To which body must applications for I-OECM recognition be submitted in the first instance?
- A.National Biodiversity Authority
- B.Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- C.UNEP-WCMC
- D.State Biodiversity Board
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is the National Biodiversity Authority. Applications from Central and State government departments, agencies and institutions, local self-governments and Biodiversity Management Committees go to the NBA, which conducts a preliminary examination. Option B is wrong because MoEFCC comes in at the other end of the process, authorising recognition after the NBA takes the final decision; it is not the body that receives applications. Option D is wrong because the State Biodiversity Board or Union Territory Biodiversity Council receives each application only after the NBA forwards it, and its role is to validate the information and send a recommendation back. Option C is wrong because UNEP-WCMC is involved at the publication stage, when MoEFCC and the NBA liaise with it so that recognised sites appear on the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas. Candidates should learn the sequence in order, since questions often test which authority acts at which stage.
Read the full article: I-OECM Guidelines 2026 Released at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan
Practice Questions
The Guidelines for designation of India's Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs) 2026 were released at CBD COP-17 held in which city?
- A.Cali
- B.Yerevan
- C.Baku
- D.Montreal
Show answer
The correct answer is Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, where the seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was held and where Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the guidelines at a side event on 3 November 2026.
Read the full explanation →What is the total financing of the GEF-8 project commissioned to implement the I-OECM Guidelines?
- A.USD 6.65 million
- B.USD 54.14 million
- C.USD 60.79 million
- D.USD 27.30 million
Show answer
The correct answer is USD 60.79 million, the total financing of the project titled Enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to meet India's commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets by 2030.
Read the full explanation →By how much does the GEF-8 project aim to expand India's conservation estate, over and above the area already under protection?
- A.3 per cent over the existing 27 per cent
- B.5 per cent over the existing 25 per cent
- C.10 per cent over the existing 20 per cent
- D.7 per cent over the existing 23 per cent
Show answer
The project aims to add three per cent of India's land and marine area to the country's conservation estate, above the twenty-seven per cent already under protection, doing so through OECMs and other conservation initiatives that include community and private conservation areas.
Read the full explanation →The NDC-TIA Phase II initiative is supported by which programme of the German Government?
- A.The Green Climate Fund
- B.The International Climate Initiative (IKI)
- C.The Global Environment Facility
- D.The Clean Development Mechanism
Show answer
Under it, NITI Aayog and GIZ signed an Implementation Agreement on 3 November 2026 to accelerate the decarbonisation of road freight in India.
Read the full explanation →Which sector is the focus of the Implementation Agreement signed under NDC-TIA Phase II?
- A.Decarbonisation of road freight
- B.Expansion of metro rail networks
- C.Green hydrogen for fertiliser plants
- D.Offshore wind power generation
Show answer
The agreement formalises collaboration among the project partners so that cutting emissions from the movement of goods by road moves faster, which is treated as an important part of India's transition to a transport system that is sustainable, energy-efficient and low in carbon.
Read the full explanation →