[Mission 2022] QUIZ – 2022: INSIGHTS STATIC QUIZ, 20 December 2021 – Environment – INSIGHTSIAS

Solution: b)

States and Union Territories with more than 75 per cent of their land under forest cover can undertake compensatory afforestation in other states.

According to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, each time forest land is diverted, the project proponent has to pay the state to undertake plantation and for the ecosystem services lost due to diverting forest land, called Net Present Value (NPV).

Solution: c)

CAMPA Act:

• To compensate the loss of forest area and to maintain the sustainability, the Government of India came up with a well-defined Act, known as CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority).
• The law establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
• These Funds will receive payments for: (i) compensatory afforestation, (ii) net present value of forest (NPV), and (iii) other project specific payments.
• The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
• According to the Act’s provision, a company diverting forest land must provide alternative land to take up compensatory afforestation.
• For afforestation, the company should pay to plant new trees in the alternative land provided to the state.
• The law says that land selected for afforestation should preferably be contiguous to the forest being divertedso that it is easier for forest officials to manage it. But if no suitable non-forest land is found, degraded forests can be chosen for afforestation.

Solution: a)

Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under Section 3(3) of the ‘Environment (Protection) Act, 1986’ for the purpose of regulation and control of ground water development and management in the Country.

Solution: b)

Wildlife laws divide species into ‘schedules’ ranked from I to V. Schedule I members are the best protected, in theory, with severe punishments meted out to those who hunt them.

Wild boars, nilgai and rhesus monkeys are Schedule II and III members — also protected, but can be hunted under specific conditions. Crows and fruit bat fall in Schedule 5, the vermin category.

Section 62 of Act empowers Centre to declare wild animals other than Schedule I & II to be vermin for specified area and period.

Section 11(1) a of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) authorizes chief wildlife warden to permit hunting of any problem wild animal only if it cannot be captured, tranquillized or translocated.

Solution: c)

National Board for Wildlife:

• It is a “Statutory Organization” constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Its roles is “advisory” in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country.
• Primary function of the Board is to promote the conservation and development of wildlife and forests.
• It has power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.
• No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without approval of the NBWL.