Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Scientists recorded a rare orchid species named Eulophia picta for the first time in central Andhra Pradesh. It is a medium-to-small, hot-growing terrestrial orchid commonly called the Nodding Swamp Orchid. It is distributed from India to Southeast Asia and Australia, occurring in moist grasslands, sandy coastal areas, and rainforests. It also grows in semi-deciduous and dry lowland forests up to about 1000 m elevation.

Notes:
The Rajasthan High Court set aside a decision of the National Board for Wildlife regarding clearance near Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is located in the Aravalli Range near Jaipur, Rajasthan. It is named after the historic Nahargarh Fort built by Sawai Jai Singh II in the 18th century. The sanctuary has ecological connectivity with forest regions like Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.

Notes:
Scientists discovered new fossils of an ancient platypus species in South Australia showing it had teeth, unlike modern platypuses. The Platypus is a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia. It belongs to a rare group of mammals called monotremes (egg-laying mammals). It inhabits freshwater systems ranging from tropical Queensland to Tasmania and the Australian Alps. It spends much of its time in burrows along riverbanks. Its conservation status is Near Threatened (IUCN).

Notes:
Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary has witnessed a demand from a committee of monks to remove its eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) status. The eco-sensitive zone status was notified about ten years ago to protect the region’s fragile ecosystem. The demand aims to allow unrestricted organisation of religious activities in the Girnar hills. The sanctuary is located in Junagadh district of Gujarat in the Saurashtra region. It is an ecologically important area that supports around 54 Asiatic lions.

Notes:
Scientists recently discovered a new species of freshwater crab named Indopotamon alipurduarense in the sub-Himalayan Dooars region of West Bengal. The discovery marks only the second species recorded under the Indopotamon genus. With this finding, the total number of known freshwater crab species in India has increased to 183. These crabs are highly secretive and spend most of the year hidden underground. They emerge mainly during the heavy rainy season and are usually visible between May and August. The species name “alipurduarense” honours the Alipurduar district of West Bengal, where the crab was discovered.

Notes:
Ulsoor Lake has recently undergone desilting after more than three decades, but lake conservation activists criticised the decision to remove silt by only 0.6 metres, calling it inadequate. Also known as Halasuru Lake, it is a man-made lake and is considered the oldest and largest lake in Bengaluru. The lake was built in 1648 by Kempe Gowda II and was later renovated in 1862 by Sir Lewin Bentham Bowring. Ulsoor Lake has an irregular shape resembling the map of India and contains seven islands connected by bridges.

Notes:
White-bellied heron is a rare bird species found in the wetlands and free-flowing river habitats of the eastern Himalayan foothills in northeast India, Bhutan, and northern Myanmar. The proposal for Arunachal Pradesh’s Kalai-II hydel project has raised concerns because it does not mention the habitat of this critically endangered bird. The white-bellied heron (Ardea insignis), also called the imperial heron, is the second-largest living heron species in the world. The bird mainly feeds on fish in river rapids and is considered an indicator of healthy rivers, fish populations, and good water quality. It is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Notes:
Recently, a tiger was sighted in D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary after nearly two decades, highlighting its ecological importance. The sanctuary is located in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. It lies along the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in the floodplains of the Siang River and its tributaries. Earlier, it was known as Lali Wildlife Sanctuary after the declaration of Lali Reserve Forest as a sanctuary. In 1986, it was renamed D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary experiences a tropical climate and receives both north-east and south-west monsoon rainfall.

Notes:
Scientists from ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources discovered a new freshwater fish species, Labeo kaage, from the Shivanasamudra stretch of the Cauvery River basin in Karnataka. The name “kaage” comes from the Kannada word for crow, referring to the fish’s dark body colour. Locally, it is known as “kaage meenu” in Karnataka. It is among the newly discovered dark-coloured Labeo species from the Western Ghats region. In 2025, scientists also discovered Labeo chekida from Kerala’s Chalakkudy River and Labeo uru from the Chandragiri River.

Notes:
The forest department has started preparations for a scientific wildlife census in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary to study the population and movement of tigers, leopards, bears, deer, and foxes. The sanctuary is situated in the Kumaon Himalayas of Uttarakhand. Zero Point (Jhandi Dhaar), the highest point in the sanctuary, offers views of peaks such as Kedarnath, Chaukhamba, Shivling, Trisul, and Nanda Devi. Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary was established mainly to conserve the broadleaf oak forests of the Central Himalayan region.