Andaman and Nicobar islands

Why in the discussion?

Recently, a publication released by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), the database of all living species found on the Andaman Nicobar Islands for the first time in the title 'Funnel Diversity of Biogeographic Jones: Islands of India' has been collected. , In which the number of all species has been recorded 11,009.

key points

• This document proves that this islands comprise only 0.25% of India's geographical area, more than 10% of the species of living organisms in the country.
• Narcondum Hornbill, its house is confined to a single island; Nicobar Megapod, a bird that builds a nest on the ground; Nicobar tresu, a small mammal such as a pimple; Long-tail Nicobar Macaques and Andaman de Geeko are among the 1,067 spatial species found on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are not found anywhere else.
• However, this publication warns that tourism, illegal construction and mining are creating a threat to biodiversity of islands, which are already vulnerable to volatile climate factors.
• The total area of ​​the Andaman and Nicobar islands is approximately 8,249 square kilometers It includes 572 islands, small islands and rocky heights. The total population of this island group is not more than 4 lakhs, especially in six weak tribal groups (PVTG) - Great Andamanese, Ong, Jarwa, Sentinelis, Nicobari and Champaign.
• According to the latest statistics, 4.87 lakh tourists visit these islands annually, which is more than the number of people living on these islands.
• It is known that the Government of India has recently relaxed the travel ban for some foreign nationals notified under the Foreign (Restricted Area) Order, 1963, for its 29 inhabited islands by December 31, 2022 in restricted area permit (RAP) norms. It has given rise to concerns related to increased human-generated pressures on the ecosystem of the islands.

Restricted area permit

• In the case of the North Sentinel Island on some islands removed from the RAP list there is no accommodation other than Pinyinilis such as PVTG and there is nothing except police post on Narcondome Island.
• At this place, the paradigm of development at the micro level, which are happening in the field of space, construction and military development, the focus of ecological delicacy (localism), geological instability (earthquake and tsunami) and the impact of their influence on local communities Not being kept in
• This publication, released in 49 chapters and 500 pages, not only creates a database of species found in special categories of animals, but also mentions the most viable of them.
• Three of the 46 terrestrial mammalian species found here - Crocidura andamanensis, Jenkins Shrew (C. jenkinsi) and Nicobar Shrew (C. nicobarica) have been classified as critically endangered category. According to the IUCN, five species are endangered, nine species are vulnerable and one species is listed under the category near the crisis.
• Of the ten species of marine organisms found on these islands, duguong / sea cow and Humpback dolphins of the Indo-Pacific region were classified as red list of endangered species under the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). is.
• The population of birds found here is quite high, where 36 of the 364 species are found only on these islands. Many of these bird species have been kept in the IUCN Red List of the Endangered Species under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA).

Marine diversity

• Similarly, eight species of amphibians and 23 species of reptiles, which are endemic to these islands, are at high risk of being endangered. Another unique feature of the ecosystem of the islands is its sea creature variety, which includes coral rocks and its related organisms.
• Overall, 555 species of sclateractin coral (hard or rocky coral) are found in the ecosystem of this island group and they are all kept under Schedule 1 of the WPA. Similarly, all the species of Gorgonian (C fence) and calcars sponge are listed under various schedule of WPA.
• Due to isolation from the mainland for a long time, the island became a hotspot for the emergence of many species (the formation of new and distinct species), which resulted in hundreds of spatial species and sub-species evolved here.
• The authors of this publication have underlined that any crisis can have a long-term impact on the biodiversity of the islands, which can destroy the size of the population of any spatial population, after that it can reach extinction in a limited time period. .

Context

Recently, scientists have done shocking revelations about the English language used in the study system in the Indian education system. Scientists claim that the use of English language in teaching-learning is especially removing children, especially those whose children are spoken in the family, from the initial skill training.

Important point

• Significantly, this four-year project is being completed in collaboration with Britain's University of Reading and affiliates based in Karnataka, Hyderabad and New Delhi.
• The purpose of this project is to find out the reasons for which a country where multilingualism is common, yet it is not able to take advantage of it.
• Researchers are trying to ascertain why the children are not deeply interested in learning about knowledge related things like multilingual children in the West.
• According to a professor of the University of Cambridge, the answer to this contradiction is hidden in statistics related to 1,000 schoolchildren collected from Delhi, Hyderabad and Bihar in the last two years.
• During the two years under this project, the team has found considerable difference in the provision of education in various government schools in three different areas, including teaching method and standard.

Possible reasons

• The said 1000 children will be re-examined in which not only the results of the examination but also other factors such as teaching method, environment and standards will be taken care of.
• There may be a lack of Pupil-Centred teaching method of poor performance in the examination, in which teachers dominate the students. As a result of this trend of dominance, the institution of students who openly ask questions in the classroom starts decreasing.
• Although these findings are still in the initial stage, researchers believe that the medium of study-teaching in schools, especially English, is the reason that this language is becoming backward for the ignorant students of this language.

Sources: The Hindu (Business Line)

Source: The Hindu