Chapter 3 · Topic 3.3 · Prelims + Mains3 of 3
Biodiversity: Ex-situ conservation: zoos, seed and gene banks
Key points
- Ex-situ conservation: zoos, seed and gene banks
9 PYQs 2015–2026
Prelims box: facts and traps
| Method | Detail |
|---|---|
| Zoos and conservation breeding centres | Captive breeding for reintroduction, e.g. vultures and gharials; regulated by the Central Zoo Authority |
| Botanical gardens and arboreta | Living plant collections |
| Seed banks | Dried seeds stored at low temperature; the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway (opened 2008) is a global back-up |
| Gene banks | Seeds, pollen, tissues and DNA; ICAR-NBPGR in New Delhi runs India's National Gene Bank for crops |
| Cryopreservation | Storage in liquid nitrogen at about −196 °C |
| Tissue culture | Growing plants from small tissue pieces in sterile media. |
- The Nagoya Protocol (adopted 2010, in force 12 October 2014) gives effect to the CBD's third objective.
- The IPBES Global Assessment (Paris, May 2019) estimated that around one million species face extinction.
- Under Article 17, a permit or its equivalent registered with the ABS Clearing-House becomes an internationally recognised certificate of compliance.
- Trap: The CITES secretariat is also administered by UNEP, from Geneva, not by UNESCO, which instead hosts the World Heritage Convention.
Ex-situ conservation: zoos, seed and gene banks
Ex-situ conservation keeps species or their genetic material outside their natural habitat. It is a back-up for species that are critically low in the wild and for crop diversity.
| Method | Detail |
|---|---|
| Zoos and conservation breeding centres | Captive breeding for reintroduction, e.g. vultures and gharials; regulated by the Central Zoo Authority |
| Botanical gardens and arboreta | Living plant collections |
| Seed banks | Dried seeds stored at low temperature; the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway (opened 2008) is a global back-up |
| Gene banks | Seeds, pollen, tissues and DNA; ICAR-NBPGR in New Delhi runs India’s National Gene Bank for crops |
| Cryopreservation | Storage in liquid nitrogen at about −196 °C |
| Tissue culture | Growing plants from small tissue pieces in sterile media |
Limits: captive populations lose genetic variety and wild behaviour, and seeds of many tropical plants cannot survive drying (recalcitrant seeds). Ex-situ work therefore supports, but cannot replace, in-situ protection.
Mains box: analysis and answer points
- Limits: captive populations lose genetic variety and wild behaviour, and seeds of many tropical plants cannot survive drying (recalcitrant seeds).
- Limits: captive populations lose genetic variety and wild behaviour, and seeds of many tropical plants cannot survive drying (recalcitrant seeds).
- Ex-situ conservation keeps species or their genetic material outside their natural habitat.
- Likely next angle: −196 °C
Practice
Practice MCQs (8)
A species whose influence on the structure and functioning of its community is disproportionately large relative to its abundance, so that its removal causes major changes in the ecosystem, is called a
Answer (d) & explanation
A keystone species, like the keystone of an arch, holds the community together: its effect is large compared with its numbers or biomass, and its loss can trigger a cascade of changes. Classic examples are top predators such as the sea otter or the tiger, and fig trees that feed many fruit-eating animals in lean seasons. A dominant species is important because it is the most abundant, a flagship species is a charismatic symbol for campaigns, and an indicator species signals environmental conditions.
NCERT groups the major causes of the accelerated loss of biodiversity under the 'Evil Quartet'. Consider the following:
1. Habitat loss and fragmentation
2. Over-exploitation
3. Alien species invasions
4. Co-extinctions
5. Genetic drift in very large populations
How many of the above are included in the 'Evil Quartet'?
Answer (c) & explanation
Only four, items 1 to 4. The Evil Quartet is the sobriquet NCERT uses for the four major causes of biodiversity loss: habitat loss and fragmentation (the most important cause), over-exploitation (as with Steller's sea cow and the passenger pigeon), alien species invasions (such as the Nile perch in Lake Victoria) and co-extinctions. Genetic drift is a random change in gene frequencies that matters mostly in very small populations; it is not one of the four causes.
With reference to Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), consider the following statements:
1. IBAs are identified by BirdLife International and its national partners using standardised, globally agreed criteria.
2. A Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas was published by IUCN in 2016.
3. Once a site is identified as a KBA, it automatically becomes a legally protected area in that country.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas are identified by BirdLife International and its national partners (in India, the Bombay Natural History Society) using standard criteria based on threatened, range-restricted, biome-restricted and congregatory birds. IBAs form a large part of the wider network of Key Biodiversity Areas, for which IUCN published a Global Standard in 2016. Identification as a KBA is a scientific recognition of global importance; it does not by itself create legal protection, which depends on national law.
