Question.A mobile-based application called KURMA was launched recently.
It is related to which of the following:
(a) Indian Turtle Conservation
(b)Indian Tiger Conservation
(c) Indian Vulture Conservation
(d) Indian Elephant Conservation
Answer : (a)
- Context:
- On May 23, 2020, World Turtle Day, a mobile-based application called KURMA was launched for turtle conservation, which has been hailed by the Government.
Facts:
- The application has been developed by the Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network (ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance-India and Wildlife Conservation Society-India.
- It serves as a digital database, with a built-in digital field guide covering 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises of India, and information on turtle identification, distribution, vernacular names, and threats.
- A report released in 2019 by TRAFFIC, an international wildlife trade monitoring organisation, showed that at least 11,000 tortoises and freshwater turtles fall prey to illicit poaching and smuggling every year, adding up to over 1,11,130 turtles poached or smuggled between September 2009 and September 2019.
By-Arpit Mishra
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