Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Naxals have impacted the Palamau Tiger Reserve, as reported to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Palamau Tiger Reserve is located in Jharkhand’s Latehar district on the Chhotanagpur plateau and includes Betla National Park. It is one of India’s first nine tiger reserves under ‘Project Tiger’ and the first to conduct a tiger census via pugmark count in 1932. The reserve spans 1,014 sq. km., with a core area of 414 sq. km.

Notes:
The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Tamil Nadu government to notify the Perur – Sundakamuthur tank under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. The tank is crucial for biodiversity, hosting 125 bird species, including winter migrants. A report noted significant declines in waterbird populations due to road construction and sand mining. The NGT aims to enforce regulations to protect this vital wetland ecosystem from illegal activities.

Notes:
A female elephant recently died from electrocution near a tribal colony close to Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala’s Thrissur district. Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1958, covers 125 sq. km in Thrissur. It is located in the catchment area of Peechi and Vazhani Dams and is part of the Palapilli-Nelliampathy forests. The terrain varies in altitude from 100 to 914 meters, with Ponmudi as the highest peak. The sanctuary has tropical forests, 50+ orchid species, rare medicinal plants, and valuable trees like teak.

Notes:
Six years after Cyclone Gaja, farmers in Vedaranyam, Tamil Nadu, are preparing for their first harvest of casuarina (savukku) plantations. Casuarina, native to Australia, was introduced in India in the 19th century and is also known as kattadi. There are four cultivated species: Casuarina equisetifolia, glauca, cunninghamaina, and junghuniana.
Its nitrogen-fixing ability and adaptability to diverse soil and climates make it ideal for commercial and environmental planting. Casuarinas grow well in tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean regions, thriving in temperatures from 10°C-33°C and rainfall of 700-2000 mm.

Notes:
Researchers have discovered a new damselfly species named Agasthyamalai Bambootail in Manjadininnavila, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This rare species belongs to the bambootail group, known for their long cylindrical abdomens resembling bamboo stalks. It was found in the Agasthyamalai landscape of the Western Ghats. The only other species in this genus is the Malabar Bambootail, located in Coorg-Wayanad. Agasthyamalai Bambootail can be identified by the absence of the anal bridge vein in its wings. It features a long black body with striking blue markings and differs from the Malabar Bambootail in specific anatomical structures.

Notes:
Rajasthan Forest Department halted construction of a large complex in the buffer zone of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR). It is located in Sawai Madhopur district, Rajasthan. It was established as a sanctuary in 1955 and became part of Project Tiger in 1973, gaining national park status in 1980. The reserve spans 1,334 square kilometers, with a 392 square kilometer core zone. It lies at the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya ranges, featuring rugged hills, grasslands, forests, lakes, and rivers. The UNESCO-listed Ranthambore Fort is a key attraction within the reserve.

Notes:
The Pong Dam, constructed on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh, began in 1961 to support irrigation in Rajasthan. It displaced over 20,000 families, with 6,736 cases of rehabilitation still pending. The state government is actively working to expedite these cases, aiming to provide land to those affected. Its creation led to the artificial lake, Maharana Pratap Sagar, which was later declared a bird sanctuary in 1983. The lake became a Ramsar Wetland in 2002, hosting diverse birds like Bar-Headed Geese, northern lapwing, and Eurasian coot.

Notes:
Researchers reported a 4% increase in the North Atlantic right whale population since 2020, following a 25% decline from 2010 to 2020. These migratory whales spend winters in warmer waters and migrate to the poles in late summer. They inhabit temperate and subpolar waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Right whales are often found near bays and peninsulas in shallow, coastal waters, mainly along the East Coast of the United States and Canada. They feed by skimming plankton at or just below the water’s surface. Conservation status: IUCN lists North Atlantic right whales as critically endangered.

Notes:
A Eurasian Otter was spotted in Pune, Maharashtra, for the first time. It is one of three otter species in India, alongside the Smooth-coated and Small-clawed otters. The Eurasian Otter is found in Europe, Asia, and Africa, mainly in the Himalayan foothills, Northeast India, and Western Ghats. It is solitary, nocturnal, and an apex predator in river ecosystems, regulating fish populations. The IUCN status is Near Threatened. Its threats include habitat pollution from pesticides, oil spills, and destruction of riverbanks.

Notes:
The Indore Municipal Corporation, following a National Green Tribunal order, recently cleared 30 encroaching stalls from Sirpur Lake’s catchment area. Sirpur Lake, a 670-acre human-made wetland in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was created over 130 years ago by Maharaja Shivajirao Holkar for the city’s water supply. The lake is shallow, alkaline, nutrient-rich, and floods during the monsoon. It has a diverse ecosystem with wetlands, shrub forests, grasslands, tall trees, and both shallow and deep-water zones. The lake is historically noted in the 1908 Indore City Gazette for its role in water supply and recreation.