With reference to the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services published by IPBES in 2019, consider the following statements:
1. It estimated that around one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades.
2. It identified changes in land and sea use as the direct driver with the largest relative impact on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, while direct exploitation, mainly fishing, had the largest impact in the oceans.
3. It ranked climate change as the single largest direct driver of nature's decline across all ecosystems.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The IPBES Global Assessment (Paris, May 2019) estimated that around one million species face extinction. It ranked five direct drivers in descending order of global impact: changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species. Land-use change leads on land and in freshwater, while direct exploitation, chiefly fishing, leads in the marine realm. Climate change ranks third overall, though its impact is growing, so statement 3 is wrong.
With reference to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, consider the following statements:
1. It requires access to genetic resources to be subject to the prior informed consent of the providing country and to mutually agreed terms, unless that country decides otherwise.
2. A permit issued at the time of access and made available to the Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing-House constitutes an internationally recognised certificate of compliance.
3. Any State may become a Party to the Nagoya Protocol even if it is not a Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Nagoya Protocol (adopted 2010, in force 12 October 2014) gives effect to the CBD's third objective. Under Article 6, access to genetic resources is subject to the prior informed consent of the provider country, unless it decides otherwise, and benefits are shared on mutually agreed terms. Under Article 17, a permit or its equivalent registered with the ABS Clearing-House becomes an internationally recognised certificate of compliance. The Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the CBD and is open only to Parties to the Convention, so statement 3 is wrong.
With reference to the levels of biodiversity, consider the following statements:
1. Variation in the potency and concentration of the active chemical reserpine in Rauwolfia vomitoria growing in different Himalayan ranges is an example of genetic diversity.
2. The existence of a very large number of genetically different strains of rice and of mango varieties in India illustrates genetic diversity.
3. The Eastern Ghats have a greater amphibian species diversity than the Western Ghats.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. NCERT describes three levels of biodiversity. Genetic diversity is variation within a single species: the medicinal plant Rauwolfia vomitoria shows variation in the potency and concentration of reserpine across Himalayan ranges, and India has more than 50,000 genetically different strains of rice and about 1,000 varieties of mango. Species diversity is diversity at the species level, and NCERT's own example is the reverse of statement 3: the Western Ghats have a greater amphibian species diversity than the Eastern Ghats. Ecological diversity is the variety of ecosystems such as deserts, rain forests, mangroves, coral reefs and alpine meadows.
Under section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the power to notify a species that is on the verge of extinction as a 'threatened species' and to prohibit or regulate its collection is vested in
Answer (b) & explanation
Section 38 empowers the Central Government, in consultation with the State Government concerned, to notify any species that is on the verge of extinction or likely to become extinct in the near future as a threatened species, to prohibit or regulate its collection for any purpose, and to take steps to rehabilitate and preserve it. Section 39 separately lets the Central Government designate repositories for different categories of biological resources. Heritage sites under section 37, by contrast, are notified by State Governments.
Consider the following pairs: Biodiversity-related agreement — Organisation that provides or hosts its secretariat
1. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture — FAO
2. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals — UNEP
3. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — UNESCO
4. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands — UNEP
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only two pairs, 1 and 2, are correct. The ITPGRFA (2001) was negotiated under the FAO, and its secretariat is at FAO headquarters in Rome. The CMS (Bonn Convention, 1979) has a UNEP-administered secretariat in Bonn. The CITES secretariat is also administered by UNEP, from Geneva, not by UNESCO, which instead hosts the World Heritage Convention. The Ramsar Convention stands outside the UN system: its secretariat is hosted by IUCN at Gland, Switzerland.
0 / 0 correct
Prelims PYQs on this topic (8)
Which organization has enacted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss?
Answer (a) & explanation
The European Union enacted the Nature Restoration Law (a). The European Union adopted its Nature Restoration Law in 2024. It requires member states to restore at least 20% of the EU's damaged land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need by 2050. Options (b), (c) and (d) are wrong: only a body that makes laws can "enact" one. The World Bank, OECD and FAO give loans, advice or technical help, but cannot pass binding laws.
Notice the link to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022), whose "30 by 30" target asks for 30% of land and sea to be protected by 2030. The EU law faced strong protests from farmers before it passed narrowly.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. In India, the Biodiversity Management Committees are key to the realization of the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol.
