UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION

PRELIMS 2019 SPECIAL

MCQs – STATIC – ENVIRONMENT
LECTURE 2

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 Biodiversity Act, 2002

1
It is an Act of the Parliament of India for preservation of biological diversity in India.

2 It provides mechanism for conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components and equitable sharing
of benefits arising out of the utilization of biological resources.

3 It defines Biodiversity as “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 eco-systems”

4 It mandates the implementation of its provisions through decentralized system which consists of a 3-tiered
structure.

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 Biodiversity Act 2002

National Central Level

Biodiversity
Authority

State
Biodiversity State Level
Board

Biodiversity
Management Local Level
Committee

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 National Biodiversity Authority
1 It is a statutory autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, Government
of India established in 2003.

2 Headquartered in Chennai, India, it acts as a facilitating, regulating and advisory body to the Government of
India.

3 It also advises the State Government in the selection of areas of biodiversity importance to be notified as
heritage sites and measures for the management of such heritage sites.

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 National Biodiversity Authority
4 Advisory Role of NBA: a) Conservation of Biodiversity; b) Sustainable use of biological resources;
c) Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources

5 Its mandate is to implement the provisions under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, after India signed Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992

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 Convention on Biodiversity

1
Known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, it is a multilateral treaty and is legally binding.

2 It was born out of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December
1993.

3 Its secretariat is located in Montreal, and it operates under United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

4 There were 3 major goals of CBD – conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of its components; fair and
equitable sharing of benefits arising out of genetic resources.

5 As of 2016 there are 196 parties to the Convention on Biodiversity including India. USA has signed the treaty but
not ratified it.

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 Significance of Convention on Biodiversity
1 Before the CBD, most of the conservation efforts were aimed at protecting only the particular species and
habitats.

2 It was the CBD that recognized for the first time via an international law that “conservation of biodiversity is a
common concern of humankind" and is an integral part of the development process.

3 It was therefore the first agreement that covered all the ecosystems, species and genetic resources.

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 Significance of Convention on Biodiversity
4 It links traditional conservation efforts to the economic goal of using biological resources sustainably.

5 It sets principles for the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources,
notably those destined for commercial use.

6 It also covers the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology through its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,
addressing technology development and transfer, benefit-sharing and biosafety issues.

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 Some other Important Protocols

1 Cartagena Protocol: It is an international agreement on biosafety. It seeks to protect biodiversity from the
potential risks posed by genetically modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

2 Nagoya Protocol: It is a supplementary protocol on CBD to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits on the use
of biological resources.

3 Ramsar Convention: It is an international convention on conservation of wetlands. It was adopted in the year
1971.

4 Vienna Convention: It is a convention for the protection of the Ozone Layer. It was agreed upon at the Vienna
Conference in 1985 and came into force in 1988.

5 Basel Convention: It is for the control of transboundary movement of hazardous waste and their disposal and
specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to Less Developed Countries (LDCs).

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 QUESTION 1
Consider the following statements on National Biological Diversity Act 2002:
1) It aims to give effect to the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity
2) It provides for a centralized system for addressing various issues pertaining to the conservation of
Biodiversity
3) Its objective is to regulate the access to genetic resources and protection of biodiversity
Which of the above is/are correct?
a) 2 and 3 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 3 only
d) All of the above
Answer : b

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 QUESTION 2
Consider the following statements about Convention on Biodiversity (CBD):
1) It is a legally binding treaty
2) It entered into force in 1992
3) It has been signed and ratified by many countries including India, USA etc
Which of the above statements are correct:
a) 3 Only
b) 2 and 3 Only
c) 1 only
d) None of the above
Answer : c

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 QUESTION 3
Which of the following statements highlight the importance of Convention on Biodiversity
(CBD)?
1) It covers all the ecosystems, species, and genetic resources
2) It covers rapidly expanding field of biotechnology, addressing technology development and transfer,
benefit sharing and bio-safety
3) It links traditional conservation efforts to the economic goal of using biological resources
sustainably.
Select the correct code:
a) 2 and 3 only
b) 1 only
c) 3 only
d) All of the above
Answer : d

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 QUESTION 4
Match the following:
Match the following
A – Cartagena Protocol 1 – Conservation of Wetland
B – Nagoya Protocol 2 – Protection of Ozone Layer
C – Ramsar Convention 3 – Biosafety
D – Vienna Convention 4 – Fair and equitable sharing of benefits on
the use of biological resources
E – Basel Convention 5 – Control of transboundary hazardous waste

Select the correct code:

a) A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2, E-5
b) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2, E-5
c) A-4, B-3, C-1, D-5, E-2
d) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3, E-5
Answer: b

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 QUESTION 5
Consider the following statements regarding National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) of India:
1) It is statutory and non-autonomous body
2) Its headquarters are located in Chennai
3) It advises only the Central Government on issues relating to conservation of biodiversity
Which of the above statement/s is/are incorrect:
a) 2 Only
b) 1 and 2 Only
c) 1 and 3 Only
d) All of the above
Answer : c

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