| Topic |
Sub – Topic |
| Environment, Habitat and Ecosystem |
Environment |
| |
Habitat |
| |
Habitat vs Environment |
| |
Ecosystem |
| |
Classification of Ecosystems |
| |
Ecosystem vs Environment vs Ecology |
| |
Components of an Ecosystem – Abiotic and Biotic |
| Ecology – Principles and Organizations |
Levels of Organizations in Ecology – Individual and Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biome, Ecotone, Biosphere |
| |
Principles of Ecology – Adaptation, Variation, Speciation, Mutation, Natural Selection, Evolution, Extinction |
| Functions of an Ecosystem – Succession and Homeostasis |
Ecological Succession |
| |
Stages in Ecological Succession – Primary and Secondary |
| |
Homeostasis |
| Functions of an Ecosystem – Trophic Levels |
Food Chain – Grazing and Detritus |
| |
Food Web |
| |
Types of Biotic Interactions in a Food Web |
| |
Ecological Pyramids, Types and Limitations |
| |
Biomagnification – Pollutants and Trophic Level |
| Functions of an Ecosystem – Biogeochemical Cycling |
Types of Nutrient Cycles – Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulphur, Water, Phosphorus, Methane |
| |
Nitrogen Fixing – N2 to Ammonia (NH3) |
| |
Nitrification – Ammonia to Nitrites and Nitrates |
| |
Ammonification – Urea, Uric Acid to NH3 to Nitrite |
| |
Denitrification – Nitrate to Nitrogen |
| |
Methane Emissions and Sink |
| Natural Ecosystems |
Terrestrial Ecosystems or Biomes |
| |
Tundra Biome |
| |
Taiga or Boreal Biome |
| |
Temperate Deciduous Biome (North-Western Europe – British Type Climate) |
| |
Temperate Rainforest Biome |
| |
Sub-Tropical Deciduous Biome in Eastern China, South-eastern USA |
| |
Steppe or Temperate Grassland Biome |
| |
Temperate Deciduous Biome (Mediterranean) |
| |
Tropical Deciduous Biome (Monsoon Climate) |
| |
Savanna or Tropical Wet and Dry Biome |
| |
Tropical Rainforest Biome |
| |
Desert Biome |
| Aquatic Ecosystems |
Aquatic Organisms |
| |
Factors Limiting the Productivity |
| Natural Ecosystem Services and Goods |
Quantifying the Economic Value of Natural Ecosystems (Ecosystem valuation) |
| |
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) |
| |
Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) |
| |
Ecosystem Services by Seagrass |
| |
Ecosystem Services by Seaweed |
| Wetland Ecosystem |
Differences Between Wetlands and Lakes |
| |
Estuarine Wetland Ecosystem |
| |
Differences between Lagoon and Estuary |
| |
Importance of Estuaries |
| |
Estuarine Vegetation |
| |
Indian Estuarine Ecosystem |
| |
Threats Faced by the Estuarine Ecosystem |
| |
Mangroves |
| |
Adaptive Mechanism of Mangroves |
| |
Mangroves in India |
| |
Global Status of Mangrove Cover |
| |
Importance of mangroves |
| |
Threats to Mangroves |
| |
Importance of Wetlands |
| |
Reasons for the Depletion of Wetlands |
| |
Mitigation of Wetland Destruction |
| |
Measures to Protect Wetlands of India |
| |
National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA) |
| |
Wetlands (Conservation-Management) Rules 2010 |
| |
Wetlands (Conservation-Management) Rules 2017 |
| |
Measures to Protect Global Wetlands |
| |
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands |
| |
Ramsar Site |
| Biodiversity and Loss of Biodiversity |
Terms Related to Biodiversity |
| |
Biodiversity – Genetic, Species and Ecological |
| |
Endemism |
| |
Species Types |
| |
Bioprospecting |
| |
Biopiracy |
| |
Biodiversity of India |
| |
Realms |
| |
Biomes, Biogeographic Zones and Provinces |
| |
Biodiversity Hot Spots |
| |
Biodiversity Hotspots in India |
| |
Loss of Biodiversity |
| |
The Extent of Biodiversity Loss as per IPBES Report |
| |
Living Planet Report 2022 |
| |
The State of the World’s Birds |
| |
Causes Behind Biodiversity Loss |
| |
Habitat Loss and Fragmentation |
| |
Alien Species Invasions |
| |
Over-Exploitation |
| |
Species Extinction |
| |
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO/Transgenic Organisms) |
| |
Trade in Wildlife |
| |
Pollution and Climate Change |
| |
Consequences of Loss of Biodiversity |
| |
Affects Livelihood |
| |
Human-animal Conflict |
| |
Increased Zoonosis due to Habitat Loss |
| |
Adverse Changes to Biotic Interactions |
| Biodiversity Conservation |
In situ conservation |
| |
Reserved and Protected Forests |
| |
Wildlife Sanctuaries or Wildlife Refuges |
| |
National Park |
| |
Biosphere Reserve |
| |
Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) |
| |
Conservation Reserves |
| |
Community Reserves |
| |
Sacred Groves |
| |
Ex Situ Conservation |
| |
National Initiatives |
| |
Wildlife Mitigation Measures – Eco-Bridges |
| |
Preservation of the Western and Eastern Ghats |
| |
Environment Movements |
| |
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) |
| |
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety |
| |
Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing |
| |
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) |
| |
Aichi Biodiversity Targets |
| |
COP-15 of the UN CBD |
| |
Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework |
| |
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework |
| |
Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration (GPFLR) |
| |
World Forestry Congress and Seoul Declaration |
| |
Initiatives By The UN |
| Wildlife Conservation |
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 |
| |
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) |
| |
19th Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP19) |
| |
Policies/Laws Concerning CITES in India |
| |
International Wildlife Conservation Organisation – MIKE, TRAFFIC, CAWT |
| |
Regulating Trade in Wildlife and Policies Regulating Foreign Trade |
| |
Enforcement: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau |
| |
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) |
| |
The 13th Conference of the Parties to CMS (CoP13) |
| |
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) |
| |
IUCN Red List or Red Data List or Red Book |
| |
BirdLife International (BI) |
| |
Tiger Conservation and Project Tiger – NTCA, Tiger Corridors, Core-Buffer Zones, Tiger Census |
| |
Challenges to Tiger Conservation |
| |
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) |
| |
International Efforts Towards Tiger and Snow Leopard Conservation |
| |
The Global Tiger Initiative, St. Petersburg Declaration, TX2 and Tiger Conservation Excellence Award |
| |
Project Snow Leopard |
| |
Reintroduction of Cheetahs in India – Why Kuno NP? |
| |
Cheetah vs Leopard vs Jaguar |
| |
Conservation of Lions – Asiatic Lion, Project Lion |
| |
Conservation of Elephants – Project Elephant, Elephant Corridor |
| |
Asian Elephant vs African Elephant and African Forest Elephant vs African Savanna (Bush) Elephant |
| |
Conservation of Great One-Horned Rhino – World Rhino Species, |
| |
India’s Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros – India Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 |
| |
Conservation of the Indian Dolphins – Gangetic, Indus, Irrawaddy Dolphins |
| |
Indian Crocodile Species – Crocodile vs Alligator vs Gharial |
| |
Conservation of India Crocodile Species – Indian Crocodile Conservation Project |
| |
Conservation of Turtles(Batagur, Nissilonia & Others) – Sea Turtle Conservation Project |
| |
India & Non Indian Vultures Species – Conservation of Indian Vultures |
| |
Diclofenac and Indian Vulture Crisis – Steps Taken by The Government |
| |
Project Hangul (Kashmiri Stag) |
| |
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats |
| |
Animal Welfare Board of India |
| |
National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) 2017-2031 |
| |
National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds (2018-2023) |
| |
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) |
| |
International Whaling Commission (IWC) |
| |
World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) |
| |
Green Good Deeds Initiative |
| |
India State of Forest Report 2021 – Major Terms/Definitions, Forest-Tree cover, |
| |
Recorded Forest Area (RFA), Tress Outside Forests (TOF), Fire Proneness, Mangrove Cover |
| |
Forest Survey of India (FSI) |
| |
Criticism of FSI’s approach and ISFR |
| |
National Forest Inventory, Growing Stock, Bamboo Resources, Carbon Stock in India’s Forests |
| |
Forest Types of India |
| |
Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 – Forest Area of Top 5 Countries In 2020 |
| |
GFRA and India |
| |
Policies – National Forest Policy 1988, Draft National Forest Policy 2018 |
| |
Afforestation Programmes – National Afforestation Programme (NAP), Compensatory Afforestation (CA), Aerial Seeding for Reforestation |
| |
Green Credit Scheme |
| Air Pollution: Causes and Air Pollutants |
Pollution – Air Pollution(Major Causes, Classification of Air Pollutants) |
