Day-558 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

Answer: C
Explanation:
The Central Asian region harbours the largest intact and still interconnected grasslands worldwide. As such, it is of global importance for many migratory and nomadic mammals which rely on the vast steppe, desert and mountain ecosystems that enable the essential long-distance movements which ensure their survival. Mass migrants in this region include CMS-listed species such as the Saiga antelope, Mongolian gazelle and Khulan.
The UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, has strengthened its engagement in Central Asia to conserve migratory mammals, their habitats and the vital role they play in preserving intact ecosystems. The Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) (Resolution 11.24 (Rev.COP13)) and its associated Programme of Work were adopted by CMS Parties at the COP11 and revised at COP13 in Gandhinagar, India (February 2020).
With an initiative to strengthen the conservation of Central Asian migratory mammals, CMS aims to provide a common framework to coordinate conservation activities in the region and to coherently address major threats to migratory species.
Additional information about CMS
• The UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) was signed in 1979 and has been into force since 1983. It is an intergovernmental treaty under the UNEP- popularly known as Bonn Convention.
• As the only global convention specializing in the conservation of (terrestrial, avian and marine) migratory species, their habitats and migration routes, CMS complements and co-operates with a number of other international organizations, NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.

Answer: A
Explanation:
Option 3 is correct.
Indian Tent Turtle: The species is native to India, Nepal and Bangladesh with three subspecies recorded from the region viz., P. t. tentoria, P. t. circumdata and P. t. flaviventer.
● P. t. tentoria occurs in peninsular India and is recorded from Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.
● P. t. circumdata occurs in the western tributaries of Ganga and the rivers of Gujarat. It is found in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
● P. t. flaviventer occurs in the northern tributaries of Ganga and is recorded from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.
Its habitats include still water pools on river side and slow running water near the river banks. These are active swimmers and are mainly herbivorous.
Due to the attractive appearance of the species, they are illegally traded in the pet market.

Conservation Status:
● IUCN : Least concern
● Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I
● CITES : Appendix II
Options 1 and 2 are incorrect: Both flapshell and black turtle are omnivores. They feed on aquatic plants and insects, frogs, shrimp, snails, fruits, flowers, grasses and seeds.
Flapshell turtle
• Flapshell turtle lives in shallow, stagnant waters in lakes, rivers, ponds and streams in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• It is a freshwater species of turtle that is adapted to survive in drought conditions. It often burrows and moves from one water hole to another to avoid desiccation. It also undergoes aestivation to survive dry conditions.
• It prefers swampy areas with soil and exposure to sunlight as common nesting sites. It is generally solitary and active during the day.
• It is listed as Schedule I species in Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, thus it has been accorded the highest level of protection in India.
Blackshell turtle
• Black turtles (freshwater turtle species) are commonly found in the Indomalayan biogeographical realm in India, Nepal, Sri lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• It is listed under Schedule II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Answer: A
Explanation:
The Bridgetown Initiative, led by Barbados, is a proposal to reform the world of development finance, particularly how rich countries help poor countries cope with and adapt to climate change.
Barbados is one of the Caribbean’s most vulnerable nations to climate change. Hurricanes are more frequent and intense and the island is also at risk from rising sea levels, storm surges, coastal erosion, droughts and flooding. Now the government of Barbados, led by Mia Mottley, the island’s first woman prime minister, is championing a radical initiative that could transform how lending is made to developing nations in a climate crisis.
The key demands of the Bridgetown Initiative are:
1. LIQUIDITY SUPPORT
● U.N. member states should fast-track the transfer of $100 billion in so-called ‘Special Drawing Rights’, a monetary reserve currency, to programmes that support climate resilience and subsidise lending to low-income countries.
● The International Monetary Fund should also immediately suspend surcharges – additional interest payments imposed on heavily indebted borrowing countries – for two to three years.
● It should also restore “enhanced access limits” established during the COVID pandemic for two emergency financial support instruments, the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) and Rapid Financing Instruments.
2. DEBT SUSTAINABILITY
● G20 creditor countries should redesign their Common Framework for restructuring the debt of poor countries in default, notably by speeding up debt relief talks and allowing middle-income countries to access it.
● The IMF should encourage the restructuring of unsustainable debt in a way that is consistent across countries, and change the way it analyses the debt to incentivise investments that create future savings, such as those for climate adaptation.
● Public and private creditors should include disaster clauses in lending deals to allow countries to divert debt payments to disaster relief; and refinance high-interest and short-term debt with credit guarantees and longer maturities.
● U.N. member states should agree to raise $100 billion a year for a fund to help pay for the climate-related loss and damage suffered by developing countries.
3. PRIVATE CAPITAL
● The IMF and multilateral development banks should offer $100 billion a year in currency risk guarantees to help drive private sector investment in projects that would help developing countries make the transition to a low-carbon economy.
4. DEVELOPMENT LENDING
● The G20 and other shareholders of the World Bank, IMF and development institutions should fully implement the 2022 recommendations of a panel of experts aimed at boosting lending by the multilateral development banks.
● Increase the leveraging of the World Bank’s International Development Association, which provides concessional finance; fully fund its emergency support facility to $6 billion by end-2023; and scale up the IDA’s funding to $279 billion.
● Raise the access limits to concessional finance through the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust and the Resilience & Sustainability Trust.
● Assess funding eligibility in light of a country’s vulnerability and provide low-cost, 50-year loans to help them invest in areas including climate resilience, water security, pandemic preparedness and access to renewable energy.
● Simplify and harmonise the way countries can apply to access loans across the world, and provide more support in the process. The international financial institutions should also finance development plans that help protect shared resources.

