Context:

=> Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and the State Government have proposed to set up a full-fledged Agro-Forestry and Biodiversity College at Kokilabari.

=> Kokilabari is at the fringes of Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve.

=> It is one of the last few refuges of the critically endangered Bengal florican.

=> Kokilabari farm shelters as many as 25 floricans in 9 sq km as against the 33 floricans seen in the whole of the 850-sq km area of Manas National Park.

Current news:

=> IUCN has severely criticised the government decision and called it “terrible sacrifice of a natural jewel” that could trigger the bird’s extinction.

=> It has written a letter to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, calling for a halt to such activities.

What is IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature)?

=> The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a global environmental organisation.

=> It is headquartered in Switzerland and was created in 1948.

=> Official Observer Status at the United Nations General Assembly.

Functions of IUCN?

1. Prepares the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

• It uses a set of quantitative criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of species.

2. Runs hundreds of conservation projects all over the world.

Funding of IUCN?

=> Funded by governments, bilateral and multilateral agencies, foundations, member organisations and corporations.