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Environment & EcologyEasyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper I

'Gadgil Committee Report' and 'Kasturirangan Committee Report', sometimes seen in the news, are related to

  1. A.constitutional reforms
  2. B.Ganga Action Plan
  3. C.linking of rivers
  4. D.protection of Western Ghats

Correct answer

D. protection of Western Ghats

Explanation

The correct answer is D, protection of Western Ghats. Both reports dealt with how to protect the fragile Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, reported in 2011 and proposed treating the whole range as ecologically sensitive, split into three zones with graded limits on mining, quarrying and large projects. States objected that it was too strict, so the Ministry of Environment set up a High-Level Working Group under K. Kasturirangan, which reported in 2013. It recommended that only about 37% of the Ghats, roughly 60,000 sq km, be notified as an Ecologically Sensitive Area, with a ban on mining, quarrying and polluting industries there. Option A is wrong because neither panel examined the Constitution. Option B is wrong because the Ganga Action Plan of 1986 dealt with cleaning the Ganga. Option C is wrong because river linking was studied by the National Water Development Agency and a task force under Suresh Prabhu. Exam tip: Gadgil (2011, whole Ghats sensitive) versus Kasturirangan (2013, about 37% as ESA).

Practice Questions

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Q1.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

In India, if a species of tortoise is declared protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, what does it imply ?

  1. A.It enjoys the same level of protection as the tiger.
  2. B.It no longer exists in the wild, a few individuals are under captive protection; and now it is impossible to prevent its extinction.
  3. C.It is endemic to a particular region of India.
  4. D.Both (b) and (c) stated above are correct in this context.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. It enjoys the same level of protection as the tiger.

Schedule I lists the animals that get the highest level of legal protection in India, and the tiger is one of them.

Q2.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

"Momentum for Change : Climate Neutral Now" is an initiative launched by

  1. A.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  2. B.The UNEP Secretariat
  3. C.The UNFCCC Secretariat
  4. D.The World Meteorological Organization
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The UNFCCC Secretariat

Both 'Momentum for Change' and 'Climate Neutral Now' are initiatives of the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, based in Bonn.

Q3.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements :

1. Most of the world's coral reefs are in tropical waters.

2. More than one-third of the world's coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia and Philippines.

3. Coral reefs host far more number of animal phyla than those hosted by tropical rainforests.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3

All three statements about coral reefs are correct. Reef-building corals need warm, clear, shallow water, roughly between 20 °C and 30 °C, so almost all reefs lie in the tropics between about 30° N and 30° S. Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines together hold well over a third of the…

Q4.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the 'Club of Rome'.

2. The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 only

The Sustainable Development Goals are to be met by 2030, but they were not proposed by the Club of Rome in 1972.

Q5.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a UN mechanism to assist countries transition towards greener and more inclusive economies, emerged at

  1. A.The Earth Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, Johannesburg
  2. B.The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, Rio de Janeiro
  3. C.The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2015, Paris
  4. D.The World Sustainable Development Summit 2016, New Delhi
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, Rio de Janeiro

PAGE was launched in 2013 as a direct response to the call made at the Rio+20 conference of June 2012, whose outcome document, 'The Future We Want', recognised the green economy as a tool for sustainable development and poverty eradication.