Lead IAS Daily Bulletin - 3 August 2026 - UN-CBD & Lepidoptera - Landslide

Sep 20, 2026

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Daily IAS bulletin for 03 August 2026 covering multiple governance and environment topics. It explains the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN-CBD), including its legally binding multilateral scope, objectives, secretariat, COP structure, and the Cali Fund and DSI concept, then outlines related instruments such as the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It also summarizes India’s lepidoptera biodiversity and key features, and reviews Kerala’s landslide patterns and triggering root causes, grounded in definitions, protections, and legal frameworks.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN-CBD)

Key provisions and COP structure

Protocols and KMGBF

Lepidoptera

Features and significance

Life cycle and ecological role

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)

Landslide

Definition, intensity, and triggers

03 August 2026 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN-CBD) An article expounding over the biodiversity conservation eﬀortsin India and the expansion of biodiversity beyond protected areas. o UN-CBD: A legally binding multilateral treaty adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. It covers biodiversity at all levels: ecosystems, species, and genetic resources. o Objectives: Conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable benefitsharing of genetic resources. o Secretariat: Montreal, Canada. o Governing Body: Conference of the Parties (COP), which meets every two years. o COPs: Total 16 summits till 2025. o COP 16 (2025) was convened in Cali Columbia and Rome (resumed session) . o Launched Cali Fund in the margins of the negotiations, operationalizing benefit-sharing from digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources. o DSI refers to genomic sequence data, used to identify genetic markers for disease resistance and developing various crop plants. o COP 17 (2026) will be at Yerevan, Armenia. o Subsequent Agreement: o The Cartagena Protocol: Adopted in 2000 and entered into force in 2003, this regulates the transboundary movement of living modified organisms (LMOs) . o The Nagoya Protocol: Adopted in 2010, establishes a legally binding framework for access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use. o Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) o Adopted at 15th COP (2022), at two sessionsKunming (China) and Montreal (Canada) . o A multilateral treaty aimed at halting and reversing biodiversity loss globally by 2030-30x30 target (protecting 30% of land and oceans by 2030) . o India’s Participation: o India is a party to the UN-CBD, having officially ratified the treaty on February 18, 1994. o Legislative Action: India enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to implement the CBD provisions. o Institutional Setup: Established the statutory National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in 2003 at Chennai, alongside State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Biodiversity Management Committees at the local level. o The National Biodiversity Authority is a statutory autonomous body established to implement the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, regulate India's biological resources, and ensure equitable benefit-sharing. o Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. o Headquarters: Chennai. o Legal Mandate: Implements India's obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol. o Three Tier Governance: National Biodiversity Authority, State Biodiversity Boards, Biodiversity Management Committees (village level) . Lepidoptera Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have come out with a detailed "Catalogue of Lepidoptera (Butterﬂies & Moths) of India”. o Lepidoptera is a major insect order comprising butterﬂies, moths, and skippers. o Characteristic Features: o Scaly wings (hence the name) microscopic dust like scales on the wings. o Proboscis: Adult’s mouthparts are modiﬁed into along, coiled sucking tube used mostly for drinking ﬂower nectar. o Antennae: Highly variable; clubbed or knobbed in butterﬂies, and feathery, thread-like, or comb-like in moths. o Mostly herbivorous (folivorous) as caterpillars and nectarivorous as adults. o Signiﬁcance: They comprise about 180,000 species of butterﬂies and moths (Second-largest insect order after beetles) . This makes up roughly 8.6% of all described animal and living organism species on Earth. o India is home to 13,703 species, with highest concentrations in Northeast India, the Himalayan ranges, and the Western Ghats. o Endemism: Around 77 butterﬂy species are strictly endemic to India. Malabar Banded Peacock endemic to the Western Ghats, Bhutan Glory- 03 August 2026 found in the high-altitude forests of the Eastern Himalayas and Northeast In

FAQs

What is the UN-CBD and what does it cover?

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is a legally binding multilateral treaty covering biodiversity at all levels: ecosystems, species, and genetic resources. It focuses on conservation, sustainable use, and fair benefit-sharing from genetic resources.

How do COP meetings and COP 16 relate to UN-CBD benefit-sharing?

The Conference of the Parties (COP) meets every two years, with 16 summits up to 2025. COP 16 in 2025 convened in Cali with a resumed session in Rome and launched the Cali Fund to operationalize benefit-sharing from digital sequence information (DSI).

What are the main components of the Lepidoptera life cycle and why are they ecologically important?

The life cycle includes egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. They act as pollinators (notably nocturnal moths) and serve as bio-indicators because their sensitivity to temperature changes can drive migration to higher elevations.

Sep 20, 2026

Upload by Oliver