Environment

The Gond and Korku tribes, primarily residing in the Betul and Harda districts of Madhya Pradesh, observe a month-long ecological campaign during the monsoon season. This tradition involves the large-scale planting of saplings of fruit-bearing trees and is locally known as the 'Hari Jiroti' festival. This practice highlights the deep-rooted connection between these indigenous communities and their environment, showcasing a traditional model of biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management.

1. Painted Stork: These are wading birds and typically feed on fish, frogs, and insects in shallow water. They are not known for following cattle. 2. Common Myna: These are insectivores and often follow cattle or other grazing animals to catch insects flushed out by their movement. 3. Black-necked Crane: These are primarily herbivores and feed on grains, plants, and aquatic vegetation. They are not known for following cattle for insects.

Thus, the correct answer is 2 only.

Pair 1 is correct: The Harike Wetland is formed at the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers in Punjab, India.

Pair 2 is incorrect: Keoladeo Ghana National Park, also known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is not located at the confluence of these rivers. It's a man-made wetland in Rajasthan, located on the confluence of River Gambhir and River Banganga.

Pair 3 is incorrect: Kolleru Lake is a freshwater lake in Andhra Pradesh and is not located where the Musi and Krishna rivers meet. It lies between the Krishna and Godavari deltas.


Thus, only pair one is correctly matched.

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.)

Maize (corn) is a versatile crop with numerous uses.

Statement 1 is correct: Maize is a major source of starch, a carbohydrate used in various food and industrial applications. Cornstarch is a common thickening agent in cooking and is also used in bioplastics and pharmaceuticals.

Statement 2 is correct: Biodiesel Feedstock Corn oil, extracted from the maize germ, can be processed into biodiesel, a renewable fuel alternative to traditional diesel.

Statement 3 is correct: Alcoholic Beverage Production Maize is a key ingredient in various alcoholic beverages, including bourbon whiskey and corn-based ethanol for alcoholic drinks or fuel.

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture focuses on ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. This directly impacts biodiversity as it aims to protect the variety of plant species crucial for food security and ecosystem health.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification addresses land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. Desertification can significantly reduce biodiversity by destroying habitats and reducing plant and animal life. By working to combat desertification, this convention indirectly protects biodiversity.

The World Heritage Convention focuses on preserving cultural and natural heritage sites. Conservation natural heritage sites may contribute to biodiversity conservation. Thus 'D' is the correct answer.

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.

Option A is Correct: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) serves as a financial mechanism for several major international environmental conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Option B is Incorrect: The GEF is a financial organization that provides grants and funding for environmental projects; it is not a scientific research body. Scientific research and assessments are typically conducted by organizations like the IPCC or IPBES.

Option C is Incorrect: The GEF is an independent financial organization, not an agency under the OECD. It was established in 1991 and restructured after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to serve as a mechanism for global environmental cooperation.

Option D is Incorrect: Since only statement A is correct, this option is false.

Statement 1 is correct: Nanoparticles from industry can pollute air, water, and soil due to their small size and resistance to breakdown. This buildup can harm plants, and animals, and even contaminate drinking water.

Statement 2 is correct: Nanoparticles can be inadvertently ingested by plants or animals, entering the food chain. As they move up the food chain, they can bioaccumulate in organisms, potentially causing harm at higher trophic levels.

Statement 3 is correct: Some nanoparticles can trigger the production of free radicals in cells. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can damage cells and contribute to various health problems, including inflammation and cancer.

Wetlands International is a global organisation that works to sustain and restore wetlands and their resources for people and biodiversity.

Statement 1 is incorrect: It is an independent, not-for-profit, global organisation, supported by government and NGO membership from around the world.

Statement 2 is correct: Wetlands International is dedicated to maintaining and restoring wetlands for their environmental values as well as for the services they provide to people. It works at the field level to develop and mobilise knowledge and use this practical experience to advocate for better policies.

