Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
A new conservation project has been approved to protect breeding habitats of sandbar-nesting birds in the Ganga basin, focusing on endangered species like the Indian Skimmer. The Indian Skimmer (also called Indian Scissors-bill) is a distinctive waterbird native to southern Asia. It is one of only three skimmer species worldwide. It is found across India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, with Nepal as a non-breeding visitor. The species is endangered and relies on sandbar habitats for breeding, making protection of these areas crucial for its survival.

Notes:
A three-year-old tiger cub identified as PKT7CP1, rescued three years ago after losing its mother, has been moved to Dnyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary for rewilding. Dnyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Buldhana district of Maharashtra near the Dnyanganga River. It forms part of the Melghat Tiger Reserve, supporting tiger conservation and rewilding efforts. The sanctuary covers about 205 square kilometres and contains two lakes. It is surrounded by scenic hills of the Western Ghats, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

Notes:
The Senapati Forest Division launched Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises to restore the Barak River watershed and support local livelihoods. The exercise was conducted at Saranamai village in Senapati district, Manipur, under the Barak catchment area. It involved community mapping of natural resources, land use, wealth status, matrix ranking, timelines, and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. The exercise will provide baseline data for an action plan under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Notes:
Forest staff at Anamalai Tiger Reserve will use the Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (MSTrIPES) app for wildlife census. MSTrIPES is a software-based system for monitoring and protecting tiger habitats. It was launched in 2010 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) with the Wildlife Institute of India. It supports wildlife protection, monitoring, and management of Protected Areas. The system has a central desktop and online analysis tool, and an Android mobile application. The mobile app records field observations and patrol tracks using Global Positioning System (GPS).

Notes:
Kerala and Tamil Nadu have started restoring habitats and strengthening monitoring of the grey slender loris. The grey slender loris, scientifically called Loris lydekkerianus, is a primate belonging to the family Loridae and is a prosimian, an ancient group of primates. It is found in southern India, mainly Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, and also in Sri Lanka. It lives in rainforests, dry forests, scrublands, bamboo areas, swamps, and montane cloud forests. It is listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Notes:
A new species of ginger named Parakaempferia alba has been discovered in the Siang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. It belongs to the Zingiberaceae, which is the ginger family of flowering plants. The species was found in the Miglung area of East Siang District. It grows at an altitude ranging from 150 to 400 metres above sea level. The plant thrives along shaded streambanks. It prefers humid conditions with sandy soil, which support its growth. This discovery highlights the rich plant biodiversity of the Eastern Himalayan region.

Notes:
A forest fire recently spread inside Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary along the Indo-China border at about 13,000 feet altitude in Sikkim. The sanctuary is located in eastern Sikkim and is connected to the forests of Bhutan and Neora Valley National Park in West Bengal. The Pangolakha Range below the Chola Range forms a natural boundary between Sikkim and Bhutan. It has alpine, temperate, and subtropical vegetation zones.

Notes:
Researchers discovered a new wildflower species named Lepidagathis konkanensis in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. It was found in Ratnagiri district during a floristic survey of lateritic plateaus, which are iron-rich and harsh habitats. The species is currently known from a very small area of less than 65 square kilometres. The name honours the Konkan region, which is isolated by the Arabian Sea and Sahyadri Mountains. Scientists recommend its status as Data Deficient under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Notes:
The Rusty-spotted Cat, one of the rarest and smallest wild cats in the world, was recently spotted in the Shergarh forest of Baran district, Rajasthan. It is the world’s smallest and lightest known cat species. The species is found in dry deciduous and semi-deciduous forests of northern and central India, the Western Ghats, Kachchh, Rajasthan, and peninsular India. It is also distributed in Nepal and Sri Lanka. India supports about 80 percent of the global population of this species. Its conservation status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is Near Threatened.

Notes:
The Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary in Nuapada district, Odisha was declared Maoist-free in January 2026, enabling improved wildlife monitoring and conservation activities. In the All-India Tiger Estimation exercise (data yet to be officially released), authorities estimate over 70 leopards, with 90% camera traps capturing leopard images. Nuapada district regularly reports human–leopard conflict, supporting evidence of a strong leopard presence. Reduced Maoist activity enabled camera trap installation across all sanctuary sectors for the first time.