and
semi-arid land zones to reduce land degradation and prevent desertification.
● Bamboo is a grass, fast growing, and typically woody. It is distributed in
tropical, subtropical and mild temperate zones.
● India is second only to China in terms o bamboo diversity.
● Benefits of bamboo cultivation: Conserves water and reduce evaporation of
water from the land surface. Ideal for rehabilitating degraded soil with its
unique ability to stitch and repair damaged soils.

PYQs: Q1
2014
With reference to ‘GEF’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
a) It serves as financial mechanism for ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ and ‘United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change’.
b) It undertakes scientific research on environmental issues at global level
c) It is an agency under OECD to facilitate the transfer of technology and funds to
underdeveloped countries with specific aim to protect their environment.
d) Both (a) and (b)

PYQs: Q1
Answer: a)
● Explanation:
● GEF is an independent financial organisation (not a research body). It may fund scientific
research but is not directly involved in it.
● IPCC takes care of most of the research work.

PYQs: Q2
2016
With reference to ‘Agenda 21’, sometimes seen in the news, consider the following
statements:
1) It is a global action plan for sustainable development.
2) It originated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

PYQs: Q2
Answer: a) 1 only
Explanation:
• Agenda 21 came out as a part of Earth Summit 1992.

PYQs: Q3
Consider the below statements about Global Wildlife Programme (GWP):
1) GWP is a CITES led global partnership that promotes wildlife conservation and sustainable
development
by combating illicit trafficking in wildlife.
2) The GWP is funded by the Global Environment Facility.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both
d) None

PYQs: Q3
Answer: b) 2 only
It is a World Bank-led & GEF-funded partnership.

PYQs: Q4
2015
What is Rio+20 Conference, often mentioned in the news?
a) It is the UN Conference on Sustainable Development
b) It is a Ministerial Meeting of the WTO
c) It is a Conference of the IPCC
d) It is a Conference of the Member Countries of the CBD

PYQs: Q4
Answer: a)
Explanation:
Earth Summit 1992 (Rio de Janeiro)- UN Conference on Environment and Development
Earth Summit 2002 (Rio+10) (Johannesburg)- World Summit on Sustainable Development
Earth Summit 2012 (Rio+20) (Rio de Janeiro)- UN Conference on Sustainable Development

PYQs: Q5
2018
The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a UN mechanism to assist
countries in transition towards greener and more inclusive economies, emerged at (2018)
a) The Earth Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, Johannesburg
b) The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, Rio de Janeiro
c) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2015, Paris
d) The World Sustainable Development Summit 2016, New Delhi
Answer: b)

PYQs: Q5
Answer: b)

PYQs: Q6
2015
With reference to the IUCN and the CITES, which of the following statements
is/are correct?
1) IUCN is an organ of the United Nations and CITES is an international agreement between governments.
2) IUCN runs thousands of field projects around the world to better manage natural environments.
3) CITES is legally binding on the States that have joined it, but this convention does not take the place of
national laws.
Select the correct using the code given below.
a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

PYQs: Q6
Answer: b) 2 and 3 only
IUCN is an NGO. CITES is an international agreement between governments (multilateral
treaty).

PYQs: Q7
2011-12
Regarding "carbon credits", which one of the following statements is not correct?
a) The carbon credit system was ratified in conjunction with the Kyoto Protocol.
b) Carbon credits are awarded to countries or groups that have reduced GHGs below their
emission quota.
c) The goal of the carbon credit system is to limit the increase of carbon emission quota.
d) Carbon credits are traded at a price fixed from time to time by the United Nations
Environment Programme.

PYQs: Q7
Answer: D
Explanation: Carbon credit prices are traded on an exchange. So, their prices are never
fixed.

PYQs: Q8
2015
Which one of the following is associated with the issue of control and phasing out of the
use of ozone-depleting substances?
a) Bretton Woods Conference
b) Montreal Protocol
c) Kyoto Protocol
d) Nagoya Protocol

PYQs: Q8
Answer: B
● Bretton Woods Conference established the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
● Montreal Protocol is a legally-binding international treaty to protect the
ozone layer by phasing out the production of ozone depleting substances.
● Kyoto Protocol implemented the objective of the UNFCCC to fight global
warming by reducing GHG concentrations in the atmosphere to “a level
that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate
system”. It is binding on the parties.
● Nagoya Protocol is an agreement to the 1992 CBD on “Access to Genetic
Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits”.

