Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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The first No Objection Certificate (NOC) has been issued through the new Digital Portal for National Waterways to develop a jetty at Malim on River Mandovi. Mandovi River, also called Mahadayi or Mhadei, is known as the lifeline of Goa. It merges with the Zuari River and both flow into the Arabian Sea, forming the Mormugao harbour. The river starts from around 30 springs at Bhimgad in the Western Ghats, located in Belagavi district, Karnataka. Famous waterfalls on the river include Dudhsagar and Varapoha, and an important tributary is the River Mapusa.

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Kerala and Tamil Nadu jointly conducts a Nilgiri Tahr census to mark 50 years of Eravikulam National Park. Eravikulam National Park, Kerala’s first national park, was a sanctuary in 1975 and became a national park in 1978. It was mainly established to protect the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, a mountain goat species found only in the Western Ghats of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The park also shelters species like Lion-tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs. Nilgiri Tahr is also the state animal of Tamil Nadu.

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The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has created a new ‘Blue Category’ under Essential Environmental Services (EES) for industries like composting, biogas plants, and sewage treatment. It includes Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration, which was earlier in the highly polluting ‘Red Category’ with a Pollution Index (PI) of 97.6. ‘Blue Washing’ is a term for showing polluting industries as eco-friendly by placing them in cleaner categories. This reclassification of WTE plants into the ‘Blue Category’ is seen as an example of ‘Blue Washing’ by many environmentalists. The move has raised concerns over transparency and environmental impact.

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Asiatic lions, also called Persian Lions or Indian Lions, belong to the subspecies Panthera leo persica and are found only in India, mainly in Gir National Park, Gujarat. Once spread across West Asia and the Middle East, they are now extinct outside India, making Gir their last home. As per the 2020 lion census by the Gujarat Forest Department, there are 674 lions across 30,000 sq km in nine districts and 53 talukas of Saurashtra. Lions are now moving beyond Gir, even reaching Diu Island, showing healthy range expansion. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed them as Endangered since 2008, improved from Critically Endangered in the 1990s due to successful conservation.

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A new frog species named Leptobrachium aryatium was discovered in Garbhanga Reserve Forest near Guwahati, Assam, after a 21-year-long study. It was first studied in 2004 but misidentified as Leptobrachium smithi. The discovery site lies near Deepor Beel, a Ramsar wetland site, and is part of the Garbhanga-Rani-Deepar Beel elephant corridor. The species was named after Arya Vidyapeeth College, which helped transform the local area from a liquor brewing zone to an educational hub. The frog has orange-and-black eyes, a reticulated throat, and makes rhythmic dusk-time calls. Its identification was confirmed through morphology, DNA analysis, and bioacoustics.

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The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has recently conducted a survey to map the population of mugger crocodiles in the state. The mugger crocodile, also called the marsh crocodile, is one of the 24 living species of crocodilians in the world. It lives in freshwater habitats like marshes, lakes, rivers, and even artificial ponds. In India, it is found in 15 states, with large populations in the middle Ganges basin in Bihar and Jharkhand, and the Chambal basin in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. It is also found in South Asian countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and south-eastern Iran. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the mugger crocodile is classified as Vulnerable.

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The Poas volcano in Costa Rica, one of the country’s top tourist spots, erupted recently, drawing global attention. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica and is located inside the Poás Volcano National Park. The volcano is a composite stratovolcano with an irregular shape and a base covering around 400 square kilometers. It stands 2,708 meters above sea level and features a huge main crater about 1.5 kilometers wide and 300 meters deep. This crater is one of the largest active volcanic craters in the world.

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Recently, delegates met in New York for the first session of the Preparatory Commission to frame rules for the High Seas Treaty and prepare for the first Conference of Parties (COP1). The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, also called the High Seas Treaty, is a United Nations (UN) treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is the first treaty aimed at protecting ocean areas beyond national borders and is often called the Paris Agreement for the Ocean. It legally binds countries to protect marine biodiversity and promote sustainable use through international cooperation. The treaty will help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) and will become effective 120 days after 60 countries ratify it.

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A recent breakthrough came as an international team of scientists successfully mapped the genome of the Saola using tissue fragments from hunter-collected remains. The Saola, scientifically named Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, is one of the rarest land mammals and is nicknamed the “Asian Unicorn” because of its secretive nature. It was first discovered in 1992 during a joint survey by the Vietnamese Ministry of Forestry and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It is listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with only about 50 to 300 individuals estimated as of 2015. The Saola lives in the evergreen forests of the Annamite Mountains along the Vietnam–Laos border, a region rich in biodiversity and rainfall.

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Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh has recently been renamed as Veerangana Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve. It will become the third home of cheetahs in India under the cheetah reintroduction project. This follows the earlier relocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park in September 2022. Later, twelve more cheetahs were brought from South Africa, making Kuno the first cheetah home in India. The move to expand the habitat aims to support cheetah conservation and reduce pressure on existing reserves. This development highlights India’s growing efforts in wildlife restoration and biodiversity protection.