Biodiversity Conservation & Protected Areas

Statement 1 is correct: At such high temperatures, tipping points like widespread forest dieback and permafrost thaw would release vast amounts of stored carbon, causing the land to emit more carbon than it absorbs. Statement 2 is correct: Scientific consensus indicates that even at 2°C of warming, over 99% of coral reefs are expected to be lost. A 3°C rise would ensure their catastrophic and widespread collapse. Statement 3 is incorrect: The word "All" is an extreme overstatement. While many wetlands would be severely damaged or lost, it is not scientifically plausible that every single one would disappear permanently. Statement 4 is incorrect: The term "anywhere" is an exaggeration. While global food production would be devastated, cultivation would not become impossible everywhere; it might shift to new, higher-latitude regions.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Animal Welfare Board of India is established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, not the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Statement 2 is correct: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006. Thus, NTCA is a statutory body. It is responsible for the implementation of Project Tiger. Statement 3 is correct: The National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) was constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and was chaired by the Prime Minister. It aimed to plan and coordinate measures for the conservation and management of the Ganga River. (It was later replaced by the National Ganga Council in 2016.)

* Biosphere Reserves are special entities (sites) for how human beings and nature can co-exist while respecting each other's needs.
* Biosphere Reserve is an area of active cooperation between the management and the local people, wherein activities like settlements, cropping, forestry, recreation, and other economic activities that are in harmony with the conservation goals. * B is incorrect because People don't live in botanical gardens with plants. * C is incorrect because, in the National park, human activity is totally prohibited.

Statement 1 is correct: This is a major threat. Dams fragment the river habitat, hinder migration patterns, and can disrupt prey availability for the dolphins. Statement 2 is incorrect: While competition might exist, it's not a cause of decline. A healthy river ecosystem can support both dolphins and crocodiles. Statement 3 is correct: This is a significant threat, as dolphins can get caught in fishing gear and drown. Statement 4 is correct: Runoff from agricultural lands can pollute rivers with pesticides and fertilizers. These pollutants can harm the dolphins' health and prey species. Thus 1,3, and 4 are the causes of the decline in the Ganga River Dolphins.

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Dampa Tiger Reserve or Dampha Tiger Reserve, the largest wildlife sanctuary in Mizoram, India, was notified in 1985 and declared a Tiger Reserve in 1994. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is in Tripura. Pair 3 correctly matched: Mt. Saramati is the highest peak in Nagaland.

Gharial – Critically Endangered. Its population has drastically declined due to habitat loss and fishing nets. Leatherback turtle – Vulnerable globally, but in India, it is considered Endangered due to threats like egg poaching and marine pollution. Swamp deer (Barasingha) – Vulnerable, with some subspecies like the Rucervus duvaucelii ranjitsinhi critically endangered. In general, considered endangered in certain regions. All three species are under some form of high threat and are considered endangered in India. _NOTE: Endangered means a species is at risk, and IUCN considers Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable as Endangered species. Thus, all the given species are endangered. _ Do not confuse with the IUCN status of the given species; UPSC did not mention the IUCN status in the question.

Out of the listed pairs, only Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is correctly matched to Garo Hills. Pair 1 is correctly matched: Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is situated in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Logtak (Loktak) Lake (famous for Phumdis) is located in Manipur, not the Barail Range (which is a mountain range in Assam). Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Namdapha National Park is indeed found in Arunachal Pradesh, but not specifically in the Dafla Hills region. It's on the eastern border with Myanmar.

The Star tortoise, Monitor lizard, and Pygmy Hog are all species that are naturally found in India. * The Star tortoise is a medium-sized species of tortoise found in the dry and arid forests of India. * Monitor lizards are prevalent in India, with four kinds occurring: Bengal monitor lizard, water monitor lizard, desert monitor lizard, and yellow monitor lizard. * The Pygmy Hog is a critically endangered species that was once found in Bhutan, Nepal, and India, but is now only found in India. * However, Spider monkeys are not found in India. They live in tropical climates, specifically the evergreen forests of Central and South America. Therefore, the correct answer is 1, 2, and 3 only.

Pair 1 is incorrect: Ramganga River (not the Ganga River) passes through Jim Corbett National Park, located in Uttarakhand state, which is the oldest national park of India. Pair 2 is incorrect: Kaziranga in Assam is a vast stretch of tall elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests crisscrossed by four main rivers Brahmaputra, Diphlu, Mora Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri and has numerous small water bodies. Pair 3 is incorrect: The Kunthipuzha River passes through the Silent Valley National Park, located in the Kerala state. Thus, no pair is correctly matched.

* The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), or the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. * A recent assessment for IUCN reports 3000-3500 of these animals live scattered over several areas in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. * The lion-tailed macaque ranks among the rarest and most threatened primates. * IUCN Status: Endangered. * Silent Valley has the largest number of lion-tailed macaques in South India.