Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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.

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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.

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The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will prepare a district-wise report on hills qualifying as part of the Aravalli Range for mining purposes. Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) is the apex national body for forestry research and education in India. It is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India. Its mission is to generate and share scientific knowledge for ecological security, livelihoods, and sustainable forest use. The headquarters of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) is located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

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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.

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Researchers from the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) have shown that local ecological knowledge of the Adi community can improve efforts to track the critically endangered Chinese pangolin. Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is a small, nocturnal mammal fully covered in protective keratin scales. It inhabits subtropical, tropical, and deciduous forests and is distributed across southern China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Hainan, parts of Southeast Asia including Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The species has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

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Ladakh’s double-humped Bactrian camels will debut at the 77th Republic Day parade, highlighting their unique heritage. Scientifically known as Camelus bactrianus, they are large even-toed ungulates called Ladakh’s “silent warriors”. They are native to Central Asia, ranging from Afghanistan to China, mainly in the Mongolian steppes and Gobi Desert. In India, small populations survive in the high-altitude cold desert of Nubra Valley, Ladakh. They are mainly herbivores and are listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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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).

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Rapid habitat destruction has forced the arboreal Phayre’s leaf monkey to change its natural behaviour and habits. Phayre’s leaf monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei) is an Old World monkey that is diurnal and tree-dwelling. It lives in tropical, deciduous, and evergreen forests, and is also found in bamboo clusters and rubber plantations. It is distributed in North-East India, mainly Tripura, Assam, and Mizoram, along with eastern Bangladesh and western Myanmar. ts conservation status is Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

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A forest fire has been raging for five days in the Valley of Flowers, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, prompting Uttarakhand authorities to seek Indian Air Force (IAF) assistance. The Valley of Flowers National Park is located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and covers about 87 square kilometres. It was discovered in 1931 by British mountaineers led by Frank S. Smythe. The park is a core zone of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve along with Nanda Devi National Park. It forms a transition zone between the Zanskar and Great Himalayan ranges. The area is famous for alpine meadows, rich biodiversity, scenic beauty, and snow-covered Himalayan peaks.

Notes:
The Delhi government stated that more than 6,500 monkeys rescued by civic bodies from residential and commercial areas were shifted to Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in the last five years. Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary covers about 32.71 square kilometres on the Southern Delhi Ridge of the Aravalli hill range along the Delhi–Haryana border. It extends across southern Delhi and parts of Faridabad and Gurugram districts of Haryana. The sanctuary is part of the Northern Aravalli Leopard Wildlife Corridor.