Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary gained attention after seven gharials were released into its Girwa River for conservation. Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Upper Gangetic plain, Uttar Pradesh. Gharials are fish-eating reptiles with long, thin snouts and sharp teeth, making them skilled hunters in rivers. They are mainly found in Chambal and Girwa rivers in India and the Rapti-Naryani River in Nepal.

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The Odisha High Court recently sent a notice to the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Baripada, over a ban stopping Munda tribals of Jamunagarh village from performing rituals at Jayara, a sacred site inside Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR). Similipal Tiger Reserve is located in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha. It was recognised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a Biosphere Reserve in 2009.

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Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change released details of new Animal Discoveries and Plant Discoveries for 2024. The Zoological Survey of India publishes Animal Discoveries, while the Botanical Survey of India publishes Plant Discoveries every year. In 2024, India added 683 new faunal species, including 459 new species and 224 new records. It also added 433 plant taxa, with 410 species and 23 infra-specific taxa. Kerala topped faunal discoveries with 101 species, followed by Karnataka with 82, and Tamil Nadu with 63. In the northeast, Arunachal Pradesh found 72 species, Meghalaya 42, and West Bengal 56. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands recorded 43 faunal discoveries.

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Indian scientists recently discovered a new deep-sea eel species named Facciolella smithi (Smith’s witch eel) in the Arabian Sea. It was found by scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research–National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow. It belongs to the Nettastomatidae family. It lives on the seafloor or burrows in sediments, using sensory skills in pitch-black waters.

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The endangered white-eared night heron was recently camera-trapped in Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh. Namdapha is a national park and tiger reserve on the India–Myanmar border in Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh. It lies at the meeting point of the Indian subcontinent and Indo-China biogeographic regions. The Namdapha River, a tributary of Noa-Dihing River, flows north to south across it.

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Recently, wildlife officials reported a sharp decline in the blackbuck population in Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary. Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is a native antelope species found in India and Nepal. It is commonly seen in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and other parts of peninsular India. It is the state animal of Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh. Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Punjab and is unique as it lies entirely on private or community-owned land of 13 Bishnoi villages.

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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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Scientists recently discovered two new species of wart sea slugs named Phyllidia ovata and Phyllidia fontjei in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Sea slugs, also called Nudibranchs, are soft-bodied marine molluscs found in oceans worldwide. They belong to Phylum Mollusca and Class Gastropoda, resembling naked snails without shells. They live in coral reefs and feed on algae, sponges, and small invertebrates, making them key indicators of healthy coral ecosystems. Their bright colours warn predators due to toxicity, which they acquire from prey like jellyfish.

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Odisha launched a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) under the Shree Anna Abhiyan (SAA) to conserve landraces and empower smallholder farmers. Landraces are genetically diverse traditional seed varieties adapted to local conditions with traits like pest resistance and climate resilience. The SOP bridges the gap between formal seed systems and community-led traditional seed systems. It expands beyond millets to include pulses, cereals, and tubers. Surveys will identify valuable landraces based on farmers’ knowledge and scientific traits.

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The critically endangered Asian Giant Tortoise has been reintroduced into Zeliang Community Reserve in Peren district, Nagaland. The initiative was led by the Nagaland Forest Department and the India Turtle Conservation Programme (ITCP). These tortoises were born in 2019 under a conservation project that began in 2018 with rescued pet tortoises. The species, once common in Nagaland, had nearly vanished over a decade ago. Also known as “small elephants of the forest,” they aid in seed dispersal, forest regeneration, and cleaning the forest floor. A habitat suitability study identified Zeliang Reserve as ideal for reintroduction.