Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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A new deep-sea coral species has been identified as Iridogorgia chewbacca. The species is named after Chewbacca, the tall, furry Wookiee character from Star Wars. It was discovered in the tropical western Pacific Ocean and first seen in 2006. The coral has long, curly, shiny branches resembling Chewbacca’s fur and grows upright alone on the ocean floor. The discovery was made by researchers including Les Watling, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The finding highlights deep ocean biodiversity and was published in Zootaxa.

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A Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) was recorded for the first time inside Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR), Rajasthan. The sighting was captured during routine tiger monitoring using camera traps in Ramgarh Range, Bundi. Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) previously hosted four small cat species: Jungle Cat (Felis chaus), Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), Asiatic Wildcat (Felis lybica ornata), and Caracal (Caracal caracal). With the Fishing Cat, the reserve now supports five small cat species, enhancing its carnivore diversity. Fishing Cat is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and prefers wetlands.

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Goa’s State Board for Wildlife recommended that the proposal for iron ore handling at Kalem railway station in Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary be placed before the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary is located in eastern Goa near Mollem village. It lies in the foothills of the Western Ghats. It was earlier called Mollem Game Sanctuary and declared a sanctuary in 1969. Later it was renamed Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Recently, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department monitored an injured makhna (tuskless male elephant) standing in the Bhavani River along the Tamil Nadu–Kerala border. The Bhavani River is a major tributary of the Cauvery River. It flows through Tamil Nadu and Kerala and is the second-largest river in Tamil Nadu. It originates from the Western Ghats in the Nilgiri Hills of Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu. The river flows into Kerala through Silent Valley National Park and re-enters Tamil Nadu.

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The Sustainable Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystems (SAIME) model in West Bengal’s Sundarbans recently received Global Technical Recognition from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. SAIME is a multi-stakeholder partnership (MSP) to improve shrimp trade while protecting mangrove ecosystems in West Bengal. It is a climate-adaptive and conservation-linked livelihood initiative that combines brackish water shrimp aquaculture with mangrove restoration. The approach is ecosystem-based and sustainable. SAIME is implemented in collaboration with Global Nature Fund (GNF), Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS), Naturland, and Bangladesh Environment & Development Society (BEDS).

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The Government of Tuvalu has become the 90th State Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Tuvalu, formerly the Ellice Islands, is a small island country in the west-central Pacific Ocean. It is the 4th smallest country in the world, covering 26 sq.km, located between Australia and Hawaii. Tuvalu consists of small islands and atolls made of coral reefs and volcanic rock, with no point above 4.5 meters, making it vulnerable to sea-level rise. The capital is Funafuti.

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Foresters at Kali Tiger Reserve in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, recently recorded the rare sighting of a striped hyena, locally known as katte kiruba. Kali Tiger Reserve is located in the biologically rich Western Ghats. The reserve comprises the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park. These two protected areas are contiguous, forming a single continuous habitat. The Kali River flows through the reserve and serves as the main water source for Uttara Kannada district. The reserve is named after the Kali River.

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Central Asian countries recently endorsed a six-year work programme under the Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) to conserve 17 iconic migratory mammal species. The meeting was hosted by the Government of Uzbekistan under its presidency of the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). CAMI was launched in 2014 at COP11 to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) to address major threats to migratory mammals across Central Asia. The programme covers species such as snow leopard, saiga antelope, Bukhara deer, Persian leopard, and wild yak. The next update of the CAMI resolution will be presented at CMS COP15 in Brazil in March 2026.

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Lahore, Pakistan, was ranked the world’s most polluted city with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 312, reaching hazardous levels, according to Swiss tech firm IQAir. The PM2.5 concentration was 190.5 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 25 times higher than World Health Organisation (WHO) safety limits. Lahore surpassed Delhi (AQI 220) and Kolkata (AQI 170) in global pollution charts. Smog caused by vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, and crop residue burning has worsened between October and February.

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India has extended support to Afghanistan to build a dam on the Kunar River, shared between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The move comes amid tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over water sharing. The Kunar River, also called the Kama River, is about 480 km long. It flows through eastern Afghanistan and northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The river originates in the Hindu Kush mountains, fed by melting glaciers and snow. In Pakistan, it is known as the Chitral River. It is a tributary of the Kabul River, which later joins the Indus River, forming part of the Indus watershed.