World Wetlands Day 2026

2 February 2026National

Observed on 2 February with the theme 'Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage', marking the 1971 signing of the Ramsar Convention.

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Zoological Survey of India Describes Three New Rhysida Centipede Species from the Western Ghats

Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India's Western Ghats Regional Centre and Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode, described three new centipede species from Kerala and Karnataka in October 2026 — *Rhysida quadrispinosa*, *Rhysida coorgensis* and *Rhysida neyyarensis*. The findings, published in the International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, raise India's known Rhysida species count to 23. The discoveries add to a run of Western Ghats and Himalayan finds reported through 2026, including the new *Begonia neelamorum* species from Arunachal Pradesh, and reinforce the Western Ghats' standing as one of the world's eight 'hottest' biodiversity hotspots, already recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

GK ByteThe Zoological Survey of India was established in 1916 and is headquartered at Kolkata under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | Centipedes belong to the class Chilopoda within the phylum Arthropoda and have one pair of legs per body segment | India has four biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, the Himalaya, Indo-Burma and Sundaland

📅 21 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2026 'The Point of Return' Places India Third with 4.3 GtCO2e

The United Nations Environment Programme released the Emissions Gap Report 2026, subtitled 'The Point of Return', in October 2026. Global greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 stood at 58.4 GtCO2e, marginally below the revised 58.5 GtCO2e of 2024, the first such flattening in years. India remained the third-largest emitter at 4.3 GtCO2e behind China and the United States, but its per capita emissions of about 3.1 tonnes CO2e were under half the global average of 6.6 tonnes. Current policies point to about 2.8°C of warming this century, and UNEP says emissions must fall 45% from 2025 levels by 2035 for the lowest-overshoot 1.5°C pathways.

GK ByteUNEP was established in 1972 following the Stockholm Conference and is headquartered at Nairobi, Kenya | The Emissions Gap Report is released annually ahead of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties and measures the gap between pledges and the 1.5°C and 2°C pathways | UNEP also publishes the Adaptation Gap Report, the Global Environment Outlook and the Frontiers report

📅 21 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

WWF-India Launches Nationwide Green Diwali Campaign Aligned with Mission LiFE

WWF-India launched a nationwide 'Green Diwali' campaign in October 2026, urging an eco-friendly festival through avoiding firecrackers, cutting waste and reducing air and noise pollution. Aligned with the principles of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), the campaign runs until 8 November 2026 - Diwali 2026 - and targets schools, colleges, Resident Welfare Associations and local communities, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The push comes as Delhi's air quality slipped into the 'poor' category in the third week of October, triggering curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan administered by the Commission for Air Quality Management for the National Capital Region.

GK ByteMission LiFE was announced by PM Narendra Modi at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 and formally launched at Kevadia (Ekta Nagar), Gujarat, in October 2022 | WWF was founded in 1961, is headquartered at Gland, Switzerland, and uses the giant panda as its logo | The Commission for Air Quality Management for the NCR got statutory status in 2021 and implements the Graded Response Action Plan

📅 21 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

Tiger Confirmed in Maharashtra's Beed District for the First Time in About a Century

A camera trap in the Brahmgaon forest range of Ashti tehsil, Beed district, Maharashtra, recorded a tiger on 20 August 2026 - the first confirmed presence in the Ashti-Patoda belt since the 1910s and 1920s. The four-year-old male, weighing over 200 kg, left Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal in 2023 and moved through Chandrapur, Dharashiv, Latur and Ahilyanagar before reaching Beed, where it now uses the Balaghat range in Patoda as territory; it later moved towards Barshi in Solapur. Earlier traces included Dharashiv (December 2024) and Beed pugmarks (October 2025). No human attacks have been reported.

GK ByteMaharashtra's tiger reserves include Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, Pench, Bor, Nawegaon-Nagzira and Sahyadri | Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 and the National Tiger Conservation Authority was constituted in 2005 under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 | The tiger is India's national animal and is listed in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

📅 20 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

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