PYQs: Q9
Which of the following statements regarding ‘Green Climate Fund’ is/are
correct?
1) It is intended to assist the developing countries in adaptation and
mitigation practices to counter CC.
2) It is founded under the aegis of UNEP, OECD, Asian Development
Bank and World Bank.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

PYQs: Q9
Answer: A
● Explanation: GCF is founded under the aegis of UNFCCC COP

PYQs: Q10
2018
Momentum for Change: Climate Neutral Now” is an initiative launched by
a) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
b) The UNEP Secretariat
c) The UNFCCC Secretariat
d) The World Meteorological Organisation

PYQs: Q11
Answer: C
● Climate Neutral Now was launched by the UNFCCC secretariat in
2015. It is aiming at encouraging and supporting all levels of society
to take climate action to achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-
century, as enshrined in the Paris Agreement.

PYQs: Q12
2016
Consider the following pairs:
Terms sometimes in the news - Their origin
1) Annex-I Countries - Cartagena Protocol
2) Certified Emissions- Reductions NagoyaProtocol
3) Clean Development Mechanism - Kyoto Protocol
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

PYQs: Q12
2016
Answer- C) 3 only
Explanation:
Annex-I Countries, Clean Development Mechanism, Certified Emission
Reductions (CERs) or carbon credits are terms associated with the Kyoto
Protocol.

PYQs: Q13
2016
The term ‘INDC’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of
a) pledges made by the European countries to rehabilitate refugees from
the war-affected Middle East
b) plan of action outlined by the countries of the world to combat
climate change
c) capital contributed by the member countries in the establishment of
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
d) plan of action outlined by the countries of the world regarding
Sustainable Development Goals

PYQs: Q13
Answer: B
● Intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) is a non-binding
national plan highlighting climate change mitigation, including
climate-related targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions.

PYQs: Q14
2016
With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC
Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following
statements is/are correct?
1) The Agreement was signed by all the member
countries of the UN and it will go into effect in 2017.
2) The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas
emissions so that the rise in average global temperature
by the end of this century does not exceed 2 °C or even
1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
3) Developed countries acknowledged their historical
responsibility in global warming and committed to
donate $ 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help
developing countries to cope with climate change.
Select the correct answer using
the code given below.
a) 1 and 3 only
b) 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

PYQs: Q14
Answer: B
● The Agreement will not become binding on its member states until 55
parties who produce over 55% of the world's greenhouse gas have ratified
the Agreement. There is doubt whether some countries, especially the
United States, will agree to do so, though the United States publicly
committed, in a joint Presidential Statement with China, to joining the
Agreement in 2016.

PYQs: Q14
● As of March 2019, 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement,
and 185 have become a party to it.
● The Paris Agreement's long-term goal is to keep the increase in global
average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels;
and to limit the increase to 1.5 °C, since this would substantially reduce
the risks and effects of climate change.

PYQs: Q15
2014
Consider the following international agreements:
1) The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture
2) The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
3) The World Heritage Convention
Which of the above has/have a bearing on the biodiversity?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 3 only,
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2. and 3

PYQs: Q15
2014
Answer- D) 1,2 and 3

PYQs: Q16
2015
With reference to ‘Forest Carbon Partnership Facility’,
which of the following statements is/are correct?
1) It is global partnership of governments, businesses,
civil society and indigenous peoples.
2) It provides financial aid to universities, individual
scientists and institutions involved in scientific
forestry research to develop eco-friendly and climate
adaptation technologies for sustainable forest
management.
3) It assists the countries in their ‘REDD+ (Reducing
Emission from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation+)’ efforts by providing them with
financial and technical assistance.
Select the correct answer using
the code given below
a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

PYQs: Q16
Answer: C
● Explanation: It provides financial incentives to countries in
their REDD+ efforts. There is no mention of assistance to
universities, scientists.

PYQs: Q17
2015
‘BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes’ is
managed by the
a) Asian Development Bank
b) International Monetary Fund
c) United Nations Environment Programme
d) World Bank

PYQs: Q17
Answer: D
● BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes
(ISFL) is a multilateral fund, supported by donor governments
and managed by the World Bank.

