Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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Rajaji National Park has abundant reservoirs and water holes that help limit elephant movement into human-populated areas. The park is located in Uttarakhand, spanning three districts: Haridwar, Dehradun, and Pauri Garhwal. It lies along the hills and foothills of the Shiwalik ranges, representing the Shiwalik ecosystem. In 1983, Rajaji Wildlife Sanctuary was merged with Motichur and Chilla sanctuaries to form Rajaji National Park. The park is named after the famous freedom fighter, Rajgopalachari, also known as “Rajaji.” Situated at the transition zone between the temperate western Himalaya and the central Himalaya, it boasts rich species diversity.

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A Brazilian surfer recently used the pororoca tidal wave on the Mearim River to spread awareness about climate change and ecological damage. The Mearim River is around 800 kilometres long and flows through Maranhão state in northern Brazil. The Mearim River is known for its pororoca, a strong tidal bore where ocean tides rush upstream into the river. The word “pororoca” comes from the Tupi Indigenous language and means “great roar”, due to the loud sound made when sea and river waters collide. A tidal bore forms when rising ocean tides push against the river’s flow, often during spring tides and supermoons.

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The State Government of Himachal Pradesh has notified the Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve in the Spiti Valley as India’s largest conservation reserve. It is located at the confluence of the Unam River and Charap Nala. The reserve is bounded by the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh to the north, Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary to the east, Kabjima Nala to the south, and Chandratal Wildlife Sanctuary to the west. It is famous for the snow leopard, also called the ‘ghost of the mountains’.

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The Blyde Rondavel Flat Gecko was rediscovered in the Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, after being unseen for 34 years. This flat-bodied lizard grows up to 8–9 cm and is adapted to live on cliffs and rocky outcrops, making it hard to spot. It was first discovered in 1991, but no sightings since then led to fears of extinction or doubts about it being a distinct species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had listed it as “Data Deficient” due to lack of data. The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) confirmed its rediscovery during a special expedition to a remote rocky area. This gecko is the fifth lost species rediscovered by the Endangered Wildlife Trust in recent years, after a dune mole, a butterfly, a lizard, and a frog.

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Researchers from Justus Liebig University Giessen (Germany), New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, Kakapo Recovery, and University of Otago have successfully used artificial insemination (AI) to breed the critically endangered Kakapo. The Kakapo is the world’s largest flightless parrot, native to New Zealand. It is nocturnal, herbivorous, and the only lek-breeding parrot, where males display together to attract females. Kakapo breed only in years when native fruits like rimu berries are plentiful. Threats include predation by invasive mammals, infertility, high embryo death, and diseases like aspergillosis. Due to these threats, it is listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

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Scientists recently discovered a new species of damselfly called Caliphaea sinuofurcata in Arunachal Pradesh. It was found during biodiversity surveys in the Upper Siang and Lower Dibang Valley districts. The species is proposed to be named the “Bearded Bronzeback” due to its unique appearance. This is only the second species of the genus Caliphaea ever recorded in India. The first species, Caliphaea confusa, was documented more than 165 years ago. The genus Caliphaea is usually found in Southeast Asia and China, making this a significant discovery for Indian biodiversity.

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Maharashtra Forest Department has recently partnered with Microsoft and Centre for Youth Development and Activities (CYDA), Pune, to solve socio-ecological issues in Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary. Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected forest located in the Western Ghats near Pune, Maharashtra. It includes 12 compartments from Paund and Sinhgad ranges in Pune division and 8 compartments from Mangaon range in Roha division of Thane.

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Recently, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) discovered how lac insects produce laccaic acid, which is used to make lac pigment. Lac insects are hemimetabolous and undergo gradual metamorphosis with stages like egg, nymph instars, pupa, and adult. They are found in Southeast Asian countries like India, Thailand, Myanmar, and China, with India and Thailand being top producers. More than 90% of India’s lac comes from Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Eastern Maharashtra, and Northern Odisha.

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A rare oarfish, often called the “doomsday fish” in Japanese culture, was recently seen off the coast of Tamil Nadu, India. In the past 20 days, oarfish sightings were also reported in Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico’s Baja California Sur. The oarfish is a deep-sea fish that lives between 200 and 1,000 meters below the ocean surface. It has a long, ribbon-like body and can grow over 30 feet (9 meters) in length, making it the longest bony fish in the world. It is called the “doomsday fish” because its appearance is believed to warn of natural disasters.

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Recently, the Union government issued the final notification declaring the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary, ending a 10-year-long movement to protect the area in north Karnataka. The Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Gadag district of Karnataka. It has a variety of habitats like dry deciduous forests, grasslands, scrublands, and riverine zones, and is often called the “Western Ghats of North Karnataka.”