Chapter 5 · Topic 5.3 · Prelims + Mains3 of 3
Protected Areas: Chapter test
Key points
- Ramsar sites and wetlands
- Eco-sensitive zones
7 PYQs 2011–2022
Prelims box: facts and traps
| Figure | Value (source) |
|---|---|
| Ramsar sites in India | 103, after Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh) and Sauj Jheel (Uttar Pradesh) were added (PIB, 15 October 2026) |
| Earlier milestone | 93 sites spanning 13,60,719 ha in September 2025 (PIB, 27 September 2025). |
- The Convention on Wetlands was signed at Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.
- Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference (Prelims 2014).
- Sections 36A–36D were inserted by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 (Act 16 of 2003), effective 1 April 2003, creating two people-centred categories between strict protected areas and ordinary land.
- Trap (UPSC Prelims 2014, ‘Eco-Sensitive Zones’): “Eco-Sensitive Zones are the areas that are declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972” is incorrect. “The purpose of the declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones is to prohibit all kinds of human activities in those zones except agriculture” is incorrect.
- Trap (UPSC Prelims 2019): “Under Ramsar Convention, it is mandatory on the part of the Government of India to protect and conserve all the wetlands in the territory of India” is incorrect. “The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 were framed by the Government of India based on the recommendations of Ramsar Convention” is incorrect.
Ramsar sites and wetlands
The Convention on Wetlands was signed at Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. Each member lists Wetlands of International Importance and commits to their ‘wise use’. India’s first two Ramsar sites were Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan).
| Figure | Value (source) |
|---|---|
| Ramsar sites in India | 103, after Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh) and Sauj Jheel (Uttar Pradesh) were added (PIB, 15 October 2026) |
| Earlier milestone | 93 sites spanning 13,60,719 ha in September 2025 (PIB, 27 September 2025) |
What does it mean if a wetland is placed on the Montreux Record? Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference (Prelims 2014). It is a register of threatened Ramsar sites.
If a wetland of international importance is brought under the ‘Montreux Record’, what does it imply? result of human interference ✓ kilometres from the edge of the wetland in its vicinity and therefore the cultural diversity therein should not be destroyed
- Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a
- The country in which the wetland is located should enact a law to prohibit any human activity within five
- The survival of the wetland depends on the cultural practices and traditions of certain communities living
- It is given the status of ‘World Heritage Site’
Show answer
Answer: (a) · UPSC official key
The Ramsar Convention does not oblige India to protect all its wetlands, and the 2010 Wetlands Rules were not framed on Ramsar’s recommendation, but those Rules did cover the drainage area or catchment of wetlands (Prelims 2019: 3 only). They were replaced by the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
Consider the following statements : 1. Under Ramsar Convention, it is mandatory on the part of the Government of India to protect and conserve all the wetlands in the territory of India. 2. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 were framed by the Government of India based on the recommendations of Ramsar Convention. 3. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 also encompass the drainage area or catchment regions of the wetlands as determined by the authority. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: (c) · UPSC official key
Why are wetlands called the ‘kidneys’ of the Earth? Aquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients. Prelims 2022 They clean the water passing through (Prelims 2022).
“If rainforests and tropical forests are the lungs of the Earth, then surely wetlands function as its kidneys.” Which one of the following functions of wetlands best reflects the above statement ?
- The water cycle in wetlands involves surface runoff, subsoil percolation and evaporation.
- Algae form the nutrient base upon which fish, crustaceans, molluscs, birds, reptiles and mammals thrive.
- Wetlands play a vital role in maintaining sedimentation balance and soil stabilization.
- Aquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients.
Show answer
Answer: (d) · UPSC official key
Mains 2023: Comment on the National Wetland Conservation Programme initiated by the Government of India and name a few India’s wetlands of international importance included in the Ramsar Sites. Mains 2023 In 2015 the programme was merged with the National Lake Conservation Plan into the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA).
Comment on the National Wetland Conservation Programme initiated by the Government of India and name a few India’s wetlands of international importance included in the Ramsar Sites.
