Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Recently, village hunters near Palamau Tiger Reserve surrendered their weapons, including guns and traps, during Wildlife Week celebrations. Palamau Tiger Reserve is located on the western side of Latehar district on the Chhotanagpur Plateau in Jharkhand. It forms part of the Betla National Park and covers an area of about 1,026 square kilometres. It is one of the first nine tiger reserves created in India under Project Tiger. It was the first reserve in the world to conduct a tiger census using pugmark count in 1932 under J.W. Nicholson.

Notes:
Five beaches in Maharashtra have recently received the international Blue Flag certification. The certified beaches are Shrivardhan and Nagaon in Raigad district, Parnaka in Palghar district, and Guhagar and Ladghar in Ratnagiri district. The announcement was made by Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare. Blue Flag certification is awarded by Denmark’s Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). The certification evaluates 33 criteria related to cleanliness, beauty, and environmental sustainability. The award highlights Maharashtra’s commitment to sustainable and safe beaches.

Notes:
Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) is set to become India’s first fully solar-powered zoo. The zoo will run entirely on renewable energy generated within the park. A 1 MW captive solar plant has been set up to meet BBP’s power needs. Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) is part of Bannerghatta National Park, which spans 731.8 hectares. The park includes an animal rescue centre, butterfly park, safari zone, and the zoo. This initiative marks a first-of-its-kind move towards sustainability in Indian zoos.

Notes:
Researchers from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation recently discovered a new species of snail named Lagocheilus hayaomiyazakii, also called the Tilari hairy snail. It was found in the evergreen Tilari forest of Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. The snail lives in leafy thickets and rocky areas of the Western Ghats. It is named after Hayao Miyazaki, the famous Japanese filmmaker and Studio Ghibli co-founder known for depicting harmony with nature. Its habitat is highly limited and threatened by wildfires and deforestation, making it vulnerable to extinction.

Notes:
The Government of Tuvalu has become the 90th State Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Tuvalu, formerly the Ellice Islands, is a small island country in the west-central Pacific Ocean. It is the 4th smallest country in the world, covering 26 sq.km, located between Australia and Hawaii. Tuvalu consists of small islands and atolls made of coral reefs and volcanic rock, with no point above 4.5 meters, making it vulnerable to sea-level rise. The capital is Funafuti.

Notes:
Central Asian countries recently endorsed a six-year work programme under the Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) to conserve 17 iconic migratory mammal species. The meeting was hosted by the Government of Uzbekistan under its presidency of the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). CAMI was launched in 2014 at COP11 to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) to address major threats to migratory mammals across Central Asia. The programme covers species such as snow leopard, saiga antelope, Bukhara deer, Persian leopard, and wild yak. The next update of the CAMI resolution will be presented at CMS COP15 in Brazil in March 2026.

Notes:
A butterfly and moth survey will soon be held at Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary in Mulugu. It is located in Telangana. Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1952. The Godavari River flows through the sanctuary. A stream named Dayyam Vagu divides the sanctuary into two parts. The terrain includes steep and gentle slopes, giving it rich biodiversity.

Notes:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently rated Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim as “good” in its global review of natural World Heritage sites. It is located in Sikkim. The park is part of the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR), India’s first “mixed” UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized in 2016 for natural and cultural significance. It has 18 glaciers, the largest being Zemu Glacier, one of Asia’s largest.

Notes:
Recently, scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) discovered a new flowering plant species named Crassicaulis middletonii. It was found in the evergreen forests of West Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh. This marks the first record of the genus Crassicaulis in India, extending its range 1,200 km westward from Yunnan province, China. It has white flowers with pink tinge, a greenish ovary, and a distinct calyx and capsule shape. It is classified as “Critically Endangered” under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Notes:
Recently, researchers discovered four new lichen species in the Western Ghats, adding to India’s biodiversity records. The new species are Parmotrema sahyadricum from Wayanad, Solenopsora rhizomorpha from Eravikulam and Mathikettanshola National Parks, Buelloa ghattensis from Mathikettanshola National Park, and Pyxine janakiae from the same park. These discoveries were published in international scientific journals.