UNFPA project in Rajasthan for gender sensitivity (GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
Why in news?
- A project of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for gender sensitivity in Rajasthan has received support from experts working for the elimination of customs promoting patriarchy.
Key Highlights:
- The four-month-long project aims at promoting gender equality and shaping public opinion to end gender-based discrimination.
- The UNFPA has signed an agreement with Haridev Joshi University of Journalism (HJUJ), Jaipur, for capacity building of its students on issues related to gender norms, sexual violence, and human rights.
Workshops:
- A two-day workshop on gender sensitivity attended by 40 journalism students in Jaipur over the weekend highlighted the subject, with an emphasis on creating a more equal and just society.
- Gender experts called upon the students to play an active role in bringing about a change in attitude in society.
- The speakers also made a reference to the social norms and customs prevalent in Rajasthan that push women to the margins.
Future prospects:
- The introduction of gender sensitivity and equality in the university curriculum would make the youngsters aware of the significance of gender issues.
- The project will enable the youth to challenge the social norms promoting discrimination and gender disparity, and play a meaningful role in women’s empowerment.
Low human activity helps corals despite Warm Ocean
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- As per a recent study, simultaneously mitigating human impacts on land and sea reduced coral loss during an unprecedented marine heatwave in Hawaii and supported coral reef persistence after the heatwave.
- The findings demonstrate the potential of combined management strategies to protect coral reefs.
Impact on coral reefs:
- Coral reef ecosystems are frequently impacted by human activity on land and in the sea; land-based disturbances include wastewater pollution, and sea-based disturbances include overfishing.
- Corals are especially impacted by prolonged periods of warm ocean temperatures, known as marine heatwaves, which can cause coral bleaching and death.
- The human impacts analysed included urban runoff, wastewater pollution and fishing restrictions.
Key Observations:
- Throughout the study period coral reef cover increased in some areas, decreased or remained stable.
- Reefs with mitigated land and sea-based human impacts showed increased coral cover before the heatwave and reduced coral loss during the heatwave.
- Additionally, reefs with more herbivorous fishes and exposure to fewer land-based human impacts had increased reef-builder cover four years after the disturbance compared with reefs with reduced fish populations and exposure to more land-based human impacts.
- They modelled scenarios that suggested reducing land- and sea-based human impacts results in a three - to six fold greater probability of a reef having high reef-builder cover four years after a disturbance.
Way Forward:
- The results reveal that integrated land-sea management could help achieve coastal ocean conservation goals and provide coral reefs with the best opportunity to persist in our changing climate.
