Environment & Ecology Expected Question Set-3 – Static GK – Free PDF Download

Q) Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has initiated a group insurance cover for the courageous forest staff of the which National Park?

1. Manas National Park
2. Kaziranga National Park
3. Orang National Park
4. Nameri National Park

Kaziranga :-

• Famous for One Horned Rhino.
• National Park.
• UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Tiger Reserve.

India’s first Tree Ambulance was inaugurated in Chennai :-

• On the occasion of World Environment Day.
• It will spread environmental awareness by catering to uprooted trees and o”ering other related
• The tree ambulance aims at o”ering services like seed ball distribution, plant distribution, aiding tree plantation, shifting and survey of trees as well as the removal of dead trees.
• The idea of a tree ambulance is to save trees by caring for sick ones and helping bring back uprooted trees and protect the trees. By 2020, the aim is to have one tree ambulance for all the  districts in India.

Q) Which has become India’s first historical monument to have a breastfeeding room?

1. Ajanta caves
2. Taj Mahal
3. Agra Fort
4. Khajuraho Temple

India’s Only Orangutan, Binny passed away in Odisha Zoological Park.

1. The condition of orangutans in their distribution area, Borneo and Sumatra, is precarious.
2. Palm oil commercial production is destroying their habitat.
3. Orangutans give us a direct example of deforestation a”ecting wildlife. Orangutans are not migratory animals and stay rooted in their area. So they su”er more.
4. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there are three species of orangutans — Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli.
5. All three kinds of orangutans are listed as “Critically Endangered” by IUCN.

• ‘Kala jeera’ (black cumin) and ‘Chulli ‘(dried apricot) oil of Himachal Pradesh received Geographical Indication (GI) tag, From Kinnaur Both are organic and said to have medicinal properties.

Animal in News

• Malaysia’s last known Sumatran rhino died :-

1. The last surviving Sumatran Rhino in Malaysia, Iman, died in Borneo Rhino Sanctuary. The Rhino died of cancer. With this Sumatran rhino have become EXTINCT in Malaysia
2. Sumatran rhinos have been hard hit by poaching and habitat loss, but the biggest threat facing the species today is the fragmented nature of their populations. E”orts to breed the species in Malaysia  have so far failed.
3. Five rhino species can be found today, two in Africa and three in Asia The Asian species include the Sumatran rhino, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, which is the smallest living rhino species
4. It is the only Asian rhino with two horns.
5. IUCN Status – critically endangered.

Q) Which is not correctly matched

1. India’s first Orchidarium – Upper Shillong
2. India’s first Arachnarium – Jabalpur
3. India’s first insect museum – Coimbatore

Options :

1. A & B
2. Only C
3. Only B
4. None of these

• The first Orchidarium in India was opened for tourists at Upper Shillong in Meghalaya
• It has climate controlled system and displays several species of orchids.
• Orchidarium was made functional by the Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), an autonomous institute of Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology
• North-east India houses about 900 species of orchids while Meghalaya houses 439 species.
• Many species are little known and are facing various threats both natural and anthropogenic. Unregulated wild collection of many species with ornamental values poses a big threat to their existence
• The estimated global trade of floriculture is 80 Billion USD. India shares a very low pie of this stake and still holds a meagre 0.6% of the total floriculture exports.
• The Indian Floriculture market was worth INR 130 Billion in 2017. The market is further projected to reach INR 394 Billion by 2023, at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 20% during 2018-2023

ORCHID CENSUS

• The Botanical Survey of India has come up with the first comprehensive census of orchids of India putting the total number of orchid species or taxa to 1,256.
• Orchids can be broadly categorised into three life forms:
• epiphytic (plants growing on another plants including those growing on rock boulders and often termed lithophyte)
• terrestrial (plants growing on land and climbers)
• mycoheterotrophic (plants which derive nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi that are attached to the roots of a vascular plant).
• About 60% of all orchids found in the country, which is 757 species, are epiphytic, 447 are terrestrial and 43 are mycoheterotrophic.
• The epiphytic orchids are abundant up to 1800 m above the sea level and their occurrence decreases with the increase in altitude.
• Terrestrial orchids, which grow directly on soil, are found in large numbers in temperate and alpine region
• Mycoheterotrophic orchids, mostly associated with ectomycorrhizal fungi, are found in temperate regions, or are found growing with parasites in tropical regions.
• A State-wise distribution of orchid species point out that the Himalayas, North-East parts of the country and Western Ghats are the hot-spots of the beautiful plant species.
• The highest number of orchid species is recorded from Arunachal Pradesh with 612 species, followed by Sikkim 560 species and West Bengal; Darjeeling Himalayas have also high species concentration, with  479 species. While north-east India rank at the top in species concentration, the Western Ghats have high  endemism of orchids.
• Marked by extremely beautiful flowers with unique shape and ornamentation, orchids have complex floral structure that facilitates biotic cross-pollination & makes them evolutionarily superior to the other plant
• Another interesting factor is that the entire orchid family is listed under appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and hence any  trade of wild orchid is banned globally.

