An experimental vermicomposting system was established in purple soil present in Sichuan Basin, China. The purpose of vermicomposting (VC) was to recycle and manage organic waste materials; for instance, animal manure and crop residues are present in great quantity. A particular use of earthworms for VC is a valuable method for retrieving essential plant nutrients. Experimental vermicomposting followed by monitoring was conducted for two months in summer with an interval of fifteen days. Four treatments, COM (compost without earthworms), VCM (using cow manure), VPM (through pig manure), and VBC (using biochar), were applied with agricultural wastes such as rapeseed and wheat straw in combination with cow dung, pig manure, and biochar, respectively. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to statistically analyze and interpret the nutrient change among different treatments. Post hoc analysis was done using Tukey’s test. The experimental vermicomposting results revealed that VCM gives increased plant nutrients with a minimum C: N ratio (from 22.13 to 14.38) and a maximum increase in nitrogen concentrations (1.77 to 29.15 g kg⁻¹). A significant decrease in ammonia volatilization was observed in the order VCM > VBC > VPM when compared to COM. It was experimentally established that vermicomposting is the most suitable method for converting organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer with the least environmental pollution load.

The goal of current research was to evaluate the behavioral adjustments of African lion Panthera leo in different sized enclosures. A group of African lions was observed at Lahore Zoo having one solitary lion, one breeding pair and a pair of siblings that was correlated with group of the same composition at Safari zoo Lahore. The frequency of different behavior patterns displayed by these lions was studied at both study sites for three hours once a week by instantaneous sampling method for 16 weeks, from 18th April to 8th July in 2014. The frequency of stereotypic behavior including auto mutilation, refusal of food stuff, feces licking, unnatural aggressiveness, pacing, head tossing was more periodic in lions housed at Lahore Zoo (site 1) in contrast to lions at display at Safari zoo Lahore (site 2). The frequency of natural behavior was periodic in African lions housed at Safari zoo Lahore. In the present study stereotypic behavior in lions represented here as a tool to measure the level of comfort at housing sites. This behavioral display also defines the safety of these groups of lions kept in distinct captive environment. This is evident that the quality of lodging environs and area range had solid connection with frequency of various normal and abnormal types of behavior in captive animals.

Environmental contaminants are becoming a growing issue due to their effects on the cryosphere and their impact on the ecosystem. Mountain glaciers are receding in the HKH region and are anticipated to diminish further as black carbon (BC) concentrations rise along with other pollutants in the air, increasing global warming. Air contaminants and BC concentrations were estimated (June 2017–May 2018). An inventory of different pollutants at three glaciers in Karakoram, Hindukush, and the Himalayas has been recorded with Aeroqual 500 and TSI DRX 8533, which are as follows: ozone (28.14 ± 3.58 µg/m³), carbon dioxide (208.58 ± 31.40 µg/m³), sulfur dioxide (1.73 ± 0.33 µg/m³), nitrogen dioxide (2.84 ± 0.37 µg/m³), PM_2.5 (15.90 ± 3.32 µg/m³), PM₁₀ (28.05 ± 2.88 µg/m³), total suspended particles (76.05 ± 10.19 µg/m³), BC in river water (88.74 ± 19.16 µg/m³), glaciers (17.66 ± 0.82 µg/m³), snow/rain (57.43 ± 19.66 ng/g), and air (2.80 ± 1.20 µg/m³). BC was estimated by using DRI Model 2015, Multi-Wavelength Thermal/Optical Carbon Analyzer, in conjunction with satellite-based white-sky albedo (WSA). The average BC concentrations in the Karakoram, Himalaya, and Hindukush were 2.35 ± 0.94, 4.38 ± 1.35, and 3.32 ± 1.09 (µg/m³), whereas WSA was 0.053 ± 0.024, 0.045 ± 0.015, and 0.045 ± 0.019 (µg/m³), respectively. Regression analysis revealed the inverse relationship between WSA and BC. The resulting curves provide a better understanding of the non-empirical link between BC and WSA. Increased BC will inherit ecological consequences for the region, ultimately resulting in biodiversity loss.