| |
Other Pollutants – Particulate Pollutants, Fly ash, Nanoparticles (NPs), Black Carbon (Soot) |
| |
Carbon Monoxide (CO), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Ozone (O3), Nitrogen Oxides(NOx),Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Benzene, |
| |
Stratospheric Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) |
| |
Air Pollution: Effects and Control Measures, Effects of Air Pollution, Prevention and Control of Air Pollution |
| |
Smog (Smoke + Fog), Aerosols and their Impact on Monsoon Rainfall |
| |
Acid Rain – Acidification |
| |
Control of Industrial Pollution, Pollution Index to Control Industrial Pollution, |
| |
Ozone Depletion – Measures to Regulate Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS), Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol, Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol 2016 |
| |
Coal Gasification |
| |
Measures to Control Vehicular Pollution in India |
| |
National Clean Air Program (NCAP) – Measures to Control Air Pollution in NCR |
| |
National Air Quality Monitoring Programme |
| |
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) |
| |
SAFAR System for Monitoring Air Pollutants |
| |
National Air Quality Index (AQI) |
| Radioactive Pollution |
Radioactive Pollution – Ionising & Non Ionising Accidents , Safe Disposal of Nuclear Wastes |
| Water Pollution |
Water Pollution: Causes, Effects & Control Measures |
| |
Measuring Pollution Load in Water |
| |
Effects of Water Pollution – Industrial Wastes, Thermal and Radiation Pollution, Mining. Groundwater and Drinking Water Contamination, Sewage Water, Agricultural Sources, Invasive Aquatic Species |
| |
Pollution in River Ganga |
| |
Marine Pollution: Oil Spills and Plastic |
| |
Effects of Water Pollution – Human Health, Environment, Aquatic Ecosystem |
| |
Eutrophication and Ageing of Lakes, Algal Blooms, Dead Zones |
| |
Blue Tide |
| |
Water Pollution Control Measures – Bioremediation, Riparian buffers for Mitigation of Eutrophication, Sewage Water Treatment for Domestic Use, Bio-Toilets |
| |
Water Pollution Control Measures in India and Indian River Systems |
| |
Major River Conservation Initiatives |
| |
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) |
| |
National Water Quality Monitoring Programme |
| |
Measures to Curb Marine Pollution |
| |
Convention on Dumping of Wastes at Sea |
| |
The United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) |
| |
International Maritime Organization (IMO) |
| Plastic Pollution |
Plastic Pollution, Solid, Hazardous and E-Waste |
| |
Major Plastics in Use – Microplastics, Microbeads & Nanoplastics & their effects. |
| |
Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 |
| |
NITI Aayog’s Report on Alternatives to Plastics |
| |
Solid Wastes – Sources, Treatment and Disposal, Measures to Manage |
| |
Solid Waste Management Rules (2016) |
| |
Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016 |
| |
Hazardous Waste – Regulating, Basel Convention |
| |
Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016 |
| |
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) – Stockholm Convention |
| |
Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent |
| |
Joint meetings of Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions |
| |
Hong Kong Convention on Recycling of Ships and Recycling of Ships Act, 2019 |
| |
Regulatory Measures by India |
| |
Steel Scrap Recycling Policy |
| |
Heavy Metals – Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium, Other Heavy Metals |
| |
Electronic waste (E-Waste) – Generation and Recycling and E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 |
| Highly Polluting Industries (HPIs) |
Major Polluting Industries – Thermal PowerPlants, Iron and Steel, Cement, Cu Smelting, Zinc/Lead, Aluminium, Fertiliser, Paper&Pulp,Sugar, Tanneries, Petroleum Refining & Petrochemicals |
| |
Industrial Emissions and Effluents Monitoring |
| |
Pollutants From HPIs |
| Land Degradation & Desertification |
Major Causes for Land Degradation – Deforestation, Soil Salinity and Soil Alkalinity, Desertification,Waterlogging, |
| |
Faulty Methods of Agriculture |
| |
Wind Erosion, Water Erosion, Sea Erosion in India |
| |
Desertification – United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), UNCCD Global Land Outlook Report, Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) initiative |
