Chipko movement, also called Chipko andolan, nonviolent social and ecological movement by rural villagers, particularly women, in India in the 1970s, aimed at protecting trees and forests slated for government-backed logging. Answer : (b)

Bentinckia nicobarica is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae found to occur in the Nicobar group of islands in the Bay of Bengal. It is an endemic palm occurring in Great Nicobar, Katchal, Nancowry and Car Nicobar Islands. It is an endangered species according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2016 with Red List Category & Criteria as C2a (ver 2.3). Living specimens of this taxon are conserved at the Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah and at the Field Gene Bank of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram in India. The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. The species has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2015. It is protected in all range countries. Answer : (d)

India's only known pitcher plant species Nepenthes khasiana Hook. f., is an evergreen shrub considered endemic to Meghalaya. All the other species is found worldwide. Answer : (a)

Biosphere reserves in india are: (1)Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka (2)Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu (3) Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve, West Bengal (4) Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand (5) Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, Meghalaya (6) Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, Madhya Pradesh (7) Simlipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha (8) Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, Andaman & Nicobar Islands (9) Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh (10) Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, Kerala and Tamil Nadu (11) Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim (12)Panna Biosphere Reserve, Madhya Pradesh Answer : (b)

There are four major causes of biodiversity losses. These are called as 'evil quartet'. They are : (i) Habitat loss and fragmentation (ii) Over-exploitation (iii) Alien species invasions (iv) Co-extinctions Answer : (a)

Answer : (a)

Answer : (d)

The Indian government has established 18 biosphere reserves to protect larger areas of natural habitat than a typical national park or animal sanctuary, and that often include one or more national parks or reserves, along with buffer zones that are open to some economic uses. Answer : (a)

Every year, from 2nd to 8th October, i.e., first week of October, India celebrates Wildlife Week with an aim to protect the preserve country's fauna. During this week, experts conduct workshops to make people understand the importance of wildlife conservation. Answer : (a)

German naturalist and geographer Alexander von Humboldt observed that within a region species richness increased with increasing explored area, but only up to a limit. The relation can be described in the following equation: log S = log C + Z log A where, S= Species richness, A= Area, Z = slope of the line (regression coefficient) C = Y-intercept Answer : (c)

Gene banks are a type of biorepository that preserves genetic material. They are institutes that maintain stocks of viable seeds ( seed banks), live growing plants (orchid), tissue culture and frozen germplasm with the whole range of genetic variability. Answer : (d)

The most biodiversity rich region is Western ghat, followed by North-eastern himalayan hills. Answer : (c)

Habitat loss and fragmentation: This is the most important cause driving animals and plants to extinction. Besides total loss, the degradation of many habitats by pollution also threatens the survival of many species. When large habitats are broken up into small fragments due to various human activities, mammals and birds requiring large territories and certain animals with migratory habits are badly affected, leading to population declines. Answer : (c)

Gamma diversity: It is diversity presents in ranges of communities as represented by diversity of habitats/ ecosystems over a total landscape geographical area. Answer : (d)

They are multipurpose protected areas which are meant for preserving genetic diversity in representative ecosystems of various natural biomes and unique biological communities by protecting wild populations, traditional life style of tribal and domesticated plant ( animals genetic resources). Creation of biosphere reserve was initiated in 1975 under MAB programme of UNESCO. Till 2002, 408 biosphere reserves had been established in 94 countries. Answer : (d)

Species diversity decreases as we move away from the equator towards the poles. With very few exceptions, tropics (latitudinal range of 23.5° N to 23.5° S) harbour more species than temperate or polar areas. Answer : (d)

Sambhar Lake Wildlife Sanctuary: Sambhar is India's largest saline lake, 190 sq km in extent at full capacity, and lays some 60 km west of Jaipur, just outside prosaically named Salt Lake City. The Sundarbans National Park is a national park, tiger reserve and biosphere reserve in West Bengal, India. It is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta and adjacent to the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh. The delta is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. Kaziranga National Park, a world heritage site is famous for the Great Indian one horned rhinoceros, the landscape of Kaziranga is of sheer forest, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes & shallow pools. It has been declared as National Park in 1974. The Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary are one of the most significant national parks in India that provides shelter to the Asiatic Lions. Answer : (a)

Wildlife conservation is necessary for lot of reasons i) Balance of nature ii) Commercial value of wildlife: We have a rich variety of wild life. iii) Biological studies : Naturalists and behavior biologists can study the ecology, physiology and behavior of wildlife in their natural habitats, thus contributing to our knowledge of biology All these reasons are aimed at increasing diversity in wild. Answer : (d)

They are multipurpose protected areas which are meant for preserving genetic diversity in representative ecosystems of various natural biomes and unique biological communities by protecting wild populations, traditional life style of tribal and domesticated plant ( animals genetic resources). Creation of biosphere reserve was initiated in 1975 under MAB programme of UNESCO. Till 2002, 408 biosphere reserves had been established in 94 countries. Answer : (c)

Dachigam National Park is located 22 kilometers from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir known for the conservation of hangul, or the Kashmir stag, is also home to the elusive snow leopard, marten, ibex, musk deer and other animals characteristic of the Himalayas, and it's minimum elevation is 5,499 ft Snow leopards are found at altitudes between 9,800 and 17,000 feet in the high, rugged mountains of Central Asia. Answer : (d)

Sus salvanius, commonly known as 'The pygmy hog' is a suid native to alluvial grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas at elevations of up to 300 m. Today, the only known population lives in Assam, India and possibly southern Bhutan. As the population is estimated at less than 250 mature individuals, it is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Answer:(c)

Kaziranga National Park ,a world heritage site is famous for the Great Indian one horned rhinoceros Keoladeo National Park, located in the State of Rajasthan, is an important wintering ground of Palaearctic migratory waterfowl and is renowned for its large congregation of non-migratory resident breeding birds. Jim Corbett National Park is a forested wildlife sanctuary in northern India’s Uttarakhand State. Rich in flora and fauna, it’s known for its Bengal tigers. Major attractions of Dudhwa National Park are the tigers (population 58 in 2014) and swamp deer (population over 1,600). Answer : (a)

Answer : (a)

Hot spots are areas with high density of biodiversity or megadiversity which are also the most threatened ones. India has three hot-spots : (i)Indo Burma, (ii)Himalayas and (iii)Western ghats-srilanka. India is even otherwise a country of mega biodiversity with 2.4% of land area and having 8.1% of global diversity Answer : (c)

Germplasm conservation is the most successful method to conserve the genetic traits of endangered and commercially valuable species. Seed banks are the best method of germplasm conservation. Endangered plants are preserved in seed banks which are also called germplasm banks. Answer : (b)

Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India. Project Tiger has been successful in increasing the population of the tigers. The number has increased from 1200 to around 5000. Answer:(b)

Biodiversity conservation may be in situ as well as ex situ. In in-situ conservation, the endangered species are protected in their natural habitat so that the entire ecosystem is protected. In-situ conservation efforts are reflected in biosphere reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and many sacred groves. Ex situ conservation methods include protective maintenance of threatened species in zoological parks and botanical gardens, in vitro fertilisation, tissue culture propagation and cryopreservation of gametes. Answer : (d)

A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature that is threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Answer:(c)

Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses Answer : (d)

Silent Valley National Park is a national park in Kerala, India. It is located in the Nilgiri hills, has a core area of 89.52 km², which is surrounded by a buffer zone of 148 km². This national park has some rare species of flora and fauna. This area was explored in 1847 by the botanist Robert Wight. Answer : (a)