Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
A new spider species named Dolomedes indicus was discovered in the evergreen rainforests of Western Ghats in Wayanad district, Kerala. It is the first recorded species of the Dolomedes genus, also called raft or fishing spiders, found in India. Unlike house spiders, it is an active semi-aquatic hunter that hunts on water surfaces. It senses vibrations using water surface tension and quickly jumps to catch insects or small fish. It can swim and dive in water.

Notes:
A major four-month wildlife survey has recently begun across the Buxa Tiger Reserve to assess biodiversity and strengthen conservation efforts. The Buxa Tiger Reserve is located in West Bengal, and its northern boundary touches the international border with Bhutan. It acts as an international corridor for elephant migration between India and Bhutan, supporting long-distance wildlife movement.

Notes:
The Moei River, known as the Tonge Yin River in Myanmar, is an important river in northern Thailand and has recently been in the news as young men from Gujarat were lured across it into alleged cyber-fraud compounds in Myanmar. It is a tributary of the Salween River, joining it after flowing along the Thailand–Myanmar border. The river originates in the Tenasserim Hills, located in the Myanmar–Thailand border region. The Moei River acts as a natural international boundary between Thailand and Myanmar for a significant part of its course.

Notes:
Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) reported a global crackdown on illegal wildlife and forestry trade in 2025. The operation ran from 15 September to 15 October 2025 across 134 countries. Police, customs, border security, forestry and wildlife agencies worked together. A total of 4,640 seizures were made in one month. More than 30,000 live animals, protected plants, timber and spices were seized. The crackdown was called Operation Thunder 2025 and was led by Interpol with the World Customs Organization. Authorities seized ivory, rhino horns, pangolin scales, reptiles, birds, insects, plants and illegal timber. Interpol warned that wildlife crime is worth up to 20 billion US dollars yearly and linked to other serious crimes.

Notes:
Scientists discovered a new species of reed snake in Mizoram and named it Calamaria mizoramensis after the state. It is a non-venomous snake, meaning it does not produce poison harmful to humans. The species is nocturnal, active mainly at night, and semi-fossorial, meaning it partly lives underground. It inhabits humid, forested hill regions at elevations of 670 to 1,295 metres above sea level, even near human settlements. The snake is small, with a dark brown to blackish body, faint stripes, and a yellow underside.

Notes:
The Senapati Forest Division launched Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises to restore the Barak River watershed and support local livelihoods. The exercise was conducted at Saranamai village in Senapati district, Manipur, under the Barak catchment area. It involved community mapping of natural resources, land use, wealth status, matrix ranking, timelines, and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. The exercise will provide baseline data for an action plan under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Notes:
The Indian Skimmer Conservation Project was launched by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). BNHS, established in 1883, is one of India’s largest non-governmental organizations working on conservation and biodiversity research. The Indian Skimmer is native to South Asia, mainly found in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and extends to Nepal and Myanmar. It has a unique feeding method, skimming the water surface with its specialised beak, where the lower mandible is longer. The species inhabits sandy lowland rivers, lakes, marshes, estuaries, and coastal areas. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the Indian Skimmer is Endangered.

Notes:
A recent survey across the Ganga River basin recorded 3,037 gharials in 13 rivers despite serious survival threats. Gharial is a freshwater crocodile belonging to the Crocodylia order and Crocodylidae family. Its scientific name is Gavialis gangeticus and it mainly feeds on fish. Earlier, its range extended across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Today, major populations survive in the Chambal, Girwa, and Rapti–Naryani rivers. In India, gharial reserves are located in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, it is critically endangered.

Notes:
Iran has used cloud seeding by spraying chemicals over the Urmia Lake basin to induce rainfall amid the worst drought in decades. Lake Urmia, also called Lake Oromeeh, is located in the Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran. It is the largest lake in the Middle East. The lake is a terminal lake, meaning it has no outlet and is highly saline. It receives water mainly from the Talkheh River in the northeast.

Notes:
Scientists warned that the Thwaites Glacier is melting rapidly due to human-induced climate change. It is a massive glacier in West Antarctica, often called the Doomsday Glacier. The glacier is very wide and fast-flowing, roughly the size of Florida or Great Britain. It is extremely important because it already contributes about 4% to global annual sea-level rise. Studies show it is thinning, retreating, and adding more meltwater to the oceans. If it collapses, it could destabilise the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, causing severe sea-level rise.