Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
A pair of rare Chrysilla volupe spiders was recently spotted at Puttenahalli lake in Kerala. The Chrysilla volupe was believed to be extinct for 150 years, until it was discovered at the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) in 2018.
The spider belongs to the family of jumping spiders (Salticidae). Male spiders are 5.44 mm long including stretched legs and 1.76 mm wide. They have a upper skin in reddish orange colour with two shining blue stripes. Females measure 2.61 mm long and 0.88 mm wide, and have a greyish upper skin with grey eyebrows with yellow legs.

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Chhattisgarh has become the first State to recognize the Community Forest Resource Rights in urban areas. The State Government recognized the rights of residents of Dhamtari district spread over 4,127 hectares of forest. The State Government also recognized the community resource rights over 5,544 hectares of forest within the core area of the Sitanadi Udanti tiger reserve area. Any forest resource that the tribal and other forest dwelling communities use and depend on for a livelihood is known as Community Forest Resource. This can be a common forest area that the community has been conserving and protecting to make use of its resources. The community forest resource area may include forest of any category i.e. revenue forest, classified and unclassified forest, deemed forest, reserve forest, protected forest, sanctuary and national parks etc.

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Government of Tamil Nadu recently announced its plan to set up India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in the Palk Bay on the southeast coast. Dugong or sea cow is an endangered marine mammal. It is facing extinction because of habitat loss, sea pollution, and loss of sea grass. Dugong is found in Gulf of Mannar and at Palk Bay in Tamil Nadu. With the help of community participation, Government will also construct a Dugong Marine Conservation Reserve in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay area to protect the species.

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India’s largest open-air fernery has been inaugurated in Uttarakhand’s Ranikhet. The fernery is home to a large number of fern species, some of which are endemic to the state, some hold medicinal value while some are threatened species that demand care and conservation. This center has been developed for conservation of fern species and also to create awareness about their ecological role and promote further research. The newly inaugurated fernery is one of the biggest ferneries in India. The fernery has the largest collection of fern species, second to only Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram. However, it is the country’s first open-air fernery in natural surroundings which is not under any poly-house/ shade house.

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The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has approved a credit plan for Yaks. The scheme was developed by the National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh. The NRCY functions under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
The high-altitude animal is also referred to as “mountain cattle”. Earlier, a scheme was announced to insure the Himalayan yaks against the impact of climate change.

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The Odisha government has provided ₹445.75 crore to distribution companies (DISCOMs) to increase the ground clearance of electrical networks. The DISCOMs would replace bare conductors in elephant corridors.
According to the Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO), 862 elephants have lost their lives between April 2010 August 2021. It also highlights that as many as 135, or nearly 16% of those elephants died due to electrocution.

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The UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution recognised “access to a clean and healthy environment” as a fundamental right. This is seen as a milestone step to fight climate change.
The resolution in this regard was introduced by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland. It was passed with 43 votes in favour and 4 abstentions from Russia, India, China and Japan.

Notes:
Union Environment Minister released important publications of the Central Zoo Authority, at the National conference for Zoo directors and veterinarians organized by Central Zoo Authority and hosted by Sardar Patel Zoological Park, Gujarat.
First is the Vision Plan (2021-2031) for Indian zoos to upgrade them to global standards and strengthening of Central Zoo Authority. It focusses on animal care, research, and visitor experiences. Second is the WASH Manual for Zoos- for creating and maintaining WASH facilities within the premises for staff and visitors. He also gave away ‘Prani Mitra’ Awards, set up by CZA.