Answer: D
Explanation:
Conocarpus, also known as buttonwood tree, is an invasive species like Prosopis juliflora and Lantana camara which raises much apprehension among environmentalists since the tree is used for urban greening in various parts of the country. It is renowned for its use in public spaces for its ornamental looks but is known to have negative effects on the local biodiversity.
One of the major concerns is that Conocarpus trees have deep roots that can damage telecommunication lines, drainage systems, and freshwater systems.
Secondly, the trees of this species flower in winter and spread pollen in nearby areas. It is learnt that this is causing diseases like cold, cough, asthma, allergy etc.
With glossy, dark-green leaves, Conocarpus is an evergreen tree species. The animals do not find this fast-growing species as palatable enough.
Additional information about this tree:
● It is a mangrove tree species that can grow well in acidic and alkaline soil conditions.
● It has high water-absorption capacity.
● There are two species of Conocarpus (buttonwood) trees, with several varieties and hybrids — Conocarpus erectus, which is more widely used in India, is native to South America, and C. lancifolius is native to East Africa.
● It is an evergreen tree species which is ideal for seashore plantation since it is highly tolerant of salt and drought conditions.
● The strong wood of buttonwood was used for firewood, cabinet-making (furniture) and charcoal-making.
● It propagates by seeds or stem cuttings.
● Serious pollen allergies and respiratory problems have been reported in the vicinity of their plantations, which has led to civic agencies taking action to ban them. The problems had already been noted in Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East, as well as in Karachi and Faizabad in Pakistan, when they started being used in greening projects in India.

Answer: D
Explanation:
Options 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are correct.
Animals that swim or move freely in the ocean are nektons. Nekton comes in all shapes and sizes. They live in shallow and deep ocean waters. Most nekton eat zooplankton, other nektons or they scavenge for waste.
There are three types of nektons:
The largest group of nektons are chordates and have bones or cartilage. This group includes:
● bony fish
● whales
● sharks
● turtles
● snakes
● eels
● porpoises
● dolphins
● seals
Molluscan nekton are animals like octopus and squid.
Arthropod nekton are animals like shrimp. Most arthropods are benthos or bottom dwelling organisms.