Reintroduction of Cheetahs and Its Potential Impact

Central Idea

• India has embarked on a conservation plan to reintroduce the cheetah into the country, with the aim of establishing a self-sustaining population at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. The initiative has translocated eight African cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa since September 2022. Can this initiative succeed in helping India’s grasslands?

Know about Cheetahs

• Appearance: Cheetahs have a distinctive appearance, with a slender, muscular body, long legs, and a spotted coat. They have black tear marks on their faces that help to protect their eyes from the sun’s glare.
• Speed: Cheetahs are the fastest land animals in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 miles per hour in short bursts.
• Diet: Cheetahs are obligate carnivores and typically hunt during the day.
• Conservation status: Cheetahs are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an estimated population of less than 7,000 individuals in the wild. Their numbers have declined due to habitat loss, hunting, and other threats, and they are at risk of extinction in many parts of their range.
• Reproduction: Cheetahs have a relatively low genetic diversity, which makes them more vulnerable to disease and other threats.

Cheetah reintroduction plan

• The plan is to introduce roughly 20 cheetahs annually for the next 8-10 years, and the goal is to establish a population of 21 adults in Kuno National Park in 15 years.
• The larger habitat of 3,000-5,000 sq km, which is larger than the 748 sq km where the cheetahs are based, could accommodate up to 40 cheetahs.

The impact of cheetahs on India’s grasslands: Illustration

• Regulate herbivore populations: Cheetahs are predators that primarily hunt herbivores such as antelopes, gazelles, and other small to medium-sized ungulates. By preying on these herbivores, cheetahs can help regulate their populations, preventing them from overgrazing and causing damage to the grasslands.
• Increase biodiversity: The presence of cheetahs in the grasslands is expected to increase biodiversity by creating a more balanced ecosystem. By regulating the populations of herbivores, cheetahs can prevent certain species from dominating the ecosystem, allowing other species to thrive.
• Promote grassland health: Overgrazing by herbivores can damage the grasslands, leading to soil erosion and other ecological problems. By regulating herbivore populations, cheetahs can help maintain the health of the grasslands, ensuring that they continue to provide important ecosystem services.
• Ecotourism: The presence of cheetahs in India’s grasslands could also boost ecotourism in the region, providing economic benefits to local communities.
• Challenges: However, there are also potential challenges associated with the reintroduction of cheetahs to India’s grasslands, such as competition with other predators and potential conflicts with human activities.

The impact of cheetahs on India’s grasslands: Opinion

• Reintroduction programme can improve India’s grasslands: Cheetahs indicate the overall wellness of open areas, meadows, and grasslands because they need these habitats to survive. The health of the cheetah population can, therefore, be an indicator of the health of the grasslands.
• Opinion in contrast: Some expert disagrees and argues that restoring open natural ecosystems, including grasslands, should begin by addressing the problems that led to their degradation and decline. The arrival of the cheetahs will not save India’s grasslands, and there are already issues, such as large tracts of open natural ecosystems being categorised as wasteland and granted to renewable energy projects, including solar panels.

Example: Reintroduction of species contributing to the development of a larger ecosystem:

• Project Tiger in India: The project started with nine reserves and now has 53 reserves making up 2.3% of the country’s geographical area. Scientists worked to establish source and sink dynamics and the concept of how exclusively investing in an umbrella can bring in a compelling, inclusive engagement with people and areas beyond.
• Wolves in Yellowstone national park, US: The reintroduction of wolves and beavers in the Yellowstone ecosystem in the US as a global example based on solid science. The presence of wolves helped to control the population of elk, which had been overgrazing and damaging the park’s vegetation. As a result, the vegetation began to recover, which in turn led to increases in other species such as beavers, songbirds, and fish.

FYI: Impact of the Project Tiger

• Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India in 1973, has made a significant impact on tiger conservation and the ecosystem in India.
• Increase in tiger population: Project Tiger has been successful in increasing the tiger population in India. The latest tiger census conducted in 2018 estimated that there were around 2,967 tigers in India, an increase from the previous census in 2014 which estimated the population to be around 2,226.
• Restoration of degraded ecosystems: The conservation efforts under Project Tiger have also helped to restore degraded ecosystems. For example, in the Sariska Tiger Reserve, efforts have been made to restore degraded grasslands and create water sources, which has resulted in the return of several species that were previously absent.
• Expansion of tiger habitat: The project has also helped to expand the habitat available to tigers in India. The creation of new protected areas and improved management of existing ones has resulted in an increase in the area of tiger reserves from 9 to 51, covering an area of more than 71,000 square kilometers.
• Protection of other species: The conservation efforts under Project Tiger have had a positive impact on other species in the ecosystem as well. The protection of tiger habitats has helped to conserve a wide range of flora and fauna, including elephants, leopards, and various bird species.
• Reduction in human-wildlife conflict: The conservation efforts under Project Tiger have helped to reduce human-wildlife conflict by providing alternative livelihoods and increasing awareness about conservation among local communities. This has helped to reduce retaliatory killings of tigers and other wildlife
• Challenges: Despite the success of Project Tiger, there are still several challenges that need to be addressed. Poaching, habitat loss, and human-tiger conflict remain significant threats to tiger populations in India.

