Topic 1: Maratha Military Landscapes

Why in News?

‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ to be India’s nomination for UNESCO tag for 2024-25.

What is Maratha Military Landscapes?

It represents extraordinary fortification and military system envisioned by the Maratha rulers.

• The twelve components of this nomination are— Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohgad, Khanderi Fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay Durg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, and Gingee fort in Tamil Nadu.

These twelve components are distributed across diverse geographical and physiographic regions and they showcase the strategic military powers of the Maratha rule in ancient India.

What is unique about Maratha Military Landscapes?

• The inception of the Maratha military ideology dates back to the 17th century during the reign of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by 1670 and continued through subsequent rules until Peshwa rule till 1818.
• Maratha Military Landscapes of India, was developed between 17th and 19th centuries.
• It bears a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization that is living.
• It is an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape that illustrates significant stage(s) in human history.
• It also bears tangible association with events or living traditions, showcasing artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.

Topic 2: Snow Leopard

Why in News?

First ever survey of Snow Leopard estimates 718, in the wild.

Details of Snow Leopard:

IUCN STATUS: Vulnerable

Why do Snow Leopard matters?

Snow leopards play a key role as a top predator, an indicator of the health of their high-altitude habitat, and, increasingly, an important indicator of the impacts of climate change on mountain environments. If snow leopards thrive, so will countless other species and the largest freshwater reservoirs of the planet.

What are the details provided by the survey?

India has an estimated 718 snow leopards in the wild. The current estimate puts the number of Indian snow leopards from 10-15% of the global population.

The maximum number of cats were estimated to be in Ladakh (477), followed by:

• Uttarakhand (124)
• Himachal Pradesh (51)
• Arunachal Pradesh (36)
• Sikkim (21)
• Jammu and Kashmir (9)

What is the present threat to its population?

ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE:

• Across most rangelands, wildlife population densities have been declining due to the illegal wildlife trade. Snow leopards are poached for the illegal trade. They have long been killed for their beautiful fur, but their bones and other body parts are also used in traditional medicine. And this illegal trade seems to be increasing due to market demand for their parts.

RETALIATORY KILLINGS:

• Snow leopards are often killed by local farmers and herders as a result of human-wildlife conflict, which occurs when the leopards prey on livestock such as sheep, goats, horses, and yak calves.
• The animals that snow leopards would typically hunt—such as the Argali and blue sheep—are also hunted by local communities. Snow leopards also lose out on habitat and food sources to livestock. As their natural prey becomes harder to find, snow leopards are forced to kill livestock for survival.

HABITAT FRAGMENTATION

• The snow leopard habitat range continues to decline from the impacts of the climate crisis, human disturbance, and increased use of grazing space. This development increasingly fragments the historic range of the species.