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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‘Gadgil Committee Report’ and ‘Kasturirangan Committee Report’, sometimes seen in the news, are related to
Answer (d) & explanation
Both reports deal with protecting the Western Ghats (d). The Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (2011) suggested treating the whole range as ecologically sensitive. It put about 64% in the strictest zones and called for a bottom-up, gram-sabha-led approach. The K. Kasturirangan high-level working group (2013) cut the area to about 37%, around 60,000 sq km, focusing on natural landscape. The reports have nothing to do with constitutional reform (a), the Ganga Action Plan (b), or river linking (c).
The Environment Ministry has issued several draft Eco-Sensitive Area notifications since 2014, and the matter came up again after the Wayanad landslides (2024). Notice that the Ghats are a UNESCO site and a global biodiversity hotspot.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following National Parks is unique in being a swamp with floating vegetation that supports a rich biodiversity?
Answer (b) & explanation
Keibul Lamjao on Loktak Lake, Manipur, is the world's only floating national park (b). It rests on phumdis, thick mats of vegetation, soil and organic matter, and is the last natural home of the sangai or brow-antlered deer, Manipur's state animal. Bhitarkanika (a) is a mangrove park in Odisha known for saltwater crocodiles. Keoladeo (c) and Sultanpur (d) are bird habitats in Rajasthan and Haryana, not floating swamps.
Loktak is a Ramsar site on the Montreux Record, threatened by the Ithai barrage and pollution. Notice how one lake links species, people and hydropower.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following National Parks has a climate that varies from tropical to subtropical, temperate and arctic?
Answer (d) & explanation
Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh rises from about 200 m to over 4,500 m at Dapha Bum. This range takes its climate from tropical rainforest through subtropical and temperate forest to snowy, near-arctic peaks (d). Khangchendzonga (a) and Nanda Devi (b) are high-altitude parks without lowland tropical forest, and Neora Valley (c) in West Bengal covers a narrower range.
Namdapha is unusual in having four big cats: tiger, leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard, and it is home to the hoolock gibbon. Notice how altitude packs many climate zones into one park, like a journey from equator to pole.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
If a wetland of international importance is brought under the ‘Montreux Record’, what does it imply?
Answer (a) & explanation
The Montreux Record (1990) is a register of Ramsar sites whose ecological character has changed, is changing or is likely to change because of human interference (a). Listed sites get priority conservation attention. Option (b) invents a 5-km legal ban; Ramsar sets no such rule. Option (c) describes a cultural angle that is not the purpose of the Record. Option (d) confuses Ramsar with UNESCO's World Heritage list.
In India, Keoladeo (Rajasthan) and Loktak (Manipur) are on the Record. Chilika was removed in 2002 after it recovered: a hopeful reminder that damaged wetlands can be healed.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
- 1. Dampa Tiger Reserve : Mizoram
- 2. Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary : Sikkim
- 3. Saramati Peak : Nagaland
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
Answer (c) & explanation
Dampa Tiger Reserve is in Mizoram, on the Bangladesh border (1 correct). Saramati (about 3,840 m) is the highest peak of Nagaland, on the Myanmar border (3 correct). Pair 2 is wrong: Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is in Tripura, not Sikkim, so options (b) and (d) fall away.
Gumti is named after the Gumti river, whose dam created the Dumbur lake. Sikkim's protected areas include Khangchendzonga National Park, India's first "mixed" World Heritage Site. Notice how UPSC mixes north-eastern states in pairs questions: placing each site on a mental map of the region is the surest defence.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Wetlands | Confluence of rivers
| 1. Harike Wetlands | Confluence of Beas and Satluj/Sutlej
| 2. Keoladeo Ghana National Park | Confluence of Banas and Chambal
| 3. Kolleru Lake | Confluence of Musi and Krishna
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only pair 1 is correct (a). Harike wetland in Punjab formed behind a barrage at the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej. Keoladeo in Bharatpur lies at the confluence of the Gambhir and Banganga rivers, not the Banas and Chambal. Kolleru Lake in Andhra Pradesh lies between the Godavari and Krishna deltas, not at a Musi–Krishna meeting point.