Remarks: The success of the translocation exercise

• According to the experts it took two and a half to three years for tigers to acclimate to Indian conditions in Sariska.
• In cheetah project, they expect it to take longer since cheetahs are coursers that require large tracts of terrain.
• While others believes that a clear picture of success will emerge when the animals not only survive but start reproducing, leading to a self-sustaining population.

Conclusion

• The reintroduction of cheetahs to India can help establish a self-sustaining population and contribute to the global survival of the species. However, it remains to be seen if they can successfully acclimate to Indian conditions and if they will have a significant impact on India’s grasslands. Nevertheless, the initiative highlights the importance of conservation efforts and the need to address the root causes of environmental degradation.

Bridging the Digital Gender Gap/Digital Divide

 Despite progress in closing the global gender gap overall, women and girls continue to be left behind in the digital world.

About the Digital Gender Gap/Digital Divide:

• Digital divide is a term that refers to the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology, and those that don’t or have restricted access.
• This technology can include the telephone, television, personal computers and the Internet.
• The term “digital gender gap” was coined by UN Women in 2010.

Digital Equity:

• Digital equity on the other hand is about providing everyone with equal opportunities to use technology to improve their lives.
• It includes making sure that everyone has access to the internet and the skills they need to use it effectively.

UNICEF Report:

• According to a UNICEF report, as many as 90% of the jobs in the world today have a digital component.
• These jobs, however, are available only to the digitally able, and to more men than women.
• According to the report, in developing countries, only 41% of women have access to the internet compared with 53% of men.
• Women are 20% less likely to own a smartphone and are more likely to borrow phones from a male family member.

Significance of bridging the Gender Digital Divide:

Benefits to women and to the Nation:

• India aims to have a $1 trillion digital economy by 2025.
• Already, 40% of global digital transactions take place in India.
• In 2022, a staggering 49 billion digital transactions took place in India.
• As economies digitize further, there is every reason to believe that most jobs will require some knowledge of digital technology.
• There are vast opportunities for girls and women to power India’s digital economy and benefit from it.

Can act as a multiplier effect:

• We have the world’s largest young population, and women and girls constitute almost half of it.
• Access to digital technology for a young woman can be a game changer with multiplier effects.

Acting as a solution:

• Giving women access to the internet and teaching them digital skills can help them overcome many of the obstacles they face.
• With internet access, women can gain new knowledge and skills, connect with others, and find new opportunities.
  • Digital knowledge can also play a significant role in women’s safety.
• With digital equity, women can be empowered to reach their full potential.

Challenges leading to Gender Digital Divide

Lack of Infrastructure: Being a densely populated country, India needs well established infrastructure to deliver e-services.

• But still there are some rural disconnected regions which are not connected to Internet.

Population: It is a challenge for a developing country to serve a population of 1.30 billion uniformly.

• Every policy and project that is initiated should be implemented at a large scale keeping the future perspectives in mind.

Geographical Diversity: Rural India is still deprived of the facilities of urban India because of its geographical location.

• It is poorly connected in terms of roads and infrastructural facilities.

Illiteracy and Poverty: A large part of population is fighting for its daily basic needs. They do not bother about high speed devices and digitization.

• They are more worried about food and shelter.
• A large portion is illiterate and cannot operate digital devices. According to census 2011, literary rate in India is 74.04%.

Gender Divide: In India, there is huge discrimination among male and female.

• Only 65.46% of Indian women are literate and it is shocking that only 29 percent of Indian internet users are female. This creates a huge gender divide.

Corruption: Corruption is a termite for government. At each tier of government structure, politicians and stakeholders try to draw illegal benefits for themselves.

• Most of the budget that is decided at higher level cannot reach the general public and a large part of it is lost due to mediators.

Lack of Participation: It is observed that often the rural people are not very much attracted towards the web-based E-Governance services for various reasons.

• Many-a-times they are afraid of the technologies and at times they are even ignorant about the availability of technologies which can help in dealing with their problems.

Govt of India Initiatives to promote gender equality in access to technology

• In 2011, the BharatNet project was launched to connect 0.25 million panchayats through optical fibre and connect India’s villages.
  • Its implementation began only in 2014, the deadline was extended to August 2021.
• In 2015, the government launched several schemes under its Digital India campaign to connect the entire country.
• This includes the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan, launched in 2017, to usher in digital literacy in rural India by covering 60 million households.
• Kisan Call centre: The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation launched Kisan Call Centers to deliver extension services to the farming community.
  • The purpose of these call centers is to respond to issues raised by farmers, instantly, in the local language.
• Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL): The department of information technology initiated the TDIL with the aim of developing information processing tools and techniques to facilitate human-machine interaction without language barrier.
• Digital library of India is an ambitious project of IISc and Ministry of communication and information technology, Government of India.

