Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Following the arrest of a passenger at Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru) for smuggling two red-shanked douc monkeys, attention has been drawn to the illegal wildlife trade involving critically endangered primates. The red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus) is an Old World monkey often described as the “Queen of primates” due to its striking appearance. The species is mainly distributed across Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, southern Laos, and Cambodia. The IUCN Red List classifies the red-shanked douc as Critically Endangered, indicating an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Notes:
To promote tourism and wildlife conservation, the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) administration in Kota launched a poster and trailer of a documentary titled Enchanting Mukundra. Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, also called Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary, spreads across Bundi, Kota, Jhalawar, and Chittorgarh districts of Rajasthan. It lies in a valley between the Mukundra and Gargola mountain ranges. It forms a vital wildlife corridor between Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

Notes:
The Chhattisgarh government has intensified efforts to secure UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site status for Kanger Valley National Park. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has been assigned to conduct a biodiversity survey for submission to UNESCO. Currently, Kanger Valley National Park and the Sirpur archaeological site are on UNESCO’s Tentative List. Kanger Valley National Park is located in Jagdalpur, in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.

Notes:
Recently, an ultra-rare leopard colour morph was documented in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka, marking the first such sighting in the state and the second in India. The leopard has been named the “Sandalwood Leopard” due to its pale reddish-pink coat resembling sandalwood. The animal is a female leopard (Panthera pardus), around seven years old, seen with a normally coloured cub. Such leopards are globally called “strawberry leopards” and are extremely rare. Globally, this colour morph has been recorded only five times, including one earlier sighting in Rajasthan in 2021.

Notes:
Research at 27 test lakes in northeastern Germany showed an increase in the abundance of charophytes. Charophytes are a type of green algae found in freshwater ecosystems. Fossils of charophytes date back to the Silurian Period, about 443 million years ago. This period marked the shift of plants from water to land, and charophytes are the closest living relatives of land plants. They grow in silt, mud, peat, or sand and often colonize newly cleared areas first.

Notes:
The Miyawaki method is increasingly used in cities where green cover has declined over decades, and it is often seen in recent urban greening drives. It is an afforestation technique developed in the 1970s by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. Trees and shrubs are planted very close together, also called the pot plantation method. Only native species are planted, creating a resilient and balanced ecosystem. Forests grow nearly 10 times faster and become very dense with high biodiversity. Recent municipal projects have used this method to convert polluted and barren urban land into green spaces, reducing pollution, improving soil, and enhancing ecological balance.

Notes:
A new hedgehog species, Brandt’s hedgehog, has been discovered for the first time in India in Jammu and Kashmir through Deoxyribonucleic Acid analysis and morphological studies. Brandt’s hedgehog is a desert hedgehog scientifically known as Paraechinus hypomelas. It is native to the Middle East and Central Asia, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. The species lives in arid and semi-arid habitats such as rocky deserts, scrublands, and dry mountain slopes. It is listed as Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Notes:
The Tripura Forest Minister announced that the state has received over ₹57 crore for the modernisation and further development of Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Sepahijala district of Tripura. The sanctuary includes important water bodies such as Abasarika Lake and Amrit Sagar Lake. Clouded Leopard National Park is a part of the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary.

Notes:
Researchers have discovered a new mushroom species named Hemileccinum indicum in the temperate forests of the Indian Himalayas. The species was found growing under oak (Quercus) trees in Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand. This discovery marks the first-ever record of the genus Hemileccinum in India. The identification was confirmed using multigene molecular phylogenetic analysis, which maps evolutionary relationships through genetic data.

Notes:
Researchers discovered a new tiny crab species named Galathea balasubramaniani from coral reefs of Agatti in Lakshadweep Islands. It belongs to genus Galathea, a group of small reef-dwelling anomuran crabs called squat lobsters. These crabs look like tiny lobsters and hide in coral and rocky crevices. It measures only about 3 millimetres, making it one of the smallest reef crabs in the region. It plays a key ecological role by recycling organic matter and serving as food for fish and other marine life.