STATE OF FOREST REPORT 2019

 
STATE OF FOREST REPORT 2019 

The report is published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) which has been mandated to assess the forest and tree resources of the country including wall-to-wall forest cover mapping in a biennial cycle. Starting 1987, 16 assessments have been completed so far. ISFR 2019 is the 16th report in the series.

SALIENT FEATURES 
• India is among the few countries in the world where forest c over is consistently increasing.

• Total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.73 million hectare which is 24.56 percent of the geographical area.

ο Total forest cover – 21.67%
ο Tree cover – 2.89%

• As compared to 2017, there is an increase of 5188 sq km in t he total forest and total tree cover (forest cover – 3976 sq k m; tree cover – 1,212 sq km).

• Forest cover in the hill districts is 40.3%.
• Total forest cover in the tribal districts is 37.54%.
• Forest cover within the reserved forest are has shown a slight decrease of 330 sq km (0.05%).

• Highest range increase in forest cover has been observed i n open forest followed by very dense forest and moderately dense forest.

• Top three states showing increase in forest cover are Karnataka (1,025 sq. km) followed by Andhra Pradesh (990 sq km) and Kerala (823 sq km), Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. 


• Total Forest cover in the North Eastern Region is 65.05% of its geographical area. Current assessment shows a decrease of forest cover to the extent 0.45% in the region.
Except Assam and Tripura, all the States in the region show d ecrease in forest cover.

• Soil Organic Carbon represents the largest pool for carbon stock in forests – 56% to the total forest carbon stock of t he country

Area-wise Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover i n the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh,  C hhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.

• In terms of forest cover as percentage of total
geographical area, the top five States are Mizoram
(85.41%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%), Meghalaya
(76.33%), Manipur (75.46%) and Nagaland (75.31%).
• Mangrove cover has been separately reported in the ISFR 2019 

ο Total mangrove cover in the country is 4,975 sq km.
ο An increase of 54 sq Km in mangrove cover has been observed as compared to the previous assessment of 
2017.

ο Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Gujarat (37 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (16 sq km)  and Odisha (8 sq km). 

• The extent of bamboo bearing area of the country has been estimated 16.00 million hectare – an increase of 0.32  million hectare. 

• Under the current assessment the total carbon stock in country’s forest is estimated 7,124.6 million tonnes and there an increase of 42.6 million tonnes in the carbon  stock of country as compared to the last assessment of  2017. 

• FSI has carried out an exercise at the national level to identify wetlands of more than 1 ha within RFA. 

ο There are 62,466 wetlands covering 3.8% of the area
within the RFA/GW of the country.
ο Total number of wetlands located within reserved forest area is 8.13%. 
ο Amongst the States, Gujarat has largest area of
wetlands within reserved forest area followed by West
Bengal.

• The report included a chapter on forest and people which collects information on the dependence of the people  living in close proximity to forests for their day to day  needs for forest produce such as Fuelwood, Fodder, Small  timber and bamboo.

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Asteroid Fast Facts ❤Aovious

What Are The Differences Between An Asteroid, Comet, Meteoroid, Meteor and Meteorite?

             Source NASA TV FOLLOW ME CLICK HERE

Asteroid: A relatively small, inactive, rocky body orbiting the Sun.

Comet: A relatively small, at times active, object whose ices can vaporize in sunlight forming an atmosphere (coma) of dust and gas and, sometimes, a tail of dust and/or gas.

Meteoroid: A small particle from a comet or asteroid orbiting the Sun.

Meteor: The light phenomena which results when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and vaporizes; a shooting star.

Meteorite: A meteoroid that survives its passage through the Earth's atmosphere and lands upon the Earth's surface.

Size and Frequency

Every day, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles.

About once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth's atmosphere, creates an impressive fireball, and burns up before reaching the surface.

Every 2,000 years or so, a meteoroid the size of a football field hits Earth and causes significant damage to the area.

Only once every few million years, an object large enough to threaten Earth's civilization comes along. Impact craters on Earth, the moon and other planetary bodies are evidence of these occurrences.

Space rocks smaller than about 25 meters (about 82 feet) will most likely burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere and cause little or no damage.

If a rocky meteoroid larger than 25 meters but smaller than one kilometer ( a little more than 1/2 mile) were to hit Earth, it would likely cause local damage to the impact area.

We believe anything larger than one to two kilometers (one kilometer is a little more than one-half mile) could have worldwide effects. At 5.4 kilometers in diameter, the largest known potentially hazardous asteroid is Toutatis.

By comparison, asteroids that populate the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and pose no threat to Earth, can be as big as 940 kilometers (about 583 miles) across.

How is an Asteroid Orbit Calculated?

An asteroid's orbit is computed by finding the elliptical path about the sun that best fits the available observations of the object. That is, the object's computed path about the sun is adjusted until the predictions of where the asteroid should have appeared in the sky at several observed times match the positions where the object was actually observed to be at those same times. As more and more observations are used to further improve an object's orbit, we become more and more confident in our knowledge of where the object will be in the future.

What is NASA doing to find and learn more about potentially hazardous asteroids and comets?

NASA has established a Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), managed in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The PDCO ensures the early detection of potentially hazardous objects (PHOs) - asteroids and comets whose orbits are predicted to bring them within 0.05 Astronomical Units of Earth (5 million miles or 8 million kilometers) and of a size large enough to reach Earth's surface - that is, greater than approximately 30 to 50 meters. NASA tracks and characterizes these objects and issues warnings about potential impacts, providing timely and accurate information. NASA also leads the coordination of U.S. Government planning for response to an actual impact threat.




