Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 31.12.21

Q1. The fourth tiger census report, Status of Tigers, Co-predators, Prey and their Habitat, 2018 shows the count of tigers in India, has risen to 2967 in 2018 from 2,226 in 2014. Consider the following statements in this regard

1. More than half of the Tiger live outside the protected areas leading to Man-animal conflict
2. Karnataka has the highest number of tigers

Which of the above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2 
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

At 2,967, India hosts 70% of the world’s tigers. Tigers were observed to be increasing at a rate of 6% per annum (2006 to 2018). Nearly a third of India’s tigers are living outside tiger reserves.

Q2. Arrange the following species conservation projects in chronological order as they were started by the Indian government 

1. Project Tiger 
2. Project Elephant
3. Project Snow leopard

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

1. 2, 1, 3
2. 3, 1, 2
3. 1, 2, 3
4. 1, 3, 2

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

Project Tiger (1972)

Project Elephant (1992)

Project Snow leopard (2009)

Project Tiger (1972)

India is the world’s largest home for Royal Bengal Tigers. India hosts more than 70% of the total Tigers in the world. It is no surprise then that we are also prime targets for tiger hunters and poachers. To overcome this threat Project Tiger in India was launched on 1st April 1973 as a major wildlife conservation project in India. It was launched from the Jim Corbett National Park of Uttarakhand.

Project Elephant (1992)

Project Elephant (PE), a centrally sponsored scheme, was launched in February 1992 to provide financial and technical support to major elephant bearing States in the country for the protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors. It also seeks to address the issues of human-elephant conflict and the welfare of domesticated elephants. The Project is being implemented in 13 States / UTs, viz. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttranchal, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Project Snow Leopard (2009)

This project was launched in 2009 to safeguard and conserve India’s unique natural heritage of high-altitude wildlife populations and their habitats by promoting conservation through participatory policies and actions.

Q3. Which of the following is/are correctly matched?

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

Indian Rhino Vision 2020

Launched in 2005, the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 is an ambitious effort to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020.

The Problem

Greater one-horned, or Indian, rhinoceros once roamed from Pakistan to the Indo-Burmese border, and in parts of Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. But by the beginning of the 20th century, hunting and habitat loss had reduced the species to fewer than 200 individuals in northern India and Nepal. Thanks to strict protection implemented by Indian and Nepalese authorities, the population has rebounded to more than 3,600 today.

Despite these successes, however, Indian rhinos are still threatened by poaching and habitat loss. Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, holds about two-thirds of the world population. This is worrisome for two reasons – the park may have reached its carrying capacity and might not be able to support any more rhinos; and the entire species’ population could be decimated by a disease outbreak, natural disaster, or other acute threat.

Irrawaddy Dolphin

The dolphin population in Odisha has nearly doubled in a year, the state forest department claimed in April 2021. The state’s Chilika lake is known for its Irrawaddy dolphins, drawing in a large number of tourists every year.

Officials said they counted 188 dolphins, including 162 Irrawaddy dolphins and 26 bottlenose dolphins, in Chilika Lake in 2021. They sighted 163 dolphins — 146 Irrawaddy and 17 bottlenose — in the lake in 2020. Irrawaddy dolphins are the flagship species inhabiting the lake. The species is spotted only in Asia — from Chilika to Indonesia.

Sangai Deer

The brow-antlered deer or the dancing deer is found in its natural habitat only at Keibul Lamjao National Park over the floating biomass locally called "phumdi" in the southeastern part of Loktak Lake.

Q4. Snow Leopards are found in Central Asia and South Asia. Being a predator like a tiger, the snow leopard is the apex predator of the ecological pyramid.  There are around 7000 snow leopards worldwide. In India, they are between 500 to 700 found in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh states. Recently India established its first snow leopard conservation centre in 

1. Jammu and Kashmir
2. Himachal Pradesh
3. Sikkim
4. Uttarakhand

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

Snow Leopards are found in Central Asia and South Asia. Being a predator like a tiger, the snow leopard is the apex predator of the ecological pyramid.  There are around 7000 snow leopards worldwide. In India, they are between 500 to 700 found in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh states. Snow Leopard has suffered mainly on account of its relatively smaller population (less number of reproducing adults) and also because of man-animal conflict. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Secure Himalaya

The Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme, with support from the Global Environment Facility, are implementing a new programme in the high altitude Himalayas entitled “SECURE Himalayas - Securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems”, to ensure the conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan ecosystem, while enhancing the lives and livelihoods of local communities. 

The project looks into the conservation of snow leopards and other endangered species and their habitats, found in the Himalayas. This project was started in 2017. It is funded by the Global Environment Facility-United Nations Development Programme.

India’s first snow leopard conservation centre

India’s first snow leopard conservation centre will be established in Uttarakhand. The conservation centre will be built by the Uttarakhand forest department along United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uttarkashi forests as part of its six-year-long project, SECURE Himalayas.

Q5. Golden langurs are one of the world’s most endangered primates. The long-term survival of populations depends on genetic exchange. However, much of the golden langur population occurs in fragmented forests. The small, isolated populations are extremely vulnerable. Golden langurs are found in India in

1. Assam
2. Andaman islands
3. Odisha
4. Goa

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

Golden langurs cling to splintered forests and fringe villages in Assam

1. Endemic to northeast India and Bhutan, golden langurs are one of the world’s most endangered primates. In Assam, most of their population is outside protected areas.
2. The long-term survival of populations depends on genetic exchange. However, much of the golden langur population occurs in fragmented forests. The small, isolated populations are extremely vulnerable.
3. The crash in numbers and decline of habitat are linked to political unrest and ethnic conflicts in western Assam that began in the 1980s. Currently, roadkills, electrocution by low-slung live wires, occasional poaching, and attacks by dogs are also imperilling the monkeys.
4. Conservationists and primatologists have pinned hope on legal protection for the habitat of the golden langur and scaling up community-led conservation in Assam to bolster the langur’s populations, building on previous successes of catalysing community participation.
5. Northeast India, a biodiversity hotspot, is home to 12 of India’s 26 primate species and is witnessing fast-tracked infrastructure development. Golden langurs have undoubtedly drawn the attention of the public and lawmakers, yet they are still overshadowed by big charismatic species such as the tiger and elephant.