CHINA’S INDIAN OCEAN PLANS ARE DECIDEDLY ANTI-INDIA

Source : www.hindustantimes.com Date : 2019-01-04 CHINA’S INDIAN OCEAN PLANS ARE DECIDEDLY ANTIINDIA Relevant for: International Relations | Topic: India – China

The Beijing state media has reported that China has begun constructing one of its advanced warships for export to Pakistan. One of China’s most advanced guided missile frigates, the ship will be equipped with anti-ship, anti-submarine and air-defence capabilities. The China Daily report goes on to say that the ship will not just strengthen Pakistan Navy’s capabilities but also help in maintaining the “balance of power” in the Indian Ocean region.

It is increasingly becoming clear that the frequency of Indian and Chinese navies brushing past each other in the Indian Ocean is set to rise. The contest over small atoll nations like Maldives and Seychelles is part of this bigger story. If China’s presence in Gwadar was already a worry, advanced frigates like the one under construction can throw a spanner in Indian plans to block Pakistan’s maritime supply routes in case of a conflict across the line of control (LoC). This also comes on the heels of a detailed report by The New York Times on the militarisation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The confidential CPEC plan involves, the Times revealed, cooperation on building military jets and other lethal weapons. Pakistan is also the only country that has been granted access to the military services of China’s Beidou satellite navigation system. The revelations essentially unmasked China’s real goals behind CPEC and, more broadly, its belt and road initiative (BRI).

China has always seen Pakistan as a balancer against India. Beijing has been generous with economic aid and military supplies (both conventional and nuclear) to Pakistan. Now as China’s interest in the Indian Ocean is increasing, it sees Pakistani Navy as a helpful partner in tying down Indian resources in the Arabian sea — far away from the choke points in the eastern Indian Ocean region. India would do well to develop Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the strategic hub for its Indo-Pacific strategy. New Delhi has neglected the strategic potential of these islands for far too long. The domestic debates on balancing China often miss one crucial point: the latter has had no qualms in using Pakistan to balance India. The post-Wuhan rapprochement has not made China reconsider its support for Jaish-e-Mohammad in the United Nations. With no let up in Chinese hostility, the hesitation in India on balancing China is entirely unwarranted and should be jettisoned.

Source : www.hindustantimes.com Date : 2019-01-04 ENDANGERED SPECIES ARE KEY TO OUR SURVIVAL Relevant for: Environment & Disaster Management | Topic: Environmental Degradation – Wildlife related issues

Last week, India submitted its sixth national report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The report was a mixed one: While the country is on track to meet most of its national biodiversity targets, the bad news is that the list of animal species from the country under the international ‘red list’ in the critically endangered, endangered and threatened categories has been increasing over the years. It is clear that there is severe stress on biodiversity and wild habitats. The report states that India is working on preventing the extinction of species by developing a landscape- and seascape-based approach. This aims at holistic, systemic approaches to integrate biodiversity concerns with social and economic values and development aspirations. The endangered species (birds and animals) in conservation priority include the Asian wild buffalo, Asiatic lion, Brow-antlered deer or Sangai, Dugong, Edible Nest swiftlet, Gangetic river dolphin, Great Indian bustard, Hangul, Indian rhino or Great one-horned rhinoceros, Jerdon’s courser, Malabar civet, Marine turtles, Nicobar megapode, Niligiri tahr, snow leopard, swamp deer and vultures.

The stress on India’s wildlife is increasing by the day. Almost every other day, there are reports of cases of man-animal conflict, thanks to the increasing human population and urbanisation. Just as often, there are reports of or animal deaths from accidents because project developers don’t take into account animal corridors while building infrastructure. Wildlife crime is also becoming a key threat due to the increased demand for wildlife derivatives ranging from tiger and leopard bones to pangolin scales and bear bile. India recorded 460 leopard deaths in 2018, the highest mortality rate of the big cat species in the country in the last four years, the Wildlife Protection Society of India said in December.

How does the loss of species alter ecosystems? The loss of iconic species is a tragedy with broad and deep impact. Animal, plant and marine biodiversity keeps ecosystems functional. Healthy ecosystems allow us to survive, get enough food to eat and make a living. When species disappear or fall in number, ecosystems and people — especially the world’s poorest — suffer. A recent study published in Nature reveals the extinction of plant or animal species from extreme environmental change, which we are witnessing now, increases the risk of an “extinction domino effect” that could annihilate all life on Earth.

Unfortunately, as this paper reported earlier this year, India might not meet the international target of identifying wildlife and marine-protected areas by 2020, making the challenge of conserving species much more difficult.