Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
A recent report by the North American Environmental Commission criticised Mexico for failing to protect the endangered vaquita porpoise, with only 10 left. Vaquita is the smallest member of the porpoise family and the most endangered marine mammal in the world. It lives only in the northern part of the Gulf of California, with the smallest range of any whale, dolphin, or porpoise. It is usually found in shallow waters up to 50 metres deep. It is classified as Critically Endangered under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Notes:
Only 17.2% of India’s suitable habitat for Dalbergia latifolia (Indian rosewood) lies within protected areas, according to the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bengaluru. The species is native to Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris, Anamalai, and Parambikulam ranges. Field studies across 12 States (2019–2025) show Tamil Nadu has the lowest rosewood density at 2.85 trees per 0.1 hectare. Karnataka showed a higher density of 6.19 trees per 0.1 hectare, and Kerala had 5.38 trees per 0.1 hectare. Indian rosewood improves soil fertility, acts as a carbon sink, and is a keystone ecological species. Economically, it is called “Ivory of the Forests,” used in furniture, musical instruments, and handicrafts.

Notes:
An Assam-based foundation has developed India’s first portal for vulture conservation, called The Vulture Network. The portal was launched on September 2, 2025, by We Foundation India in collaboration with Gauhati University’s Department of Zoology. The portal aims to disseminate information in local languages, starting with Assamese, to educate grassroots communities about vultures’ ecological and economic importance. It is a cloud-based knowledge platform offering scientific information, awareness materials, and downloadable resources for campaigns

Notes:
A young male tiger recently travelled 450 km from Vidarbha and settled in Yedshi Ramling Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary after decades of no big cat presence. The sanctuary is in Osmanabad District, Maharashtra, and was established on May 23, 1997. It covers 22.38 sq. km in the Balaghat range of the Sahyadri hills. It has the ancient Ramling Temple of Lord Shiva, a waterfall, and a cave linked to Ramayana legends.

Notes:
A recent wildlife survey in Arunachal Pradesh recorded first-ever photographic evidence of the elusive Pallas’s cat. It was first described in 1776 by Peter Simon Pallas, based on specimens near Lake Baikal, Russia. It is mainly found in Central Asia, with its range extending to western Iran, Mongolia, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It inhabits rocky montane grasslands and shrublands with snow cover below 15–20 cm. It preys mainly on lagomorphs (hares, pikas) and rodents. This finding is a major addition to Arunachal Pradesh’s wildlife records.

Notes:
A new species of bent-toed gecko named Cyrtodactylus vanarakshaka has been discovered in central Assam’s montane forests. It belongs to the Cyrtodactylus khasiensis group. The species was found on the forested slopes of Jatinga in Dima Hasao, a unique ecological transition zone of the Barail Hills. It has been named in honour of the Assam Forest Department. The name “vanarakshaka” comes from Sanskrit words “vana” meaning forest and “rakshaka” meaning protector. With this discovery, Assam now has five recorded species of Cyrtodactylus.

Notes:
A rare scarlet dragonfly was recently spotted in the valleys of Munnar in Kerala’s Western Ghats. Its scientific name is Crocothemis erythraea. It is also known by common names such as broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter. This dragonfly belongs to the family Libellulidae. It is widely distributed in southern Europe, Africa, western Asia, and extends up to southern China. It prefers habitats near rivers, streams, and ponds in sunny locations. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is classified as Least Concern.

Notes:
Recently, Andhra Pradesh’s Erra Matti Dibbalu (Red Sand Dunes) and the Natural Heritage of the Tirumala Hills were included in the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. Being on the Tentative List is the mandatory first step before nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List. Erra Matti Dibbalu, near Visakhapatnam, covers 1,500 acres and is a National Geo-heritage Monument declared by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 2016. The dunes are composed of sand, silt, and clay with a reddish hue from natural oxidation and show dendritic drainage and sediment layers from the late Quaternary period.

Notes:
Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve (CDBR) in Himachal Pradesh has been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) by UNESCO. The reserve covers 7,770 sq km in Lahaul-Spiti district, making India’s total 13 biospheres in World Network of Biosphere Reserves. UNESCO added 26 new biosphere reserves across 21 countries, the highest in 20 years, bringing World Network of Biosphere Reserves to 785 sites in 142 countries.

Notes:
Recently, two new wetlands from Bihar were added to the Ramsar Convention list of Wetlands of International Importance. These are Gokul Jalashay in Buxar district and Udaipur Jheel in West Champaran district. With this, India now has 93 Ramsar sites, the highest in Asia and third in the world after the UK (176) and Mexico (144). Bihar now has five Ramsar sites in total. India’s Ramsar sites increased from 26 in 2012 to 93 in 2025, covering 13.6 lakh hectares.