94 results for “Environment & Biodiversity”
Daily Current Affairs 27 October 2026, covering defence acquisitions, new plant species, flex-fuel vehicle rules, and semiconductor updates for teaching exams.
The Karnataka Forest Department and Bird Count India launched the first Karnataka Rajyotsava Bird Count (KRBC) on October 27, 2026. The four-day count will run from October 30 to November 2 and aims to document around 550 bird species recorded across Karnataka’s habitats.
The Brahmaputra River, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, flows east across the Tibetan Plateau before turning south towards India and Bangladesh. Chinese researchers have warned that the river could experience increased runoff and higher flood risks during this century. The proposed hydropower project in Medog, Tibet, is estimated to cost $168 billion and is expected to have a capacity exceeding 60,000 megawatts.
On 25 October 2026, 18 greater flamingos were sighted at Veeranam Lake in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu. The sighting was recorded by Professor J. Pandiyan, an associate professor and bird researcher at A.V.C. College, Mayiladuthurai, with research scholars Saravanakumar and Veerasamy. The freshwater lake lies about 50 kilometres inland, while greater flamingos are more commonly associated with coastal wetlands.
Scientists formally identified Victoria colombiana as a new giant waterlily species on 9 October 2026. The findings were published in the botanical journal Phytotaxa. The species is the fourth scientifically recognised member of the genus Victoria.
Researchers Barnali Das and Namita Nath described a new pink-flowering plant species, Osbeckia assamensis, from Manas National Park in Assam. Their study was published in the botanical journal Phytotaxa on 22 October 2026. The species was scientifically identified on 26 October 2026 after field surveys in the park between 2021 and 2025.
Himachal Pradesh recorded a survival rate of 100% among reintroduced Cheer Pheasants in 2024–25, compared with 11.11% in 2019–20. During Wildlife Week in October 2026, 12 captive-bred birds—two males, two females and eight chicks—were soft-released near Koti in Shimla district.
Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is blooming on the slopes of Meeshapulimala in Kerala’s Munnar region. The plants are flowering near Rhodo Mansion, a Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) property at an elevation of about 2,470 metres. The bloom is unusual because Neelakurinji generally does not flower above 2,500 metres. The flowering season is expected to continue from October to December 2026.
On 25 October 2026, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena declared Ladakh India’s first 100% organic Union Territory. The declaration followed a phased initiative across Leh and Kargil districts to end the use of synthetic fertilisers, chemical pesticides and toxic soil additives in agriculture.
Two new plant species, Ophiorrhiza shidiensis and Ophiorrhiza pemae, were identified during botanical surveys in the Vijoynagar area of Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh. The findings were published online on 23 October 2026. Both species belong to the family Rubiaceae.
On 22 October 2026, the Tenkasi Forest Division in Tamil Nadu proposed expanding its Golden Jackal Ambassadors programme to include the Madras hedgehog, locally called ‘mulleli’. The programme was launched in 2025 to promote golden jackal conservation through trained students and volunteers.
On 23 October 2026, researchers from Kobe University described evidence that magma is gradually accumulating beneath Japan’s Kikai Caldera. The caldera formed during the Kikai-Akahoya eruption about 7,300 years ago, one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the Holocene Epoch.
