Question: India among nations that face grave danger to soil biodiversity according to the study published by-
(a) Geological Survey of India
(b) WWF
(c) ISFR- 2017
(d) Forest Survey of India
Answer: (b)
Related facts:
- India among nations that face grave danger to soil biodiversity according to the study published by WWF through its Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas. It is recently prepared by World Wide Fund for nature (WWF).
- This atlas is a collection of images, text and figures depicting the importance of soil biology. The atlas was released as part of WWF’s bi-annual Living Planet Report (LPR) 2018.
- Big threat to soil biodiversity and pollinators (bees and other flying insects) is highlighted in report (LPR). The 2018 report found a “decline of 60% in population sizes” of vertebrate species overall from 1970 to 2014.
- Pollution and nutrient over-loading, over grazing, intensive agriculture, fire, soil erosion, desertification and climate change are the various reasons for listing India among countries whose soil biodiversity faces the highest level of risk.
- WWF report also made it clear that India’s high population made it vulnerable to an ecological crisis although its per capita ecological footprint was less than 1.75 hectares/person.
- The Living Planet Report is the world’s leading, science-based analysis on the health of our planet and the impact of human activity. Humanity’s demands exceed the Earth’s capacity to sustain us.
- This report is published every two years by the World Wide Fund for Nature since 1998.
Links:
https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/india-among-nations-that-face-grave-danger-to-soil-biodiversity/article25374860.ece
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Planet_Report