Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, the Union Ministry of Environment approved funding for a pilot scheme called ‘Tigers Outside of Tiger Reserves’ to reduce human-tiger conflicts. The scheme aims to improve protection, monitoring, and conflict management in areas where tigers live outside protected tiger reserves. It is supported by the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), which gave in-principle approval for one year of pilot implementation. The scheme has a total budget of ₹88 crore until 2026–27. It is based on data showing that around 30% of India’s tiger population lives outside official reserves.

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A South African university launched a unique anti-poaching campaign by injecting radioactive isotopes into rhino horns. The initiative is called the Rhisotope Project and is led by the University of the Witwatersrand. It is supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Recently, five rhinos were injected with radioactive isotopes in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. South Africa has lost more than 10,000 rhinos to poaching in the past decade, making the step urgently needed. Radioisotopes are unstable elements that emit radiation to become stable and can be traced. The isotopes are injected through a non-invasive method and are safe for rhinos.

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An albino Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) with a bright yellow shell and skin was recently spotted in a freshwater lake at Chikodra village, Gujarat. It is found in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, inhabiting shallow, quiet, stagnant waters like rivers, ponds, lakes, marshes, canals, and tanks, preferring sand or mud bottoms for burrowing. The species is identified by femoral flaps that cover its limbs when withdrawn and an oval soft shell. It is classified as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List.

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Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Jharkhand, the last stronghold of Gaur (Bos gaurus) in the state, is witnessing a sharp population decline. It lies on the Chhotanagpur plateau in Jharkhand and is part of Betla National Park. Gaur, also called Indian Bison, is the largest wild cattle species in the Bovidae family. They are native to South and Southeast Asia.

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Two new damselfly species, Konkan Shadowdamsel and Crimson Shadowdamsel, have been discovered in the Western Ghats. Konkan Shadowdamsel was found in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, and Crimson Shadowdamsel in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. They belong to the ‘Shadowdamsels’ group, thriving in shaded forest habitats and pristine small streams. Crimson Shadowdamsel has a reddish body, while Konkan Shadowdamsel shows coffee-brown colouration. Shadowdamsels are microendemics of Western Ghats and act as pollution indicators, reflecting forest health. Damselflies are predatory insects of order Odonata, smaller and weaker fliers than dragonflies, found near freshwater habitats.

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The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police arrested a 49-year-old contractor in the multi-crore Mithi River desilting fraud. The scam caused losses of over ₹65 crore to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Mithi River is one of the four rivers flowing through Mumbai, Maharashtra. It originates from Vihar Lake overflow and also receives overflow from Powai Lake about 2 km downstream. The river flows 18 km before joining the Arabian Sea at Mahim Creek. It passes through Powai, Saki Naka, Kurla, Kalina, Vakola, Bandra Kurla Complex, Dharavi and Mahim.

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Nepal has officially joined the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), an India-led global initiative to protect seven species of big cats. The IBCA is a multi-country, multi-agency coalition of over 90 big cat range and non-range countries interested in conservation. Nepal joined by signing the Framework Agreement on August 24, 2025. Nepal’s landscape hosts snow leopard, tiger, and common leopard, strengthening global collaboration for big cat conservation. The alliance focuses on tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, and puma conservation.

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Recently, Kilauea volcano erupted in Hawaii, a group of volcanic islands in the central Pacific Ocean. Kilauea volcano is located in the United States, on the island of Hawaii. It’s part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Kilauea is the world’s most active volcano. It’s located on the southeastern part of Hawaii’s Big Island. Kilauea is a shield volcano, and the youngest and most active of the Hawaiian shield volcanoes.

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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in North India due to 2-System Interaction. 2-System Interaction occurs when two distinct weather systems converge, amplifying each other and causing severe weather. In the current case, the systems are the Southwest Monsoon Trough, carrying moisture from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, and the Western Disturbance, a cyclonic circulation from the Mediterranean region. Their interaction leads to intense rainfall beyond normal seasonal patterns. Himalayan regions are vulnerable to landslides and flash floods due to steep and fragile terrain. Such events are increasing due to climatic shifts, changing monsoon dynamics, and rising global temperatures.

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Kerala conducted India’s first science-based, community-driven eradication of Senna spectabilis in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. Senna spectabilis is an invasive species native to American tropics. The tree grows 7–18 metres tall with a dense, spreading crown. It forms dense, sterile thickets, choking native plants, altering soil chemistry, and reducing food for herbivores. It closely resembles Kerala’s state flower Cassia fistula (kanikkonna), which aided its initial planting. The eradication involved community participation and science-based methods to restore forest ecosystems and promote biodiversity recovery.