Category Social Sciences

What do we know about the bird population in Port Campbell National Park?

Most of us know about Port Campbell as a scenic coast with limestone formations that would make a good photograph.

We have seen these limestone formations near the Great Ocean Road on our desktop background. But, there is much more in Port Campbell than the cliffs, rock stacks, gorges, arches, and blow-holes.

A wide variety of birds thrive on the fragile ecosystem in Port Campbell National Park including honeyeaters, southern emu, fairy wrens, swamp harriers, Rufous bristlebird, peregrine falcons, pelicans, ducks, black swans and egrets.

These birds are found in the grasslands and health lands of Port Campbell. Along with these, Australasian gannets, wandering albatrosses and short-tailed shearwaters live out at sea. Penguins are also seen near the shore line.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Why is the Undara Volcanic National Park unique?

Undara Volcanic National Park is noted for its lava tubes and rich mineral deposits. For millions of years, Undara was an active shield volcano.

A massive eruption occurred in the volcano. The lava tubes and caves that we see today were formed when rivers of lava confined to a valley crusted over and formed a roof.

The lava tubes in the Undara Volcanic National Park contain the remains of the Earth’s longest flow of lava originating from a single volcanic crater. Numerous caves were formed within the lava tubes and these are now fertile pockets in which plant and animal species thrive.

Out of these, Bayliss Cave is considered one of the world’s most important, biologically diverse caves. The mineral wealth of the Park includes topaz, moonstone, peridot, aquamarine, gamet, quartz and gold. The Park also has many perennial springs which provide important habitats for a range of wildlife.

 

Picture Credit : Google

What is the story behind the name of the Daintree rainforest?

Daintree rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests in the world. Home to many rare species, the Daintree rainforest has a significant bird population. This rainforest has more than 430 bird species, 23 reptiles and at least thirteen amphibians. The Daintree National Park is divided into two sections with an agricultural settlement in the middle.

The Daintree National Park is quite a spectacle; lush forests, the Daintree river and pristine beaches. Much of the national park is covered by tropical rainforest that has existed for more than 100 million year. The name comes from the Daintree river. The river was named by George Elphinstone Dalrymple, an early explorer of the area. He named the river after his friend Richard Daintree.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Which missiles were test fired in successfully by India recently?

Agni-V

On April 19, 2012, India successfully test-fired 5000 km range Agni-V Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, developed by DRDO. Part of the Agni series of missiles, Agni V has been developed as a nuclear deterrent against China. The missile is expected to be inducted into service soon.

Dhanush

On Feb. 23, 2018, the nuclear-capable ‘Dhanush’ ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km was successfully test-fired from a naval ship off Odisha coast. The surface-to-surface missile is a naval variant of the indigenously-developed ‘Prithvi 3’ missile.

Mission Shakti

On March 27, 2019, India conducted Mission Shakti, a high precision anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island launch complex. The significance of the test carried out by the DRDO is that India has successfully demonstrated its capability to intercept a satellite in outer space. With this test, the country joins an exclusive group of space-faring nations comprising the U.S., Russia and China.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Which are the SC’s landmark judgments?

Triple Talaq: 2017

On Aug.22, 2017, the SC ruled that the traditional method of Muslim men instantly divorcing their wives by uttering “talaq” thrice was “unconstitutional” and “arbitrary”. Under the court’s instruction, the Lok Sabha on Dec. 27, 2018, passed the Muslim Women Bill (Triple Talaq) 2018, criminalizing the practice. The offence now attracts a fine and a jail term up to three years for the husband.

Section 377: 2018

In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court on September 6 decriminalized homosexuality with a prayer to the LGBTQ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community to forgive history for their “brutal” suppression. A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, further stated that sexual orientation is natural and choice of partner is part of the fundamental right to privacy.

Sabarimala: 2018

On September 28, 2018, the SC lifted the ban that prevented women and girls in the 10-50 age group from entering the famous Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala. It held that this centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. Subsequently on Nov 14, 2019, the SC referred the Sabarimala issues to a larger, seven-member bench after hearing pleas seeking a review of its decision to allow women of all ages into the temple.

Ayodhya: 2019

On Nov. 9, 2019, the decades-old sensitive Ayodhya land title case came to an end with the SC handling over possession of the disputed 2.77 acre site to the deity Ram Lalla, one of the three litigants in the case, and directed that a Ram temple be built on the site which many Hindus believe was the birth place of Ram. It directed that a trust be formed by the Central government within three months to manage the property and oversee the temple construction. The apex court also directed that 5 acres of land on an alternative site in Ayodhya be provided to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque. It dismissed the plea of Nirmohi Akara seeking control of the entire disputed land. The court also ruled that the demolition of the Babri Masjid which stood at the disputed site in 1992 by kar sevaks was in violation of law.

 

Picture Credit : Google

When Abhijit Banerjee wins Nobel prize in economics?

Indian-American economist Abhijit Banerjee won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics, along with his French-American wife Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Michael Kremer of Harvard University “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.” The three were recognized for their ability to divide the issue of tackling global poverty into smaller subjects. They were awarded medals and the prize money of nine million Swedish krona (approximately Rs 6.7 crore) in Sweden on Dec. 11, 2019. According to the Nobel citation, their extensive research will help in improving the ability to combat global poverty.

Banerjee and his co-workers try to measure the effectiveness of actions (such as government programmes) in improving people’s lives. For this, they use randomized controlled trials, similar to clinical trials in medical research. For example, although polio vaccination is freely available in India, many mothers were not bringing their children for the vaccination drives. Banerjee and Prof. Esther Duflo, also from MIT, tried an experiment in Rajasthan, where they gifted a bag of pulses to mothers who vaccinated their children. Soon, the immunization rate went up in the region. In another experiment, they found that learning outcomes improved in schools that were provided with teaching assistants to help students with special needs.

 

Picture Credit : Google