National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

• A total of 122 cities were asked to reduce particulate pollution by 20-30% by 2024 from 2017 levels — they are expected to achieve an annual reduction of at least 6 per cent per year to meet the target.
• The Union Budget 2020 allocated ₹4,400 crores for National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for the year 2020-21. This is nearly ten times more than year 2019’s allocation of ₹460 crores for the said programme.

Q) Consider the following statements:

1. Malarial parasites are called anopheles.
2. WHO classifies a country as malaria-free if it has interrupted indigenous transmission of the disease for at least 3 consecutive years.

Options :

• Both A & B are correct
• Only A is correct
• Only B is correct
• Neither of the options is correct

WHO declared Algeria and Argentina as malaria-free.

• The certification is granted when a country proves that it has interrupted indigenous transmission of the disease for at least 3 consecutive years.
• Contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito, malaria remains one of the world’s leading killers, with an estimated 219 million cases and over 400 000 malaria-related deaths in 2017.
• Approximately 60% of fatalities are among children aged under 5 years.
• French physician Laveran discovered the malaria parasite in Algeria in 1880.
• Dr Ronald Ross’s discovery of the malarial parasite in the gastrointestinal tract of a mosquito in 1897 proved that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes.

Beekeeping Development Committee under EAC-PM released its report.

• Beekeeping Development Committee under the Chairmanship of Professor Bibek Debroy.
• Beekeeping can help in improving agricultural productivity, enhancing employment generation, augmenting nutritional security and sustaining biodiversity.
• Recommendations of the report
  1. Recognizing honeybees as inputs to agriculture and. considering landless Beekeepers as farmers
  2. Plantation of bee friendly flora at appropriate places and engaging women self-help groups in managing such plantations.
  3. Institutionalizing the National Bee Board and rechristening it as the Honey and Pollinators Board of India under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
  4. Setting up of new Integrated Bee Development Centre
  5. Creating a honey price stabilization fund and collection of data on important aspects of apiculture.
  6. Recognition of apiculture as a subject for advanced research under the aegis of Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
  7. Training and development of beekeepers by state governments.
  8. Development of national and regional infrastructure for storage, processing and marketing of honey and other bee products.
  9. Simplifying procedures and specifying clear standards for ease of exporting honey and other bee
• Significance of Beekeeping:
  1. As per FAO, in 2017-18, India ranked eighth in the world in terms of honey production (64.9 thousand tonnes) while China stood first with a production level of 551 thousand tonnes.
  2. Further, beekeeping can be an important contributor in achieving the 2022 target of doubling farmer incomes.
  3. Cannot be restricted to honey and wax only, products such as pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom are also marketable and can greatly help Indian farmers.
  4. India has a potential of about 200 million bee colonies as against 3.4 million bee colonies Increasing the number of bee colonies will not only increase the production of bee-related products  but will boost overall agricultural and horticultural productivity.

The WHO has unveiled a new strategy to deal with deaths and injuries from snakebites in  which the target to has been set to cut the snakebite-related deaths and disabilities by 50%  by 2030.

• WHO has given a warning that a scarcity of antivenoms could soon spark a “public health emergency”.
• Each year, nearly three million people are bitten by poisonous snakes, with an estimated 81,000-138,000 Another 400,000 survivors su”er permanent disabilities and other after-e”ects, according to  WHO
• Snake venom can cause paralysis that stops breathing, bleeding disorders that can lead to fatal haemorrhage, irreversible kidney failure and tissue damage that can cause permanent disability and  limb loss.
• Most snakebite victims live in the world’s tropical and poorest regions, and children are worse affected due to their smaller body size.
• WHO has already categorised “snakebite envenoming” as a Neglected Tropical Disease.
• WHO wants to restore a sustainable market for snakebite treatment. There is need for a 25-percent increase in the number of competent manufacturers by 2030.
• A significant challenge in manufacturing of antivenoms is the preparation of the correct immunogens (snake venoms). At present very few countries have capacity to produce snake venoms of adequate  quality for antivenom manufacture, and many manufacturers rely on common commercial sources. These  may not properly reflect the geographical variation that occurs in the venoms of some widespread
• In addition, lack of regulatory capacity for the control of antivenoms in countries with significant snake bite problems results in an inability to assess the quality and appropriateness of the antivenoms.
• Poor data on the number and type of snake bites have led to di culty in estimating needs
• Poor regulation and the marketing of inappropriate or poor quality antivenoms has also resulted in a loss of confidence in some of the available antivenoms by clinicians, health managers, and patients,  which has further eroded demand.

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