Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

Notes:
The Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) is located in Baragarh district, Odisha and covers an area of 346.91 square kilometers. This sanctuary is not only famous for the sylvan beauty with magnificent waterfalls but is also very rich in wildlife. The dry deciduous forests with varied flora and fauna attract the tourists of Odisha and neighbouring states. It is home to Indian leopard, Indian elephant, sambar, chital, gaur, etc.

Notes:
The Chhilchhila Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) is located in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana and is spread over an area of 28.92 hectares. According to a local legend, the lake in the sanctuary had an ancient link during the epic Mahabharata days when the Pandavas escaped to Haridwar through a tunnel under the lake. It is home to blue peafowl, rufous treepie, greater coucal, Indian grey hornbill and coppersmith barbet.

Notes:
The Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) is situated at Kamrup district in Guwahati, Assam and is spread over an area of 78.64 square kilometers. It consists of Amchang Reserve Forest, South Amchang Reserve Forest and Khanapara Reserve Forest. The sanctuary represents one of the rich and ecologically diverse habitat for the wide variety of animals and plant species. Hollockgibbon, Chinese pangolin, Flying squirrel, Assamese Macaque, Capped languor, Slow loris, Leopard, Elephant, Sambar, Barking Deer, Gaur etc., are the principal animals found in the wildlife sanctuary.

Notes:
This question is based upon recent trends in Gond and Korku tribes in Madhya Pradesh of planting fruit tree saplings conciding with Hari jiroti festival.

Notes:
The Red List of IUCN provides the list of threatened species. It is recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species. It was founded in 1964 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is the world’s main authority on the conservation status of species.

Notes:
The Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary (PKWLS) is located in the Sheopur district of north western Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 900 square kilometres. Its ecoregion is that of Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests.The park is home to many species of wild animals, including Indian wolves, monkeys, Indian leopards and nilgai. The researchers at Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has confirmed that the sanctuary is the most promising location to re-establish a free ranging population of Asiatic lions and certified it ready to receive its first batch of trans-located lions from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary where they are highly overpopulated.

Notes:
Aanaimalai Tiger Reserve was also known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park is located in the state of Tamil Nadu. The practice of sliding timber logs down the hills from a place located in the northeast corner of the park is named as “Topslip”. It is a famous tourist attraction.

Notes:
Saltwater Crocodiles are notably common in the regions of Odisha and the Sundarbans. These areas provide suitable habitats for these crocodiles, thanks to their mangrove swamps and river deltas. While they are present in other regions such as the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, their prevalence is particularly notable in the coastal areas of Odisha and the Sundarbans, which span across the border of India and Bangladesh. The Sundarbans, especially, is famous for its large population of Saltwater Crocodiles.

Notes:
The lesser florican is also known as the likh or kharmore. It is the smallest in bustard family. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent found predominantly in Madhya Pradesh. Scientific name- Sypheotides indicus, Rank- Species, Family- Otididae, Phylum- Chordata.

Notes:
The lady’s slipper orchids are extremely rare in the Himalayas at present. It used to be found abundantly. The cultivation and planting of lady’s slipper orchids in India are prohibited by the Willd Life protection Act. Schedule VI of this act contains the plants, which are prohibited from cultivation and planting. Some of these plants are as follows

• Beddomes’ cycad (Cycas beddomei)
• Blue Vanda (Vanda soerulec)
• Kuth (Saussurea lappa)
• Ladies slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum spp.)
• Pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana)
• Red Vanda (Rananthera inschootiana)