The incredibly rare Arisaema translucens, more commonly known as the cobra lily, was recently rediscovered in the western Nilgiris after 84 years.
They can be found only in a small area measuring less than 10 square kilometres in the Nilgiris.
The Toda tribals of the Nilgiris, who know the plant well, have an embroidery motif known as the ‘podwarshk’, which resembles it.
The indigenous community could predict the early arrival of monsoon from the blooming of the cobra lily's ‘translucens’.
Prized for their beauty around the world, cobra lilies are at even greater risk of extinction from the commercial trade in exotic plants.
Of the handful cobra lily species found in the Nilgiris, only two are endemic.
Cobra lilies have vanished in the past decades along with the disappearance of the shola tree patches in which they were found.
Pampa Conservation
The document, named Pampa Declaration, delineates a comprehensive plan to be implemented with the active involvement and support of the government and the public.
The salient features of the declaration include
bestowing living entity status to river Pampa;
the constitution of a River Management Board for the governance of the river;
documentation of livelihood along the river basin;
publication of periodic status report of flood plains and wetlands and formation of tributaries, micro watersheds, and ponds linked to the river every five years.
The declaration calls upon the government to create an additional standing committee on environment at the local bodies to ensure participation of local government institutions in the governance of the river.
Pampa: It is the third longest river in the South Indian state of Kerala after Periyar and Bharathappuzha.
The river is also known as 'Dakshina Bhageerathi' and 'River Baris'.
The river rises at an altitude of 1,650 metres on the Peermade Plateau in the Idukki district of Kerala. After traversing a distance of 176 kilometres (109 mi), the river joins the Arabian Sea through a number of channels.
International Solar Alliance
The world’s smallest republic, Nauru — has become the sixth country to ratify the ISA Framework pact initiated by the Indian and French Governments at the climate change summit held at Paris in 2015.
Headquartered in India, the alliance, conceived as a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to collaborate on meeting their energy needs through a common, agreed approach, will become a legal entity once at least 15 countries ratify and deposit the framework agreement.
India has earmarked about $2 billion to finance solar projects in Africa out of it commitment to provide $10 billion of concessional lines of credit for projects in the continent.
Hillary Step
The Hillary Step was a 12-metre-tall rocky outcrop on the south-east ridge of the Mount Everest.
The near vertical outcrop is named after Edmund Hillary who was the first to scale Everest in 1953.
The Step was considered one of the trickiest part of climbing the world’s highest peak.
Mountaineers confirmed last week that the Hillary Step on Mount Everest has collapsed, possibly during the earthquake in Nepal in 2015.
