Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs 2026 – 50 Important MCQs with Answers

A) India
B) Azerbaijan
C) Brazil
D) Germany

✅ Correct Answer: B) Azerbaijan

Explanation: Azerbaijan hosted World Environment Day on 5 June 2026. The international campaign focused on climate action.

A) Beat Plastic Pollution
B) Land Restoration
C) Climate Action
D) Ecosystem Restoration

✅ Correct Answer: C) Climate Action

Explanation: World Environment Day 2026 highlighted the urgency of addressing climate change through collective action, under the campaign #NowForClimate.

A) India
B) Brazil
C) United Arab Emirates
D) Azerbaijan

✅ Correct Answer: B) Brazil

Explanation: COP30 was held in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025, bringing countries together to discuss global climate commitments.

A) Ending all climate finance programmes
B) Tripling adaptation finance by 2035
C) Abolishing carbon markets
D) Replacing the Paris Agreement

✅ Correct Answer: B) Tripling adaptation finance by 2035

Explanation: COP30 called for a tripling of adaptation finance by 2035 to help vulnerable countries respond to climate change.

A) Montreal Protocol
B) Kyoto Convention
C) Paris Agreement
D) Ramsar Convention

✅ Correct Answer: C) Paris Agreement

Explanation: Adopted in 2015, the Paris Agreement seeks to keep global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

A) 2030
B) 2040
C) 2050
D) 2070

✅ Correct Answer: D) 2070

Explanation: India announced its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 at COP26 in Glasgow.

A) Oxygen
B) Carbon dioxide
C) Nitrogen
D) Argon

✅ Correct Answer: B) Carbon dioxide

Explanation: Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas released through coal, petroleum and natural gas combustion.

A) National Development Committee
B) Nationally Determined Contribution
C) Natural Development Council
D) National Disaster Convention

✅ Correct Answer: B) Nationally Determined Contribution

Explanation: NDCs are national climate action plans submitted under the Paris Agreement.

A) Kyoto Protocol
B) Cartagena Protocol
C) Kigali Amendment
D) Nagoya Protocol

✅ Correct Answer: C) Kigali Amendment

Explanation: The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was adopted in 2016 to gradually reduce the production and consumption of HFCs.

A) SDG 6
B) SDG 11
C) SDG 13
D) SDG 15

✅ Correct Answer: C) SDG 13

Explanation: Sustainable Development Goal 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

A) Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
B) Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve
C) Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve
D) Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve

✅ Correct Answer: B) Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve

Explanation: The Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in Himachal Pradesh joined UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves in September 2025.

A) 11
B) 12
C) 13
D) 15

✅ Correct Answer: C) 13

Explanation: The 2025 inclusion of the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve increased India's total to 13 UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserves.

A) Uttarakhand
B) Himachal Pradesh
C) Sikkim
D) Arunachal Pradesh

✅ Correct Answer: B) Himachal Pradesh

Explanation: The Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve is situated in the Lahaul–Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh.

A) Gir Wildlife Sanctuary
B) Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary
C) Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
D) Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

✅ Correct Answer: B) Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary

Explanation: Project Cheetah expanded to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh in 2025.

A) Kaziranga National Park
B) Kuno National Park
C) Ranthambore National Park
D) Bandipur National Park

✅ Correct Answer: B) Kuno National Park

Explanation: Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh was selected for the initial reintroduction of African cheetahs into India.

A) Madhav Tiger Reserve
B) Sariska Tiger Reserve
C) Similipal Tiger Reserve
D) Nagarjunsagar Tiger Reserve

✅ Correct Answer: A) Madhav Tiger Reserve

Explanation: Madhav Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh became India's 58th tiger reserve in 2025.

A) Rajasthan
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Maharashtra
D) Karnataka

✅ Correct Answer: B) Madhya Pradesh

Explanation: Madhav Tiger Reserve is located in the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh.

A) Sundarbans Tiger Reserve
B) Buxa Tiger Reserve
C) Similipal Tiger Reserve
D) Manas Tiger Reserve

✅ Correct Answer: B) Buxa Tiger Reserve

Explanation: A tigress was released into Buxa Tiger Reserve in October 2026 as part of efforts to restore its tiger population.

