Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

Notes:
Dancing Deer is the popular name of Sangai Deer, which is found only in Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP) in Loktak Lake in Manipur. Loktak is known for Phumdis (floating vegetation) and the deer often needs to balance itself on them, so it appears that they are dancing.

Notes:
The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) is located in Wayanad, Kerala and covers an area of 344 square kilometers. It is home to elephants, tigers, panthers, jungle cats, civet cats, monkeys, wild dogs, bisons, deer, bears, etc. The sanctuary is one of the safest havens for different species of vultures like the White-rumped Vultures and the Red-headed Vultures. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Notes:
The Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) is located in Somwarpet taluk of the Kodagu district, Karnataka and is spread over 102.59 square kilometres. It is home to rare and endangered birdlife such as great pied hornbill, Malabar trogon and Nilgiri blackbird. It is also home to mammals include elephant, tiger, slender loris, Nilgiri marten and bonnet macaque.

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 Rani Jhansi Marine National Park (RJMNP) is located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and covers an area of 256.14 square kilometres. It was founded in 1996 and commemorates Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (1828-58). The park provides shelter to some very crucial wildlife and habitats which include Dugongs, Crocodiles, Marine Life, Coral Reefs, Mangroves, Terrestrial Moist forest and birds. It is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife & biodiversity, and where activities like developmental, forestry, poaching, hunting and grazing on cultivation are not permitted. Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed.

Notes:
The Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary (PKWLS) is located in the Sheopur district of north western Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 900 square kilometres. Its ecoregion is that of Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests.The park is home to many species of wild animals, including Indian wolves, monkeys, Indian leopards and nilgai. The researchers at Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has confirmed that the sanctuary is the most promising location to re-establish a free ranging population of Asiatic lions and certified it ready to receive its first batch of trans-located lions from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary where they are highly overpopulated.

Notes:
Saltwater Crocodiles are notably common in the regions of Odisha and the Sundarbans. These areas provide suitable habitats for these crocodiles, thanks to their mangrove swamps and river deltas. While they are present in other regions such as the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, their prevalence is particularly notable in the coastal areas of Odisha and the Sundarbans, which span across the border of India and Bangladesh. The Sundarbans, especially, is famous for its large population of Saltwater Crocodiles.

Notes:
There are four national parks in the Andamans, Mahatma Gandhi Marine, Mount Harriet, Rani Jhansi Marine and Saddle Peak National Parks.
Nicobars have two areas notified as national parks and an area in Great Nicobar designated as the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve. Within the area of 960.40 km² in Great Nicobar Island, 110 km² is the Galathea National Park, situated on the south east of the island. On the east coast an area of 476. 73 km² is notified as the Campbell Bay National Park.

Notes:
Eco-Development Forces (EDF) Scheme was launched in 1980s under Ministry of Defence. Under this scheme, Eco Task Force (ETF) Battalions are set up which are though under Ministry of Defence, yet the operational expenditure of it is borne by Ministry of Environment. The first Ecological Task Force (also known as Ecological Battalion) was set up in 1982, after Indira Gandhi received inputs that the problem of unemployment among retired Jawans and of the need to check deforestation and soil erosion could be solved in a single stroke.

Notes:
TRAFFIC was founded in 1976. Its headquarters are located in Cambridge, United Kingdom, DISS (Disability Information Services) is located in UK, PETA is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals not related to wildlife, UN-HABITAT is United Nations Human Settlements Programme.