Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Only 17.2% of India’s suitable habitat for Dalbergia latifolia (Indian rosewood) lies within protected areas, according to the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bengaluru. The species is native to Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris, Anamalai, and Parambikulam ranges. Field studies across 12 States (2019–2025) show Tamil Nadu has the lowest rosewood density at 2.85 trees per 0.1 hectare. Karnataka showed a higher density of 6.19 trees per 0.1 hectare, and Kerala had 5.38 trees per 0.1 hectare. Indian rosewood improves soil fertility, acts as a carbon sink, and is a keystone ecological species. Economically, it is called “Ivory of the Forests,” used in furniture, musical instruments, and handicrafts.

Notes:
A young male tiger recently travelled 450 km from Vidarbha and settled in Yedshi Ramling Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary after decades of no big cat presence. The sanctuary is in Osmanabad District, Maharashtra, and was established on May 23, 1997. It covers 22.38 sq. km in the Balaghat range of the Sahyadri hills. It has the ancient Ramling Temple of Lord Shiva, a waterfall, and a cave linked to Ramayana legends.

Notes:
A new species of bent-toed gecko named Cyrtodactylus vanarakshaka has been discovered in central Assam’s montane forests. It belongs to the Cyrtodactylus khasiensis group. The species was found on the forested slopes of Jatinga in Dima Hasao, a unique ecological transition zone of the Barail Hills. It has been named in honour of the Assam Forest Department. The name “vanarakshaka” comes from Sanskrit words “vana” meaning forest and “rakshaka” meaning protector. With this discovery, Assam now has five recorded species of Cyrtodactylus.

Notes:
Recently, Australia approved the world’s first vaccine to protect koalas from Chlamydia. The koala bear (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. Koalas are asocial, meeting mainly during breeding, and spend most of their time in eucalyptus trees eating and sleeping. They live in open forests to woodlands across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Chlamydia causes urinary infections, infertility, blindness, and death, responsible for half of koala deaths in the wild. It is listed as Vulnerable by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), they face threats from disease, habitat loss, climate change, and road collisions.

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Critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoos have found refuge in Hong Kong’s urban parks, making up nearly 10% of the global wild population of just 2,000 mature birds. The species is native to Indonesia and East Timor. These snow-white birds with yellow crests now face nesting problems as old trees are lost to typhoons and government trimming. Global threats like illegal pet trade and climate change also worsen their survival. Conservationists in Hong Kong have begun installing artificial nest boxes, with one pair already using them. The project aims to expand to 50 boxes, helping the species survive in the city.

Notes:
Researchers discovered a new flowering plant species Impatiens selvasinghii in Kudremukh range of the Western Ghats, Karnataka. It was found at 1,630 meters altitude during field exploration. The species is named after Prof. P Selva Singh Richard of Madras Christian College for his contribution to botany. It is one of the smallest flowered balsams in the Western Ghats, with unique lobed wing petals. Small insects depend on this plant for survival. India has over 280 taxa of Impatiens, with 210 endemic, 130 in the Western Ghats, and 80% of them endangered.

Notes:
A new coffee plant species named Ophiorrhiza echinata was recently discovered in the Western Ghats. It was found in the shola forests at Devikulam, Idukki District, Kerala. The plant grows in the ecotone region between evergreen forests and grasslands at 1,630 metres above sea level. It belongs to the Rubiaceae family and is closely related to Ophiorrhiza mungos, used in cancer treatment and antidote preparations. It may have medicinal potential. The species is very rare, with less than 4 sq. km area of occupancy and only about 35 plants recorded

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During Wildlife Week 2025 at Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, the Union Environment Minister launched five major conservation projects and four national-level wildlife monitoring programmes. Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) Project is a new national initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). TOTR will be implemented from 2025–2028 with a budget of ₹88.7 crore, coordinated by NTCA and executed through state forest departments. The project aims to reduce human–tiger conflicts in non-reserve areas and ensure safe coexistence.

Notes:
Recently, scientists discovered a new fungus species named Paramyrothecium strychni in Kerala, India. It belongs to the Ascomycota division and Stachybotryaceae family. The fungus is a phytopathogenic species, meaning it causes diseases in plants. It is associated with leaf spots and blight disease on Strychnos dalzellii (family Loganiaceae). The species was identified using morpho-cultural and multigene molecular phylogenetic studies. According to Index Fungorum, there are 25 known species of Paramyrothecium worldwide. Most Paramyrothecium species are plant pathogens that cause leaf spots and blights in various plants.

Notes:
The Sustainable Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystems (SAIME) model in West Bengal’s Sundarbans recently received Global Technical Recognition from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. SAIME is a multi-stakeholder partnership (MSP) to improve shrimp trade while protecting mangrove ecosystems in West Bengal. It is a climate-adaptive and conservation-linked livelihood initiative that combines brackish water shrimp aquaculture with mangrove restoration. The approach is ecosystem-based and sustainable. SAIME is implemented in collaboration with Global Nature Fund (GNF), Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS), Naturland, and Bangladesh Environment & Development Society (BEDS).