Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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:
Forest authorities in Chhattisgarh recently arrested 53 people for attempting to encroach on protected forest land within the Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve. The Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve is located in Chhattisgarh and forms a key wildlife conservation zone in central India. The reserve was established by merging two existing protected areas — the Sitanadi and Udanti Wildlife Sanctuaries. The reserve’s drainage network is dominated by the Mahanadi River, which acts as the main river system.

Notes:
Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered Neelus sikkimensis in the high-altitude region of Sikkim. It is a new species of Collembola, which are tiny soil-dwelling micro-arthropods. This is the first time the genus Neelus has been recorded in India. With this discovery, the total number of Neelus species worldwide has increased to eight. The species has a microscopic body adapted to living deep inside soil and moss. It has no eyes, showing adaptation to dark underground environments.

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The Government has declared the Parvati-Arga Bird Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh as an Eco-Sensitive Zone. The initiative aims to develop the sanctuary as a responsible ecotourism destination and strengthen biodiversity. The sanctuary is located in Gonda District, Uttar Pradesh. The sanctuary covers 1,084 hectares and includes two lakes, Parvati and Arga, situated about 1.5 km apart.

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A new fungus species named Parasynnemellisia khasiana has been discovered in bamboo forests near Mawsynram, Meghalaya. It was found on dead stems of thorny bamboo Chimonocalamus griffithianus. The species is named after the Khasi Hills region. Laboratory studies showed it does not belong to any known fungal genus. Researchers created a new genus called Parasynnemellisia with khasiana as its first species.

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Bihar government approved a revised proposal to notify Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve. The proposal will be sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for final clearance. Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest sanctuary in Bihar with rich biodiversity and dense forests. It is located in Kaimur and Rohtas districts within the Kaimur Range. The area covers parts of the Kaimur Plateau and Rohtas Plateau.

Notes:
Scientists discovered a new species of reed snake in Mizoram and named it Calamaria mizoramensis after the state. It is a non-venomous snake, meaning it does not produce poison harmful to humans. The species is nocturnal, active mainly at night, and semi-fossorial, meaning it partly lives underground. It inhabits humid, forested hill regions at elevations of 670 to 1,295 metres above sea level, even near human settlements. The snake is small, with a dark brown to blackish body, faint stripes, and a yellow underside.

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Researchers discovered three new meadow katydid species in Jammu and Kashmir named Conocephalus usmanii, Conocephalus nagariensis, and Conocephalus ganderbali. Katydids are mainly nocturnal insects found on all continents except Antarctica. More than 8,000 species exist, belonging to the family Tettigoniidae. They are orthopterans, meaning straight-winged insects, related closely to crickets. Katydids are also called long-horned grasshoppers or bush crickets. They have long thread-like antennae and leaf-like bodies for camouflage. Most are herbivores with a lifespan of about one year.

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The Kerala government has renamed Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary as Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary, making it the first butterfly sanctuary in the state. The sanctuary is located in Kerala and shares boundaries with Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary, and the North Wayanad forest division. It consists mainly of evergreen and semi-evergreen forest vegetation. The Cheenkanni River, originating from the Brahmagiri ranges, flows through the dense forests of the sanctuary.

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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.