PRELIMS BOOSTER – 2018
Himalayan monal (Impeyan monal, Impeyan pheasant) and Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC)
Himalayan monal (Impeyan monal, Impeyan pheasant)
- Least Concern (LC) — IUCN.
- state bird of Uttarakhand
- Local name – danphe, monal
- National bird of Nepal, where it is known as the,
- Traditionally classified as monophyletic
- Himalayan monal have a shrill whistle, sometimes described as curlew-like
- Schedule – I of wildlife (Protection) act, 1972Habitat
- prefer open, coniferous or mixed forests resplendent with rhododendron and bamboo. Himalayan monal is a high-altitude bird, remaining between 2000 and 4500 meters above sea level.
- Range — India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, Burma
- India — Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh
- Threat
- human disturbance involving hydroelectric power development
- poaching, as the crest is valuable. crest feather was used to decorate men’s hats. It is thought to bring status to its wearer and is a symbol of authority
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC)
- launched in 2000
- Headquarter — Vientiane, Lao PDR
- Members six countries – India and five ASEAN countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam
- It promotes cooperation in
- tourism
- culture
- education
- transport and communications
- Both the Ganga and the Mekong are civilizational rivers, and the MGC initiative aims to facilitate closer contacts among the people inhabiting these two major river basins
- The MGC is also indicative of the cultural and commercial linkages among the member countries of the MGC down the centuries.
