Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
An international bird-watching programme was recently held in the Rakchham area of the Rakchham-Chitkul Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh. The sanctuary is located in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, covering 30.98 sq.km and situated at an altitude of 3200–5486 meters in the Western Himalayan range. It is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, green valleys, and rivers, and includes trekking routes like the Lamkhanga Pass connecting Kinnaur to Gangotri in Uttarakhand. The sanctuary is in a dry zone and does not experience monsoons.

Notes:
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) as Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 300, entering the “very poor” category. Stage II measures include mechanical road sweeping, water sprinkling, strict dust control at construction sites, and promoting CNG and electric public transport. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a framework created to control air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. It acts as an emergency response system, activated when the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches the “poor” category. The plan is implemented by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Notes:
A forest department team recently arrested four people for illegally cutting khair trees in Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh. Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh. It stretches along the northern banks of the River Ganga and covers parts of Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor districts. It lies near the ancient town of Hastinapur, known for its cultural and mythological significance.

Notes:
Continuous floods at the Prakasam Barrage on the Krishna River have forced the closure of Bhavani Island and suspension of boat services, affecting tourism revenue. Bhavani Island, located near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, is one of India’s largest river islands. The Krishna River, 1,400 km long, originates near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra and flows through Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh before entering the Bay of Bengal. Its basin covers about 2.59 lakh sq. km, the second largest in peninsular India after the Godavari.

Notes:
A new species of jumping spider named Pilia malenadu was recently discovered in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. It was found in Madhugundi, located in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district. The species belongs to the Pilia genus of jumping spiders. It was named “Pilia malenadu” to honour the region where it was discovered. This is a historic find as the last Pilia species was recorded 123 years ago in 1902 in Kerala. For the first time, researchers found both male and female spiders of this genus.

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:
A flock of rare White Ibis, also known as Black-headed Ibis, was recently sighted in the salt pan regions of Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu. The Black-headed Ibis, also called the Oriental White Ibis or Indian White Ibis, belongs to the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It is a wader bird adapted to various aquatic environments. It is found across South and Southeast Asia, from India to Japan. It is listed as “Least Concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Notes:
Recently, the Assam State Zoo team reported the first case of albinism in the checkered keelback, also called the Asian water snake. The checkered keelback is a medium-sized non-venomous snake native to Asia. It is widely found across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It lives in freshwater habitats like ponds, marshes, and rice fields. It is listed as Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Notes:
The Asiatic Caracal was recently spotted in Ramgarh, Rajasthan, showing its rare presence in India. The Caracal (Scientific Name: Caracal caracal) is an elusive medium-sized wild cat species. It is called the desert lynx but is more closely related to the African golden cat and the Serval. In India, it is known as Siya Gosh, meaning ‘black ear’ in Persian. It is native to Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East, northwestern India, and arid Pakistan. Only about 50 remain in India, mostly in Rajasthan and Gujarat. It lives in semi-deserts, savannahs, shrublands, steppes, forests, and dry woodlands. Its IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) status is Least Concern.

Notes:
A 9-day wildlife census has recently started in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Chandigarh near Sukhna Lake at the foothills of the Shivalik range. The sanctuary developed through afforestation for soil conservation around the lake. The region is geographically unstable and faces high soil erosion during rains due to surface runoff. The soil is mainly sandy Shivalik soil with patches of clay.