Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
India has extended privileges and immunities to the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and its officials. These legal safeguards are usually granted to representatives of United Nations (UN) organisations. It was launched in 2023 in India during the event ‘Commemorating 50 years of Project Tiger’. It was established by the Government of India through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC). It is a multi-country, multi-agency coalition of 95 big cat range and non-range countries. Its objective is the conservation of seven big cats: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.

Notes:
On 19 August 2025, Sundarbans in West Bengal became India’s second-biggest tiger reserve after the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) approved its expansion. The reserve area increased by 1,044.68 sq km, taking the total to 3,629.57 sq km, just behind Andhra Pradesh’s Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (3,727.82 sq km). Three tiger-inhabited ranges in South 24 Parganas — Matla, Raidighi, and Ramganga — were added. The expansion, cleared by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) earlier, brings all tiger-bearing mangroves under unified management.

Notes:
Nepal has officially joined the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), an India-led global initiative to protect seven species of big cats. The IBCA is a multi-country, multi-agency coalition of over 90 big cat range and non-range countries interested in conservation. Nepal joined by signing the Framework Agreement on August 24, 2025. Nepal’s landscape hosts snow leopard, tiger, and common leopard, strengthening global collaboration for big cat conservation. The alliance focuses on tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, and puma conservation.

Notes:
Recently, Kilauea volcano erupted in Hawaii, a group of volcanic islands in the central Pacific Ocean. Kilauea volcano is located in the United States, on the island of Hawaii. It’s part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Kilauea is the world’s most active volcano. It’s located on the southeastern part of Hawaii’s Big Island. Kilauea is a shield volcano, and the youngest and most active of the Hawaiian shield volcanoes.

Notes:
A recent report by the North American Environmental Commission criticised Mexico for failing to protect the endangered vaquita porpoise, with only 10 left. Vaquita is the smallest member of the porpoise family and the most endangered marine mammal in the world. It lives only in the northern part of the Gulf of California, with the smallest range of any whale, dolphin, or porpoise. It is usually found in shallow waters up to 50 metres deep. It is classified as Critically Endangered under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Notes:
Recently, a Forest Department patrol at Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS), Maharashtra, discovered a poached pangolin. Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Yavatmal district, Maharashtra. It is named after Goddess Tipai shrine in Tipeshwar village. The sanctuary lies in Patanbori and Parwa ranges of the Pandarkawad Forest Division. Four rivers—Purna, Krishna, Bhima, and Tapti—flow through it, making it the “Green Oasis of Eastern Maharashtra.” The land has basaltic volcanic soil and supports village livelihoods.

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Recently, Andhra Pradesh’s Erra Matti Dibbalu (Red Sand Dunes) and the Natural Heritage of the Tirumala Hills were included in the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. Being on the Tentative List is the mandatory first step before nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List. Erra Matti Dibbalu, near Visakhapatnam, covers 1,500 acres and is a National Geo-heritage Monument declared by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 2016. The dunes are composed of sand, silt, and clay with a reddish hue from natural oxidation and show dendritic drainage and sediment layers from the late Quaternary period.

Notes:
A study documented 51 species of herpetofauna in Papikonda National Park, Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh. The list includes 18 amphibians, 21 lizards, 10 snakes, and 2 turtles. Three species—Minervarya kalinga, Sphaerotheca maskeyi, and Hemidactylus kangerensis—were recorded for the first time in Andhra Pradesh. According to IUCN Red List (2024), 46 species are Least Concern, Hemidactylus kangerensis is Endangered, Lissemys punctata is Vulnerable, and three are unassessed. Papikonda National Park is located in East Godavari and West Godavari Districts of Andhra Pradesh.

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A biodiversity survey recently recorded Beddome’s cat skink (Ristella beddomii) for the first time at Aralam and Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuaries. It is also known as Beddome’s ristella and is named after Richard Henry Beddome, a British naturalist. The species is rare and endemic to the Western Ghats. It is a small reddish brown lizard with retractile claws and bicarinate scales. Skink is the common name of lizards in the family Scincidae and this reptile group has existed since the dinosaur era.

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Scientists from Arunachal Pradesh recently discovered a new Begonia species in Basar, Leparada District. It is named ‘Chowna Buku Chulu (Aryarakta)’, meaning “Noble Red”, in honour of Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein. The plant is known for its striking red leaves and natural growth in the region’s habitat. Begonia is a genus of perennial flowering plants from the Begoniaceae family. In cooler regions, they are cultivated outdoors in summer for their bright flowers with sepals but no petals.