Daily Quiz – 09th Apr 2024

Exp:

Options 1 and 4 are correct:

• According to the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, Biological resources means:
• plants, animals and microorganisms or parts thereof,
• Their genetic material and by-products (excluding value added products) with actual or potential use or value

Here, “value added products” means products which may contain portions or extracts of plants and animals in unrecognizable and physically inseparable form

However, the definition of biological resources does not include genetic material.

In addition to this, “biological diversity” means the variability among living organisms from all sources and the ecological complexes of which they are part and includes diversity within species or between species and of ecosystems.

Options 1,4 and 5 are correct:

• In exercise of the powers conferred by the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Central Government has published the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 according to which wetland means an area of marsh, fen, peatland or water;
• whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters

The definition however does not include

1. river channels
2. paddy fields
3. human-made water bodies/tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes
4. structures specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt production, recreation and irrigation purposes.

• Recently, the Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries (NP&WLS) in the country.
• Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) is the assessment of how well protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves, community reserves and tiger reserves are being managed and their effectiveness in conserving target flora and fauna.
• The assessment process of India’s National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries adopted from IUCN WCPA (World Commission on Protected Areas) framework of MEE.
• The MoEF&CC has also launched the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Indian Zoos (MEE-ZOO) framework which proposes guidelines, criteria and indicators for evaluation of zoos of the country in a manner which is discrete, holistic and independent.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Deemed forests, comprising about 1% of India’s forest land, are a controversial subject as they refer to land tracts that appear to be a “forest”, but have not been notified so by the government or in historical records. The concept of deemed forests has not even been clearly defined in any law including the

Forest Conservation Act 1980. The definition of deemed forests varies from state to state.

In the T N Godavarman Thirumulpad case 1996, the Supreme Court (SC) accepted a wide definition of forests under the Act and held that the word ‘forest’ must be understood according to its dictionary meaning.

Statement 2 is correct: According to Section 2 of the act, no State Government or other authority shall make, except with the prior approval of the Central Government, any order directing-

• that any reserved forest shall cease to be reserved.
• that any forest land or any portion thereof may be used for any non-forest purposes.
• that any forest land or any portion thereof may be cleared of trees which have grown naturally in that land or portion, for the purpose of using it for afforestation.
• that any forest land or any portion thereof may be assigned by way of lease or otherwise to any private person or to any authority, corporation, agency or any other Organisation not owned, managed or controlled by Government.

Section 2(b) of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 defines “critical wildlife habitat” as such areas of National Parks and Sanctuaries where it has been specifically and clearly established, case by case, on the basis of scientific and objective criteria, that such areas are required to be kept as inviolate for the purposes of wildlife conservation.

Although the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal ministry for the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the CWHs are determined and notified by the Central Government in the Ministry of Environment and Forests.