PYQs: Q18
2016
What is ‘Greenhouse Gas Protocol’?
a) It is an international accounting tool for government and business leaders
to understand, quantify and man-age greenhouse gas emissions
b) It is an initiative of the United Nations to offer financial incentives to
developing countries to reduce GHG emissions and to adopt eco-friendly
technologies
c) It is an inter-governmental agreement ratified by all the member countries
of the UN to reduce GHG emissions to specified levels by the year 2022
d) It is one of the multilateral REDD+ initiatives hosted by the World Bank

PYQs: Q18
Answer: A
● Greenhouse Gas Protocol is an international accounting tool for
government and business leaders to understand, quantify and man-age
greenhouse gas emissions

PYQs: Q19
2017
Regarding ‘Global CC Alliance’, which of the following statements is/are
correct?
1) It is an initiative of the European Union.
2) It provides technical and financial support to targeted developing
countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and
budgets.
3) It is coordinated by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World
Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

PYQs: Q19
Answer: A
● The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) was launched in 2007 by
the European Commission to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on
climate change between the European Union (EU) and developing
countries most vulnerable to climate change, in particular Least
Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States
(SIDS), which are hardest hit by the adverse effects of climate change.
● The GCCA acts as a platform for dialogue and exchange of experience
between the EU and developing countries on climate policy and on
practical approaches to integrate climate change into development
policies and budgets.

PYQs: Q19
● The results of dialogue and exchange of views feed into the discussions
on the post-2012 climate agreement under the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and inform the technical
and financial cooperation supported by the GCCA.
● Discussions take place at global, regional and national levels.
● The GCCA also provides technical and financial support to partner
countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and
budgets, and to implement projects that address climate change on the
ground, promoting climate-resilient, low-emission development.
Technical and financial cooperation, in turn, informs political dialogue
and exchange of experience at regional and global levels.

PYQs: Q20
2014
Consider the following countries:
1) Denmark
2) Japan
3) Russian Federation
4) United Kingdom
5) United States of America
Which of the above are the members of the ‘Arctic Council’?
a) 1, 2 and 3
b) 2, 3 and 4
c) 1, 4 and 5
d) 1, 3 and 5

PYQs: Q20
Answer: D

PYQs: 21
2016
Proper design and effective implementation of UN-REDD+ can significantly
contribute to
1) Protection Of Biodiversity
2) Resilience Of Forest Ecosystems
3) Poverty Reduction
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

PYQs: 21
Answer: a) 1, 2 and 3 (UPSC Official Key)
Explanation:
● Poverty reduction is nowhere mentioned in the REDD+. But the
question is not asking for specific details, “UN-REDD+ Programme can
significantly contribute to?”
● Conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of
forest carbon stocks in developing countries will certainly contribute to
employment opportunities and help in poverty reduction.
● According to FAO, REDD+ can also contribute to achieving other SDGs
– including those which address poverty reduction, health and well-
being, hunger alleviation, and improving institutions”

PYQs: 22
2018
With reference to the ‘Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture
(GACSA)’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1) GACSA is an outcome of the Climate Summit held in Paris in 2015.
2) Membership of GACSA does not create any binding obligations.
3) India was instrumental in the creation of GACSA.
Select the correct answer using the code given
a) 1 and 3 only
b) 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

PYQs: 22
Answer: B (2 only)
● The concept of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) was originally
developed by FAO and officially presented and at the Hague Conference
on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change in 2010,
● GACSA is a voluntary platform open to governments, international and
regional organizations, institutions, civil society, farmers’ organizations
and businesses who agree with its vision and its Framework Document.
● Being a member does not create any binding obligations and members
determine their particular voluntary actions according to their needs and
priorities.
● India is not a member of this organisation.

PYQs: 23
2017
Consider the following statements in respect of TRAFFIC:
1. TRAFFIC is a bureau under United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP).
2. The mission of TRAFFIC is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals
is not a threat to the conservation of nature.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

PYQs: 23
Answer: B
● TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is a joint program of
WWF and IUCN, established by the WWF & IUCN to respond to the
growing threat posed by illegal wildlife trade and overexploitation.
● Traffic aims to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a
threat to the conservation of nature.

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