Day-615 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | ENVIRONMENT

Answer. A
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: The key to regenerative agriculture is that it not only “does no harm” to the land but actually improves it, using technologies that regenerate and revitalize the soil and the environment. Regenerative agriculture leads to healthy soil, capable of producing high quality, nutrient dense food while simultaneously improving, rather than degrading land, and ultimately leading to productive farms and healthy communities and economies. It is dynamic and holistic, incorporating permaculture and organic farming practices, including conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, composting, mobile animal shelters and pasture cropping, to increase food production, farmers’ income and especially, topsoil.
Statement 2 is correct and explains statement 1: When land is degraded due to intensive farming, soil carbon can be released into the atmosphere along with nitrous oxide, making land degradation one of the biggest contributors to climate change. An estimated two-thirds of all terrestrial carbon stored in soils and vegetation have been lost since the 19th century through land degradation.

Answer. B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body on animal welfare which was established in 1962 by the central government under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. From ensuring that animal welfare laws in the country are diligently followed, to provide grants to Animal Welfare Organizations and advising the Government of India on animal welfare issues, the Board has been the face of the animal welfare movement in the country for the last 60 years. It was started under the stewardship of Late Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, well known humanitarian.
Headquarters of AWBI are located in Ballabhgarh, Haryana (since 2018). Previously, it was based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Statement 2 is incorrect but statement 3 is correct: According to the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960-
Experiments involving operations on animals for the purpose of advancement by new discovery of physiological knowledge or of knowledge which will be useful for saving or for prolonging life or alleviating suffering or for combating any disease, whether of human beings, animals or plants, shall not be unlawful. Thus, clinical trials on animals for medicinal advancements are allowed. (Chapter IV deals with experimentation on animals).
The penalties and prohibitions under the said Act do not apply in the following cases:
● the dehorning of cattle, or the castration or branding or nose-roping of any animal, in the prescribed manner; or
● the destruction of stray dogs in lethal chambers or [by such other methods as may be prescribed]; or
● the extermination or destruction of any animal under the authority of any law for the time being in force; or
● any matter dealt with in Chapter IV.
Therefore, the above-mentioned activities are permitted under the Act.

Answer. C
Explanation:
Statement 1 is incorrect: The term ‘Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs)’ is not mentioned or defined in the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. A clear definition of ONEs is lacking in India.
Statement 2 is correct: Across the world, open natural ecosystems (also called ONEs) include cold and hot deserts, rock outcrops, boulder and rubble fields, wetlands and marshes, and diverse grasslands and savanna ecosystems. By some estimates, they occupy about two-thirds of land on Earth. Nearly 70% of the areas with open natural ecosystems overlap with those the government calls ‘wastelands’. This included ravines, grasslands, shrublands, waterlogged and marshy areas, pastures and even coastal areas.
Statement 3 is correct: Grasslands, part of open natural ecosystems, sequester 146 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year and support 500 million livestock and over 20 nomadic tribes in India.
Statement 4 is correct: Land-use change such as intensive agriculture, afforestation drives and renewable energy projects threaten open natural ecosystems (ONEs).

Answer. D
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: The dominance of petrochemical-based plastics in the footwear segment is a major challenge in approaching footwear with circularity. The main byproducts of petrochemicals used in shoes for soles are polyurethane (PU), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), all known for value, durability and resistance. Be it EVA or PVC, these are non-biodegradable toxic materials, which after disintegration produce harmful material that goes into the soil.
Statement 2 is correct: In recent years, footwear made of vegan material, recycled plastic bottles or upcycled rubber tyres with cork soles, has introduced a new vocabulary for footwear design among conscious fashion-goers.

Answer. A
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules of 2010, enacted under the Environment Protection Act of 1986, make it compulsory for the state government to identify, demarcate and officially designate all wetlands across the state within a stipulated period of two years.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules amended in 2017 shifted the emphasis of wetland management from a central authority to state-level bodies. These rules provided for the establishment of National Wetland Authority and State Wetland Authorities to ensure more effective conservation and management of wetlands in the state.