Hoolock Gibbon

Why in the NEWS

Global Gibbon Network (GGN), had its first meeting at Haikou in China’s Hainan province from July 7-9.

About Hoolock Gibbon

• The hoolock gibbon is unique to the Northeast, is one of 20 species of apes at a high risk of extinction.
• Of the two, the western hoolock is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Redlist, while the eastern hoolock is listed as Vulnerable.
• Gibbons are the smallest and fastest of all apes, live in tropical and subtropical forests in the southeastern part of Asia.
• The estimated population of hoolock gibbons is 12,000.
• Like all apes, they are extremely intelligent, with distinct personalities and strong family bonds.
• All 20 species are at a high risk of extinction.
• Since 1900, gibbon distribution and populations have declined dramatically, with only small populations in tropical rainforests.
• Both species’ populations have been declining due to habitat destruction of various forms and hunting for meat.
• The hoolock gibbon faces threat primarily from the felling of trees for infrastructure projects.

About Aaranyak

• Aaranyak, an Assam-based non-profit conservation organisation, gave an account of the conservation status of the hoolock gibbon in India.

About Global Gibbon Network

• GGN was founded with a vision to safeguard and conserve a key element of Asia’s unique natural heritage the singing gibbon and their habitats, by promoting participatory conservation policies, legislations, and actions
• Aaranyak is one of the 15 founding organisations of the GGN from seven countries.

Debate about Gibbons

• Over the decades, zoologists thought the Northeast housed two species of the ape- the eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) found in a specific region of Arunachal Pradesh and the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) distributed elsewhere in the northeast.
• A study led by Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in 2021 proved through genetic analysis that there is only one species of ape in India.
• It debunked earlier research that the eastern hoolock gibbon was a separate species based on the colour of its coat.

GS PAPER – III

Cicada species to embrace Indian identity

Why in NEWS

• A foreign cicada that is commonly found in several parts of South India has assumed identity.

About Cicada species

• The insect species has now been christened Purana cheeveeda (after its Malayalam name Cheeveedu).
• It is found mainly in Western Ghats in Kerala.
• It can be often seen in homesteads and their gradual disappearance could be an indicator of the deteriorating quality of soil and vegetation.
• They do have a relatively long lifespan compared to other insects.
• Cicadas produce loud mating calls that can be easily heard, making them useful for monitoring their presence and population density in an area.
• Cicadas are highly sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, making them responsive to alterations in their environment.

GS PAPER – II

Military drill in East Sea

Why in NEWS

Russia and China have started military drills in East Sea also known as Sea of Japan.

About East China Sea

• East China Sea is the arm of the Pacific Ocean bordering the East Asian mainland and extending north-eastward from the South China Sea, to which it is connected by the shallow Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and mainland China.
• The East China Sea and the South China Sea together form the China Sea.
• The East China Sea extends to the east to the chain of the Ryukyu Islands; north to Kyushu, which is the southernmost of Japan’s main islands; northwest to Cheju Island off South Korea; and hence west to China.
• This northern boundary, roughly a line from Cheju Island to the mouth of the Yangtze River (Chiang Jiang) on China’s eastern coast, separates the East China Sea from the Yellow Sea.

About East Sea dispute

• The dispute in the East China Sea region has been brewing for a long time.
• China claims the region on a historical basis.
• In Japan, the claims are based on terra nullius (territory belonging to no one).

Conclusion

• The East China is a region of high strategic value. Overall, the geopolitical priorities identified by Japan, China and the US towards the Senkaku Islands have led to an increase in the military presence in the region.
• Although the focus is currently on Taiwan, tensions are simmering in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Any miscalculations in the region can have serious repercussions for all sides.
• The Senkaku Island dispute will remain a friction point in the Indo-Pacific region.

GS PAPER – III

New Panel to review all NSO data

Why in NEWS

Centre sets up new panel to review all NSO data. It replaces a committee which examined economic datasets only also the new panel will advise government on surveys, identify and plug data gaps.

About new panel

• Centre has constituted a new internal oversight mechanism for official data, revamping a Standing Committee on Economic Statistics (SCES) set up in late 2019.
• SCES, which was tasked with examining economic indicators only, will now be replaced by a Standing Committee on Statistics (SCOS)

Mandate of SCOS

• To review the framework and results of all surveys conducted under the aegis of the National Statistical Office (NSO).
• Its terms of reference include finalisation of survey results, better use of administrative data.
• Apart from survey design improvements, SCOS will identify data gaps and strategies to plug them.
• It has been mandated to explore the use of administrative statistics to improve data outcomes.

Chairman and Members of SCOS

• Pronab Sen, former Chairman of the National Statistical Commission (NSC), has been named the chair of the new panel.
• It can have up to 16 members, as per the order issued by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

GS PAPER – II

Debate over the definition of Child

Why in NEWS

• In the data protection bill Centre can lower the age of consent for accessing Internet services without parental oversight to below 18.
• Users under18 are a key demographic for such services, and a hard-coded age of consent would have meant business disruptions on account of setting up new systems to obtain parental consent.

Key developments with respect to Age of Consent

• Justice BN Srikrishna committee report: The report recommended that for individuals under 18, entities seek parental consent.
  • However, the report also flagged that “from the perspective of the full, autonomous development of the child, the age of 18 may appear too high”.
• Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019: The Justice Srikrishna committee report served as the precursor to the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 (PDP Bill, 2019) which defined a child as an individual under the age of 18.
• Joint Committee of Parliament: The PDP Bill, 2019 was referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament, which in late December 2021 came up with its final set of recommendations and proposed that the definition of children should be restricted to 13/14/16 years of age.
• Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022: After the Centre withdrew the earlier version of the data protection of a child is understood to have been changed to an “individual who has not completed the age of eighteen years or such lower age as the Central Government may notify”.
  • Certain entities that deal in collecting and processing children’s data can be exempt from parental consent if they can ensure that the “processing of personal data of children is done in a manner that is verifiably safe”.

Rules in other countries

In data protection legislation globally, the definition of children varies from 13 to 16 years of age.

• EU’s General Data Protection Regulation: Under the GDPR, the age of consent has been kept at 16, but it allows member states to lower it to as much as 13.
  • The law affords specific protections for the use of children’s personal data for the purposes of marketing or user profiles.
  • Parental consent should not be necessary in the context of preventive or counselling services offered directly to a child, as per the GDPR.
• USA’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act: The COPPA defines children as being under 13 years of age, and parental consent is needed for processing the personal data of those under that age.
  • The law also prohibits entities from conditioning children’s participation in activities by the collection of more personal information than is “reasonably necessary” to participate in such activities.
• Australia’s Privacy Act, 1988: It protects an individual’s personal information regardless of their age, and doesn’t specify an age after which an individual can make their own privacy decision.
  • For their consent to be valid, an individual must have ‘capacity to consent’.
  • For under18 individual there is a provision of consent on case-to-case basis.
• China’s Personal Information Protection Law: Under the PIPL, entities handling personal data of individuals younger than 14 years must obtain their parents’ or guardians’ consent before processing their data.
  • The law counts children’s data under the “sensitive” category and requires entities to provide a specific privacy policy.