Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The western tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) is one of India’s rarest pheasants and the state bird of Himachal Pradesh, now surviving in small, fragmented pockets in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. IUCN estimates 3,000-9,500 mature tragopans remain, all in a single subpopulation, with a quarter in western Himalayas and northern Pakistan. Sarahan Pheasantry initiated the world’s first successful captive breeding programme in 2005; 43 captive-born birds recorded between 2007-2015. Captive breeding complements but cannot replace habitat protection, which is essential for species survival.

Notes:
Following the arrest of a passenger at Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru) for smuggling two red-shanked douc monkeys, attention has been drawn to the illegal wildlife trade involving critically endangered primates. The red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus) is an Old World monkey often described as the “Queen of primates” due to its striking appearance. The species is mainly distributed across Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, southern Laos, and Cambodia. The IUCN Red List classifies the red-shanked douc as Critically Endangered, indicating an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Notes:
A team of government officials recently visited encroached land areas inside Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary identified for compensatory afforestation, highlighting concerns over illegal occupation. Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River in Sonitpur district, Assam. It lies to the north of Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, forming a connected Laokhowa–Burachapori transboundary ecosystem.

Notes:
Tiger numbers in Valmiki Tiger Reserve increased from 8 in 2010 to 54 in the 2022 census, showing strong conservation success. It is located on the India–Nepal border in West Champaran district of Bihar. It is Bihar’s only tiger reserve and marks the easternmost limit of Himalayan Terai forests in India. It lies in the Gangetic Plains bio-geographic zone with Bhabar and Terai landscapes. It borders Nepal’s Royal Chitwan National Park and the Gandak River. Several rivers drain the area, supporting rich forests, grasslands, and diverse wildlife.

Notes:
A viral video of a Himalayan red fox near Pangong Tso in Ladakh has drawn attention, while wildlife officials warned against human interference. The Himalayan red fox is a subspecies of the red fox with the scientific name Vulpes vulpes montana. It is native to the Himalayan region across India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. In India, it is found in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. It lives at high altitudes between 2,500 and 5,000 metres in diverse habitats. Its conservation status under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is Least Concern.

Notes:
The first phase of the All-India Tiger Estimation 2026 (AITE-26) has started in the Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located in the Bargur Hills of Erode district in Tamil Nadu. The sanctuary lies between Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu and Male Mahadeshwara and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuaries of Karnataka. The area is part of the Nilgiris Elephant Reserve.

Notes:
The Senapati Forest Division launched Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises to restore the Barak River watershed and support local livelihoods. The exercise was conducted at Saranamai village in Senapati district, Manipur, under the Barak catchment area. It involved community mapping of natural resources, land use, wealth status, matrix ranking, timelines, and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. The exercise will provide baseline data for an action plan under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Notes:
A new species of ginger named Parakaempferia alba has been discovered in the Siang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. It belongs to the Zingiberaceae, which is the ginger family of flowering plants. The species was found in the Miglung area of East Siang District. It grows at an altitude ranging from 150 to 400 metres above sea level. The plant thrives along shaded streambanks. It prefers humid conditions with sandy soil, which support its growth. This discovery highlights the rich plant biodiversity of the Eastern Himalayan region.

Notes:
Researchers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu discovered two new rare ant fly species from India. The species are Metadon ghorpadei and Metadon reemeri of subfamily Microdontinae (Syrphidae). Their larvae live inside ant nests and feed on ant brood, a behaviour called myrmecophily. Metadon ghorpadei was found in Delhi’s northern ridge, a disturbed urban forest of the Aravalli range. Metadon reemeri was discovered in the Siruvani hills of the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. The discovery highlights the biodiversity value of urban forests and protected hotspots.

Notes:
The Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary in Nuapada district, Odisha was declared Maoist-free in January 2026, enabling improved wildlife monitoring and conservation activities. In the All-India Tiger Estimation exercise (data yet to be officially released), authorities estimate over 70 leopards, with 90% camera traps capturing leopard images. Nuapada district regularly reports human–leopard conflict, supporting evidence of a strong leopard presence. Reduced Maoist activity enabled camera trap installation across all sanctuary sectors for the first time.