Way Forward:

• Addressing the divide: Addressing the digital divide requires special, urgent and focused efforts of the government.
  • A large investment needs to be made, year after year, in digital infrastructure.
• Need of policy interventions: Bridging the gender gap will require smart interventions specially designed for girls and women in health, education, employment, banking, skilling and transportation.
  • A favourable policy environment to promote the digital empowerment of women is a step in the right direction.
• Skills: Digital skills, required today both for life and for livelihoods, must be imparted on a war footing by transforming government digital literacy programmes into skilling missions, and expanding outreach, including through the private sector.
• Online safety of women: Social media sites can use their “algorithm power” to proactively tackle the issue of safety.
  • Governments need to strengthen laws that hold online abusers to account, and the public to speak up whenever they witnessed abuse online.
• Example of ‘Digital Sakhis’:
  • Young women known as ‘Digital Sakhis’ from Madhya Pradesh are upturning discriminatory social norms through the use of smartphones.

The digital gender gap is not only a modern social evil but also a huge economic constraint. To leave women out of the digital world would amount to denying what today has become a basic skill for survival.

Prime Minister of India recently has emphasized the need for ‘women-led development’ as India took over the G20 presidency. Women20—the G20’s official engagement platform to promote gender equity—identifies “bridging the gender digital divide” as one of its five priorities that need to be mainstreamed as part of the G20 agenda this year.

Indonesia Shifts Capital From Jakarta To Borneo

• Recently, Indonesian government unveiled the site of the country’s new capital to show  the progress made on the city’s construction

About

• The new capital Nusantara is located in East Kalimantan province on the Indonesian part of Borneo
• East Kalimantan is an area with immense water resources and habitable terrain on Borneo island which is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

Reasons For Shift

• Jakarta is home to about 10 million people and three times that number in the greater metropolitan area.
• Jakarta is the world’s most rapidly sinking city and at the current rate, it is estimated that one-third of the city could be submerged by 2050. uncontrolled groundwater extraction and  rising Java Sea due to climate change are considered main reasons for sinking.
• It floods regularly and its streets are so clogged that it’s estimated congestion costs the economy $4.5 billion a year.
• Jakarta’s air and water are heavily polluted.

Concerns

• East Kalimantan is rich in flora and fauna.Moving the capital to East Kalimantan would lead to massive deforestation and put the habitat of  animals and trees in danger and damage the ecosystem.
• Relocation of  Indigenous Balik people because of the construction,

Centre to reconsider ‘safe harbor’ clause in IT law

Recently, the Union government formally outlined the Digital India Act, 2023.

More about the news

• Remodelling of the IT Act:
  • The Digital India Act, 2023 is a broad overhaul of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
• Covering new and complex issues:
  • The Digital India Act would cover provisions such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), deepfakes, cybercrime, competition issues among internet platforms, and data protection.
  • The new law would seek to address “new complex forms of user harms” that have emerged in the years since the IT Act’s enactment, such as catfishing, doxxing, trolling, and phishing.
• Reconsideration of the ‘safe harbour’ provision:
  • The government is reconsidering a key aspect of cyberspace ‘safe harbour’, which is the principle that ‘intermediaries’ on the internet are not responsible for what third parties post on their website.
    • This is the principle that allows social media platforms to avoid liability for posts made by users.
  • Safe harbour has been reined in recent years by regulations like the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which require platforms to take down posts when ordered to do so by the government, or when required by law.
  • Changes in the new Act:
    • Platforms for which safe harbour was applied as a concept “have now morphed into multiple types of participants and platforms on the internet, functionally very different from each other, and requiring different types of guardrails and regulatory requirements.”
    • Social media platforms’ own moderation policies may now take a backseat to constitutional protections for freedom of expression.
• Subsumption of other digital legislations:
  • Amendment to the IT Rules, 2021 says that platforms must respect users’ free speech rights. Three Grievance Appellate Committees have been established to take up content complaints by social media users.
  • A slew of such digital legislation is now likely to be subsumed into the Digital India Act.
• Additional mechanisms:
  • It would be one of the prongs of the Digital India Act, with the National Data Governance Policy and amendments to the Indian Penal Code, are part of the rules formulated under the Digital India Act.
  • A new “adjudicatory mechanism” for criminal and civil offences committed online would come into place.

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021

• Digital Media:
  • It covers digitised content that can be transmitted over the internet or computer networks.
  • It includes intermediaries such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.
  • It includes publishers of news and current affairs content and also curators of such content.
    • Publishers of news and current affairs content covers online papers, news portals, news agencies and news aggregators.
  • However, e-papers are not covered because print media comes under the purview of the Press Council of India.
    • Newspapers and TV news channels are governed under the Press Council of India Act, 1978 and Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995 respectively.
  • It also excludes news operations not qualifying as a “systematic business activity” like blogs and non-profit publishers.
• Equal Treatment to Traditional Media:
  • Digital media is brought under the ambit of Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 which gives takedown powers to the government.
    • The section allows the Centre to block public access to an intermediary “in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognisable offence relating to above”.
  • It also deprives the intermediaries of their “safe harbour protections” under Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000.
    • Safe Harbour provisions protect the intermediaries from liability for the acts of third parties who use their infrastructure for their own purposes.
    • For example, e-commerce platforms should not be held liable if people sell spurious goods and social media platforms should not be held liable if people post defamatory content.