Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Spatial mapping and field verification of military installations will be undertaken in Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, Ladakh. The exercise will use GPS, GIS mapping, geo-referencing and satellite imagery. Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Ladakh. It is a cold desert wildlife sanctuary situated in the high-altitude Changthang region. The sanctuary contains ecologically sensitive areas, traditional grazing lands and human habitations. It provides habitat for wildlife adapted to the cold desert ecosystem.

Notes:
The black robin, also known as karure or Chatham Island black robin, has been named New Zealand’s Bird of the Year 2026. It received more than 25,000 votes, finishing ahead of the kākāpō and kārearea (New Zealand falcon). More than 105,000 people participated in the 2026 competition. The black robin is naturally found only in the Chatham Islands, around 800 km east of mainland New Zealand. The species faced an extreme population decline and was reduced to just five birds by 1980, including only one fertile female named Old Blue. Conservationists used intensive breeding programmes and even employed Chatham Island tits as foster parents to help raise black robin chicks.

Notes:
Recently, two male Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) were released into the wild at Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The release marks an important shift from conservation breeding to rewilding and population augmentation in the natural habitat. The Great Indian Bustard is a critically endangered bird and one of India’s most threatened grassland species. Desert National Park is located in Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, Rajasthan. It represents the Thar Desert ecosystem and consists mainly of sand dunes, rocky terrain, saline depressions and grasslands.

Notes:
The Karnataka State Board for Wildlife rejected four proposed stone-quarrying projects near Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary in Gadag district, Karnataka. The decision aims to protect the sanctuary’s biodiversity-rich landscape from mining and quarrying activities. The sanctuary is situated in the Kappatagudda hill region of northern Karnataka. It protects a biodiversity-rich landscape and provides habitat for wildlife and native vegetation. The region is associated with dry and tropical deciduous vegetation and scrubland.

Notes:
Lankamala Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Andhra Pradesh, is known for its diverse wildlife and forest ecosystem. It extends across parts of Kadapa and Annamayya districts. Recent camera-trap surveys conducted as a spin-off of the latest tiger census have recorded a rich variety of wildlife, including bears, leopards, mountain goats, wild boars, deer, wild cats and jungle fowl. The camera traps have also captured different varieties of lizards, large monitor lizards and considerable numbers of peafowl. The sanctuary covers nearly 5.50 lakh hectares.

Notes:
Chiricahua, located in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, was reportedly redesignated as the 64th National Park of the United States. The area was originally designated as a National Monument in 1924. Chiricahua is famous for its distinctive volcanic rock formations, including towering spires and hoodoos. These formations developed through the differential erosion of consolidated volcanic ash deposited by ancient volcanic eruptions. The park is administered by the National Park Service (NPS), an agency of the US Department of the Interior.

Notes:
Winter migratory birds, including the Pallid Harrier and European Roller, have recently been recorded at Maharashtra’s Masai Plateau. Masai Plateau is located in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. The plateau is famous for its unique lateritic plateau ecosystem and seasonal flowering plants. It provides an important winter habitat for several migratory bird species. The Pallid Harrier is a migratory bird of prey, while the European Roller is an insectivorous bird. In 2022, Masai Plateau was declared a Conservation Reserve under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The conservation designation aims to protect its rich biodiversity and fragile grassland ecosystem.

Notes:
Eight persons were detained by forest officials in connection with an alleged poaching incident inside Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Kodagu district, Karnataka. Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Kodagu district of Karnataka in the Western Ghats. It forms part of the ecologically rich Brahmagiri landscape. Talacauvery, situated near the Brahmagiri Hills, is traditionally recognised as the origin of the River Cauvery (Kaveri). The sanctuary protects tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests and provides habitat for diverse wildlife. The Western Ghats, where the sanctuary is located, are recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot.

Notes:
Several districts of Assam and West Bengal remained on high alert following a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) reported in Bhutan. The district administration in Assam indicated that the possibility of flooding along the Sankosh River appeared to be declining. The Sankosh River originates in the Himalayan region of Bhutan and flows through Bhutan and India. It forms part of the international river system shared by Bhutan and India. The Sankosh River flows along parts of the Assam–West Bengal region and is associated with the Brahmaputra river basin. A GLOF occurs when water stored in a glacial lake is suddenly released due to the failure of its natural dam, which may consist of ice, moraine or other materials.

Notes:
A new species of rare glyptosternine catfish, named Exostoma nasibarbatum, has been discovered in Manipur. The species was discovered during an ichthyological survey of the Bupal stream, a tributary of the Dujang River in the Chindwin River system, near the Myanmar border. Detailed morphological analysis confirmed that the collected specimens represented a previously undescribed species. It inhabits fast-flowing, turbulent hill streams with boulders and rocky substrates. The catfish has a flattened head and body, enlarged paired fins with adhesive striae, and flattened maxillary barbels that help it attach to rocky surfaces.