| |
Soil Conservation |
| Climate Change |
Climate Change – Causes, Impacts & Mitigation |
| |
Climate Change (CC) and Global Warming – History & its impact |
| |
Greenhouse effect – Greenhouse Gases |
| |
Global Warming Potential & Lifetime of GHGs – Carbon Dioxide, Ozone, Water Vapor, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Black Carbon, Fluorinated Gases, Carbon Monoxide |
| |
Carbon Footprint – Various Sector, State Wise Carbon Emission |
| |
Climate Sensitivity – Feedbacks Drive Uncertainty |
| |
Current State of Emissions – IEA World Energy Outlook Recent Report, Climate Change Performance Index, Environmental Performance Index (EPI) |
| |
Climate Change Mitigation Measures – Clean coal technology, Geoengineering, Climate Smart Cities, Transition to Green Economy |
| |
Carbon Capture and Storage |
| |
Carbon Sink and Carbon Sequestration |
| |
Deterioration of Carbon sinks |
| |
Climate Migrants |
| |
Coral Reefs – Ideal Conditions, Corals and Zooxanthellae, Causes of Coral Bleaching |
| |
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef |
| |
Biorock Technology for Coral Restoration |
| |
Increased Frequency and Severity of Heat Waves – Urban Heat Islands, Marine Heat Waves, Wildfires |
| |
Shrinking Cryosphere – Arctic Amplification (PA), Sea Level Change, |
| |
Tropical Cyclones are Becoming More Severe |
| IPCC Reports |
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – IPCC Reports, IPCC Special Reports, IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) |
| International Environmental Conventions, NGOs and Laws |
United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972) – Stockholm Declaration |
| |
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) – Agencies, Global Environment Facility (GEF) |
| |
UNCED/Earth Summit, Rio De Janeiro – Landmark Agreements and High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) |
| |
The History of SDGs – Brundtland Commission, UNCED or Earth Summit 1992, Rio De Janeiro Brazil |
| |
Post UNCED – Rio+10 (2002) or Earth Summit 2002, Rio+20 (2012) or Earth Summit 2012, UN Agenda 2030 – Sustainable Development Goals |
| |
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – COP, Criticism |
| |
Kyoto Protocol (COP 3; UNFCCC 1997) – Common but Differentiated Responsibilities, Doha Amendment, Flexible Market Mechanisms, Criticisms |
| |
UNFCCC Summits Post Kyoto |
| |
Proposed: Carbon Tax as An Alternative to Carbon Trading |
| |
Summits Before and after Paris Summit 2015 |
| |
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) and Major Contentions, |
| |
India’s INDC objectives – Funds required to meet India’s INDC |
| |
Paris Agreement – Paris 2015 (COP 21; CMP 11) |
| |
Climate Neutral Now |
| |
China-U.S. Deal on Emission Cuts |
| |
Net Zero Emissions and Carbon Neutrality |
| |
How Can Net Zero Emissions Be Achieved? – India’s Objection to Net Zero |
| |
European Green New Deal |
| |
UNEP Emissions Gap Report |
| |
The Glasgow Climate Pact |
| |
Carbon Markets |
| |
COP 26 – Major Outcomes of COP26, India at COP26, |
| |
COP27 – LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), Loss and Damage Fund, Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), |
| |
Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) and Climate Change |
| |
Carbon Border Tax, Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategy |
| |
UN-REDD and REDD+ – Forest Carbon Partnership Facility |
| |
Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) |
| National Environmental Legislations |
Pollution Related Laws |
| |
The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974 and Amendment, 1988 |
| |
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 and amendment, 1987 |
| |
Environment (Protection) Act of 1986 – Major Provisions |
| |
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – 2016, Amendment 2020 |
| |
Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 – Delineation of Powers, Central Zoo Authority, NBWL |
| |
Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2022 |
| Forest Conservation and Biodiversity |
Indian Forest Act 1927 (IFA, 1927) |
| |
Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 (FCA, 1980) |
| |
Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA 2006) |
| |
Critical Wildlife Habitats (CWH) |
| |