Eco-sensitive zones
Eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) are belts around protected areas that act as shock absorbers. They are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not the Wild Life (Protection) Act; the 2011 guidelines allow a width of up to 10 km, varying by site.
| Activity type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Prohibited | Commercial mining, polluting industries, major hydroelectric projects |
| Regulated | Tree felling, hotels and resorts, widening of roads |
| Permitted | Ongoing farming, rainwater harvesting, organic farming |
ESZs are not declared under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and they do not ban all human activity except agriculture (Prelims 2014: Neither 1 nor 2).
With reference to ‘Eco-Sensitive Zones’, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Eco-Sensitive Zones are the areas that are declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. 2. The purpose of the declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones is to prohibit all kinds of human activities in those zones except agriculture. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: (d) · UPSC official key
Mains box: analysis and answer points
- Each member lists Wetlands of International Importance and commits to their 'wise use'.
- India's first two Ramsar sites were Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan).
- Likely next angle: Montreux Record
- Asked: Mains 2023 (GS Paper III, 15 marks): Comment on the National Wetland Conservation Programme initiated by the Government of India and name a few India's wetlands of international importance included in the Ramsar Sites.
Practice
Practice MCQs (8)
Which of the following categories of protected areas were added to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 by the amendment of 2002 (in force from April 2003)?
Answer (c) & explanation
The answer is conservation reserves and community reserves. Sections 36A–36D were inserted by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 (Act 16 of 2003), effective 1 April 2003, creating two people-centred categories between strict protected areas and ordinary land. Tiger reserves came later through the 2006 amendment (Chapter IV-B); game reserves were omitted in 1991 and closed areas in 2003; elephant reserves, biosphere reserves and eco- sensitive zones are not categories created by this Act.
Which bird sanctuary, made up of a cluster of islets in the Kaveri river in Mandya district, became Karnataka's first Ramsar site in 2022?
Answer (a) & explanation
Ranganathittu, near Srirangapatna in Mandya district, consists of small islands in the Kaveri; it was protected in 1940 on Salim Ali's advice and became Karnataka's first Ramsar site in February 2022. Kokkare Bellur is a village where painted storks and pelicans nest on trees, Gudavi is a heronry pond in Shivamogga district, and Bonal is a reservoir bird sanctuary in Yadgir district.
Under Project Elephant, which one of the following was the first elephant reserve to be notified in India (2001)?
Answer (c) & explanation
The answer is Singhbhum. The MoEFCC atlas 'Elephant Reserves of India' records Singhbhum Elephant Reserve in Jharkhand as notified on 26 September 2001, the first under Project Elephant. Mysuru (Karnataka), Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu) and Kameng (Arunachal Pradesh) are real elephant reserves notified later.
With reference to Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, consider the following statements:
1. It was created in 1967 mainly to protect the blackbuck in a coastal habitat.
2. It lies on the Malabar coast of Kerala.
3. It is part of a Ramsar site designated in 2002 that also includes the Great Vedaranyam Swamp and the Talaignayar Reserve Forest.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Point Calimere (Kodiakkarai) in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu was declared in 1967 for the blackbuck, a rare example of the antelope in a coastal dry evergreen and grassland setting; its mudflats draw huge numbers of flamingos and shorebirds. The Ramsar site 'Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary' (2002) covers the sanctuary, the Great Vedaranyam Swamp and Talaignayar RF. Statement 2 is wrong: it is on the Coromandel coast at the Palk Strait.
The Core Group of Experts in India laid down primary and secondary criteria for selecting biosphere reserve sites in 1979. Consider the following:
1. The site must contain an effectively protected and minimally disturbed core area of value for nature conservation.
2. The core area should be typical of a biogeographical unit and large enough to sustain viable populations representing all trophic levels.
3. The area has rare and endangered species.
4. The area has potential for preserving traditional tribal or rural modes of living.
How many of the above are listed as PRIMARY criteria?
