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Environment & Ecology Protected Areas and Wildlife UPSC Practice Questions

Protected Areas and Wildlife — Practice Questions

UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on protected areas with explanations: NTCA and tiger reserves, IUCN categories, species projects and eco-sensitive zones.

5 Questions Updated Oct 2026 #upsc#practice-questions#environment

Questions

These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.

UPSC Practice · Prelims GS I Qpap-1

With reference to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), consider the following statements:

  1. It is a statutory body constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 following its 2006 amendment.
  2. Tiger reserves are notified by the State Government on the recommendation of the NTCA.
  3. The NTCA is chaired by the Prime Minister.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 1 and 2 only
  2. B 2 only
  3. C 1 and 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Solution

Statements 1 and 2 are correct — the 2006 amendment inserted Chapter IVB creating the NTCA, and under Section 38V the State Government notifies a tiger reserve on the NTCA’s recommendation. Statement 3 is incorrect — the NTCA is chaired by the Union Environment Minister. The Prime Minister chairs the National Board for Wildlife.

Answer: A

UPSC-pattern practice question
UPSC Practice · Prelims GS I Qpap-2

In the IUCN system of protected-area management categories, Category II corresponds to which of the following?

  1. A Strict Nature Reserve
  2. B Wilderness Area
  3. C National Park
  4. D Protected Landscape/Seascape
Solution

IUCN Category II is National Park — large natural areas protecting ecosystem processes while allowing compatible visitor use. Strict Nature Reserve is Ia, Wilderness Area is Ib, and Protected Landscape/Seascape is V.

Answer: C

UPSC-pattern practice question
UPSC Practice · Prelims GS I Qpap-3

How many of the following can be declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972?

  1. National Park
  2. Community Reserve
  3. Biosphere Reserve
  4. Elephant Reserve
  1. A Only one
  2. B Only two
  3. C Only three
  4. D All four
Solution

National parks (Section 35) and community reserves (Section 36C) are WPA categories. Biosphere reserves are designated under a Central scheme following UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, and elephant reserves under Project Elephant — neither is a statutory WPA category. That makes two.

Answer: B

UPSC-pattern practice question
UPSC Practice · Prelims GS I Qpap-4

Arrange the following conservation initiatives of India in chronological order of their launch:

  1. Project Elephant
  2. Project Tiger
  3. Project Cheetah
  4. Crocodile Conservation Project

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A 2-1-4-3
  2. B 4-2-1-3
  3. C 2-4-3-1
  4. D 2-4-1-3
Solution

Project Tiger — 1973; Crocodile Conservation Project — 1975; Project Elephant — 1992; Project Cheetah — 2022 (cheetahs released into Kuno National Park). The order is 2-4-1-3.

Answer: D

UPSC-pattern practice question
UPSC Practice · Prelims GS I Qpap-5

Consider the following statements about eco-sensitive zones (ESZs):

  1. ESZs are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
  2. ESZs are one of the protected-area categories listed in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 only
  3. C Both 1 and 2
  4. D Neither 1 nor 2
Solution

Statement 1 is correct — ESZs around protected areas are notified by the Central Government under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Statement 2 is incorrect — the WPA lists sanctuaries, national parks, conservation reserves, community reserves and tiger reserves. ESZs are buffers around them, regulated under a different law.

Answer: A

UPSC-pattern practice question
UPSC Practice · Mains GS III 10 marks · 150 words Qpap-m1

Critically examine the significance and challenges of reintroduction programmes, with reference to Project Cheetah in India.

Solution

Introduction: The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. Under Project Cheetah, cheetahs from Namibia (September 2022) and South Africa (February 2023) were brought to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, in an attempt to re-establish the species.

Body:

  • Significance:
    • Restoring a lost apex predator and drawing attention to neglected grassland and open-forest ecosystems.
    • Flagship value for habitat restoration and eco-tourism.
    • Scientific learning on large-carnivore translocation.
  • Challenges:
    • Adequacy of habitat area and prey base for a wide-ranging predator.
    • Adaptation to a new climate, disease and stress of translocation; mortality in the early phase.
    • Conflict with people and livestock if animals move out of the park.
    • Competing priorities — critics argued resources could go to species such as the Great Indian Bustard.
    • Need for multiple sites and genetic diversity for a self-sustaining population.
  • Way forward: landscape-scale planning, transparent scientific monitoring, community engagement and phased expansion to suitable sites.

Conclusion: Reintroduction is a long-term ecological experiment; its success depends on habitat and people as much as on the animals moved.

UPSC-pattern practice question

Keep going in this chapter

Environment Protected Areas and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 Protected areas for UPSC: national parks vs sanctuaries, conservation and community … Environment Protected Areas and Wildlife — Quick Revision One-page UPSC revision of protected areas: WPA 1972 categories and sections, amendments, …