Which biosphere was declared as India's 16th Biosphere Reserve in 2009, noted for the conservation of Red Fox, Blue Rock Pigeon, and Lammergeier?
- A.Cold Desert
- B.Seshachalam
- C.Agasthyamalai
- D.Dehang Debang
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Cold Desert. The Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in the Lahaul and Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh was notified in 2009 as India's 16th biosphere reserve. It covers the Pin Valley National Park, the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary and the high-altitude wetlands of Chandratal and Sarchu, a trans-Himalayan landscape above 3,000 metres that gets very little rain. Its wildlife includes the snow leopard, Himalayan ibex, red fox, blue rock pigeon and the lammergeier or bearded vulture, the bird that drops bones from a height to eat the marrow. Option B is wrong because Seshachalam, in Andhra Pradesh and famous for red sanders, followed in 2010 as the 17th reserve. Option C is wrong because Agasthyamalai, on the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border, was notified in 2001. Option D is wrong because Dehang-Debang in Arunachal Pradesh dates from 1998. Exam tip: the sequence at the end of the list is Cold Desert 2009 (16th), Seshachalam 2010 (17th), Panna 2011 (18th); the first was Nilgiri in 1986.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following is not included in the National Air Quality Index?
- A.Sulphur
- B.Nitrogen dioxide
- C.Lead
- D.Methane
Show answer
Methane is not one of the pollutants used to calculate India's National Air Quality Index. The National Air Quality Index was launched in 2014 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and is run by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the National Green Tribunal is not correct?
- A.It was set up in the year 2010.
- B.It is involved in effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests.
- C.It may consider giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.
- D.It is bound by the procedures laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
Show answer
The National Green Tribunal is not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure; it is guided by the principles of natural justice.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements about National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) of India for 2017-2031:
1. This is the Third National Wildlife Action Plan.
2. The NWAP is unique as this is the first time India has recognized the concerns relating to climate change impact on wildlife.
3. The NWAP has ten components.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 2 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
The plan for 2017-2031 is India's third National Wildlife Action Plan and the first to deal with the impact of climate change on wildlife, but it has five components, not ten.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following methods is not suitable for urban rainwater harvesting?
- A.Rooftop recharge pit
- B.Recharge wells
- C.Gully plug
- D.Recharge trench
Show answer
A gully plug is a small check structure built across a natural gully or stream channel in hilly and rural land, so it has no place in a city.
Read the full explanation →The city of Cartagena, which is famous for Protocol on Biosafety, is located in
- A.Colombia
- B.Venezuela
- C.Brazil
- D.Guyana
Show answer
Cartagena is a port city on Colombia's Caribbean coast, where talks on the biosafety protocol were held in 1999. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992.
Read the full explanation →