Protected areas and conservation: previous-year questions
38 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 4 of them came in the last five papers.
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With reference to Madhav National Park, which of the following statements is/are correct ?
- 1. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in India in 2025.
- 2. Sakhya Sagar, which is designated as a Ramsar Site, is situated within this National Park.
- 3. Its area is shared between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (b). Statement 1 is right: Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district became India's 58th tiger reserve in March 2025. Statement 2 is right: Sakhya Sagar lake inside it was named a Ramsar site in 2022. Statement 3 is wrong: the park lies wholly in Madhya Pradesh, not shared with Rajasthan. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice MP's place as the "Tiger State", with the most tigers and nine reserves, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Panna. The NTCA approves tiger reserves under the Wild Life (Protection) Act. Kuno, also in MP, is home to India's reintroduced cheetahs. India has about 75% of the world's wild tigers.
Shivpuri is near the Rajasthan border, which makes "shared" sound believable.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
Once the Central Government notifies an area as a ‘Community Reserve’
- 1. the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State becomes the governing authority of such forest
- 2. hunting is not allowed in such area
- 3. people of such area are allowed to collect non-timber forest produce
- 4. people of such area are allowed traditional agricultural practices
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Two statements are correct (b). Community reserves were added to the Wild Life (Protection) Act in 2003. They are notified on community or private land with the people's consent; note that under the Act it is the State Government, not the Centre, that notifies them. Statement 1 is wrong: a Community Reserve Management Committee runs them, not the Chief Wildlife Warden. Statement 2 is right: hunting is banned. Statement 3 is right: people may collect non-timber forest produce. Statement 4 is wrong: changes in land use, including traditional farming or jhum, are not allowed.
Notice the four types of protected areas: national parks, sanctuaries, conservation reserves and community reserves. Many community reserves are in Meghalaya and Nagaland, where communities own most forests.
"governing authority" tempts you because the Warden does run sanctuaries.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Wetland / Lake | Location
| 1. Hokera Wetland | Punjab
| 2. Renuka Wetland | Himachal Pradesh
| 3. Rudrasagar Lake | Tripura
| 4. Sasthamkotta Lake | Tamil Nadu
How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only two pairs are correct (b). All four are Ramsar sites. Pair 2 is right: Renuka wetland is in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, named after the mother of Parashurama. Pair 3 is right: Rudrasagar lake is in Tripura, home to the Neermahal water palace. Pair 1 is wrong: Hokera wetland is near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, not Punjab. Pair 4 is wrong: Sasthamkotta, the largest freshwater lake in Kerala, is in Kollam, not Tamil Nadu.
Notice that India has rapidly added Ramsar sites, reaching over 90 by 2025; Tamil Nadu has the most. The Ramsar Convention was signed in Iran in 1971, and World Wetlands Day is on 2 February. Chilika was India's first site (1981).
Punjab has several Ramsar sites (Harike, Kanjli), so a Punjab label looks safe.
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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.
If a particular plant species is placed under Schedule VI of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, what is the implication ?
Answer (a) & explanation
A licence is needed to cultivate that plant (a). Schedule VI of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 listed specified plants, such as the red vanda, blue vanda, ladies' slipper orchid and pitcher plant. They could be grown, but only with a licence from the Chief Wildlife Warden, so that plants taken from the wild could not be passed off as cultivated ones. Option (b) is wrong: cultivation is allowed under licence. Option (c) is wrong: GM crops are regulated by the GEAC. Option (d) is wrong: the schedule protects rare plants, it does not list invasive ones.
Notice the 2022 amendment, which cut the schedules from six to four: specified plants are now in Schedule III, and CITES species in Schedule IV.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to India’s Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct ?
- 1. It is spread over two districts.
- 2. There is no human habitation inside the Park.
- 3. It is one of the natural habitats of Great Indian Bustard.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (c). Statement 1 is right: Desert National Park covers parts of Jaisalmer and Barmer districts in Rajasthan, about 3,162 sq km. Statement 2 is wrong: several villages and herders' settlements lie inside the park, which makes conservation harder. Statement 3 is right: it is the last major stronghold of the Great Indian Bustard, which is Critically Endangered with only about 150 birds left in the wild.
