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Practice organizations-and-programs with 20 free MCQ questions covering environment-and-ecology. Detailed explanations in English and Hindi, perfect for UPSC, SSC, and competitive exam preparation.
Attempt the quiz above first, then review every question with its correct answer and a short explanation below.
Q1.In which year and from which famous national park was 'Project Tiger' officially launched to protect India's rapidly declining wild tiger populations?
Explanation: Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973, from Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. It was spearheaded by the Government of India under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to secure viable tiger habitats.
Q2.Who was the renowned Indian conservationist, appointed as the first Director of Project Tiger in 1973, commonly known as the 'Tiger Man of India'?
Explanation: Kailash Sankhala was an Indian biologist and conservationist. He served as the director of Delhi Zoo and later headed Project Tiger from its inception in 1973. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992 for his extensive research and advocacy for tiger conservation.
Q3.Tiger Reserves in India are managed under a zoning strategy consisting of Core and Buffer areas. Which of the following is true regarding the 'Core Area'?
Explanation: The core area of a tiger reserve has the legal status of a National Park or Sanctuary. It is kept completely inviolate of any human activity to allow tigers to breed and hunt naturally. Buffer zones surround core areas to support co-existence of local communities.
Q4.In which year did the Government of India launch 'Project Elephant' to protect wild elephants, conserve their habitats and corridors, and address human-elephant conflict?
Explanation: Project Elephant was launched in February 1992 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It is a centrally sponsored scheme designed to ensure the long-term survival of viable elephant populations in India.
Q5.The international program 'MIKE' (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) operates across elephant reserves globally. Under which convention was the MIKE program established?
Explanation: The MIKE program was established by a resolution at COP 10 of CITES in 1997. It tracks poaching trends, assesses the impact of CITES decisions on elephant populations, and assists range states in law enforcement and monitoring.
Q6.Which high-altitude carnivore and indicator species of the Himalayan ecosystem is the focus of a specialized conservation project launched by India in 2009?
Explanation: Project Snow Leopard was launched in 2009 to safeguard the endangered Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) and its fragile high-altitude mountain ecosystem. It covers five states/UTs in the Himalayan region: Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Q7.India's vulture population collapsed by over 99 percent in the late 1990s due to renal failure and visceral gout. Which veterinary drug was identified as the primary toxic cause of this collapse?
Explanation: Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain and inflammation in cattle, was the cause of the vulture crisis. When cattle treated with diclofenac died, vultures fed on their carcasses. The drug is highly toxic to vultures, causing kidney failure. India banned veterinary diclofenac in 2006.
Q8.To recover critically endangered vulture species, Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres (VCBC) were established. Where was India's first VCBC founded?
Explanation: India's first Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC) was established in 2001 in Pinjore, Haryana. It is jointly managed by the Haryana Forest Department and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to breed Gyps vultures in captivity.
Q9.Project Crocodile (Crocodile Conservation Project) was launched in 1975 with assistance from FAO and UNDP. Which Indian state served as the primary starting point for this breeding project?
Explanation: Project Crocodile was launched in 1975, starting in Odisha. It established conservation centers like the Bhitarkanika Sanctuary for Saltwater Crocodiles, Tikarpada for Gharials, and Ramatirtha for Muggers, bringing the species back from the brink of extinction.
Q10.Which of the three crocodilian species native to India is critically endangered, characterized by a long thin snout with a pot-like bulb (ghara) in adult males, and feeds exclusively on fish?
Explanation: The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is critically endangered and native to the sandy banks of deep, fast-flowing rivers of the northern Indian subcontinent (like Chambal, Girwa). Adult males develop a bulbous growth called a 'ghara' on the tip of their snout, used to produce acoustic hums.
Q11.The Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), a freshwater blind dolphin that uses echolocation to navigate (locally called Susu), was declared the National Aquatic Animal of India in which year?
Explanation: The Ganges River Dolphin was declared the National Aquatic Animal of India in October 2009 by the Government of India under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It serves as an indicator species for the ecological health of the Ganga-Brahmaputra river systems.
Q12.Where is India's only dedicated dolphin sanctuary, the 'Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary', located?
Explanation: The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) is located in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, India. It covers a 50 km stretch of the Ganges River from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon, serving as a protected habitat for the endangered Gangetic dolphins.
Q13.Which of the following critically endangered birds, native to the dry grasslands of Rajasthan (Thar Desert) and Madhya Pradesh, is the focus of a major habitat security recovery program launched by WII and NTCA?
Explanation: The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is critically endangered due to hunting, habitat loss, and collisions with high-voltage power lines. The GIB Species Recovery Program focuses on ex-situ conservation breeding (in Jaisalmer) and protecting wild breeding sites.
Q14.Project Hangul was launched in 1970 to protect the Hangul (Kashmir Stag), a rare subspecies of red deer. Which national park serves as the primary and only major remaining habitat of the Hangul in India?
Explanation: The Kashmir Stag (Hangul) is critically endangered. Its only viable population in the world is found in Dachigam National Park, located near Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Project Hangul was launched by the J&K government in collaboration with IUCN and WWF.
Q15.The conservation project 'Secure Himalaya', launched in collaboration with UNDP, focuses on conserving high-altitude biodiversity and habitats across which mountain region of India?
Explanation: The 'Secure Himalaya' project (Secure Livelihoods, Conservation, Sustainable Use and Restoration of High Altitude Himalayan Ecosystems) was launched in 2017. It aims to conserve snow leopard habitats and secure sustainable livelihoods for local communities across Alpine regions.
Q16.Which of the following represents the main objective of 'Project Elephant' regarding migratory patterns of Asian elephants in India?
Explanation: Elephants are migratory animals requiring large home ranges. Project Elephant prioritizes the identification and protection of 'Elephant Corridors' (narrow strips of forest connecting larger habitats) to prevent habitat fragmentation and minimize conflict when elephants pass through agricultural fields.
Q17.What is the primary objective of the 'Gharial Species Recovery Program' breeding center located in Kukrail near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh?
Explanation: The Kukrail Gharial Rehabilitation Centre collects wild eggs from river banks (since hatchling survival in the wild is very low). They are incubated, hatched, and reared for 3 years until they are large enough (~1.2 meters) to survive, before being released back into the wild (head-starting program).
Q18.Which of the following represents the main difference between 'Project Tiger' and 'Project Elephant' management administrative units in India?
Explanation: Tiger reserves are legally defined and highly protected core/buffer zones monitored by NTCA. Elephant reserves are larger, landscape-level management areas designed to coordinate forest corridors. Because elephants migrate over huge distances, their reserves often include state forests, private lands, and roadways, requiring different management strategies.
Q19.Under the Vulture Action Plan 2020-2025, the Government of India has established Vulture Safe Zones (VSZ). What is the minimum radius around a vulture nesting site that must be certified free of toxic veterinary NSAIDs to be a VSZ?
Explanation: A Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ) is established by identifying nesting colonies. The area within a 100 km radius around the colony (matching the foraging range of vultures) is monitored and certified free of toxic veterinary drugs like diclofenac, ketoprofen, and aceclofenac.
Q20.In 2020, Project Dolphin was announced by the Government of India. Which of the following freshwater dolphin species is the primary focus of this project?
Explanation: Project Dolphin targets the conservation of the Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) and its riverine ecosystem. It mirrors Project Tiger, using advanced technology to track populations, clean river channels, and reduce poaching and gillnet entanglement.
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