Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
In a recent case of man-animal conflict, four people were injured in a bear attack while collecting tendu leaves in the Kawardha range of Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary. Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Kawardha district of Chhattisgarh and is part of the Maikal range in the Satpura hills. It is named after the nearby Bhoramdeo Temple, which is over a thousand years old and called the “Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh.” The sanctuary spans about 352 square kilometres and lies within the Kanha-Achanakmar Corridor connecting two major protected areas. Its landscape includes hilly terrain, dense forests, and many streams. The Fen and Sankari rivers originate here. The forest types include tropical moist and dry deciduous forests with trees like Saaj, Sal, Tendu, and Nilgiri.

Notes:
Scientists have recently discovered a new extinct species named Mosura fentoni, an early marine predator from the Cambrian period around 506 million years ago. It was found in the Burgess Shale fossil site in British Columbia, Canada, which is known for preserving ancient marine life. Mosura fentoni belongs to the group Radiodonta, which are extinct stem-group arthropods and distant relatives of modern insects, spiders, and crustaceans. Although small in size, ranging from 1.5 to 6 centimetres, it had highly specialised body features. This discovery adds to our understanding of early marine ecosystems and arthropod evolution.

Notes:
Visakhapatnam’s Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is celebrating World Dhole Day on May 28 to raise awareness about the endangered dhole. Dholes, also called the Asiatic wild dog, have the scientific name Cuon alpinus. They are wild canids native to Southeast Asia and are known for their strong social behavior and teamwork in hunting. Dholes usually live 10 to 13 years in the wild and up to 16 years in captivity. Their global population is estimated between 949 and 2,215 adults, mostly in India and Thailand. Major threats include habitat loss, reduced prey, human persecution, disease, and competition with other predators. Dholes are listed in Appendix II of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. They are also classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, which tracks global species conservation status.

Notes:
Four men were caught using feral dogs to hunt monitor lizards in the Achampet division of Amrabad Tiger Reserve. Amrabad Tiger Reserve is in Nagarkurnool and Nalgonda districts in southern Telangana. It is part of the Nallamala Forest in the Eastern Ghats. It is India’s second largest tiger reserve by core area. It was part of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve before Andhra Pradesh and Telangana split in 2014.

Notes:
Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, recently radio-collared three endangered fishing cats in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS). Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) is located in Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time in India that fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) have been collared to study their home range, breeding, prey, and behaviour. Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Godavari estuary where the Coringa river meets the Bay of Bengal in Kakinada district.

Notes:
Recently, scientists discovered a new bat species called Himalayan long-tailed Myotis, or Myotis himalaicus, in the Western Himalayan region. It belongs to the Myotis frater complex, a group of similar bat species found across eastern China, Taiwan, Siberia, Korea, Japan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. This new species is found mainly in Deodar, Pine, and Cedar forests along the southern slopes of the Himalayas. It is considered a rare and native species of the region.

Notes:
Recently, the Eurasian otter was spotted in the Kashmir Valley after nearly 30 years. Eurasian otter is also called European otter, common otter, and Old-World otter. It is a semi-aquatic carnivorous mammal native to Eurasia. It has a wide distribution across the Middle-East, Europe, Northern Africa, Eastern Russia, China, and other parts of Asia. In India, it is found in northern, northeastern, and southern regions. In Kashmir, it is locally known as Vuder and was once common in water bodies.

Notes:
The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) recently announced the successful birth of a mouse deer, highlighting its conservation and breeding success. The mouse deer, also called the Indian Chevrotain, is the smallest deer species and is known for its shy and elusive behavior. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent, mainly found in peninsular India, with some old records from Nepal, and a separate species in Sri Lanka. In India, it is seen in Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats up to Odisha, and central Indian forests.

Notes:
Tension has increased after farmers were arrested and later granted bail for entering the Sharavathi Lion Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagar taluk with country-made weapons. The sanctuary is located in the Sharavathi River Valley in Shivamogga district, Karnataka. It is part of the Western Ghats, which is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. It was formed by merging the Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Aghanashini Lion-Tailed Macaque Conservation Reserve, and nearby reserve forest areas.

Notes:
Recently, Kerala has secured the top spot in the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest for 2020–2025. Kerala scored 76.22% in the very good category. Eravikulam National Park in Kerala and Dachigam National Park in Jammu and Kashmir topped protected areas with an MEE score of 92.97%. Mathikettan Shola National Park and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary ranked fifth and sixth among the top 10. Chandigarh topped among Union Territories with 85.16%.