Biodiversity and Conservation — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on biodiversity with explanations: Biological Diversity Act, ex-situ conservation, biodiversity patterns, global targets and extinctions.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
With reference to the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, consider the following statements:
- The National Biodiversity Authority is headquartered in Chennai.
- Biodiversity Management Committees are responsible for preparing People’s Biodiversity Registers.
- A foreign entity requires the approval of the National Biodiversity Authority to obtain biological resources occurring in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
All three statements are correct. The NBA was established in 2003 with its headquarters in Chennai. BMCs, constituted by local bodies, document local resources and knowledge in People’s Biodiversity Registers. Access by foreign entities requires NBA approval; Indian entities seeking commercial use deal with State Biodiversity Boards.
Answer: D
How many of the following are methods of ex-situ conservation?
- Seed bank
- Sacred grove
- Botanical garden
- Cryopreservation
- Biosphere reserve
Solution
Seed banks, botanical gardens and cryopreservation keep organisms or their genetic material outside their natural habitat — ex-situ. Sacred groves and biosphere reserves protect species in their natural habitat — in-situ. That makes three.
Answer: B
Consider the following statements:
- Species diversity generally decreases from the equator towards the poles.
- In the species–area relationship, the slope of the line is steeper when very large areas such as entire continents are analysed than when smaller regions are analysed.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Both are correct. Statement 1 describes the latitudinal gradient in diversity. Statement 2 follows NCERT: the slope Z is about 0.1–0.2 for smaller regions, but about 0.6–1.2 when very large areas such as whole continents are analysed.
Answer: C
With reference to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, consider the following statements:
- It was adopted at the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- It sets 23 global targets to be achieved by 2030.
- It is a legally binding protocol that imposes penalties on parties that miss their targets.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 2 are correct — the framework was adopted at CBD COP15 in Montreal in December 2022, with 4 goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030, including “30 by 30”. Statement 3 is incorrect — it was adopted as a COP decision, not as a separate legally binding protocol, and it carries no penalty mechanism.
Answer: A
Consider the following pairs:
| Extinct species | Region where it lived |
|---|---|
| 1. Dodo | Mauritius |
| 2. Quagga | Africa |
| 3. Thylacine | Australia |
| 4. Steller’s sea cow | South America |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Solution
Pairs 1, 2 and 3 are correct (all cited in NCERT Biology, Class XII). Pair 4 is wrong — Steller’s sea cow lived in the Bering Sea region off Russia and was hunted to extinction in the eighteenth century. That makes three.
Answer: C
Explain the role of the three-tier institutional structure under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 in preventing biopiracy and ensuring benefit sharing.
Solution
Introduction: The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 gives effect to India’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Its three-tier structure regulates access to biological resources and traditional knowledge and ensures that users share benefits with the communities that conserved them.
Body:
- National Biodiversity Authority (Chennai): approves access by foreign entities, transfer of research results abroad and IPR applications based on Indian biological material — the main safeguard against biopiracy.
- State Biodiversity Boards: regulate commercial use by Indian entities and advise State Governments.
- Biodiversity Management Committees: prepare People’s Biodiversity Registers that record local resources and knowledge — evidence of prior knowledge in disputes, and the basis for identifying benefit claimers.
- Benefit sharing: monetary and non-monetary benefits flow through biodiversity funds to local communities.
- Challenges: many BMCs exist only on paper; PBR quality varies; low awareness among communities; the 2023 amendment’s easing of compliance has drawn both support (ease of research and AYUSH growth) and concern (weaker scrutiny).
Conclusion: The framework is sound in design; its effectiveness depends on empowering BMCs and making benefit sharing visible to the communities who hold the knowledge.