- 2. The Biodiversity Management Committees have important functions in determining access and benefit sharing, including the power to levy collection fees on the access of biological resources within its jurisdiction.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Statement 1 is right: under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, every local body, such as a panchayat or municipality, sets up a Biodiversity Management Committee. BMCs are key to the Nagoya Protocol's aim of fair and equitable sharing of benefits from biological resources and traditional knowledge, because they bring it down to villages. Statement 2 is right: BMCs keep the People's Biodiversity Register, are consulted on access to local resources, and may levy collection fees on those who take resources from their area.
Notice the three-tier structure: the National Biodiversity Authority in Chennai, State Biodiversity Boards and BMCs. The Act was amended in 2023 to ease rules for AYUSH practitioners and research.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to India’s biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are
Answer (a) & explanation
All four are birds (a). The Ceylon frogmouth is a night bird of the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, named for its wide, frog-like mouth. The coppersmith barbet is a small green bird named for its call, which sounds like a smith hammering metal. The grey-chinned minivet is a bright songbird of hill forests. The white-throated redstart is a Himalayan bird of high scrub. None of them is a primate (b), reptile (c) or amphibian (d); the frogmouth's name is the only trap.
Notice how UPSC likes species with misleading names. Other bird examples: the Great Indian Bustard (Critically Endangered), the Jerdon's courser, and the Malabar trogon. Notice too the Asian Waterbird Census, held each January.
"frogmouth" pushes you towards amphibians.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The term “sixth mass extinction/sixth extinction” is often mentioned in the news in the context of the discussion of
Answer (d) & explanation
Option (d) best describes it. Earth has gone through five mass extinctions. The last, about 66 million years ago, wiped out the dinosaurs after an asteroid struck. Scientists warn that a sixth is under way, this time caused by humans: overuse of resources, habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, invasive species and climate change. Species are vanishing at many times the natural background rate. Options (a) and (c) name only one cause each: monoculture or GM crops. Option (b) is wrong because the term is not about a coming meteorite.
Notice the IPBES report (2019), which warned that about one million species face extinction. The Kunming–Montreal Framework (2022) responded with the 30x30 target: protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Why is a plant called *Prosopis juliflora* often mentioned in news ?
Answer (b) & explanation
It reduces biodiversity where it grows (b). Prosopis juliflora, called vilayati babul or vilayati kikar, is a thorny tree from Central and South America. The British brought it to India in the 19th century, and later it was planted widely to green dry lands and give firewood. It spread out of control, forming dense thickets, drawing down groundwater, and releasing chemicals that stop other plants from growing. It now crowds out native grasses and trees, making it a major invasive species. It is not widely used in cosmetics (a) or pesticides (c).
Notice where it hurts most: Gujarat's Banni grasslands in Kachchh, home to Maldhari herders, and Delhi's Ridge, where it is being removed. Tamil Nadu has ordered its clearing too.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to an initiative called ‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. It is an initiative hosted by UNEP, IMF and World Economic Forum.
- 2. It is a global initiative that focuses on drawing attention to the economic benefits of biodiversity.
- 3. It presents an approach that can help decision-makers recognize, demonstrate and capture the value of ecosystems and biodiversity.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (c). TEEB began in 2007 after a G8+5 environment ministers' meeting in Potsdam. Germany and the European Commission backed it, and it is hosted by UNEP. Statement 1 is wrong because the IMF and WEF do not host it. TEEB draws attention to the economic benefits of biodiversity (2). It also gives decision-makers a way to recognise, demonstrate and capture the value of ecosystems (3), for example through payments for ecosystem services.
The idea is that nature is lost partly because its services look "free". Notice how it connects with natural capital accounting, including the UN SEEA framework that India's MoSPI uses for its EnviStats environmental accounts.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Mains PYQs on this topic (1)
Write an answer
In 150 words, explain the significance of Biodiversity with one recent example.
Flashcards (3)
Svalbard Global Seed Vault is in?
Norway (opened 2008).
India's National Gene Bank for crops?
ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi.
Cryopreservation temperature?
About −196 °C (liquid nitrogen).
In the news
- 22 Oct 2026GRAP Stage I invoked in Delhi-NCR as AQI turns ‘Poor’: the 25 actions and what comes next
- 20 Oct 2026National Red List of birds: 1,211 species under assessment, 107 done in first review
- 16 Oct 2026CAQM orders PTZ cameras at all polluting industries in NCR by 30 November 2026
- 15 Oct 2026Sukhna Wetland and Sauj Jheel become Ramsar sites; India’s tally reaches 103
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