Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Concerns were recently raised about unauthorised road construction and repair inside Srivilliputhur–Meghamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR) in Theni district, Tamil Nadu. It was created in February 2021 by merging the Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary. It spans Theni, Virudhunagar, and Madurai districts in Tamil Nadu. The reserve links Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve with Tamil Nadu’s Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, ensuring wildlife corridor connectivity. It depends on Vaigai, Suruliyaru, and Shanmuganathi rivers for water resources.

Notes:
A new orchid, Gastrochilus pechei, was discovered in Vijoynagar, Arunachal Pradesh. Previously, this species was known to bloom only in Myanmar. Gastrochilus is a monopodial orchid genus with 77 species across Asia, having short axillary inflorescence, bright flowers, and two porate pollinia. Gastrochilus pechei flowers in September-October and grows in moist evergreen rainforest near riverbanks. Before this discovery, 22 Gastrochilus species were recorded in India, with 15 in Arunachal Pradesh. The discovery highlights floristic links between Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh is known as the Orchid State of India, hosting approximately 60% of India’s orchid varieties.

Notes:
The National Zoological Park has increased surveillance and biosecurity measures. This action follows the discovery of a painted stork carcass near a pond. Another painted stork was found sick in the water bird aviary. The painted stork is a large wading bird belonging to the stork family. It is easily recognized by its heavy yellow beak with a down-curved tip. These birds are found across the plains of tropical Asia. Their range extends from the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia, south of the Himalayas. They prefer freshwater wetlands as their main habitat. They are also found in irrigation canals and flooded rice fields during the monsoon.

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An Assam-based foundation has developed India’s first portal for vulture conservation, called The Vulture Network. The portal was launched on September 2, 2025, by We Foundation India in collaboration with Gauhati University’s Department of Zoology. The portal aims to disseminate information in local languages, starting with Assamese, to educate grassroots communities about vultures’ ecological and economic importance. It is a cloud-based knowledge platform offering scientific information, awareness materials, and downloadable resources for campaigns

Notes:
A young male tiger recently travelled 450 km from Vidarbha and settled in Yedshi Ramling Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary after decades of no big cat presence. The sanctuary is in Osmanabad District, Maharashtra, and was established on May 23, 1997. It covers 22.38 sq. km in the Balaghat range of the Sahyadri hills. It has the ancient Ramling Temple of Lord Shiva, a waterfall, and a cave linked to Ramayana legends.

Notes:
The Giant African Snail (Lissachatina fulica), one of the world’s worst invasive species, has infested Chennai city and its outskirts. Experts warn the snail spreads rapidly during floods, posing risks to city residents. It is not only an agricultural pest but also a carrier of dangerous parasites. The snail transmits parasitic nematodes Angiostrongylus cantonensis and A. costaricensis. These cause eosinophilic meningoencephalitis (brain infection) and abdominal angiostrongyliasis in humans. Infections spread through ingestion of contaminated snails or their residues. Researchers highlighted that Chennai faces a major public health threat due to this invasive species.

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Recently, Andhra Pradesh’s Erra Matti Dibbalu (Red Sand Dunes) and the Natural Heritage of the Tirumala Hills were included in the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. Being on the Tentative List is the mandatory first step before nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List. Erra Matti Dibbalu, near Visakhapatnam, covers 1,500 acres and is a National Geo-heritage Monument declared by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 2016. The dunes are composed of sand, silt, and clay with a reddish hue from natural oxidation and show dendritic drainage and sediment layers from the late Quaternary period.

Notes:
Kashmir Fisheries Department plans to reintroduce Brown trout (Salmo trutta) into the Valley for game. Brown trout is a salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus Salmo. It is globally introduced as a game fish and is one of the world’s worst invasive species outside its native range. It is a cold-water fish preferring cool, well-oxygenated freshwater and lives in crevices between stream boulders. It is native to northern Norway, White Sea tributaries in Russia, to Atlas Mountains in North Africa; Iceland in the west, Aral Sea tributaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east.

Notes:
Recently, a rare Red Coral Kukri Snake (Oligodon kheriensis), last reported in 1936, was found trapped in a net near Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh. It is non-venomous, nocturnal, and fossorial, with sharp curved teeth resembling a kukri (Nepali knife). Its body is bright coral-red with a yellowish or pinkish underside, and it has a short head with a pointed snout. It is found in Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim and western Assam.

Notes:
The Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus), a rare shorebird, was recently spotted at Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary in Tirupur city, Tamil Nadu, for the first time. It is unusual for this bird to make a stopover in an inland water body. This marks the 192nd bird species recorded in the sanctuary. The species is found in boreal and tundra ecosystems across the world. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, it is classified as Least Concern.