Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, the first-ever video footage of a herd of Mishmi Takin was recorded in the Tingda Reserve Forest, North Sikkim. The Mishmi Takin is a goat-antelope belonging to the family Bovidae and order Artiodactyla. It is one of the four subspecies of Takin, distinguished mainly by coat colour. It is native to the eastern Himalayas, including northeastern India, northern Myanmar, southeastern Tibet, and parts of China. The IUCN conservation status is Vulnerable.

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Scientists have discovered a new species of deep-sea catshark named Apristurus drona in the Arabian Sea off the Kollam coast of Kerala. Commonly called the Arabian slender catshark, it was found near Sakthikulangara harbour and the Wadge Bank region. The species represents a distinct evolutionary lineage and is closely related to catsharks from the Pacific Ocean and New Zealand. It is considered extremely rare and has no commercial fisheries value.

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The Global Environment Facility approved US$1.26 million for a conservation project led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The project will be implemented in Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. It is one of the largest protected Sudanian savanna ecosystems in West Africa, covering nearly 913,000 hectares. The park is located in southeastern Senegal, near the Guinea border.

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The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given in-principle approval to Odisha’s proposal to resume tiger reintroduction in Satkosia Tiger Reserve. Satkosia Tiger Reserve is located in Odisha. It comprises the Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary and Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary. The Mahanadi River flows through the reserve and forms the Satkosia Gorge. The reserve is also part of the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve. It lies at the meeting point of the Deccan Peninsula and Eastern Ghats biogeographic regions.

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The tiger population at Nameri Tiger Reserve in Assam has quadrupled in three years. Nameri Tiger Reserve is located in Sonitpur district, Assam. It shares its northern boundary with Pakke Tiger Reserve (Arunachal Pradesh). The reserve comprises Nameri National Park, Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, Naduar Reserve Forest, and Balipara Reserve Forest. It is drained by the Jia Bhoroli River and its tributaries. The Jia Bhoroli River is famous for the Golden Mahseer, known as the “Tiger of Indian Rivers.”

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Recently, Vihar Lake, one of the seven reservoirs supplying drinking water to Mumbai, started overflowing due to heavy rainfall. It is a man-made reservoir located near Vihar village, Maharashtra, on the Mithi River within Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The lake was constructed by the British government between 1856 and 1860 to address Mumbai’s drinking water needs. It receives water from the Powai–Kanheri hill ranges. It is the largest lake in Mumbai (Salsette group of islands) and is situated between Tulsi Lake and Powai Lake.

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Scientists in Australia are deep-freezing koala eggs and sperm to create a genetic backup for future conservation. The initiative aims to protect wild koala populations from possible extinction. The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a marsupial, not a bear, and is endemic to Australia. It is found mainly in eastern Australia, from Queensland to Victoria. Koalas are arboreal and depend primarily on eucalyptus trees for food and shelter. The IUCN Red List classifies the koala as Vulnerable.

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Ana Sagar Lake was recently in the news due to the death of a large number of fish. It is an artificial lake located in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The lake was built by Arnoraja Chauhan between 1135–1150 AD by damming the Luni (Lavanavari) River. It is named after Arnoraja Chauhan, the grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan. The lake also features a central island accessible by boat.

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Recently, camera-trap evidence confirmed the return of the Dhole (Asiatic wild dog) to Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary. Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Udalguri and Baksa districts of Assam. It lies in the eastern Himalayan foothills and shares the India–Bhutan international border. The sanctuary is named after the Bornadi River, which forms its western boundary. The Nalapara River, originating in Bhutan, flows along the sanctuary’s eastern boundary.

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Tigidia singhal is a new species of trapdoor spider recently discovered in India. It was discovered in the semi-arid grasslands of the Deccan Plateau in Maharashtra. The discovery increases the number of Tigidia species in India to eight. The genus Tigidia is found only in India, Madagascar, and Mauritius. Earlier, Tigidia species were known only from the tropical evergreen and deciduous forests of the Western and Eastern Ghats. Tigidia singhal is the first species of this genus recorded from a semi-arid open natural ecosystem.