Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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A year-long camera-trap survey by Holématthi Nature Foundation (HNF), led by conservation biologist Dr. Sanjay Gubbi, revealed 80–85 wild leopards around Bengaluru. This makes Bengaluru the metro city with the highest number of free-ranging leopards, surpassing Mumbai’s 54 leopards. The survey recorded 54 leopards inside Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) and 30 in surrounding reserved and private forests. Bannerghatta National Park is located in Karnataka.

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Two new earthworm species, Kanchuria tripuraensis and Kanchuria priyasankari, were recently discovered in Tripura. Kanchuria tripuraensis was found in rubber and pineapple plantations and is named after the state, showing biodiversity in cultivated areas. Kanchuria priyasankari is named in honour of Priyasankar Chaudhuri for his lifelong work in earthworm taxonomy. These discoveries raise the genus Kanchuria’s species count to 10 and Tripura’s earthworm species total to 38.

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Kannampadi, a tribal settlement in the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala, is getting three new libraries to support tribal students and residents. This marks a new chapter in education and learning opportunities for the local community. Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Kerala. The region features steep mountains, valleys, and hills with altitudes between 450 to 1272 meters. Vanjur Medu is the highest peak at 1272 meters.

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Recently, a report highlighted that the leopard population in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) has increased by 198.91% since 2022. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is located on the Indo-Nepal border in Lakhimpur-Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh. It comprises Dudhwa National Park and two wildlife sanctuaries—Kishanpur and Katerniaghat—along with forest areas of North Kheri, South Kheri, and Shahjahanpur in its buffer zone. The reserve lies in the Tarai-Bhabar habitat of the Upper Gangetic Plains Biogeographic Province.

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Environmentalists recently raised alarm over the approval of an eco-tourism resort on Surla plateau inside Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, which lies in a critical tiger habitat. Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is located in North Goa in the Western Ghats. It is named after the Mhadei River that flows through it and features scenic waterfalls like Vazra Sakla Falls and Virdi Falls. Goa’s three highest peaks—Sonsogod, Talvche Sada, and Vagheri—are located within the sanctuary. Forests are dense with semi-evergreen and moist deciduous trees like teak, sal, bamboo, orchids, and medicinal plants.

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Indian scientists recently discovered a new lichen species named Allographa effusosoredica in the Western Ghats. It is the 22nd species of Allographa from the Western Ghats and 53rd from India. This is the first Indian species of Allographa ever sequenced from India. It is a crustose lichen with striking effuse soredia and rare chemical traits. It contains norstictic acid, a rare compound among similar Allographa species. The study used morphological, chemical, and molecular techniques.

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The Pale-capped Pigeon was recently spotted in Dehing Patkai National Park, Assam, marking a rare and important sighting for birdwatchers and conservationists. It is also called the Purple Wood Pigeon due to its dark purplish-maroon colour. It is found locally across parts of northern and northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The bird lives mainly in primary or secondary evergreen forests, and also in bamboo groves and farmlands near forests.

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Recently, a new species of dragonfly named Lyriothemis abrahami was officially discovered in Kerala, India. It was earlier misidentified as Lyriothemis flava due to similar appearance. It breeds in small water pools inside tree holes, highlighting its forest-dependent nature. It is found in lowland rainforests to mid-elevation evergreen and deciduous forests between 50 m to 1,100 m altitude. This discovery raised Kerala’s total odonate (dragonfly and damselfly) species count to 191, including 78 endemic species. It serves as an indicator of forest health, supporting the need for habitat conservation.

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Recently, scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered four new species of spider-egg parasitic wasps in West Bengal. These wasps belong to the genus Idris in the family Scelionidae under the order Hymenoptera. The newly identified species are Idris bianor, Idris furvus, Idris hyllus, and Idris longiscapus. They were collected from agroecosystems and semi-natural habitats across West Bengal. Parasitoid wasps like Idris help regulate spider populations and maintain arthropod balance.

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Recently, the Odisha government announced plans to introduce tigers in Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Bargarh district. Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary is located near the Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi River in Odisha. Hirakud Dam is the longest dam in India and the longest earthen dam in the world. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1985.