Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Researchers have recorded the World Cup cicada (Chremistica ribhoi) in Assam for the first time, expanding its known distribution. The species is endemic to northeast India and was first described in 2013 from Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. It is popularly called the “World Cup cicada” because it emerges once every four years, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup cycle. Cicadas spend most of their life underground as nymphs before emerging briefly to reproduce. The discovery provides new insights into the species’ distribution and ecology.

Notes:
The Supreme Court directed that preventive detention orders may be used against those facilitating illegal sand mining around the National Chambal Sanctuary. National Chambal Sanctuary is also known as the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a tri-state protected riverine sanctuary along the Chambal River. It is located at the tri-junction of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The sanctuary primarily protects the critically endangered Gharial, Red-crowned Roof Turtle, and the endangered Ganges River Dolphin.

Notes:
Project Tiger (launched in 1973) has made India home to over 70% of the world’s wild tigers, with the tiger population increasing from 1,411 (2006) to 3,682 (2022). India’s Tiger Reserve network has expanded from 9 reserves to 58 reserves, covering 84,488 sq. km. To address this, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched the Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) initiative. TOTR aims to conserve tigers in shared landscapes through a scientific, landscape-based approach while protecting human lives and livelihoods. The initiative focuses on preventing conflicts, promoting community participation, and ensuring long-term human–tiger coexistence.

Notes:
Researchers discovered a new freshwater catfish species, named Pseudolaguvia khairii, from the Budhabalanga River in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha. The species has been named in honour of Khairi, the legendary orphaned Royal Bengal tigress. Khairi was rescued from the Similipal forests in the 1970s and raised by conservationist Saroj Raj Choudhury and Nihar Nalini Swain. The new fish belongs to the genus Pseudolaguvia, a group of small hillstream catfishes. It is distinguished by a unique fleshy protuberance at the base of its dorsal fin. The discovery highlights the rich but underexplored freshwater biodiversity of India.

Notes:
A crocodile attack in the Vishwamitri River near Talsat village, Vadodara, Gujarat, resulted in the death of a man. Vishwamitri River is a small, non-perennial river originating from the western and southern slopes of the Pavagadh Hills in eastern Gujarat. The river flows westward through Vadodara, joins tributaries Dhadar and Jambuva, and drains into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Khambhat. It hosts the protected mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris).

Notes:
A monsoon bird survey at Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, recorded 124 bird species. The survey was conducted by the Thiruvananthapuram Wildlife Division and Warblers and Waders. Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, in the Western Ghats. It was established in 1983 and covers an area of about 53 sq km. The sanctuary lies around the catchment area of the Karamana River and Peppara Dam. It forms part of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve and supports diverse forest ecosystems.

Notes:
A new species of scorpion, Liocheles gracilipalpus, has been discovered in the Shivalik Hills of Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir. The species was discovered at Judda, Reasi, at an elevation of around 1,655 metres above sea level. It belongs to the Hormuridae family and the genus Liocheles. The species is characterised by unusually long and slender pedipalps, the pincer-like appendages of scorpions. The discovery highlights the underexplored biodiversity of the Western Himalayas, particularly its invertebrate fauna.

Notes:
A recent study estimated the Total Economic Value (TEV) of the Pichavaram Mangrove ecosystem in Tamil Nadu at ₹2,485.38 crore, with a value of ₹1.83 crore per hectare. Pichavaram Mangrove Forest is one of India’s ecologically significant coastal wetland ecosystems and supports biodiversity, fisheries, coastal protection and climate regulation. The mangroves provide important ecosystem services such as blue carbon sequestration, livelihood support, coastal protection and climate regulation. Pichavaram Mangroves are located in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, between the Vellar and Coleroon river systems.

Notes:
A recent survey found a healthy population of the endangered Resplendent Shrub Frog in Eravikulam National Park (ENP), Kerala. The survey was conducted across protected areas of the Munnar Wildlife Division. More than 1,938 encounters with the frog were recorded in Eravikulam National Park. The species is endemic to the Munnar region of Kerala. It was first recorded in Anamudi and is also found in Meesapulimala and Eravikulam National Park. The frog is particularly vulnerable to climate change because it is adapted to cold, high-elevation habitats.

Notes:
Two Przewalski’s horse foals were born at a reintroduction centre in the grasslands of central Kazakhstan. They are reportedly the first wild horses born on Kazakh soil in more than 200 years. Przewalski’s horse is considered the only living wild relative of the domestic horse. It inhabits open steppes, semi-deserts and grassy plains, including harsh winter environments. Historically, it occurred across the steppe grasslands of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northern China. The IUCN Red List status of Przewalski’s horse is Endangered.