Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The Rusty-spotted Cat, one of the rarest and smallest wild cats in the world, was recently spotted in the Shergarh forest of Baran district, Rajasthan. It is the world’s smallest and lightest known cat species. The species is found in dry deciduous and semi-deciduous forests of northern and central India, the Western Ghats, Kachchh, Rajasthan, and peninsular India. It is also distributed in Nepal and Sri Lanka. India supports about 80 percent of the global population of this species. Its conservation status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is Near Threatened.

Notes:
The Rajasthan Forest and Environment Minister stated that villagers in Dholpur–Karauli Tiger Reserve will not be relocated without their consent. Dholpur–Karauli Tiger Reserve is located in eastern Rajasthan across Dholpur and Karauli districts. It shares ecological continuity with Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve towards the west. The reserve lies close to the Chambal River in the east, which acts as a natural boundary and water source. It was officially notified in 2023 as Rajasthan’s fifth tiger reserve.

Notes:
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has launched a digital portal for issuing Certificates of Origin for cultivated medicinal plants. The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The portal enables stakeholders to obtain Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) exemptions through an end-to-end online, single-window system.

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Researchers have cautioned that the increasing presence of lion-tailed macaques in human-dominated landscapes is largely driven by easy access to food associated with human settlements. The lion-tailed macaque is an Old World monkey and is also known as the “beard ape” due to its distinctive silver-white mane around the face. It is one of the smallest species of macaques in the world and is endemic to the evergreen rainforests of the southern Western Ghats. According to its conservation status, the lion-tailed macaque is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List

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Recently, smooth-coated otters were officially recorded for the first time in Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary by the Uttarakhand Forest Department. Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Uttarakhand. It lies in the Terai Arc Landscape and forms part of the Shivalik Elephant Reserve. It connects the landscapes of Jim Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park in the west with Pilibhit-Dudwa and the Terai region of Nepal in the east.

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The Smew was recently sighted for the first time in Kaziranga during the 7th Waterbird Count at Rowmari-Donduwa beels (Laokhowa) buffer of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve. Smew is a small diving duck. They breeds in the northern taiga of Europe and the Palearctic region. They requires trees for breeding and prefers fish-rich lakes and slow rivers. The conservation status of Smew according to the IUCN Red List is Least Concern.

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A recent study warns that climate change may restrict the habitat of the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon to a few isolated pockets in the Western Ghats by the end of the century. It is an endemic pigeon species of the Western Ghats in India. It is large, dark in colour, with a distinctive checkerboard pattern on its nape. It lives in high-elevation wet evergreen, moist evergreen, semi-evergreen forests and shola forests. It is mainly found in the Nilgiris and Anamalai Hills, with isolated populations in Biligirirangan Hills, Nandi Hills and northern Maharashtra.

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Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary hosted the second edition of the two-day Indian Bison Fest. It is located in Bargarh district of Odisha near Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi River. Hirakud Dam is the longest dam in India and the longest earthen dam in the world. The sanctuary is linked with freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai, whose base at Barapathara was here during revolt against British rule.

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Residents of Mudh village in Ladakh have protected the Ruddy Shelduck for over 20 years by safely escorting fledglings to the Indus River during breeding season. Ruddy Shelduck, also called Brahminy duck, is a large migratory water bird found in Europe, Central Asia and Africa, and winters in South Asia. In India, Ladakh is its only breeding site, nesting in high altitude wetlands from June to August. It lives in rivers, lakes, marshes, ponds and reservoirs from sea level up to 4,800 metres. It is listed as Least Concern by International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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The High Court of Karnataka directed the State government to issue a notification to include left-out areas of Kappatagudda reserve forest in the Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary. Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Karnataka. It has diverse habitats—dry deciduous forests, grasslands, scrublands, and riverine zones—earning it the nickname “Western Ghats of North Karnataka.” The sanctuary has historical significance with ancient temples and ruins on the hillsides. These structures reflect dynasties like the Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas.