Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

Notes:
The Topchanchi Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS) is located in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand and covers an area of 8.75 Sq. Km. It is home to Leopard, Jungle Cat, Cheetal, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Mongoose, Langur, Jackal, Fox, Wild Dog, etc. The Topchanchi Lake increases the richness of the habitat and is visited by migratory winter birds such as pochards, red crested pochards and coots. The forests here are of Dry Mixed Deciduous type with Dry Peninsular Sal in Baneshpur and Bawardaha, the other tree species being Asan, Bijasal, Dhow, Semal, Kendu, Piar, Karam, Siris, Sidha etc. The grassland and bamboo crops are also present.

Notes:
The Aichi Targets are a set of 20, time-bound, measureable targets for the conservation of biodiversity. The targets were agreed by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010. Achievement of the targets will contribute to reducing, and eventually halting, the loss of biodiversity at a global level by the middle of the twenty-first century.

Notes:
The Darrah National Park, which is now Mukundara Hills National Park, is located in within the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests’ ecoregion of Rajasthan and covers an area of 250 square kilometres. It is home to a number of species including the wild boar, deer, nilgai, cheetah and wolves. The park consists of three wildlife sanctuaries: Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary, Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary and Jawahar Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. The River Chandrabhaga flows very close to the national park and there are a number of ancient temples, dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries that are situated along the banks of the river.

Notes:
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 received the Presidential assent on 23 December, 2005. It envisaged the creation of the National Disaster Management Authority with not more than nine members (including a Vice-Chairperson) and the Prime Minister of India as its chairperson.

Notes:
Silent Valley National Park is located in the state of Kerala and is located in the Nilgiri hills. It is home to the lion-tailed macaques, an endangered species of primate. In 1973, “Save Silent Valley” campaign (environmental movement) was initiated when the Kerala State Electricity Board declared to implement the Silent Valley Hydro-Electric Project.

Notes:
The International Radon Project (IRP) is a research initiative that was launched in the 1980s by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to study the health effects of radon exposure and to develop guidelines for the protection of human health from radon-induced radiation. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is produced by the decay of uranium and radium, which are found in small amounts in soil, rock, and water. When radon is released into the air, it can be inhaled into the lungs, where it can expose the body to ionizing radiation and increase the risk of lung cancer.

Notes:
An ecotone is defined as the transition area between two biological communities, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or else wide, local as well as regional.

Notes:
Margosa oil comes from the neem tree, which is native to India. It has been used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine to treat skin conditions, fever, infections, and inflammation. Rich in antioxidants and fatty acids, margosa oil is valued for its moisturizing, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties.

Notes:
Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, which is situated in Odisha state at the mouth of the Daya River, covering an area of over 1,100 km. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds (Indian sub-continent). It is one of the hotspots of biodiversity in India. Some species of IUCN Red List of threatened animals inhabit the Chilika lake for at least part of their life cycle.

Notes:
Global warming potential (GWP) is defined as the heat absorbed by the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, as a multiple of the heat that would be absorbed by the same mass of CO2. GWP is 1 for CO2. For other gases it depends on the gas and circumstances.