Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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Forest officials arrested four suspected poachers in the Baliguda forest division of Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha. Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Kandhamal district of Odisha in the Eastern Highlands region. It is classified as a moist deciduous forest ecosystem with rich biodiversity. The sanctuary includes tribal communities such as Kutia Kondh and Desia Kondh living within or near forest areas.

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Mount Dukono recently erupted, sending an ash column up to 1,400 meters above its summit. It is an active volcano located on Halmahera Island in North Maluku, Indonesia. The volcano has a broad, low profile with multiple summit peaks and overlapping craters. It lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire. Since 1933, it has shown continuous volcanic activity with frequent eruptions and ash emissions. Its eruptions are both explosive and effusive, producing lava flows and mudflows.

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The world’s first Smart Island Monitoring System has been launched on Floreana Island in the Galápagos Archipelago to improve biodiversity conservation and ecosystem monitoring. The project was developed by Island Conservation in collaboration with Fundación Jocotoco under the Floreana Island Ecological Restoration Project. The system uses Low Power Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Internet of Things (IoT) technology, artificial intelligence-enabled camera traps, smart traps, and animal trackers for real-time wildlife monitoring. It reduces manual conservation work by about 98 percent and helps conservation teams quickly respond to environmental and wildlife changes.

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A rare medicinal mushroom species, Cordyceps, was recently discovered in East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, attracting scientific and commercial interest. Cordyceps is a parasitic fungus that grows on insect larvae, gradually replacing the host tissue and producing long stem-like structures. It is found across the world except Antarctica, while the rarest and most valuable species occur in the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, and China. Popularly called “Himalayan gold,” it is highly valued in traditional medicine, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceutical research due to its expensive market price.

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Cyphostemma annamalaii is a newly discovered plant species belonging to the Vitaceae family, commonly known as the grape family. The species was discovered by students and researchers from Annamalai University in the southern Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. It is found in tropical dry forests and open scrub vegetation areas of the southern Eastern Ghats. Cyphostemma annamalaii is a climbing plant with tuberous roots, yellow round fruits, and white or yellow flowers. The genus Cyphostemma is the second-largest genus in the grape family and includes nearly 250 species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions.

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A rare sighting of the Common Bronzeback Tree Snake was recorded in the Belrayan range of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh. Scientifically known as Dendrelaphis tristis, it is a non-venomous arboreal snake found across South and Southeast Asia. The species inhabits forests, Himalayan foothills, gardens, and urban green spaces, preferring life in treetops. It is also known as the Indian Bronzeback Tree Snake or Daudin’s Bronzeback. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species is classified as Least Concern.

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A male Western Hoolock Gibbon in Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary successfully crossed newly installed canopy bridges over a railway line for the first time. The canopy bridges were installed to reduce habitat fragmentation and improve safe movement of arboreal wildlife. The Western Hoolock Gibbon is the smallest and fastest ape species and is found mainly in northeastern India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species is classified as Endangered.

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Indian Skimmer was recently sighted along a 60-kilometre stretch of the Ganga River under the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary after nearly two decades. The sighting indicates significant improvement in the ecological health of the river ecosystem in Bhagalpur district. The Indian Skimmer is a specialised riverine bird known for skimming the water surface with its elongated lower mandible to catch fish. The Indian Skimmer is considered an indicator species of healthy river ecosystems and is listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

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Scientists from the Charles Darwin Foundation discovered a tiny blue octopus species named Microeledone galapagensis. The species was first identified during a deep-sea expedition near the Galapagos Islands in 2015. The octopus is about the size of a golf ball and is notable for its unusual blue coloration. It inhabits deep-sea environments around the Galapagos region.

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World Environment Day is observed on 5 June every year. It is led by the United Nations Environment Programme. The 2026 theme is “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future.” The theme highlights the role of nature-based solutions in addressing climate change and building a sustainable future. The global host country for World Environment Day 2026 is Azerbaijan, with events centred in Baku.