Answer (b) & explanation
India's 2007 Guidelines reproduce the 1979 criteria. The two primary criteria concern the core: an effectively protected, minimally disturbed core area with land and water for research and demonstration, and a core typical of a biogeographical unit large enough to sustain viable populations of all trophic levels. The secondary criteria are rare and endangered species, diversity of soil and micro-climate and indigenous biota, and potential for preserving traditional tribal or rural modes of living. So only two are primary.
Consider the following statements regarding tiger reserves under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972:
1. The State Government prepares a Tiger Conservation Plan for each tiger reserve.
2. The State Government establishes a Tiger Conservation Foundation for the tiger reserves in the State.
3. A State Government may de-notify a tiger reserve on its own, in the public interest, after consulting the State Board for Wild Life.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Under section 38V(3) the State Government prepares a Tiger Conservation Plan (covering staff, habitat, prey and the agricultural and livelihood interests of people in fringe areas), which the NTCA approves. Section 38X requires the State to set up a Tiger Conservation Foundation to support reserve management and local livelihoods. Statement 3 is wrong: under section 38W, a reserve's boundaries can be altered only on the NTCA's recommendation with the approval of the National Board for Wild Life, and de-notification needs the approval of both bodies, even when in the public interest.
Consider the following statements: Statement-I: The notification of an elephant reserve does not, by itself, attract the restrictions that the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 places on a sanctuary. Statement-II: Elephant reserves are administrative landscape units notified by States under Project Elephant and are not a category of protected area under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer (a) & explanation
Both statements are correct and II explains I. The Act's protected-area categories are sanctuaries, National Parks, conservation reserves and community reserves (tiger reserves are a separate statutory overlay). Elephant reserves are notified by State Governments with the approval of the Project Elephant steering committee as administrative units; they may contain sanctuaries and National Parks, but the reserve label itself carries no statutory restrictions. That is precisely why notifying an elephant reserve does not trigger sanctuary-type controls.
With reference to the relationship between biosphere reserves and protected areas in India, consider the following statements:
1. Existing national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and reserved forests may become part of a biosphere reserve without any change in their legal status.
2. A biosphere reserve is meant to replace the protected areas that fall within it.
3. Biosphere reserves may be established only around existing national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
India's 2007 Guidelines state that a biosphere reserve is not a substitute for existing protected areas but a reinforcement of them. Existing national parks, sanctuaries, tiger reserves and reserved or protected forests may become part of a biosphere reserve without any change in their legal status, and their inclusion adds to their national value. The same Guidelines add that this does not mean biosphere reserves must be set up only around national parks and sanctuaries. Only statement 1 is correct.
0 / 0 correct
Prelims PYQs on this topic (7)
“Biorock technology” is talked about in which one of the following situations ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Biorock is used to restore damaged coral reefs (a). Biorock, or mineral accretion, passes a weak, safe electric current through a steel frame placed under the sea. Minerals dissolved in sea water, mainly calcium carbonate, build up on the frame like limestone. Coral pieces fixed to it grow fast and resist stress better. Option (b) describes bio-based building materials. Option (c) describes shale gas survey. Option (d) describes salt licks for wildlife.
Notice that India's Zoological Survey of India, with the Gujarat Forest Department, tried biorock in the Gulf of Kachchh in 2017. Coral reefs face bleaching from warming seas; the world saw its fourth global bleaching event in 2023–24.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Indian laws about wildlife protection, consider the following statements :
- 1. Wild animals are the sole property of the government.
- 2. When a wild animal is declared protected, such animal is entitled for equal protection whether it is found in protected areas or outside.
- 3. Apprehension of a protected wild animal becoming a danger to human life is sufficient ground for its capture or killing.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 2 is right: once a species is listed under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, it is protected everywhere, inside or outside a national park or sanctuary. Statement 1 is wrong: Section 39 makes certain wild animals, such as those hunted or found dead, government property, but not every wild animal in every case, so "sole property" is too wide. Statement 3 is wrong: only the Chief Wildlife Warden can allow a protected animal to be captured or killed, and only when it has become dangerous to human life; mere fear is not enough.
Notice the 2022 amendment, which cut the schedules to four and brought CITES listings into Indian law. Man-animal conflict cases test this rule often.
