Environment & Wildlife

A team from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, under the Department of Science and Technology, reconstructed nearly 4,000 years of climate and vegetation history for Majuli Island, Assam — the world's largest inhabited river island and a centre of Neo-Vaishnavite culture. Majuli sits between the Brahmaputra (to the south and east), the Subansiri (to the west) and a northern Brahmaputra branch, making it highly vulnerable to flooding and riverbank erosion; the study's long-term climate and flood-dynamics data is meant to inform adaptation and disaster planning for similarly flood-prone regions.

Several new species were formally described this month, all adding to India's documented biodiversity:

• Mesalina bishnoi — a new lizard species discovered near Gajner, Bikaner district, Rajasthan, by the Zoological Survey of India, marking the first confirmed record of the genus Mesalina in India. It was found during field surveys in August 2025 and validated through morphological and genetic analysis; the species belongs to the family Lacertidae and is adapted to arid, desert environments.
• Hamataliwa mawlyngot — a new lynx spider species found in Mawlyngot village, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, by ZSI and the University of Calcutta, the first recorded presence of the genus Hamataliwa in Meghalaya, published in National Academy Science Letters.
• Two new microscopic snail species, discovered in Krem Puri Cave and Arwah Cave — two important limestone cave systems in Meghalaya — by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), published in the European Journal of Taxonomy.
• Antaram idukki (a Tiger Moth, found in Idukki, Kerala) and Mimeusemia kali (a Forester Moth, found in the Kali Tiger Reserve, Karnataka) — two new moth species from the Western Ghats, identified by ZSI Pune in collaboration with London's Natural History Museum.

About the Zoological Survey of India: established 1916; headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal; Director Dhriti Banerjee; India's premier institution for faunal research, species discovery and biodiversity documentation.

The Zojila Tunnel, a roughly 13-kilometre high-altitude Himalayan road tunnel being built at an altitude of about 11,578 feet, was nearing its final breakthrough — targeted for 9 June 2026, with full operational completion expected by February 2028. The tunnel will provide all-weather road connectivity between Baltal (near Sonamarg, Jammu & Kashmir) and Meenamarg in the Drass–Kargil region of Ladakh, replacing a mountain pass that currently closes for months every winter due to snow and avalanches.

Delhi inaugurated 18 "Namo Oxygen Parks" on World Environment Day (5 June), under the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" campaign, launched jointly by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Delhi CM Rekha Gupta at Maidangarhi, aimed at functioning as urban green lungs that improve air quality, support biodiversity and provide recreational space.

The National Zoological Park, New Delhi (established 1959), launched the "NZP Saathi App" and self-ticketing kiosks, inaugurated by Union Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh, offering an interactive digital map and smart navigation for visitors to locate enclosures, washrooms, buggy points, food courts and exits.

India's E85 fuel — a petrol blend with roughly 85% ethanol and 15% petrol, designed for Flex-Fuel Vehicles — was launched by Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on World Environment Day, marking the next phase of India's ethanol-blending programme after the nationwide rollout of E20. On the vehicle side, Puri launched India's first passenger Flex-Fuel Vehicle, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR FFV, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launched Hero MotoCorp's first flex-fuel motorcycles — the Splendor+ Flex Fuel and HF Deluxe Flex Fuel. Bureau of Indian Standards has designated E85 as the mono-fuel standard for FFVs, and NITI Aayog classifies ethanol-based FFVs as Zero-Emission Vehicles owing to their near-zero particulate-matter emissions.

The Great Indian Bustard captive-breeding programme reached 94 birds (see Chapter 3), and India's nuclear-arsenal and solar-capacity milestones from SIPRI and IRENA respectively are also covered in Chapter 3, since they sit at the intersection of environment and national-security/economic policy.

Chapter 12 Quiz

1. How many years of climate history did BSIP reconstruct for Majuli Island, and what makes Majuli globally notable? — Nearly 4,000 years; it's the world's largest inhabited river island
2. Which new lizard species, discovered near Bikaner, marks a genus-first record for India? — Mesalina bishnoi
3. What connectivity will the Zojila Tunnel provide once complete, and by when? — All-weather road link between Baltal and Meenamarg (Ladakh); full completion expected February 2028
4. Under what campaign were Delhi's 18 Namo Oxygen Parks inaugurated? — "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam"
5. What ethanol-petrol ratio defines India's newly launched E85 fuel? — ~85% ethanol, 15% petrol
6. Which two new moth species were identified in the Western Ghats by ZSI Pune and London's Natural History Museum? — Antaram idukki and Mimeusemia kali