UPSC Static Quiz – Environment : 20 March 2026

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct; Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that have evolved physiological mechanisms like salt exclusion at the roots or salt excretion via glands on the leaf surface to thrive in intertidal zones.
• Statement 2 is also correct; the Sundari tree (Heritiera fomes), dominant in the Sundarbans, produces highly valued timber and uses pneumatophores (blind roots) to take in oxygen from the air, as the waterlogged soil is anoxic.
• Statement 3 is incorrect; recent ISFR data (2019-2021) actually indicates a marginal increase (approx. 17 sq. km) in the total mangrove cover in India, rather than a consistent decline. This reflects the success of various conservation and plantation efforts.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct. The Biological Diversity Act, 2002, explicitly includes provisions to protect the rights of local communities. Section 7 of the Act exempts local people and communities, including growers, cultivators, and traditional healers like vaids and hakims, from the requirement of giving prior intimation to the State Biodiversity Board for using biological resources for their own use. This exemption is a cornerstone of the Act, designed to ensure that the law does not hinder traditional practices and livelihoods.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) is prepared by the Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) at the local level, in consultation with local people, not by the State Biodiversity Board. Its primary function is the comprehensive documentation of local biological resources, associated traditional knowledge, and practices. While it is a legal document under the Act and can be used by the NBA and SBB to make decisions on benefit-sharing, it is fundamentally a grassroots-level inventory, not a regulatory tool created by the state-level body.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is required to be an eminent person having adequate knowledge and experience in the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and in matters relating to equitable sharing of benefits. There is no provision that the chairperson must be a serving judge of the Supreme Court. The chairperson is appointed by the Central Government.

Solution: B

Explanation:

• Biomining refers to the use of microorganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi, to biologically process waste or mineral-rich material. In the context of the Solid Waste Management Rules, biomining is particularly associated with the scientific remediation of legacy waste dumpsites.
• Microbes help accelerate the decomposition of organic matter, stabilize waste, reduce volume, and enable the recovery of usable fractions such as soil-like material and recyclables, while also aiding in the removal or immobilization of toxic components, including metals.
• Option (a) relates to deep-sea mining and has no connection with the Solid Waste Management Rules or biomining.
• Option (c) aligns more with mechanical waste processing or waste-to-energy approaches rather than a biological technique.
• Option (d) describes phytoextraction, which is a form of phytoremediation, not biomining.

Solution: A

• The circular economy employs various strategies to extend material value, often referred to as the “R-ladder.”
• Refurbishing (I-2) involves repairing, cleaning, and sometimes updating a used product so it can be used for its original purpose again, often with a “like-new” guarantee.
• Remanufacturing (II-3) is a more industrial process where a product is completely disassembled; the usable parts are combined with new parts to build a product that meets the same specifications as the original.
• Repurposing (III-1) involves finding a new use for a product or its components that is different from the original intent, such as using old tire rubber to make road surfaces or sugarcane waste (bagasse) to make paper.
• These strategies are essential for closing the loop in industrial systems.

Solution: D

• The Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, represent a highly advanced environmental policy.
• Statement 1 is correct because unlike the previous 2001 rules that focused mainly on lead-acid batteries, the 2022 rules are technology-agnostic and cover all batteries, including EV, portable, automotive, and industrial batteries.
• Statement 2 is correct because the framework utilizes Environmental Compensation (EC) as a deterrent. If producers fail to meet their EPR targets, they are levied a compensation charge based on the Polluter Pays Principle, which is intended to fund the eventual collection and recycling of those unrecovered batteries. The rules also encourage the development of a market for EPR certificates, allowing for a transparent and traceable exchange between producers and recyclers.