Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav laid the foundation stone of Namo Van at Manesar, Haryana, during Wildlife Week 2025. Wildlife Week is observed annually from 2nd to 8th October to raise awareness about wildlife conservation and ecological balance. This year, the celebrations follow the theme Sewa Parv, promoting service and responsibility towards nature. The initiative aims to protect and preserve India’s biodiversity, including its flora and fauna.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister recently launched the ‘Gomti Rejuvenation Mission’ to ensure uninterrupted flow of the river. The mission aims to intercept 95% of urban sewage entering the river. Gomti River is a tributary of the Ganges (Ganga) River, flowing entirely through Uttar Pradesh. It is also known as Gumti or Gomati. The river originates from Gomat Taal, also called Fulhaar Jheel, in Pilibhit District, Uttar Pradesh. It drains the area between the Ramganga and Sharda Rivers. Gomti flows southwards through Lucknow, Barabanki, Sultanpur, Faizabad, and Jaunpur districts. It ultimately joins the River Ganga.

Notes:
The Supreme Court directed the Jharkhand government to give an undertaking to notify a new wildlife sanctuary in Saranda. Saranda Forest is the largest Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in Asia, located in Jharkhand. Sal is a moist deciduous tree. Saranda means “the land of seven hundred hills”. Nearly 80% of the local population belongs to Ho, Munda, Oraon, and other primitive tribes. The notification aims to protect biodiversity and support tribal livelihoods.

Notes:
Recently, Cyclone Montha made landfall along the Bay of Bengal coast. The name “Montha” means a fragrant flower in the Thai language. It is a tropical cyclone, a rapidly rotating storm formed over tropical oceans around a low-pressure system. Such storms are called Hurricanes in the Atlantic, Typhoons in the Western Pacific and South China Sea, and Willy-willies in Western Australia.

Notes:
Pampadum Shola National Park in Kerala’s Southern Western Ghats is witnessing a major ecological revival. The park is successfully removing invasive Australian wattle trees and restoring its native grasslands, streams, and species. It is the smallest national park in Kerala. The park forms the southernmost shola–grassland mosaic in the Western Ghats, older than the Himalayas

Notes:
A rare Indian Mouse Deer was recently spotted at Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Vasai, Maharashtra. The Indian Mouse Deer, also called the Indian Spotted Chevrotain, is a small even-toed ungulate of the family Tragulidae. Its scientific name is Moschiola indica. It is the smallest deer species in India and is very shy and elusive. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Sri Lanka hosts a separate species called Moschiola meminna. In India, it lives in forests of Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats up to Odisha, and Central India.

Notes:
The Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, has come alive with thousands of migratory birds marking the start of the season. It is one of the oldest bird-protected areas in India and Tamil Nadu. The sanctuary is a freshwater wetland protected by local communities. It is recognized internationally as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) on the Coromandel Coast.

Notes:
In November 2025, a proposed 50-Megawatt (MW) wind farm by the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) was reported to potentially affect the Greater Flamingo Sanctuary (GFS). The Greater Flamingo’s range covers Africa, western Asia, and southern Europe. It breeds in shallow, saline, and alkaline wetlands. The Greater Flamingo Sanctuary (GFS) is located in Tamil Nadu, specifically in Dhanushkodi within the Ramanathapuram district. It is part of the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.

Notes:
Sewage and untreated water are being released into the Pazhayar River in Nagercoil, raising serious concern among local residents about pollution. Pazhayar River is a major river in Kanniyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. It originates from Mahendragiri hills at 800 m above Mean Sea Level (MSL) and flows southwest.

Notes:
Hayli Gubbi volcano has erupted after 10,000 years, sending a massive ash cloud towards northern India. It is located in Ethiopia’s Afar region, northeast of Addis Ababa and close to the Eritrean border. It is a shield volcano situated in the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest and most remote places on Earth. Hayli Gubbi is the southernmost volcano in the Erta Ale range. The Erta Ale range is famous for persistent lava lakes and mainly consists of shield volcanoes. Hayli Gubbi has no previously recorded eruptions in modern history, making this event significant.