Notice the main threat to the bustard: collisions with overhead power lines, which led the Supreme Court to order lines to go underground in key areas. The park also holds fossils at Akal Wood Fossil Park. The bustard is the state bird of Rajasthan.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger Habitat” ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam has the largest critical tiger habitat (c). Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, in the Nallamala hills of Andhra Pradesh (with the adjoining Amrabad in Telangana), is India's largest tiger reserve. Its core or critical tiger habitat is about 2,600 sq km, larger than Corbett (a, about 820 sq km), Ranthambore (b, about 1,100 sq km) and Sunderbans (d, about 1,700 sq km). Critical tiger habitats are the core zones kept free of human use under Section 38V of the Wild Life (Protection) Act.
Notice Project Tiger (1973) and the NTCA (2006). India now has 58 tiger reserves (Madhav, 2025, the latest) and about 3,682 tigers (2022), around 75% of the world's wild tigers.
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.
Which of the following are the most likely places to find the musk deer in its natural habitat ?
- 1. Askot Wildlife Sanctuary
- 2. Gangotri National Park
- 3. Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary
- 4. Manas National Park
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
Askot and Gangotri are the likely homes of musk deer (a). The Himalayan musk deer lives in high alpine forests and scrub, usually above 2,500 metres. Item 1 is right: Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, was set up partly to protect musk deer. Item 2 is right: Gangotri National Park lies in the high Garhwal Himalaya. Item 3 is wrong: Kishanpur is in the Terai of Uttar Pradesh, part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, too low and warm. Item 4 is wrong: Manas is in the lowland Assam plains.
Notice that males are poached for musk, a gland used in perfume and medicine; the species is Endangered and in Schedule I. The alpine musk deer is the state animal of Uttarakhand.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?
Answer (d) & explanation
The Valley of Flowers lies fully in the alpine zone (d). This park in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, lies at about 3,200–6,700 m, at or above the tree line. It is a true alpine meadow, famous for blooms such as the blue poppy and brahma kamal. It is part of the Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers UNESCO World Heritage Site. Manas (a), in Assam, is in the low Terai-Bhabar foothills, with grasslands and tigers. Namdapha (b), Arunachal, and Neora Valley (c), West Bengal, stretch from tropical forest up to high altitudes, covering several zones.
Notice that Namdapha is the only park with four big cats: tiger, leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard. Neora Valley is a red panda habitat.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following are in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve?
Answer (a) & explanation
Option (a) lists the parts of Agasthyamala (a). The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, set up in 2001 at the southern tip of the Western Ghats on the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border, includes the Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala and the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. It joined UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2016. It is home to the Kani tribe, known for the Arogyapacha herb. Option (b) describes the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India's first (1986). Options (c) and (d) list protected areas of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with Mukurthi wrongly added from the Nilgiris.
India has 18 biosphere reserves, of which 13 are in the UNESCO network. Notice that Cold Desert (Himachal) joined in 2025.
(b) is a real biosphere reserve set, so it looks right; it is the Nilgiri one.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
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?
Answer (c) & explanation
Only statement 3 is correct (c). Statement 1 is wrong because the Ramsar Convention (1971, in Iran) asks members to ensure the "wise use" of all wetlands and protect listed Ramsar sites. It does not make it mandatory to protect every wetland. Statement 2 is wrong because the 2010 Rules were framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not on Ramsar's recommendation. Statement 3 is right because the 2010 Rules covered a wetland's catchment or drainage area, as fixed by the authority.
The 2010 Rules were replaced by the Wetlands Rules, 2017, which gave states more power through State Wetland Authorities. Notice India's tally: over 90 Ramsar sites, with Tamil Nadu having the most, and the Amrit Dharohar scheme.
"mandatory" and "all" in statement 1 are too strong for a convention.
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Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. As per law, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority exists at both National and State levels.
- 2. People’s participation is mandatory in the compensatory afforestation programmes carried out under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only statement 1 is correct (a). When forest land is given to a project, such as a mine or a road, the project pays for compensatory afforestation to replace the lost forest. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 created a National CAMPA and State CAMPAs to manage this money (1). Statement 2 is wrong because the Act does not make people's participation compulsory. Critics point out that it ignores gram sabhas and forest rights under the FRA.
The fund holds well over ₹90,000 crore. Notice the concerns: afforestation on poor or non-forest land, and money used for other purposes. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, renamed the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, also changed which land counts as forest.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In which one of the following States is Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary located ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Pakhui is in Arunachal Pradesh (a). Pakhui, also called Pakke, lies in the East Kameng district, in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas. It is bounded by the Kameng and Pakke rivers and joins Nameri National Park in Assam. It became a tiger reserve in 2002. It is famous for its four hornbill species, and its Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme lets local Nyishi villagers earn money by guarding nests, turning former hunters into protectors. The reserve is not in Manipur (b), Meghalaya (c) or Nagaland (d).
Notice the festival: the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival is Arunachal's first conservation festival. Nagaland's Hornbill Festival at Kisama is a different, cultural event. Arunachal's other tiger reserves are Namdapha and Kamlang.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. The definition of “Critical Wildlife Habitat” is incorporated in the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
- 2. For the first time in India, Baigas have been given Habitat Rights.
- 3. Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change officially decides and declares Habitat Rights for Primitive and Vulnerable Tribal Groups in any part of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (a). Statement 1 is right because the Forest Rights Act, 2006 defines critical wildlife habitat in Section 2(b), as areas that must be kept free of people for conservation, decided after scientific study and consultation. Statement 2 is right because, in 2015–16, the Baiga tribe in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh, became the first community to receive habitat rights. Statement 3 is wrong because these rights are recognised through the gram sabha, sub-divisional and district committees under the Act. The nodal ministry is the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, not the Environment Ministry.
Notice the term: PVTGs number 75, and the PM-JANMAN mission (2023) funds housing, roads and water for them.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Recently there was a proposal to translocate some of the lions from their natural habitat in Gujarat to which one of the following sites ?
Answer (b) & explanation
The proposal was to move lions to Kuno-Palpur (b). Kuno-Palpur in Madhya Pradesh was chosen to give the Asiatic lion a second home, so that a single epidemic or disaster could not wipe out the only wild population in Gir, Gujarat. In 2018, canine distemper killed over 20 Gir lions. In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the move, but Gujarat has never sent any lions. Corbett (a), Mudumalai (c) and Sariska (d) were not the chosen sites.
In 2022, Kuno National Park instead received cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa under Project Cheetah. The 2025 count found 891 lions in Gujarat. Notice that Gujarat is spreading lions across the Greater Gir landscape, including Barda, as its own alternative.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
From the ecological point of view, which one of the following assumes importance in being a good link between the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Sathyamangalam links the two Ghats (a). Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, sits where the Western and Eastern Ghats meet. It joins the Nilgiri Biosphere landscape, including Mudumalai, Bandipur and BRT Hills (Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple), giving tigers and elephants a vital corridor. It was declared a tiger reserve in 2013. The other options are wrong because Nallamala (b), home of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam reserve, and Seshachalam (d) lie entirely in the Eastern Ghats, while Nagarhole (c) is entirely in the Western Ghats.
BRT Hills is the other well-known meeting point of the two ranges. Notice the Moyar river gorge, which separates the Nilgiris from the Sathyamangalam forests.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
If you want to see gharials in their natural habitat, which one of the following is the best place to visit ?
Answer (b) & explanation
The Chambal River is the best place to see gharials (b). The National Chambal Sanctuary, set up in 1979 and shared by Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, holds most of the world's wild gharials. The gharial is Critically Endangered, needs clean, fast, sandy rivers, and eats only fish. Bhitarkanika (a) in Odisha is famous for saltwater crocodiles, not gharials. Pulicat (c) is a lagoon known for flamingos. Deepor Beel (d), near Guwahati, is a Ramsar wetland.
Smaller gharial groups live in the Girwa (Katarniaghat), Son and Gandak rivers, and in Corbett. Notice India's three crocodilians: the gharial, the mugger (marsh crocodile) and the saltwater crocodile, all on Schedule I.
Bhitarkanika does have crocodiles, but they are saltwater crocodiles.
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Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The term ‘M-STrIPES’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of
Answer (b) & explanation
M-STrIPES is used to manage tiger reserves (b). M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) is a GPS-based mobile app brought in by the NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India in 2010. Forest guards use it to record patrol routes, wildlife sightings, poaching signs and habitat data, which gives managers a live picture of protection in each reserve. It has nothing to do with captive breeding (a), NavIC (c), or highway security (d).
Data from M-STrIPES feeds into the All India Tiger Estimation, which counted 3,682 tigers in 2022. Notice the related tools: camera traps, the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of reserves, and the CA|TS global standard for tiger sites.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.