A) Zoological Survey of India
B) National Tiger Conservation Authority
C) Central Pollution Control Board
D) Wildlife Institute of India

✅ Correct Answer: B) National Tiger Conservation Authority

Explanation: The NTCA is the statutory authority responsible for strengthening tiger conservation under Project Tiger

A) Indian rhinoceros
B) Asian elephant
C) Snow leopard
D) Wild water buffalo

✅ Correct Answer: B) Asian elephant

Explanation: Project Elephant was launched in 1992 to protect Asian elephants, their habitats and migration corridors.

A) 96
B) 98
C) 101
D) 103

✅ Correct Answer: D) 103

Explanation: India's Ramsar site count reached 103 in October 2026 following the designation of Sukhna Wetland and Sauj Jheel.

A) Delhi
B) Chandigarh
C) Puducherry
D) Ladakh

✅ Correct Answer: B) Chandigarh

Explanation: Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh was among the new additions to India's Ramsar network in October 2026.

A) Bihar
B) Rajasthan
C) Uttar Pradesh
D) Haryana

✅ Correct Answer: C) Uttar Pradesh

Explanation: Sauj Jheel is located in the Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh.

A) Jaipur and Bhopal
B) Indore and Udaipur
C) Chennai and Kochi
D) Surat and Ahmedabad

✅ Correct Answer: B) Indore and Udaipur

Explanation: Indore and Udaipur became India's first internationally accredited Wetland Cities under the Ramsar Convention.

A) Uttar Pradesh
B) Gujarat
C) Tamil Nadu
D) Madhya Pradesh

✅ Correct Answer: C) Tamil Nadu

Explanation: Tamil Nadu led India with 20 Ramsar sites, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 14, according to October 2026 reporting.

A) Basel Convention
B) Ramsar Convention
C) Stockholm Convention
D) Vienna Convention

✅ Correct Answer: B) Ramsar Convention

Explanation: The Ramsar Convention was adopted in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971 to promote wetland conservation and wise use.

A) Gujarat
B) Rajasthan
C) Maharashtra
D) Odisha

✅ Correct Answer: A) Gujarat

Explanation: Chhari-Dhand is a significant seasonal wetland in the Kutch district of Gujarat.

A) Protect desert ecosystems
B) Restore mangrove ecosystems
C) Increase freshwater fishing
D) Establish tiger reserves

✅ Correct Answer: B) Restore mangrove ecosystems

Explanation: MISHTI stands for Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes. It promotes mangrove restoration along India's coasts.

A) 1,200 hectares
B) 2,500 hectares
C) 4,536 hectares
D) 10,000 hectares

✅ Correct Answer: C) 4,536 hectares

Explanation: The ministry reported the restoration of 4,536 hectares of mangroves in 2025 under MISHTI.

A) Desert grasslands
B) Mangrove forests
C) Alpine meadows
D) Temperate grasslands

✅ Correct Answer: B) Mangrove forests

Explanation: Mangrove ecosystems act as natural coastal barriers and provide important habitats for marine biodiversity.

A) Paris, France
B) Rome, Italy
C) Nairobi, Kenya
D) Geneva, Switzerland

✅ Correct Answer: B) Rome, Italy

Explanation: COP16 resumed in Rome in February 2025, where countries reached agreements on biodiversity finance and monitoring.

A) Finance nuclear energy
B) Support biodiversity conservation through benefit-sharing from genetic data
C) Build large dams
D) Fund fossil fuel exploration

✅ Correct Answer: B) Support biodiversity conservation through benefit-sharing from genetic data

Explanation: The Cali Fund supports fair and equitable benefit-sharing arising from the commercial use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 75%

✅ Correct Answer: C) 50%

Explanation: Half of the Cali Fund's resources are intended to support the self-identified needs of Indigenous peoples and local communities, including women and young people.