Statement 1 is Correct: The steel industry uses coal and coke as fuel and reducing agents; since these contain sulphur, their combustion and the sintering process release oxides of sulphur (SOx). Statement 2 is Correct: High-temperature operations in blast furnaces and heating processes cause atmospheric nitrogen to react with oxygen, leading to the formation of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Statement 3 is Correct: Carbon monoxide (CO) is generated as a byproduct during the reduction of iron ore in the blast furnace and through the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels. Statement 4 is Correct: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major emission resulting from the chemical reduction of iron ore (coke reacting with ore) and the combustion of fossil fuels for energy production.

Statement 1 is correct: Photovoltaic (PV) technology converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors (like silicon) — this is a direct conversion of light to electrical energy. Solar Thermal technology uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight to produce heat, which then drives a turbine to generate electricity (an indirect process).

Statement 2 is incorrect: Photovoltaic systems generate Direct Current (DC), which is usually converted into Alternating Current (AC) through an inverter for grid use. Solar Thermal systems generate heat energy, which is used to produce AC electricity through conventional turbines.

Statement 3 is incorrect: India has a manufacturing base for solar photovoltaics (PV) — including solar cells, modules, and panels (e.g., companies like Adani Solar, Vikram Solar, and Tata Power Solar). The solar thermal manufacturing base in India is limited and largely focused on small-scale applications like water heating.

Contour Bunding is associated with terracing, to check the flow of water on a hill slope in order to reduce soil erosion. This method is crucial for preventing soil erosion and is a part of sustainable land management practices.

The correct answer is Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, and peroxyacetyl nitrate in the presence of sunlight.

* Nitrogen Dioxide: Released mainly from vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions.

* Sunlight: Sunlight's energy initiates the chemical reactions that form smog.

* Volatile Organic Compounds: These are released from gasoline, paints, solvents, and other sources. They react with NO2 in the presence of sunlight.

* Ozone: Ground-level ozone is a major component of photochemical smog, created by the reactions between NO2 and VOCs.

* Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN): PAN is another harmful component of smog, formed in the same reactions.

The simplified process: Sunlight triggers reactions between Nitrogen Dioxide and VOCs, leading to the formation of ozone, PAN, and other noxious components of photochemical smog.

Out of the three organisms listed, only 2. Nostoc is commonly used as a biofertilizer.

Agaricus: This is a type of mushroom and not typically used as a biofertilizer.

Nostoc: This is a filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are one of the main groups of organisms used in biofertilizers due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to plants.

Spirogyra: This is a green alga and not generally used as a biofertilizer.

The correct sequence of ecosystems in order of decreasing productivity is 1. Mangroves > 2. Grasslands > 3. Lakes > 4. Oceans

Mangroves: These coastal ecosystems boast exceptionally high productivity due to several factors. They receive rich nutrients from both land and sea, have a warm climate, and benefit from tidal flushing that brings in fresh nutrients and removes waste products.

Grasslands: These moderate-productivity ecosystems are characterized by abundant grasses and herbaceous plants. Their productivity depends on factors like rainfall, soil quality, and grazing pressure.

Lakes: Freshwater lakes exhibit varying levels of productivity depending on the nutrient availability (oligotrophic - nutrient-poor, eutrophic - nutrient-rich). Generally, they are less productive than mangroves and grasslands.

Oceans: Marine ecosystems, particularly open oceans, have the lowest overall productivity. Nutrient availability is limited in vast stretches of the ocean, leading to a slower rate of organic matter production compared to the other ecosystems listed.

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.


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.

Statement 1 is correct: A food chain shows the linear sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass, from producer → herbivore → carnivore → decomposer.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Food chains are not found within the populations of a species, because technically, the food chain is the sequence of organisms through which the energy flows.

Statement 3 is incorrect: A food chain does not show the number of organisms, it only shows the feeding relationship and energy flow.

In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in an ecosystem.

More formally, the niche includes how a population responds to the abundance of its resources and enemies (e.g., by growing when resources are abundant, and predators, parasites, and pathogens are scarce) and how it affects those same factors (e.g., by reducing the abundance of resources through consumption and contributing to the population growth of enemies by falling prey to them).

Gause's competitive exclusion principle says that those species having identical requirements cannot occupy the same niche indefinitely.

