Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The Odisha High Court recently sent a notice to the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Baripada, over a ban stopping Munda tribals of Jamunagarh village from performing rituals at Jayara, a sacred site inside Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR). Similipal Tiger Reserve is located in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha. It was recognised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a Biosphere Reserve in 2009.

Notes:
Recently, botanists discovered a new species in Assam called Garciniakusumae. Garciniakusumae belongs to the Garcinia genus, known as thoikora in Assamese. It is a dioecious evergreen tree growing up to 18 metres tall. The tree flowers from February to April and bears fruit from May to June. The fruit is used culturally and medicinally in Assam. Its sun-dried pulp is made into a sherbet to prevent heat stroke and quench thirst.

Notes:
Scientists recently discovered a new fish species named Pethia dibrugarhensis in the Brahmaputra River at Maijan in Dibrugarh, Assam. It belongs to the Cyprinidae family and is classified as a barb. It lives in moderately fast-flowing river stretches with mud, sand, and stone beds. It coexists with other small native fish species in the region. The fish has an incomplete lateral line. It shows a prominent black blotch on both the dorsal and ventral sides of the caudal peduncle. It lacks humeral marks and barbels, making it distinct from other species.

Notes:
Recently, hundreds of buffaloes were found grazing illegally inside the restricted area of Pong Wildlife Sanctuary in Samkehar, Bathu, and Panalath, violating sanctuary rules. Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar. It is a manmade reservoir created by the Pong Dam on the Beas River in the Shivalik hills, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. The sanctuary includes both the reservoir water body and surrounding wetland areas. It was declared a Ramsar Site in 2002 for its ecological importance.

Notes:
Kerala has emerged as the top state in India for new faunal discoveries in 2024, with 101 species, as per a new report by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). The ZSI documented a record-breaking 683 species and subspecies in 2024, the highest ever in a single year since 2008. The report Animal Discoveries: New Species and New Records 2024 was released by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav during ZSI’s 110th anniversary in Kolkata. Of the 683 species, 459 are new to science globally, and 224 are recorded for the first time in India. Karnataka (82), Arunachal Pradesh (72), Tamil Nadu (63), and West Bengal (56) followed Kerala in discoveries.

Notes:
Indian scientists recently discovered a new lichen species named Allographa effusosoredica in the Western Ghats. It is the 22nd species of Allographa from the Western Ghats and 53rd from India. This is the first Indian species of Allographa ever sequenced from India. It is a crustose lichen with striking effuse soredia and rare chemical traits. It contains norstictic acid, a rare compound among similar Allographa species. The study used morphological, chemical, and molecular techniques.

Notes:
Recently, the Barbados threadsnake, world’s smallest-known snake, was rediscovered in Barbados after nearly 20 years. It belongs to species Tetracheilostoma carlae, named by scientist S. Blair Hedges in 2008. It has pale yellow dorsal lines and eyes on the side of its head. It is blind, burrows underground, feeds on termites and ants, and lays one slender egg. It is Critically Endangered as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Notes:
A cloudburst caused flash floods in high-altitude villages of Dharali in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, due to sudden heavy rainfall over the Kheer Ganga River, a tributary of the Alaknanda River. A cloudburst is a sudden, very intense rainfall of more than 100 mm within one hour over a small area (about 10 square kilometers). It is common in mountainous areas like the Himalayas due to terrain and weather patterns. Orographic lifting pushes moist air upwards over mountains, causing rapid cooling and heavy rain. Strong upward air currents hold raindrops at height; sudden weakening causes all water to fall at once.

Notes:
A new species of rain snake named Smithophis leptofasciatus was recently discovered by researchers from Mizoram University. The species belongs to the Smithophis genus, known for semi-aquatic snakes found in rain-prone areas. The name leptofasciatus means “narrow-banded” in Greek and Latin, describing its unique dorsal markings. It is commonly called the narrow-banded rain snake. It was found in tropical montane forests of Mizoram at elevations between 900–1,200 meters. With this discovery, the total number of known Smithophis species becomes five, all from northeastern India and nearby regions.

Notes:
A Kerala tourist miraculously survived an elephant attack in Karnataka’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) after being pushed down and pinned under the tusker’s foot. Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) is located in Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts of Karnataka at the tri-junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. It is an “ecological confluence” of the Western and Eastern Ghats and was once a hunting ground of Mysore rulers. It forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.