UPSC 2014 Environment & Ecology PYQs with Answers

The Animal Welfare Board of India was set up under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, so statement 1 is wrong. NTCA is a statutory body, and the National Ganga River Basin Authority was chaired by the Prime Minister.

Eco-Sensitive Zones are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not the Wildlife (Protection) Act. They regulate and restrict specified activities; they do not prohibit all human activity except agriculture.

Diatoms are primary producers. Crustaceans feed on them, and herrings feed on small crustaceans. Therefore the chain is diatoms -> crustaceans -> herrings.

Earth Hour is a WWF-led movement, not an UNEP/UNESCO initiative. It asks participants to switch off lights for one hour annually to raise awareness about climate change and planetary conservation.

Plant genetic resources, combating desertification and world heritage conservation all have links to biodiversity conservation, genetic resources, ecosystems or protected natural/cultural landscapes.

Neem oil is used as a botanical pesticide and has pharmaceutical applications. The statement about neem seeds being used for both biofuels and hospital detergents is not accepted as correct in this formulation.

Beyond about 3 degrees C warming, scientific assessments warn that the terrestrial biosphere may become a net carbon source and widespread coral mortality can occur. The claims that all wetlands disappear or cereals become impossible everywhere are extreme and unsupported.

Biosphere reserves are designed to conserve biodiversity while also allowing compatible traditional human life and sustainable use through zonation.

Harike wetland is at the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej. Keoladeo Ghana is not at the Banas-Chambal confluence, and Kolleru Lake lies between the Krishna and Godavari deltas, not at the Musi-Krishna confluence.

India has coral reefs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Kachchh and Gulf of Mannar. The Sundarbans are mangrove wetlands, not a coral-reef area.

The campaign referred to is associated with Gond and Korku communities, who plant fruit-bearing saplings as part of the ecological/community observance.

Steel plants release sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide through fuel combustion, coking, sintering and furnace operations.

Lichens are symbiotic associations between algae, which photosynthesize, and fungi, which provide structure, protection and moisture retention. They can colonize bare rock and begin succession.

Common mynas commonly follow grazing cattle and catch insects disturbed by their movement. Painted storks and black-necked cranes are not the typical cattle-following countryside birds described.

Volcanic activity, respiration and decay of organic matter release carbon dioxide into the carbon cycle. Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so it is not an adding process here.

Brominated flame retardants are persistent organic pollutants of concern because they resist degradation and can bioaccumulate in humans and animals.

Dams and barrages fragment river habitat, fishing nets can accidentally trap dolphins, and agricultural chemicals can pollute river systems. Increased crocodile population is not a standard cited reason for Ganges river dolphin decline.

Wetlands International is not an intergovernmental body created only by Ramsar signatories. It is an international conservation organization that works at field level, builds practical knowledge and advocates better wetland policies.

Dampa Tiger Reserve is in Mizoram and Saramati Peak is in Nagaland. Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is in Tripura, not Sikkim.

The Global Environment Facility functions as a financial mechanism for major environmental conventions including the CBD and UNFCCC. It is not primarily a global scientific research body or an OECD agency.

BNHS is a non-governmental conservation and research organization, not an autonomous organization under the Ministry. Its work includes action-based research, education, public awareness, nature trails and camps.

The Montreux Record is a register under the Ramsar Convention for wetlands where ecological character has changed, is changing or is likely to change because of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.