Protected Areas for the Biodiversity Conservation: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Environment and Ecology)
22 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on protected areas are on this page, from 2010 to 2023. UPSC asks about tiger reserves and Critical Tiger Habitats, national parks and their special features, biosphere reserves, Ramsar wetlands and conservation methods. The explanations place each area in its State and tell you what it is known for.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 21–22 of 22 questions
Browse by year
UPSC 2010Environment and Ecology · Protected Areas for the Biodiversity Conservation
Q21. Consider the following statements: 1. The boundaries of a National Park are defined by legislation. 2. A Biosphere Reserve is declared to conserve a few specific species of flora and fauna. 3. In a Wildlife Sanctuary, limited biotic interference is permitted. Which of the statements given above is / correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: National Parks in India are designated under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and their boundaries are clearly defined by legal statutes. This is done to ensure strict protection and conservation of biodiversity, and no human activity is allowed within the park unless specifically authorized.
Statement 2 is incorrect. Biosphere Reserves, designated under the Man and Biosphere Reserves Programme of UNESCO started in 1971 by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Biosphere Reserves are established to conserve biodiversity in its entirety, not just a few specific species. These reserves focus on both species and ecosystems in a sustainable manner, including human communities. They aim for ecological conservation, research, and sustainable use of natural resources.
Statement 3 is correct: In Wildlife Sanctuaries, human activity and biotic interference are allowed in certain circumstances, like grazing or collection of non-timber forest products, as long as they do not harm the wildlife or environment. The level of interference is regulated based on the sanctuary’s management plan.
UPSC 2010Environment and Ecology · Protected Areas for the Biodiversity Conservation
Q22. India is a party to the Ramsar Convention and has declared many areas as Ramsar sites. Which of the following statements best describes how we should maintain these sites in the context of this convention?
Explanation
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an international treaty focused on the conservation and sustainable use of wet-lands worldwide. It promotes the ecosystem approach to con-serve wetland sites while ensuring their sustainable use, aiming to preserve ecosystem services like flood regulation, water purification, and biodiversity habitat, while benefiting local communities economically and socially. The Convention’s mission is to support the conservation and wise use of wetlands through local, national, and international efforts to achieve sustainable devel-opment globally. The Ramsar Convention was signed on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran. India became a party to the convention and has since designated several wetlands as Ramsar sites to protect and sustainably manage these ecologically important areas.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
21
2010
(c) 1 and 3 only
22
2010
(d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
What UPSC has tested in Protected Areas for the Biodiversity Conservation
Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur is unique as a swamp with floating vegetation.
The Valley of Flowers National Park lies completely in the temperate alpine zone.
Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Arunachal Pradesh.
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam has the largest area under Critical Tiger Habitat among the tiger reserves asked.
The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve includes Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney wildlife sanctuaries.
The Miyawaki method is used to create mini forests.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Protected Areas for the Biodiversity Conservation?
This page covers 22 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Protected Areas for the Biodiversity Conservation (Environment and Ecology), asked from 2010 to 2023. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Which national park is a swamp with floating vegetation?
Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur, on Loktak Lake. Its floating mats of vegetation, called phumdis, support the sangai, the brow-antlered deer, which is found nowhere else in the wild.
What is the Miyawaki method?
A technique developed by the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki to create dense, fast-growing mini forests by planting many native species very close together. It is used in cities and on degraded land.
Where is the Valley of Flowers National Park?
In Uttarakhand, in the western Himalaya. It lies entirely in the temperate alpine zone and is known for meadows of alpine flowers, and it is part of the Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers World Heritage Site.
