Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh, home to the highest wolf population, is studying their ecology at Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary. Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary spans Sagar, Damoh, and Narsinghpur districts. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1975. It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. It serves as a corridor for Panna and Satpura Tiger Reserves and connects Bandhavgarh via Rani Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary. It falls under the Deccan Peninsula biogeographic region and is part of the Ganga and Narmada basins.

Notes:
The Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) monitoring committee decided to ban new commercial construction within 1 km of the BRT Tiger Reserve boundary or up to the ESZ, whichever is nearer. Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve is in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka. It serves as a bridge between the Western and Eastern Ghats in South India. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2011, covering 574.82 sq. km. The reserve is named after “Biligiri,” meaning “white rocky cliff,” home to the ancient Rangaswamy Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Notes:
Kanwar Lake (Kabartal), Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake in Bihar, is rapidly drying up in early March, which is alarming for its ecosystem. Despite its ecological significance, the Bihar government has not sanctioned its restoration plan, showing apathy toward saving this vital wetland. The lake is also known as Kabartal Jheel and is a rainfed water body. It was formed as a residual oxbow lake due to the meandering of the Gandak River, a tributary of the Ganga. It covers a large area of the Indo-Gangetic plains in northern Bihar and plays a crucial role in maintaining regional biodiversity. The wetland serves as an important stopover for 58 migratory bird species along the Central Asian Flyway, where birds rest and refuel during migration. It is also a valuable site for fish biodiversity, with over 50 species documented, making it a crucial habitat for aquatic life.

Notes:
A bar-headed goose (Anser indicus), a rare migratory bird, was sighted for the first time in Morshing village, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh. It is one of the highest-flying birds, reaching altitudes of 25,000 feet while migrating over the Himalayas. Native to Central Asia, it migrates to India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Japan during winter. In India, it is found from the northeast to southern regions.

Notes:
India has identified the Northeast as the next saffron cultivation hub after Jammu & Kashmir’s Pampore. Mission Saffron was launched in 2010-11 to promote saffron farming with financial, technical, and infrastructural support. Since 2021, the initiative expanded to the Northeast (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya) under the “Saffron Bowl Project” by NECTAR (North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach). The Northeast offers suitable agro-climatic conditions for saffron cultivation.

Notes:
The Supreme Court criticized the Uttarakhand government for slow action against senior officers accused of illegal constructions in Corbett Tiger Reserve. Corbett Tiger Reserve is located in the foothills of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. It was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park and renamed Corbett National Park in 1957 to honor Jim Corbett. The total area of the reserve is 1,288.31 sq. km, with undulating terrain and several valleys. Rivers Ramganga, Pallaen, and Sonanadi flow through it. The reserve lies in the Bhabar and lower Shivalik regions with a deep-water table and porous terrain.

Notes:
Karnataka Forest Department will ‘soft release’ captured elephants into Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary to reduce human-elephant conflicts in Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts of Karnataka. It is named after the Bhadra River, which flows through the sanctuary. Declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1951 and became a Project Tiger Reserve in 1998. It was the first tiger reserve in India to complete a village relocation program by 2002.

Notes:
Bangladesh welcomed China’s participation in the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project. The Teesta River is a transboundary river flowing through India and Bangladesh, serving as a vital water resource. It originates from Tso Lhamo Lake at 5,280 meters in North Sikkim, India. Other sources include Pahunri Glacier, Khangse Glacier, and Chho Lhamo Lake. The river flows southward through Sikkim, West Bengal, and Bangladesh, where it joins the Brahmaputra River (Jamuna River in Bangladesh). Historically, it was a major tributary of the Ganges River.

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A new study has decoded how the venom of snake species, Pope’s Pit Viper (Trimeresurus popeiorum) works, helping understand its toxicity and aiding in better antivenom development. This research is key for pharmaceutical progress and supports India’s goal to reduce snakebite deaths by 50% by 2030. The snake is found in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia, especially in northern and northeastern India. It lives in tropical and sub-tropical wet mountain forests, bamboo forests, scrublands, and swamps. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), its status is Least Concern.

Notes:
The rare Pale-chinned Flycatcher (scientific name Cyornis poliogenys) was recently spotted in the Nong Loung forest area of Namsai district, Arunachal Pradesh. It is a small, sparrow-sized insect-eating songbird from the Muscicapidae family, known for its shy nature and love for shady forest interiors. This bird is found in parts of India like the Eastern Ghats, Northeast states, Eastern Himalayas, and West Bengal, as well as in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Southeast Asia. It prefers dense, moist evergreen or semi-evergreen forests with thick undergrowth. Its conservation status is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).