UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — HMEFCC Shri Bhupender Yadav Presides over Event to Mark World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought in New Delhi
Q1. As per the United Nations Treaty Collection, how many Parties are there to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)?
Q2. With reference to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) vis-à-vis the other two Rio Conventions, consider the following statements:
1. All three Rio Conventions — UNFCCC, CBD and UNCCD — were opened for signature at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
2. Unlike the UNFCCC and the CBD, the UNCCD has its permanent secretariat in Bonn, Germany.
3. The UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- All three Rio Conventions — UNFCCC, CBD and UNCCD — were opened for signature at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
- Unlike the UNFCCC and the CBD, the UNCCD has its permanent secretariat in Bonn, Germany.
- The UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
- A. 3 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. At which one of the following events did India enhance its Bonn Challenge pledge from 21 million hectares to 26 million hectares of degraded land to be brought into restoration by 2030?
- A. UNFCCC COP-21 held in Paris in 2015
- B. UNCCD COP-14 held in New Delhi in 2019
- C. UNCCD COP-15 held in Abidjan in 2022
- D. UNCCD COP-16 held in Riyadh in 2024
Q4. In the context of the 'Aravalli Green Wall Project' launched by the Government of India, the term 'Green Wall' refers to which one of the following?
- A. A continuous high-density forest belt of exclusively native species running along the ridgeline of the Aravalli range
- B. A 5 km wide buffer area around the Aravalli Hill Range that is to be greened through afforestation, reforestation and restoration of water bodies
- C. A legally notified eco-sensitive zone where all non-forest activities, including agriculture, are prohibited
- D. A protected wildlife corridor connecting the Sariska and Ranthambore Tiger Reserves across the Aravallis
Q5. The Aravalli Green Wall Project, which envisages restoration of a 5 km buffer around the Aravalli Hill Range across Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi, is implemented by which one of the following Union Ministries?
- A. Ministry of Jal Shakti
- B. Ministry of Rural Development
- C. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
- D. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Q6. With reference to the 2026 theme of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the term 'Rangelands' is best defined as which one of the following?
- A. Lands on which the vegetation is predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs or shrubs, typically grazed by livestock or wild herbivores
- B. Forested commons managed under community forest rights granted by national legislation
- C. Wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention
- D. Coastal ecosystems dominated by mangroves and salt-tolerant vegetation
Q7. With reference to the 'Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India' released by the Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, consider the following statements:
1. Rajasthan contributes the largest share among Indian states/UTs to the area undergoing desertification/land degradation.
2. Maharashtra ranks second after Rajasthan in absolute area under desertification/land degradation.
3. The Atlas is prepared by the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad under ISRO.
4. The Atlas presents only the latest snapshot (2018-19) without any temporal change analysis.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Rajasthan contributes the largest share among Indian states/UTs to the area undergoing desertification/land degradation.
- Maharashtra ranks second after Rajasthan in absolute area under desertification/land degradation.
- The Atlas is prepared by the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad under ISRO.
- The Atlas presents only the latest snapshot (2018-19) without any temporal change analysis.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q8. With reference to the 'Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India', consider the following pairings of attribute and value:
1. Nodal preparing agency — Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
2. Reference year of the latest assessment — 2018-19
3. Time span of the change-analysis window — 15 years (2003-05 to 2018-19)
4. Most dominant process of land degradation in India — Wind erosion
Which of the pairs given above is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Nodal preparing agency — Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
- Reference year of the latest assessment — 2018-19
- Time span of the change-analysis window — 15 years (2003-05 to 2018-19)
- Most dominant process of land degradation in India — Wind erosion
- A. 1 and 4 only
- B. 2 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q9. Which one of the following is the nodal Union Ministry responsible for implementing the National Mission for a Green India (GIM), under which convergence with MGNREGS is operationalised for forest and non-forest land restoration?
- A. Ministry of Rural Development
- B. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
- C. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- D. Ministry of Jal Shakti
Q10. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), under which the National Mission for a Green India is one of the eight national missions, was released by the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change in which year?
- A. 2007
- B. 2008
- C. 2010
- D. 2014
Q11. With reference to the 'three Rio Conventions' that trace their origins to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit), consider the following:
1. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
2. Convention on Biological Diversity
3. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
4. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Which of the above are correctly identified as one of the three Rio Conventions?
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2, 3 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q12. With reference to the targets adopted under Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land) as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, consider the following:
1. Combating desertification, restoring degraded land and soil and striving to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
2. Taking urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna.
3. Preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities.
4. Introducing measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as targets under SDG 15?
- Combating desertification, restoring degraded land and soil and striving to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
- Taking urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna.
- Preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities.
- Introducing measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 3 only
Q13. Which of the following is the designated custodian agency for SDG indicator 15.3.1 ('Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area')?
- A. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- B. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- C. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
- D. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)