Sigur Plateau: A Corridor For Elephant And Tiger Genetic Diversity

• 29 Jan 2021

Sigur Plateau is an ecologically fragile area, which connects the Western and the Eastern Ghats and sustains elephant and tiger populations and their genetic diversity.

• It has the Nilgiri Hills on its southwestern side and the Moyar River Valley on its north-eastern side.
• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which includes Sigur Plateau and the Nilgiri Hills, is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
• The Supreme Court on January 27 appointed conservationist Nandita Hazarika as Member of a Technical Committee of the National Elephant 2 Action Plan that includes former Madras High Court judge, Justice K. Venkatraman; and Praveen Bhargava, trustee of Wildlife First.

Indo-French Year of the Environment

• The Union Environment Ministry launched the Indo-French Year of the Environment on 28^th January 2021 along with Barbara Pompili, the French Minister for Ecological Transition.
• The Indo-French Year of the Environment over the period 2021-2022 would be based on five main themes:
  • Environmental protection
  • Climate change
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Sustainable urban development
  • Renewable energy
  • Energy efficiency

Implementing Agencies

• French: From the French side, it will be implemented by the Ministry of Ecological Transition along with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
• Indian: From the India, the projects will be coordinated by MoEFCC along with the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. A joint screening committee will also be set up to finalise the calendar of the events for the Indo-French Year of the Environment.