All three are Ramsar sites. Keoladeo is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was once the winter home of the Siberian crane. Notice how many Indian wetlands owe their existence to rivers and even to human-made barrages.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The most important strategy for the conservation of biodiversity together with traditional human life is the establishment of
Answer (a) & explanation
Biosphere reserves, under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme (1971), are designed to conserve biodiversity together with human life (a). They have a strictly protected core, a buffer and a transition zone where people keep living and farming. Botanical gardens (b) are ex situ conservation. National parks (c) allow almost no human activity, and wildlife sanctuaries (d) allow some but are not built around community life.
India has 18 biosphere reserves, of which 13 are on UNESCO's world network, the first being the Nilgiri and the latest the Cold Desert (2025). Notice how this model treats people as part of the solution.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
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.
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Eco-Sensitive Zones are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not the Wildlife (Protection) Act, so statement 1 is wrong. They act as buffers around national parks and sanctuaries and regulate activities: mining and polluting industries are banned, some activities are regulated and others allowed. They do not ban everything except farming, so statement 2 is wrong.
The 2011 guidelines suggest up to 10 km around protected areas, and the Supreme Court has pressed for at least a 1 km zone. Notice how ESZs try to balance conservation with local livelihoods.
ESZs surround protected areas, but the power to notify them comes from the EPA, not the Wildlife Act.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
- 1. Nokrek Biosphere Reserve : Garo Hills
- 2. Logtak (Loktak) Lake : Barail Range
- 3. Namdapha National Park : Dafla Hills
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
Answer (a) & explanation
Pair 1 only is correct (a). Nokrek is the highest peak of the Garo Hills in Meghalaya, and the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is known for wild citrus (Citrus indica) and red pandas (1). Pair 2 is wrong: Loktak Lake, with its floating phumdis and Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park, home of the sangai deer, lies in the Manipur valley, not the Barail Range. Pair 3 is wrong: Namdapha is in eastern Arunachal near the Patkai range; the Dafla Hills are in western Arunachal. So (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the related facts: Namdapha hosts four big cats (tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, snow leopard). Loktak is a Ramsar site on the Montreux Record. Trap: real places matched to wrong hills.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, who shall be the authority to initiate the process for determining the nature and extent of individual or community forest rights or both?
Answer (d) & explanation
Gram Sabha is correct (d). Under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the Gram Sabha starts the process of determining individual and community forest rights. It receives claims, verifies them through its elected Forest Rights Committee, and passes a resolution, which then goes to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee and finally the District Level Committee for approval (Section 6). (a) is wrong: the Forest Department is only represented on the committees. (b) is wrong: the Collector chairs the district committee, which reviews, not initiates. (c) is wrong: revenue officers sit on the sub-divisional committee.
Notice the impact: the Niyamgiri case (2013) let Gram Sabhas decide on Vedanta's bauxite mining. Community Forest Resource rights let villages manage forests. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal ministry. Trap: officials review claims, but the Gram Sabha begins them.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| National Park | River flowing through the Park
| 1. Corbett National Park | Ganga
| 2. Kaziranga National Park | Manas
| 3. Silent Valley National Park | Kaveri
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
None of the pairs is correct (d). Pair 1 is wrong: Corbett National Park, India's first (1936, as Hailey National Park), lies on the Ramganga, not the Ganga. Pair 2 is wrong: Kaziranga lies on the south bank of the Brahmaputra, with the Diphlu flowing through it; the Manas river flows through Manas National Park. Pair 3 is wrong: Silent Valley is drained by the Kunthipuzha, a tributary of the Bharathapuzha, not the Kaveri. So (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Notice the related facts: Kaziranga holds about two-thirds of the world's one-horned rhinos; Silent Valley was saved from a hydro project in the 1980s; Corbett was the first Project Tiger reserve in 1973. Trap: each park is paired with a famous but wrong river.
Manas is a river and a separate national park on the Bhutan border; it does not flow through Kaziranga.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the wetlands of India, consider the following statements :
- 1. The country’s total geographical area under the category of wetlands is recorded more in Gujarat as compared to other States.