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INTERNET AS BASIC RIGHT

Why in news?

Recently, Supreme Court has delivered verdict on
a bunch of petitions challenging the restrictions
imposed on internet services and movement of
people in Jammu and Kashmir.
Provisions for Internet shutdowns in India

• Suspension of Internet services are dealt with
under the Information Technology Act, 2000,
the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973 and
the Telegraph Act, 1885. Supreme Court’s observation

• On Internet shutdown

Freedom of speech and expression
through the medium of internet is a
fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a)
of the Constitution.

 The restrictions on internet have to follow
the principles of proportionality under
Article 19(2).

✓ The doctrine essentially signifies that
the punishment should not be
disproportionate to the offence
committed or the nature and extent
of the State’s interference with the
exercise of a right must be
proportionate to the goal it seeks to
achieve.

Freedom of trade and commerce through
internet is also a constitutionally
protected right under Article 19(1)(g).

Suspension of internet for indefinite
period not permissible. 

• On Section 144 of CrPC:

When Sec 144 is imposed for reasons of
apprehended danger, that danger must
be an “emergency”.

Powers under Sec 144 should be
exercised in a reasonable and bona fide
manner, and the order must state
material facts in order to enable judicial
review

Section 144 CrPC

• Powers under the law: 
o It is a colonial era law that empowers a 
district magistrate, a sub-divisional 
magistrate or any other executive magistrate
empowered by the state government to issue 
orders to prevent and address urgent cases of 
apprehended danger or nuisance.
o This usually includes restrictions on 
movement, carrying arms and from 
assembling unlawfully. It is generally believed 
that assembly of three or more people is 
prohibited under Section 144. However, it can 
be used to restrict even a single individual.

• Duration of the order: Order passed under Section 
144 cannot remain in force for more than two 
months from the date of the order, unless the 
state government considers it necessary. Even 
then, the total period cannot extend to more than 
six months.

Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public 
Emergency or Public Service) Rules, 2017 (Suspension 
Rules)

• These Rules were framed by Ministry of
Communications under the Indian Telegraph Act,
which talks about interception of messages in the
“interests of the sovereignty and integrity of
India”.
• It empowers the government to block
transmission of messages in case of a public
emergency or for public safety in any part of the
country.
• Any order suspending internet under the Rules,
can be only for a temporary duration and not for
an indefinite period.
Other judgements on Internet as right

• In Faheema Shirin v. State of Kerala, the Kerala
High Court declared the right to Internet access as
a fundamental right, forming part of right to
privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution of

India.

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Día Internacional de la Mujer | International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is annually held on March 8 to celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations. It is also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.

Background

Much progress has been made to protect and promote women’s rights in recent times. However, nowhere in the world can women claim to have all the same rights and opportunities as men, according to the UN. The majority of the world's 1.3 billion absolute poor are women. On average, women receive between 30 and 40 percent less pay than men earn for the same work. Women also continue to be victims of violence, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women worldwide.

The first International Women’s Day occurred on March 19 in 1911. The inaugural event, which included rallies and organized meetings, was a big success in countries such as Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The March 19 date was chosen because it commemorated the day that the Prussian king promised to introduce votes for women in 1848. The promise gave hope for equality but it was a promise that he failed to keep. The International Women’s Day date was moved to March 8 in 1913.

The UN drew global attention to women's concerns in 1975 by calling for an International Women's Year. It also convened the first conference on women in Mexico City that year. The UN General Assembly then invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for Women's Rights and International Peace in 1977. The day aimed to help nations worldwide eliminate discrimination against women. It also focused on helping women gain full and equal participation in global development. International Men’s Day is also celebrated on November 19 each year.

What Do People Do?

International Women’s Day events are held worldwide on March 8. Various women, including political, community, and business leaders, as well as leading educators, inventors, entrepreneurs, and television personalities, are usually invited to speak at various events on the day. Such events may include seminars, conferences, luncheons, dinners or breakfasts. The messages given at these events often focus on various themes such as innovation, the portrayal of women in the media, or the importance of education and career opportunities.

Many students in schools and other educational settings participate in special lessons, debates or presentations about the importance of women in society, their influence, and issues that affect them. In some countries school children bring gifts to their female teachers and women receive small presents from friends or family members. Many workplaces make a special mention about International Women’s Day through internal newsletters or notices, or by handing out promotional material focusing on the day.

Public Life

International Women’s Day, is a public holiday in some countries such as (but not exclusive to):

• Azerbaijan.
• Armenia.
• Belarus.
• Kazakhstan.
• Moldova
• Russia.
• Ukraine.
Many businesses, government offices, educational institutions are closed in the above-mentioned countries on this day, where it is sometimes called Women’s Day. International Women’s Day is a national observance in many other countries. Some cities may host various wide-scale events such as street marches, which may temporarily affect parking and traffic conditions.



Symbols

The International Women’s Day logo is in purple and white and features the symbol of Venus, which is also the symbol of being female.  The faces of women of all backgrounds, ages, and nations are also seen in various promotions, such as posters, postcards and information booklets, on International Women’s Day.  Various messages and slogans that promote the day are also publicized during this time of the year.

External Links

International Women’s Day official site
                           https://www.twitter.com/aovious

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