Biodiversity Act 2002 and Biological Diversity Amendment Bill 2021 |
| |
National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 – Development vs Conservation |
| |
Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Rules – 2011, 2019 |
| |
Activities Permitted in the CRZ of Certain Beaches and Issues with the CRZ rules |
| |
Rules for Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells 1989 |
| |
|
| |
Pesticide Regulatory Regime in India – Pesticides Management Bill 2020, Anupam Verma Committee |
| |
India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) |
| |
National Solar Mission (JNNSM) |
| |
National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency |
| |
National Mission on Sustainable Habitat |
| |
National Water Mission (NWM) Mission |
| |
National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) |
| |
National Mission for A Green India |
| |
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture |
| |
National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC) |
| Green Revolution & Sustainable Agricultural Practices |
Green Revolution |
| |
India’s First and Second Green Revolution and Green Revolution in Eastern India |
| |
Evergreen Revolution |
| |
The Concept of Sustainable Agriculture and Sustainable Practises for Natural Farming & Agriculture |
| |
Nutrient Management – Macronutrients and Micronutrients for Plants |
| |
Fertilizer Subsidies and Consequences |
| |
Organic Farming – Bio – Fertilizers, Present Status and Initiatives |
| |
Natural Farming – Benefits, Challenges, Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) and Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP) Scheme, |
| |
Organic Farming vs. Natural Farming (ZBNF) |
| |
Permaculture |
| |
Modern Agricultural Practices – Precision Farming, Protected Cultivation of Horticulture Crops |
| |
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) |
| |
Various Agricultural Activities and Revolutions in Agriculture |
| Miscellaneous |
Current Affairs |
| Energy |
Sources of Energy, Renewables and Energy Conservation |
| |
Conventional and Non-Conventional Sources of Energy |
| |
Major Energy Sources – Cleaner Energy and Calorific Value of Various Sources of Energy |
| |
Total Installed Power Capacity in India |
| |
World Energy Outlook and India Energy Outlook Report 2022 |
| |
Solar Energy – International Solar Alliance (ISA), One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG), Steps to Increase, Issues |
| |
Wind Energy – Major Wind Farms, Offshore Wind Energy, Issues and Challenges |
| |
Wind vs Solar |
| |
Onshore vs Offshore |
| |
Biofuel – Generation, Advantages, Disadvantages |
| |
National Policy on Biofuels 2018 |
| |
Hydrogen Economy – Current Status, Green Hydrogen, Hydrogen Fuel Cell, National Hydrogen Mission |
| |
Challenges Faced by Renewable Energy – Smart Grid, Critical Minerals |
| |
Measures to Boost Renewable Energy – IREDA, Green Bonds |
| |
Energy Conservation Measures – Energy Conservation Act 2001, Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 |
| |
Water Conservation – Water Scarcity, Water Stress and Water Risk, India’s Water Situation |
| |
Measures by the Government – CGWB, CWC, NAMMP, Atal Jal, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Jal Jeevan Mission, Retrieving data. Jal, Jeevan, Hariyali Mission, BIS, National Hydrology Project |
| |
Recommended Conservation Measures – Clean Water Sacturies, Sponge City Concept |
| |
Droughts – Concept, Drought Management (India and International) |
| Major Species and Their Conservation Status – Invasive Species |
Mammals – Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT), Least Concern (LC) |
| |
Birds – Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT), Least Concern (LC) |
| |
Fish – Critically Endangered (CR) |
| |
Others – Amphibians, Reptiles, Spiders, Insects, Plants |
| |
Invasive Species – Plant, Fish and Amphibian |
| Protected Areas |
National Parks of India and Major Wildlife Sanctuaries |
| |
Community and Conservation Reserves |
| |
Tiger Reserves of India and Proposed |
| |
Elephant Reserves of India |
| |
Ramsar Sites of India |
| |
Biosphere Reserves – Concept, Reserves of India, Flora and Fauna |
| |
Natural World Heritage Sites in India |
| |
Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) of India |
| |
Tiger, Leopard, and Elephant population by state |
