Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Brazilwood or Paubrasilia echinata, the national tree of Brazil has been maintained in the Appendix II by the 19th COP19 to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The items under Appendix II may not necessarily be threatened with extinction.
The national wood of Brazil is a medium-sized tree that belongs to the Fababceae family. It is an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest of the country. Its wood is mainly used to make bows for musical instruments.

Notes:
The Kanger Valley National Park is located in Chhattisgarh. It is also home to a population of Chhattisgarh’s state bird, the hill myna.
Bird watchers and forest department officials recently counted 200 types of birds in Chhattisgarh’s first-ever inter-state bird survey conducted in the Kanger Valley National Park.

Notes:
India’s largest botanical garden, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah, West Bengal, is under threat due to severe land erosion by Ganga River.
During a recent site visit, experts warned that parts of the fencing and inner plantation may get washed away by the swelling river. The garden is under the jurisdiction of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

Notes:
The United Nations Biodiversity Conference or COP15 was organised in Montreal, Canada. Governments from around the world are convened to agree to a new set of goals for nature over the next decade.
The negotiators at a UN biodiversity conference reached an agreement, which seeks to spend USD 200 billion toward supporting biodiversity by 2030.

Notes:
Deepor Beel, the only Ramsar site of Assam, recorded over 26,000 birds of 97 different species during a recent bird count.
The site recorded 10,289 birds of 66 species recorded in 2021. It is troubled by developmental projects and urban waste. A spot bird photography contest was also held during the event and  repeat of the bird count exercise is scheduled during the Asian Waterfowl Count.

Notes:
The entomologists have named a new genus of wasp after Soliga, an indigenous community of Biligiri Rangan Hills in Karnataka.
The new genus has been named as Soliga ecarinata in an acknowledgement of the Soliga lifestyle and in recognition of their conservation of forests and biodiversity.

Notes:
Hibbertopterus lamsdelli is a new species of Giant Sea Scorpion. It belongs to Hibbertopteridae, an extinct group of aquatic arthropods in the Order Eurypterida. Eurypterids are better known as sea scorpions.
The species existed during the Kasimovian age, between 307 and 303 million years ago. Its diet included small crustaceans, ostracodes, conchostracans, invertebrate larvae and gastropod eggs.

Notes:
Ministry of Textiles is implementing ‘Enhancing Circularity and Sustainability’ project in collaboration with United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
The main objective of the project is to minimize the negative environmental impacts of Indian Textile by promoting sustainable practices and mainstreaming knowledge on circular production based practices in the Textiles and Apparel sectors. Government also approved 20 strategic research projects in the areas of Specialty fibres and geo textiles.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of 130 million USD for the implementation of the Himachal Pradesh Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation, and Value Addition Project.
The purpose of this project is to assist at least 15,000 farm households to make them more resilient to climate change through improved irrigation and water management.

Notes:
Coradion calendula is a new species of butterfly fish belonging to the genus Coradion. It was recently discovered in Australian waters.
Coradion calendula has characteristics that are similar to those of Coradion chrysozonus. Its habitat spans from the North West Shelf east to the northern Cape York Peninsula, close to the Torres Strait. It is likely to feed on sponge tissue and benthic invertebrates.