Prominent legislation — The Forest Conservation Act (1980) The act was passed in response to the quick rate of deforestation and degradation of forest lands, and aims to enforce strict controls on the use of forest areas and create sustainable management of natural resources.

A key element of the Act is its mandate for central government accord for diversion of forest land to non-forest use. These include mining, industrial, and infrastructure activities. The approval process is intended to assess the environmental impact of any individual proposed use of the land, and to preserve such land from any other detrimental usage.

The Act also directs the initiation of compensatory afforestation schemes. For every diverted non-forest land we settle, we need to make the entire area of the land afforested. Also, the funds are generated from those who wanted to utilize the forest lands, and spends for the activity of afforestation and conservation of forest.

Collaboration of various departments — Another key component of the Forest Conservation Act is inter-departmental cooperation. Also Read:Environmentalists Understand Why Govt’s New Rules on Commercial Tree Felling are Brittle, But is it Safe to Go Green?To enable effective implementation and monitoring of forest conservation measures, it fosters a partnership between the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and state forest departments.

The Act has played a crucial role in curbing deforestation and encouraging sustainable land use practices. But there are significant limitations regarding enforcement, compensatory measures and the development versus conservation balance. Nonetheless, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 has remained instrumental in India’s quest to conserve its forest ecosystems and biodiversity.

It is a genetic engineering technique, and it falls in the field of biotechnology, which is defined as the manipulation of the genome of an organism, using biotechnologies. It enables genome editing, deletion or insertion of a gene into a living organism so that the end goals desired by the scientists can be achieved. From medicine to agriculture to industry, this technology is going to change so many fields. In medicine, it promotes the creation of insulin and other therapeutic proteins, allowing costs for treatment of diseases such as diabetes to be lowered. In agriculture, genetically modified crops are more resistant to disease and pest infestation, potentially increasing yield and decreasing the amount of chemicals needed. On an industrial scale, it is also utilized in biofuel and biodegradable plastic production, promoting sustainability in that way as well. Gene editing comes with many advantages; however, you must understand that it carries ethical and environmental implications that must be governed appropriately (Ting et al., 2023).

The organized structure of disaster management cycles help mitigate disastrous effects and facilitate recovery. These cycles are generally characterized in four major phases: mitigation phase, preparedness phase, response phase, and recovery phase. Mitigation includes efforts to prevent disasters or reduce their impacts, like building codes and land-use management. Preparedness is that whole bit about planning and training so that, when a disaster strikes, you can respond appropriately; handing out emergency medical supplies to those in need after you have stockpiled them and run your emergency drills. Response is the first aid given in a disaster situation to preserve life, protect property and meet basic human needs (for examples, search and rescue). Recovery refers to the long term efforts to restore and improve the lives of disaster affected communities including reconstruction of infrastructure and provision of psychological support. Each phase is important and interconnected, enabling a holistic approach to disaster management.