Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

Notes:
The Samaspur Sanctuary is located near Salon in Rae Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh, which is established in 1987, and covers an area of about 780 hectares of land. The best time to visit the place is between November to March. More than 250 varieties of birds can be seen here such as Greylag Goose, Pintail, Common Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler and Ruddy Shelduck (Surkhab).

Notes:
Jim Corbett National Park, formerly known as Hailey National Park is the oldest National Park of India. It was established in the year 1936 to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It was the first to come under the Project Tiger conservation programme which was launched in April 1973.

Notes:
National Board for Wild Life is a “Statutory Organization” constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Theoretically, the board is “advisory” in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country. However, it is a very important body because it serves as apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries. It is chaired by India’s Prime Minister and its vice chairman is Minister of Environment.

Notes:
Oxygen toxicity is a concern for underwater divers, those on high concentrations of supplemental oxygen. It is a condition resulting from the harmful effects of breathing oxygen at high pressures.

Notes:
Malathion is an organophosphate (OP) insecticide that has been registered for use in the United States since 1956. It is of relatively low human toxicity. It is widely used in agriculture, residential landscaping, public recreation areas, & in public health pest control programs such as mosquito eradication.

Notes:
Plantation of trees like Banj oak, Myrica, Alder & Rhododendron in between the Chir pine trees can help to prevent forest fires in the Himalayan region. Chir pine are the main reason for forest fires in Himalayan region.

Notes:
IUCN protected area management categories classify protected areas according to their management objectives. They are la Strict Nature Reserve, Ib Wilderness Area, II National Park, III Natural Monument or Feature, IV Habitat/ Species Management Area, V Protected Landscape/ Seascape, VI Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources.

Notes:
Satellite images from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) over Punjab and Haryana in the last few weeks reveal the fact that practice of crop stubble burning in the two states at an extensive level is the major reason behind choking the Delhi city. Stubble burning also releases a variety of harmful chemicals like polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) that have toxicological effects. The crop when burnt also release into air fine particulate matter which when coupled with western winds during winter, reach Delhi to choke the city. Punjab and Haryana have two main growing seasons: one from May to September (Kharif) and another from November to April (Rabi). Punjab and Haryana on account of high quality irrigation facility practice farming on large scale. As soon as the Kharif crops are reaped, the farmers simply burn leftover plant debris, especially rice stubble to prepare the field for Rabi season.

Notes:
Water hyacinth as indicator of heavy metal pollution in the tropics. The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a common aquatic plant in many tropical countries. Its ability absorb nutrients and other elements from thewater has made it possible to use it for water purification purposes.

Notes:
The Southern Oscillation is a change in air pressure over the tropical Pacific Ocean. When coastal waters become warmer in the eastern tropical Pacific , the atmospheric pressure above the ocean decreases. Climatologists define these linked phenomenaas El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).