Category: State PCS

In this article, we will discuss Sagarmala Project. So, let’s get started.

Sagarmala Project

The Sagarmala project is the strategic initiative for port-led development through the extensive use of IT enabled services for modernization of ports.

In this article, we will discuss Significance of Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). So, let’s get started.

Significance of Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)

• Oceans, which cover 70% of the globe, remain a key part of our life. About 95% of the Deep Ocean remains unexplored.
• Three sides of India are surrounded by the oceans and around 30% of the country’s population living in coastal areas, the ocean is a major economic factor supporting fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, livelihoods and blue trade.
• India has a unique maritime position. Its 7517 km long coastline is home to nine coastal states and 1382 islands.
• The Government of India’s Vision of New India by 2030 announced in February 2019 highlighted the Blue Economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.
• Oceans are also a storehouse of food, energy, minerals, medicines, modulator of weather and climate and underpin life on Earth.
• Considering the importance of the oceans on sustainability, the UN has declared the decade, 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

In this article, we will discuss Major Components of Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). So, let’s get started.

Major Components of Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)

• Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible:
• A manned submersible will be developed to carry three people to a depth of 6,000 metres in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors and tools.
• An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining polymetallic nodules at those depths in the central Indian Ocean.
• Polymetallic nodules are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.
• The exploration studies of minerals will pave the way for commercial exploitation in the near future, as and when commercial exploitation code is evolved by the International Seabed Authority, an United Nations (UN) organisation.
• Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services:
• It entails developing a suite of observations and models to understand and provide future projections of important climate variables on seasonal to decadal time scales.
• Technological Innovations for Exploration and Conservation of Deep-sea Biodiversity:
• Bio-prospecting of deep sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep sea bio-resources will be the main focus.
• Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration:
• It will explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
• Energy and Freshwater from the Ocean:
• Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plants are envisaged in this proof of concept proposal.
• OTEC is a technology which uses ocean temperature differences from the surface to depths lower than 1,000 meters, to extract energy.
• Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology:
• It is aimed at the development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering.
• It will translate research into industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities.

In this article, we will discuss Deep Ocean Mission. So, let’s get started.

Deep Ocean Mission

• The cost of the Mission has been estimated at Rs. 4,077 crore over a five-year period and will be implemented in phases. MoES will be the nodal ministry implementing this multi-institutional ambitious mission.
• It will be a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India.
• Blue Economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.
• The technology and expertise needed in such missions is now available with only five countries – US, Russia, France, Japan and China.
• India will now be the sixth country to have it.

In this article, we will discuss Global Initiatives for CMT. So, let’s get started.

Global Initiatives for CMT

• Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and World Wild Fund (WWF) are partnering with hotels, cruise ships, tour operators and the industry to create nature-positive tourism where all supply chain actors converge to create value for people, nature and businesses.
• Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative is a UN-convened global community focused on the intersection between private finance and ocean health, supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles.
• The Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles are the foundational keystone to invest in the ocean economy. Launched in 2018, they are the world’s first global guiding framework for banks, insurers and investors to finance a sustainable blue economy. They promote the implementation of SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and set out ocean-specific standards.
• Ocean Recovery Alliance has become a signatory of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the UNEP and World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
• The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative has the objective to tackle plastic pollution by promoting a shift towards circular economy of plastics in tourism operations where plastics never become waste, rather than to completely eliminate plastics from all tourism operations.

In this article, we will discuss Coastal and Marine Tourism (CMT). So, let’s get started.

Coastal and Marine Tourism (CMT) represents at least 50% of total global tourism. It constitutes the largest economic sector for most Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and many coastal states.
With anticipated global growth rates of more than 3.5%, coastal and marine tourism is projected to be the largest value-adding segment of the ocean economy by 2030, at 26%.

In this article, we will discuss Sustainable Tourism. So, let’s get started.

• Sustainable Tourism refers to sustainable practices in and by the tourism industry. It refers to addressing the issues of a greener tourism sector both on the demand as well as supply side.
• According to the UN, sustainable tourism should incorporate the following:
• Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
• Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.
• Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

In this article, we will discuss Significance of Green Fins Hub. So, let’s get started.

Significance of Green Fins Hub

• It is intended to catalyse a seismic shift towards sustainability in the marine tourism sector through Green Fins membership.
• Coral reefs are home to at least 25% of marine life, are the mecca for marine-related tourism, contributing up to 40% or more of the gross domestic product in some island nations. However, they are a most vulnerable ecosystem, especially to climate change with the difference between a global temperature rise of 1.5 or 20C being existential for reefs.
• Increasing accessibility of best practice, knowledge and citizen science through the Green Fins Hub could be a game changer in ensuring a future for coral reefs and other fragile marine ecosystems.
• The platform will help diving and snorkelling operators worldwide to make simple, cost-efficient changes to their daily practices by utilising tried and tested solutions.
• It would also help them keep track of their annual improvements and communicate with their communities and customers.

In this article, we will discuss Green Fins Hub. So, let’s get started.

Green Fins Hub

• The Green Fins Hub is the first-ever global marine tourism industry platform.
• It would give sustainable marine tourism a ‘major boost’.
• It is expected to scale up to reach a potential 30,000 operators worldwide from about 700 operators across 14 countries.

In this article, we will discuss Green Fins. So, let’s get started.

Green Fins

• Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach implemented internationally by The Reef-World Foundation and the UNEP which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism.
• Originally established in Thailand in 2004, the Green Fins approach is a tool for supporting adoption and implementation of best practices in the diving and snorkeling tourism industry.