Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Chhattisgarh’s Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary successfully revived the blackbuck population nearly 50 years after local extinction. The Chhattisgarh Forest Department launched a five-year reintroduction programme (2021–2026) to restore blackbucks to their natural habitat. 77 blackbucks were translocated: 50 from National Zoological Park, Delhi and 27 from Kanan Pendari Zoological Garden, Bilaspur. From zero population in the 1970s, Barnawapara now has around 190 blackbucks, marking a major success in wildlife conservation.

Notes:
A rare Malabar Gliding Frog was recently spotted at Hirebagewadi near Belagavi, Karnataka. Its scientific name is Rhacophorus malabaricus. It is endemic to the rainforests of the Western Ghats in India. The frog lives on tree leaves near streams or riverbanks and breeds on overhanging trees above water bodies. It can glide through the air using the webbing between its toes, leaping up to 9–12 metres, nearly 115 times its body length. It grows up to 10 cm, with males smaller than females. It has a bright green back, pale yellow belly, and orange-red webbed toes. It is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Notes:
Recently, Goa’s only zoo inside Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is set to welcome new animals after 12 years — a barking deer and a pair of sloth bears. Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the northeastern part of Goa. It was established as a refuge for orphaned and injured animals. It has moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests with cane along streams.

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India has extended support to Afghanistan to build a dam on the Kunar River, shared between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The move comes amid tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over water sharing. The Kunar River, also called the Kama River, is about 480 km long. It flows through eastern Afghanistan and northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The river originates in the Hindu Kush mountains, fed by melting glaciers and snow. In Pakistan, it is known as the Chitral River. It is a tributary of the Kabul River, which later joins the Indus River, forming part of the Indus watershed.

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Recently, a farmer was killed in a tiger attack near Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary in Mysuru, Karnataka. Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Mysuru district, Karnataka. It covers about 30 sq.km and includes the Nugu Reservoir in its northern part. Nugu Dam is built across the Nugu River, a tributary of the Cauvery River.

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:
Recently, poachers killed two bison in the Chilfi East Range of the Bhoramdev Sanctuary in Kawardha, Chhattisgarh, raising serious concern for wildlife protection. Bhoramdev Wildlife Sanctuary, also called Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary, is located in Kawardha district of Chhattisgarh. It was notified as a sanctuary in 2001. It lies in the Maikal range of the Satpura hills, known for its rich and unique ecosystem. It forms part of the Kanha–Achanakmar Corridor linking Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh with Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary in Chhattisgarh

Notes:
Sultanpur National Park, located in the Gurgaon district of Haryana about 46 km from Delhi, is witnessing a major increase in migratory birds as winter temperatures drop. The Sultanpur Jheel is a seasonal freshwater wetland whose water levels rise and fall depending on rainfall and seasonal inflows. This shallow lake is mainly replenished by water from the Yamuna River’s Gurgaon canal and by overflow from surrounding agricultural fields. It was designated a Ramsar Site in 2021, recognising its global ecological importance.

Notes:
A new shieldtail snake species, Rhinophis siruvaniensis, was discovered with help from citizen scientists in the Siruvani Hills, spanning Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats. The snake is shiny brownish-black with creamy white patches and has a dome-shaped tail tip. Shieldtail snakes are small, non-venomous, soil-burrowing snakes of the Uropeltidae family, also called uropeltids. They are named “shieldtails” because of their disc-shaped tail tip. These snakes are endemic to India and Sri Lanka, mainly found in the Western Ghats and parts of Peninsular India.

Notes:
The western tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) is one of India’s rarest pheasants and the state bird of Himachal Pradesh, now surviving in small, fragmented pockets in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. IUCN estimates 3,000-9,500 mature tragopans remain, all in a single subpopulation, with a quarter in western Himalayas and northern Pakistan. Sarahan Pheasantry initiated the world’s first successful captive breeding programme in 2005; 43 captive-born birds recorded between 2007-2015. Captive breeding complements but cannot replace habitat protection, which is essential for species survival.