- 2. In India, the total geographical area of coastal wetlands is larger than that of inland wetlands.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Statement 1 only is correct (a). The National Wetland Atlas (ISRO's Space Applications Centre, 2011) found that Gujarat has the largest wetland area of any state, about a fifth of India's total, thanks to the Rann of Kutch, the Gulf of Khambhat and other coastal flats (1). Statement 2 is wrong: for India as a whole, inland wetlands (about 69%) are larger than coastal wetlands (about 27%). So (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the Ramsar count: India has about 90+ Ramsar sites, the most in Asia, with Tamil Nadu having the most sites; the largest single site is the Sundarbans. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 govern them, and Amrit Dharohar (2023) promotes them. Trap: Gujarat's coastal wetlands are huge, but nationally inland wetlands lead.
Gujarat sounds like a dry State, so statement 1 looks wrong; the Rann of Kutch and the Gulf of Khambhat make it the top wetland State.
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.
Two important rivers -- one with its source in Jharkhand (and known by a different name in Odisha), and another, with its source in Odisha - merge at a place only a short distance from the coast of Bay of Bengal before flowing into the sea. This is an important site of wildlife and biodiversity and a protected area. Which one of the following could be this ?
Answer (a) & explanation
The answer is (a), Bhitarkanika. The Brahmani river rises in Jharkhand as the South Koel and Sankh, which join at Vedvyas near Rourkela, and is called the Brahmani in Odisha. The Baitarani rises in the Keonjhar hills of Odisha. The two meet near the coast in the Dhamra estuary region, forming the delta where Bhitarkanika lies. Bhitarkanika is a national park and Ramsar site with India's second-largest mangrove forest, famous for saltwater crocodiles, including some of the largest recorded. Chandipur-on-sea (b) is a beach and missile-test site, Gopalpur-on-sea (c) is a southern beach, and Simlipal (d) is an inland tiger reserve in Mayurbhanj.
Notice the nearby feature: Gahirmatha beach, next to Bhitarkanika, is among the world's largest nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles. Trap: Simlipal is a protected area in Odisha but lies far from the coast.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to India, consider the following Central Acts :
- 1. Import and Export (Control) Act, 1947
- 2. Mining and Mineral Development (Regulation) Act, 1957
- 3. Customs Act, 1962
- 4. Indian Forest Act, 1927
Which of the above Acts have relevance to/bearing on the biodiversity conservation in the country ?
Answer (c) & explanation
All four Acts are relevant (c). The Import and Export (Control) Act, 1947 (now replaced by the Foreign Trade Act, 1992) and the Customs Act, 1962 regulate the movement of wildlife, plants and biological material across borders, helping enforce CITES and stop smuggling (1, 3). The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 governs mining, which affects forests and habitats and requires environmental clearances (2). The Indian Forest Act, 1927 protects forests through reserved and protected forests (4). So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the core law: the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, amended in 2023, set up the National Biodiversity Authority (Chennai), State Biodiversity Boards and local Biodiversity Management Committees. Other key laws are the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended 2022) and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, renamed Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam in 2023. Trap: trade laws also protect biodiversity.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following is *not* a site for *in-situ* method of conservation of flora ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Botanical garden is correct (b), since it is not in-situ. In-situ conservation protects species in their natural habitat, as in biosphere reserves (a), national parks (c) and wildlife sanctuaries (d). A botanical garden grows plants away from where they live naturally, so it is ex-situ conservation, like zoos, seed banks, gene banks and tissue culture labs. So (a), (c) and (d) are in-situ.
Notice the examples: India has 18 biosphere reserves, 13 of them in UNESCO's network, and 106 national parks. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources in Delhi runs a national gene bank, and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway is the world's back-up. Trap: 'garden' sounds natural, but it is still ex-situ.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The 2004 Tsunami made people realize that mangroves can serve as a reliable safety hedge against coastal calamities. How do mangroves function as a safety hedge ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Option (d) is correct. Mangroves have dense prop and stilt roots anchored deep in coastal mud, so storms and tides rarely uproot them. This tangle of roots and trunks breaks the force of waves and traps sediment, as seen in Tamil Nadu's Pichavaram and Muthupet in 2004, where villages behind mangroves suffered far less. (a) is wrong: people do live near and work in mangroves; fishing and honey collection are common. (b) is wrong: food and medicine are real benefits, but they do not make a safety hedge. (c) is wrong: most mangroves are low trees, not tall shelters.
Notice the scale: India has about 4,990 sq km of mangroves, with the Sundarbans the largest; the MISHTI scheme (2023) plants new mangroves along the coast.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.