"sole property" is the over-strong word.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin ?
- 1. Nagarhole National Park
- 2. Papikonda National Park
- 3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
- 4. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Nagarhole, Sathyamangalam and Wayanad lie in the Cauvery basin (c). All three sit in the Nilgiri hill region, drained by Cauvery tributaries. Item 1 is right: Nagarhole (Karnataka) is drained by the Kabini. Item 3 is right: Sathyamangalam (Tamil Nadu) lies along the Moyar and Bhavani. Item 4 is right: Wayanad (Kerala) is drained by the Kabini and its streams. Item 2 is wrong: Papikonda National Park is on the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, where the river cuts a gorge through the Eastern Ghats.
Notice the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (1986), India's first, which links Nagarhole, Bandipur, Mudumalai, Wayanad and Silent Valley. Other Cauvery tributaries include the Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavathi and Amaravati.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following protected areas is well-known for the conservation of a sub-species of the Indian swamp deer (Barasingha) that thrives well on hard ground and is exclusively graminivorous ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Kanha protects the hard-ground barasingha (a). The swamp deer has three sub-species. The hard-ground barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi) lives in the sal forests and meadows of Kanha in Madhya Pradesh. It eats only grass (graminivorous) and, unlike its cousins, lives on firm ground. Kanha saved it from near extinction (about 66 animals in 1970). It is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh. Manas (b) holds the eastern swamp deer of Assam's wetlands. Mudumalai (c) has no barasingha. Tal Chhapar (d) in Rajasthan is famous for blackbuck.
Notice the other sub-species: the western swamp deer in the Terai (Dudhwa, Shuklaphanta) and the eastern one in Kaziranga. Kanha's mascot is "Bhoorsingh the Barasingha".
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following protected areas :
- 1. Bandipur
- 2. Bhitarkanika
- 3. Manas
- 4. Sunderbans
Which of the above are declared Tiger Reserves?
Answer (b) & explanation
Bandipur, Manas and Sundarbans are correct (b). Bandipur (Karnataka), Manas (Assam) and Sundarbans (West Bengal) were among the first nine Project Tiger reserves of 1973–74. Item 2 is wrong: Bhitarkanika (Odisha) is a mangrove national park and Ramsar site famous for saltwater crocodiles, not a tiger reserve. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the current count: India has 58 tiger reserves (the latest being Madhav, MP, in March 2025). The 2022 estimate counted at least 3,167 tigers (about 3,682 by full analysis), about 75% of the world's wild tigers. Odisha's tiger reserves are Similipal and Satkosia. Trap: Bhitarkanika sounds like a big Odisha reserve but is for crocodiles.
Bhitarkanika is famous enough to look like a Tiger Reserve, but it is known for crocodiles and mangroves, not tigers.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In which one among the following categories of protected areas in India are local people *not* allowed to collect and use the biomass?
Answer (b) & explanation
National Parks is correct (b). National Parks have the strictest protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: no grazing and no collection of forest produce or biomass; rights are settled and extinguished. (d) is wrong: sanctuaries may allow some regulated rights of local people. (a) is wrong: biosphere reserves have buffer and transition zones where people live and use resources. (c) is wrong: Ramsar wetlands follow the 'wise use' principle and allow sustainable use.
Notice the numbers: India has about 106 national parks and over 570 sanctuaries. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 also recognises community rights, which creates tension in critical wildlife habitats. Conservation and community reserves (2002 amendment) are other categories. Trap: only the core legal category bans all collection.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Write an answer
In 150 words, explain the significance of Protected Areas with one recent example.
Flashcards (3)
Ramsar Convention signed?
1971, Ramsar, Iran.
Montreux Record means?
Ecological character changing due to human interference.
Law for eco-sensitive zones?
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
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- 15 Oct 2026Sukhna Wetland and Sauj Jheel become Ramsar sites; India’s tally reaches 103
Next chapter · 6. Wildlife Conservation →Wildlife Conservation: The Act, tigers and elephantsSyllabus: GS-III · Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact asse…