Environment & Ecology

About 6 min · General Knowledge · English

Time worked out from the lesson's 407 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.

This topic tests your awareness of environmental issues, government schemes like National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), and basic ecological principles. Questions may ask about protected areas in Uttar Pradesh (Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary), pollution control laws, and international environmental agreements like the Paris Agreement. Mastery requires memorizing key national parks, understanding pollution types and their effects, and staying updated on recent environmental policies and summits. Focus on factual retention—names, locations, years, and scheme objectives—as most questions are direct recall.

Key ideas

Ecosystem: A functional unit comprising living organisms (biotic) and their physical environment (abiotic) interacting through energy flow and nutrient cycling. Examples: forest ecosystem, pond ecosystem.
Biodiversity: Variety of life on Earth at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. India is a mega-diverse country with 4 of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots: Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats–Sri Lanka and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).
Food Chain & Food Web: Linear sequence of organisms where each is food for the next (food chain); interconnected food chains form a food web. Trophic levels: producers → herbivores → carnivores → decomposers.
Climate Change: Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns primarily due to greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O) from human activities. Effects include global warming, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events.
Pollution: Introduction of harmful substances into the environment. Types: air, water, soil, noise, radioactive. Each has specific sources (industrial, vehicular, agricultural) and health impacts.

Watch out for

Wrong thinking: "Both are same; animals are protected."
Correct fix: National Parks prohibit all human activities (no grazing, cultivation). Wildlife Sanctuaries allow limited activities like grazing with Chief Wildlife Warden's permission. Both are normally notified by the State Government (Sections 18 and 35);
Wrong thinking: "Jim Corbett is India's first national park."

Quick reference

3 Rs of Waste Management: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Project Tiger: Launched 1973 | 53 reserves | Aims to protect Bengal tiger
Project Elephant: Launched 1992 | Protects elephant habitats and corridors
National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): 8 missions including Solar, Water, Forestry, Agriculture
Ozone Layer Protection: Montreal Protocol 1987 bans CFCs | Ozone Day September 16

Check yourself: 3 questions

1. Which of the following gases is primarily responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer in the stratosphere?
2. Kaziranga National Park, famous for one-horned rhinoceros, is located in which Indian state?
3. Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming?

This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.

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