Current Affairs - Environment

Eighteen Namo Oxygen Parks were inaugurated across New Delhi on World Environment Day 2026 under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign. The initiative was launched by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to improve urban air quality, increase green cover, enhance biodiversity, and provide recreational green spaces for citizens. The parks are designed to function as urban green lungs and support environmental sustainability. Alongside this initiative, the Delhi Government announced a target of planting 15 lakh trees and released important environmental planning documents to strengthen conservation and ecological governance in the national capital.

Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary, popularly known as Surha Tal, became India’s 100th Ramsar Site on World Environment Day 2026. Located in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary is an ecologically significant wetland that supports a wide variety of migratory and resident bird species. Its recognition under the Ramsar Convention highlights its international importance for biodiversity conservation and sustainable wetland management. The sanctuary contributes to maintaining ecological balance by supporting aquatic life, regulating water systems, and providing breeding and feeding habitats for birds. This achievement also reflects India’s growing commitment to environmental conservation and wetland protection.

Amolops kamal is a newly discovered species of cascade-dwelling frog recorded by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) on May 30, 2026. The species was found in the Kiphire district near Singrep village, located in Nagaland close to the India–Myanmar border. It belongs to the Amolops indoburmanensis species complex and the Amolops marmoratus species group. Molecular phylogenetic studies confirmed it as a distinct evolutionary lineage. The frog was named in honour of Kamal Choudhury, a mentor at B. Barooah College, Guwahati, and is commonly known as the Nagaland cascade frog.

India’s first satellite-tagged Ganges softshell turtle was released in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve as part of a major wildlife conservation initiative. The project was launched on Endangered Species Day to monitor the movement, habitat use, breeding sites, and seasonal migration patterns of the endangered freshwater turtle species. The Ganges softshell turtle, scientifically known as Nilssonia gangetica, is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List despite being widely distributed across India. The initiative was jointly carried out by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Assam Forest Department, Kaziranga authorities, and supported by the National Geographic Society to strengthen conservation planning in the Brahmaputra river basin.

The ‘Lion’ Species Spotlight Programme was inaugurated at Sasan Gir in Gujarat by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav as a precursor to the IBCA Summit 2026. The programme highlighted the success of Asiatic lion conservation efforts in the Greater Gir Landscape, where the lion population reached an estimated 891 individuals in 2025, reflecting a 32% increase since the 2020 census. The initiative aligns with Project Lion, launched in 2020 for long-term conservation and habitat restoration. Gujarat remains the only natural habitat of Asiatic lions in the world, making the state globally significant for wildlife conservation and biodiversity protection.