Biodiversity, Protected Areas and Species MCQs for UPSC Prelims

This Biodiversity, Protected Areas and Species MCQ practice paper for UPSC Prelims has 15 carefully selected questions on biodiversity hotspots, national parks, biosphere reserves, wetlands, conservation bodies and endangered species. Each answer comes with a simple explanation, so you can strengthen your concepts while you practise.

Why Biodiversity and Protected Areas Matters

Environment is one of the highest-yielding subjects of the Prelims, and biodiversity is its largest part. UPSC asks about species in the news, protected areas, IUCN categories and conservation laws. The questions often mix current events with static concepts, so a student needs both the facts and the logic. This paper tests the basics of that area.

Instructions

• Total questions: 15. Suggested time: 15 minutes.
• Each correct answer gives 2 marks and each wrong answer deducts 0.66 marks, as in the real Prelims.
• Attempt the questions first and check the answer key only after you finish.

Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the following is a biodiversity hotspot in India?
(a) Thar Desert
(b) Western Ghats and Sri Lanka
(c) Deccan Plateau
(d) Gangetic Plains

Q2. The Wildlife (Protection) Act in India was enacted in which year?
(a) 1962
(b) 1972
(c) 1986
(d) 2002

Q3. Which of the following is a Ramsar site in India?
(a) Chilika Lake
(b) Dal Lake
(c) Pushkar Lake
(d) Lonar Lake

Q4. Which of the following is a 'critically endangered' bird in India, as per the IUCN Red List?
(a) Great Indian Bustard
(b) House Sparrow
(c) Indian Peafowl
(d) Common Myna

Q5. The Silent Valley National Park is located in:
(a) Karnataka
(b) Kerala
(c) Tamil Nadu
(d) Andhra Pradesh

Q6. Which animal is the flagship species of Kaziranga National Park?
(a) Asiatic lion
(b) One-horned rhinoceros
(c) Snow leopard
(d) Red panda

Q7. The Gir National Park is the natural habitat of:
(a) Bengal tiger
(b) Asiatic lion
(c) Indian elephant
(d) Snow leopard

Q8. Which of the following is a biosphere reserve in India?
(a) Nilgiri
(b) Corbett
(c) Ranthambore
(d) Bandipur

Q9. Which category of the IUCN Red List is the most threatened after 'Extinct in the Wild'?
(a) Endangered
(b) Critically Endangered
(c) Vulnerable
(d) Near Threatened

Q10. In-situ conservation means the conservation of species:
(a) In zoos
(b) In their natural habitat
(c) In seed banks
(d) In botanical gardens

Q11. Mangrove forests in India are largest in:
(a) Sundarbans
(b) Bhitarkanika
(c) Godavari delta
(d) Pichavaram

Q12. Which of the following is NOT a national park in the Himalayan region?
(a) Great Himalayan National Park
(b) Valley of Flowers
(c) Nanda Devi
(d) Periyar

Q13. The 'Project Elephant' was launched in:
(a) 1973
(b) 1992
(c) 2000
(d) 2010

Q14. Which of the following is an invasive alien species in India?
(a) Water hyacinth
(b) Neem
(c) Banyan
(d) Sal

Q15. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has its headquarters at:
(a) Paris
(b) Gland (Switzerland)
(c) Nairobi
(d) Geneva

Answer Key with Explanations

1. Q1: (b) India has hotspots in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, the Himalaya, Indo-Burma and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).
2. Q2: (b) The Wildlife (Protection) Act was passed in 1972 and has been amended many times. Project Tiger started in 1973.
3. Q3: (a) Chilika Lake in Odisha was the first Indian Ramsar site designated, together with Keoladeo National Park.
4. Q4: (a) The Great Indian Bustard is Critically Endangered. The Indian peafowl and the house sparrow are of Least Concern.
5. Q5: (b) Silent Valley is in the Palakkad district of Kerala, in the Western Ghats, and is famous for the lion-tailed macaque.
6. Q6: (b) Kaziranga in Assam is famous for the Indian one-horned rhinoceros. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
7. Q7: (b) The Gir forest in Gujarat is the only natural home of the Asiatic lion in the world.
8. Q8: (a) The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first in India (1986). Corbett, Ranthambore and Bandipur are tiger reserves and national parks.
9. Q9: (b) The order is: Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct.
10. Q10: (b) In-situ conservation protects species in their natural habitats, such as national parks and sanctuaries. Ex-situ methods include zoos and seed banks.
11. Q11: (a) The Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest mangrove forest in the world, and is the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger.
12. Q12: (d) Periyar is in Kerala, in the Western Ghats. The other three are in the Himalayan states.
13. Q13: (b) Project Elephant was launched in 1992 to protect elephants and their habitats and corridors.
14. Q14: (a) Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an invasive alien species that blocks waterbodies. Neem, banyan and sal are native.
15. Q15: (b) IUCN is headquartered at Gland in Switzerland, and it publishes the Red List of threatened species.

Key Concepts to Revise After This Test

Quick Fact Sheet

• Project Tiger was launched in 1973, and India has a large number of the world's tigers.
• The Ramsar Convention (1971) is about the conservation of wetlands.
• CITES controls the international trade in endangered species.
• The Biological Diversity Act 2002 set up the National Biodiversity Authority at Chennai.
• Biosphere reserves have a core, a buffer and a transition zone.
• The Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a biodiversity hotspot.
• The Great Indian Bustard is the state bird of Rajasthan.

How to Prepare Biodiversity and Protected Areas for the Prelims

For Biodiversity, build three lists and revise them every week: the protected areas with their states and animals, the species in the news with their IUCN status, and the international conventions with their year and purpose. Always keep an Indian map in front of you. For every news item about a species, note the habitat, the threat and the conservation step. You can also read our free Environment and Ecology notes for simple revision, and use our other practice papers on the site for mixed practice.

Tricks for Solving Biodiversity and Protected Areas Questions

• Learn the "flagship species" of each park. Kaziranga with the rhino, Gir with the lion, Silent Valley with the lion-tailed macaque.
• Know the IUCN order. Questions ask which category is higher or lower in the threat scale.
• Use geography. The location of a park in a hill, desert or coast can help in removing the wrong options.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Mixing up national parks with biosphere reserves.
• Confusing the IUCN categories, especially Endangered and Critically Endangered.
• Not knowing the difference between in-situ and ex-situ methods.
• Ignoring the species in the news and the latest Ramsar sites.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many questions come from Environment in the UPSC Prelims?

Environment and Ecology often gives 10 to 18 questions, and biodiversity is a large part of it.

How many biodiversity hotspots are there in India?

India has four biodiversity hotspots: the Himalaya, the Western Ghats, Indo-Burma and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).

What is the difference between a national park and a sanctuary?

A national park has stronger protection, and human activities are mostly not allowed, while a sanctuary allows some activities with permission.

What is a biosphere reserve?

It is a protected area that conserves biodiversity and also supports sustainable use by local people, with a core, a buffer and a transition zone.

What does the IUCN Red List show?

It lists the species with their threat category, such as Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered.

How should I prepare species in the news?

Make a short table with the species, habitat, IUCN status, threat and the conservation step, and revise it weekly.

Is Environment useful in Mains too?

Yes. It is a part of GS III, and it also helps in the Essay and in Ethics case studies.