A) Reduce emissions by 30% by 2030
B) Conserve at least 30% of land and sea areas by 2030
C) Plant 30 billion trees annually
D) Eliminate 30% of fossil fuels by 2030

✅ Correct Answer: B) Conserve at least 30% of land and sea areas by 2030

Explanation: Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework calls for the effective conservation and management of at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine areas by 2030.

A) UNESCO
B) IUCN
C) WHO
D) WTO

✅ Correct Answer: B) IUCN

Explanation: The International Union for Conservation of Nature maintains the IUCN Red List to assess species' global extinction risks.

A) Vulnerable
B) Near Threatened
C) Endangered
D) Critically Endangered

✅ Correct Answer: D) Critically Endangered

Explanation: Critically Endangered species face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

A) Mediterranean Basin
B) Indo-Burma
C) California Floristic Province
D) Cape Floristic Region

✅ Correct Answer: B) Indo-Burma

Explanation: The Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot includes parts of northeastern India and neighbouring Southeast Asian regions.

A) CITES
B) UNFCCC
C) UNCCD
D) UNCLOS

✅ Correct Answer: A) CITES

Explanation: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulates international wildlife trade to prevent threats to species survival.

A) Ex-situ conservation
B) In-situ conservation
C) Artificial selection
D) Cryopreservation

✅ Correct Answer: B) In-situ conservation

Explanation: National parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves are examples of in-situ conservation.

A) In-situ conservation
B) Ex-situ conservation
C) Natural regeneration
D) Ecological succession

✅ Correct Answer: B) Ex-situ conservation

Explanation: Ex-situ conservation involves protecting species outside their natural habitats.

A) 5th
B) 7th
C) 9th
D) 12th

✅ Correct Answer: C) 9th

Explanation: India's Environment Ministry reported that the country ranked ninth globally in total forest area in the FAO's 2025 assessment.

A) 50
B) 54
C) 58
D) 62

✅ Correct Answer: C) 58

Explanation: India had 58 tiger reserves in 2025, compared with 46 in 2014.

A) 25
B) 30
C) 33
D) 40

✅ Correct Answer: C) 33

Explanation: The number of elephant reserves in India increased to 33 in 2025, compared with 26 in 2014.

A) Improve ocean biodiversity
B) Reduce air pollution in Indian cities
C) Increase agricultural exports
D) Promote deep-sea mining

✅ Correct Answer: B) Reduce air pollution in Indian cities

Explanation: Launched in 2019, NCAP seeks to improve air quality through measures targeting particulate matter and other pollution sources.

A) Carbon dioxide particles
B) Particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less
C) Methane molecules
D) Sulphur particles larger than 10 micrometres

✅ Correct Answer: B) Particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less

Explanation: PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs and adversely affect human health.

A) Namami Gange
B) Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam
C) Swachh Bharat Mission
D) Mission LiFE

✅ Correct Answer: B) Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam

Explanation: Launched in June 2024, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam promotes tree planting and public participation in environmental conservation.

A) Environmental Protection Regulation
B) Extended Producer Responsibility
C) Ecological Preservation Rules
D) Energy Production Requirement

✅ Correct Answer: B) Extended Producer Responsibility

Explanation: EPR makes producers responsible for managing specified products or packaging at the post-consumer stage, helping promote recycling and a circular economy.

A) Mission LiFE
B) Project Dolphin
C) Project Tiger
D) National Solar Mission

✅ Correct Answer: A) Mission LiFE

Explanation: Mission LiFE stands for Lifestyle for Environment. It encourages individuals and communities to adopt environmentally responsible habits.

A) Promote coal-based energy
B) Encourage international cooperation in solar energy deployment
C) Regulate nuclear power
D) Protect marine biodiversity

✅ Correct Answer: B) Encourage international cooperation in solar energy deployment

Explanation: The International Solar Alliance, initiated by India and France, promotes cooperation to expand the use of solar energy.

A) UNFCCC
B) UNCCD
C) CITES
D) Ramsar Convention

✅ Correct Answer: B) UNCCD

Explanation: The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification addresses desertification, land degradation and drought, particularly in vulnerable regions.