Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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A new study reveals that Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano, which collapsed in 2018 causing a deadly tsunami, showed warning signs years in advance. Anak Krakatau, meaning “Child of Krakatoa,” is located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It is a stratovolcano, formed by alternating layers of solidified lava and ash. The volcano sits at the convergent boundary between the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Anak Krakatau is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone around the Pacific Ocean. In December 2018, its southwest flank collapsed, generating a tsunami that killed over 400 people and caused widespread destruction.

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In Maharashtra’s Kadbanwadi grassland, the Indian grey wolf faces rising danger from attacks by stray dogs. It is located in Indapur tehsil of Pune district and spreads over 2,000 hectares. The grassland supports various species such as the Bengal fox, striped hyena, Brahminy kite, and Indian grey wolf. The Indian grey wolf, scientifically called Canis lupus pallipes, is a subspecies of the grey wolf found from Southwest Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It lives in arid and semi-arid open plains and grasslands and plays the role of a top predator in these ecosystems. This wolf moves in smaller packs and is less vocal compared to other grey wolf types. It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which gives it the highest level of legal protection in India.

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California’s Tulare Lake, which had dried up long ago, reemerged after a gap of 130 years due to powerful atmospheric rivers over the region. Tulare Lake is located in the San Joaquin Valley in California, United States of America. It was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. The lake disappeared over time mainly due to man-made irrigation systems. In 2023, heavy atmospheric rivers brought record rainfall to California. This rare weather event caused Tulare Lake to reemerge after 130 years. The Kern River, which is fed by snowmelt from the southern Sierra Nevada, helps refill the lake. The Tachi Yokut tribe traditionally depended on Tulare Lake for survival as the region receives very little rainfall.

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The Uttarakhand Forest Department has set up the state’s first Cycad Garden at Haldwani. The garden covers about 0.75 hectare and showcases 31 cycad species, 17 of which are threatened. It includes 9 species native to India, like Cycas andamanica, Cycas beddomei, and Cycas circinalis. The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Cycads are ancient plants from the Mesozoic era and are called “living fossils.” They grow slowly, reproduce less, and are vulnerable to habitat loss. They are ecologically important and fix nitrogen through symbiosis with cyanobacteria in their roots. This garden aims to support research, conservation, and public awareness.

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Keoladeo National Park, also called Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is located in Rajasthan. It was established as a hunting reserve in the 19th century by Maharaja Suraj Mal and became a bird sanctuary in 1956. It was declared a national park in 1981 and named after a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva inside the park. The park spreads across 29 square kilometres and includes woodlands, swamps, and wet grasslands. It is a Ramsar site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its rich biodiversity. Recently, the park is also becoming a safe home for turtles, sheltering eight out of ten species found in Rajasthan.

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Scientists have recently discovered a new extinct species named Mosura fentoni, an early marine predator from the Cambrian period around 506 million years ago. It was found in the Burgess Shale fossil site in British Columbia, Canada, which is known for preserving ancient marine life. Mosura fentoni belongs to the group Radiodonta, which are extinct stem-group arthropods and distant relatives of modern insects, spiders, and crustaceans. Although small in size, ranging from 1.5 to 6 centimetres, it had highly specialised body features. This discovery adds to our understanding of early marine ecosystems and arthropod evolution.

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The Supreme Court recently ordered the Rajasthan government to immediately ban all mining activities in the core area of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is located in Sawai Madhopur district, southeastern Rajasthan. It is named after the Ranthambore Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site within the reserve. The reserve lies between the Vindhya and Aravalli hill ranges and was once a royal hunting ground of Jaipur’s Maharajas.

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A year-long camera-trap study by Holématthi Nature Foundation (HNF) revealed 80–85 wild leopards live in forests and scrublands around Bengaluru. This makes Bengaluru the large metro city with the highest number of free-ranging leopards, surpassing Mumbai’s count of around 54. The survey recorded 54 leopards inside Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) and about 30 in nearby reserved and private forests.

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Scientists have discovered 24-million-year-old fossilized Nothopegia leaves in Assam’s Makum Coalfield, revealing new insights into South Asia’s ancient biodiversity. The discovery was made by researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). These fossils from the late Oligocene epoch are the world’s oldest known record of the Nothopegia genus. Today, Nothopegia is found only in the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and major biodiversity hotspot, far from Assam.

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Recently, the Union Ministry of Environment approved funding for a pilot scheme called ‘Tigers Outside of Tiger Reserves’ to reduce human-tiger conflicts. The scheme aims to improve protection, monitoring, and conflict management in areas where tigers live outside protected tiger reserves. It is supported by the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), which gave in-principle approval for one year of pilot implementation. The scheme has a total budget of ₹88 crore until 2026–27. It is based on data showing that around 30% of India’s tiger population lives outside official reserves.