Which organisation publishes worldwide list of endangered species?
- A.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- B.The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
- C.The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- D.The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN publishes the Red List of Threatened Species, the world's main list of species at risk.
The IUCN was founded in 1948 and has its headquarters at Gland in Switzerland. Its Red List, begun in 1964, places each assessed species in a category such as Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild or Extinct. The Red Data Book is the older printed form of the same record. Governments use it to decide which species need protection first.
B is wrong because the WWF, founded in 1961, funds and runs conservation work but does not keep the global list. C is wrong because UNEP, set up in 1972 with headquarters in Nairobi, coordinates environmental policy among countries. D is wrong because UNDP works on poverty and development, not on species assessment.
Exam tip: IUCN: 1948, Gland, Red List since 1964; WWF: 1961, also Gland; UNEP: 1972, Nairobi.
Practice Questions
View allWith reference to Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, Sultanpur National Park, Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhwana Wetland, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. All of them are Ramsar sites.
2. All of them are naturally formed wetlands.
3. All of them are birding sites.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 3 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Statement 1 is right: all four were declared Ramsar wetlands of international importance in 2021, Sultanpur and Bhindawas in Haryana, and Thol and Wadhwana in Gujarat.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is NOT a cause of depletion in groundwater ?
- A.Afforestation
- B.Loss of forests
- C.Excessive pumping of groundwater
- D.Construction of large scale concrete buildings
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Planting trees helps recharge groundwater: roots and leaf litter slow the run-off and let rain soak into the soil and down to the aquifers.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following pairs related to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals :
I. Goal 1 : End poverty in all forms everywhere
II. Goal 2 : Ensure healthy lives
III. Goal 3 : Ensure quality education
IV. Goal 4 : Achieve gender equality
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
- A.One
- B.Two
- C.Three
- D.All the four
Show answer
Only pair I is correct; pairs II, III and IV each give a goal the theme of the next goal.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is NOT a reason of decrease in biodiversity?
- A.Large scale deforestation
- B.Exploitation of forest produce
- C.Maintaining sacred groves
- D.Encroachment in forest areas
Show answer
Sacred groves are patches of forest protected by local communities for religious reasons, so they conserve biodiversity instead of reducing it.
Read the full explanation →The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the UNO in place of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 2015, aim to achieve the 17 goals by the year
- A.2020
- B.2030
- C.2040
- D.2050
Show answer
The SDGs form the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN member states in September 2015.
Read the full explanation →