The precipitation is so erratic that drought and fire prevent large forests from growing.

- Grasses can survive fires because they grow from the bottom instead of the top.

- Their stems can grow again after being burned off.

- The soil of most grasslands is also too thin and dry for trees to survive.

Statement 1 is Correct: The Gharial (*Gavialis gangeticus*) is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. It has faced a drastic population decline due to habitat loss, prey depletion, and entanglement in fishing nets.

Statement 2 is Correct: The Leatherback turtle (*Dermochelys coriacea*) is categorized as Vulnerable globally on the IUCN Red List. In India, it is a high-priority conservation species found primarily in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Statement 3 is Correct: The Swamp deer (*Rucervus duvaucelii*), or Barasingha, is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It faces threats from habitat fragmentation and conversion of grasslands to agricultural land.

In the context of this UPSC question, the term "endangered" is used as a general descriptor for species facing a significant threat of extinction. Under the IUCN Red List, the categories of Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), and Vulnerable (VU) are collectively referred to as 'Threatened' species. Since all three animals fall into these high-risk categories and are protected under Schedule I of India's Wildlife Protection Act, they are all considered endangered in the broader sense of the term.

Statement 1 is Correct: The lion-tailed macaque is endemic to the Western Ghats, and its natural habitat includes the evergreen forests of Tamil Nadu, such as the Anaimalai Hills. Statement 2 is Correct: Kerala hosts a significant portion of the population, particularly in the Silent Valley National Park, which is known for having the largest contiguous population of this species. Statement 3 is Correct: The species is found in the rainforests of the Western Ghats within Karnataka, specifically in regions like the Sirsi-Honnavara and Kudremukh ranges. Statement 4 is Incorrect: The lion-tailed macaque is strictly endemic to the Western Ghats of South India; it is not found in Andhra Pradesh, as the state's geography primarily consists of the Eastern Ghats and coastal plains where this species does not occur naturally.

Out of the listed elements, the following are released into the environment due to improper e-waste disposal:

1. Beryllium 2. Cadmium 3. Chromium 5. Mercury 6. Lead

Here's why these elements are found in e-waste and why the others are not:

Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Mercury, and Lead: These are all heavy metals commonly used in various electronic components like circuit boards, batteries, and monitors. Improper disposal of e-waste can cause these toxic materials to leach into the soil and water, posing environmental and health risks.

Heptachlor: This is an organic compound historically used as an insecticide. While it may have been present in some older electronic equipment, it's not a typical component of modern electronics and wouldn't be a major concern in e-waste disposal.

Plutonium: This is a radioactive element primarily used in nuclear weapons and reactors. It's not a component of electronic devices and wouldn't be present in e-waste.

So, the answer should not contain 4 and 7.

Acid rain is caused by the pollution of the environment by primarily sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

These pollutants are released into the atmosphere during the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, for electricity generation and from the exhaust of vehicles.

When they reach the atmosphere, they react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulphuric and nitric acid, which fall back to Earth as acid rain.

The species found in India among the given options are the Star Tortoise, Monitor Lizard, and Pygmy Hog.

1. Star Tortoise (*Geochelone elegans*): It is found in the dry scrub forests of India (specifically in the south and west), Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. 2. Monitor Lizard: India is home to four species: the Bengal Monitor, the Water Monitor, the Desert Monitor, and the Yellow Monitor. All four species are protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. 3. Pygmy Hog (*Porcula salvania*): It is the smallest and rarest wild pig in the world. Once found across the Himalayan foothills, it is now restricted to a few locations in India, primarily the Manas National Park in Assam. It is listed as Critically Endangered. 4. Spider Monkey: These are New World monkeys native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America (from southern Mexico to Brazil). They are not found in the wild in India.

Therefore, the correct answer is 1, 2, and 3 only.

Arsenic, fluoride, and uranium are naturally occurring elements that can leach into groundwater in some regions of India.

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol not typically found as a pollutant in drinking water.

Formaldehyde is a synthetic compound used in various industrial processes and is not a common contaminant in groundwater.