Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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A new species of snakehead fish has been discovered and named Channa bhoi. It was found in a small mountain stream near Iewmawlong village in the Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. The species is named to honour the indigenous Bhoi community of the Khasi tribe living in Ri-Bhoi. It belongs to the Gachua group of snakehead fishes, a group rich in species diversity in the Eastern Himalayan region.

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Armenia has unveiled the logo for COP17 to the Convention on Biological Diversity, featuring Polyommatus eriwanensis, a blue butterfly endemic to Yerevan. The logo appears with the slogan “Taking action for nature”, emphasizing the conference’s focus on moving from commitments to practical implementation. COP17, scheduled for October 2026, will host the first global review of countries’ implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which has 23 targets ranging from habitat protection to reforming subsidies harmful to biodiversity.

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Forest authorities in Chhattisgarh recently arrested 53 people for attempting to encroach on protected forest land within the Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve. The Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve is located in Chhattisgarh and forms a key wildlife conservation zone in central India. The reserve was established by merging two existing protected areas — the Sitanadi and Udanti Wildlife Sanctuaries. The reserve’s drainage network is dominated by the Mahanadi River, which acts as the main river system.

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Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered Neelus sikkimensis in the high-altitude region of Sikkim. It is a new species of Collembola, which are tiny soil-dwelling micro-arthropods. This is the first time the genus Neelus has been recorded in India. With this discovery, the total number of Neelus species worldwide has increased to eight. The species has a microscopic body adapted to living deep inside soil and moss. It has no eyes, showing adaptation to dark underground environments.

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Amazonian stingless bees have become the first insects in the world to be granted legal rights. The decision was taken through a landmark ordinance passed by local municipalities in Peru. The law recognises their right to exist, survive, and flourish. This step highlights their critical role as pollinators in the Amazon rainforest ecosystem. It also acknowledges their importance to biodiversity, agriculture, and Indigenous communities. The move sets a global precedent for legal protection of insects and nature.

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Seven rare galaxy frogs (Melanobatrachus indicus) in Kerala’s Western Ghats have disappeared and are presumed dead after disturbance by wildlife photographers. Photographers overturned logs, trampled vegetation, handled frogs barehanded, and used strong camera flashes. They are endemic to the southern Western Ghats mountain range in India, specifically found in small patches of wet evergreen forests in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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A three-year-old tiger cub identified as PKT7CP1, rescued three years ago after losing its mother, has been moved to Dnyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary for rewilding. Dnyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Buldhana district of Maharashtra near the Dnyanganga River. It forms part of the Melghat Tiger Reserve, supporting tiger conservation and rewilding efforts. The sanctuary covers about 205 square kilometres and contains two lakes. It is surrounded by scenic hills of the Western Ghats, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

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Researchers discovered three new meadow katydid species in Jammu and Kashmir named Conocephalus usmanii, Conocephalus nagariensis, and Conocephalus ganderbali. Katydids are mainly nocturnal insects found on all continents except Antarctica. More than 8,000 species exist, belonging to the family Tettigoniidae. They are orthopterans, meaning straight-winged insects, related closely to crickets. Katydids are also called long-horned grasshoppers or bush crickets. They have long thread-like antennae and leaf-like bodies for camouflage. Most are herbivores with a lifespan of about one year.

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The Miyawaki method is increasingly used in cities where green cover has declined over decades, and it is often seen in recent urban greening drives. It is an afforestation technique developed in the 1970s by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. Trees and shrubs are planted very close together, also called the pot plantation method. Only native species are planted, creating a resilient and balanced ecosystem. Forests grow nearly 10 times faster and become very dense with high biodiversity. Recent municipal projects have used this method to convert polluted and barren urban land into green spaces, reducing pollution, improving soil, and enhancing ecological balance.

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Recently, the second rangewide survey of riverine and estuarine dolphins in India was launched from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh under Project Dolphin. The initiative is led by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to strengthen river ecosystem conservation. The survey updates population estimates, assesses habitat conditions, and identifies emerging threats to dolphin species. It is coordinated by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, with State Forest Departments and partners like WWF India, Aaranyak, and Wildlife Trust of India.