UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Glaw Lake becomes Arunachal Pradesh’s First Ramsar Site; India’s Ramsar Sites tally reaches 101
Q1. With reference to Glaw Lake, designated in 2026 as a Wetland of International Importance, consider the following:
1. It lies within the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary.
2. It is a freshwater lake fed by perennial mountain streams.
3. It is situated in the Western Himalayan biogeographic region.
4. Forty-nine orchid species have been recorded in the site and its catchment.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- It lies within the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary.
- It is a freshwater lake fed by perennial mountain streams.
- It is situated in the Western Himalayan biogeographic region.
- Forty-nine orchid species have been recorded in the site and its catchment.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 3 only
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 1, 2 and 4
Q2. Glaw Lake lies in an area that carries both Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve status. In Indian law, the constitution of a Tiger Reserve differs from that of a Wildlife Sanctuary chiefly in that a Tiger Reserve is —
- A. notified by the State Government on the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, and comprises a core or critical tiger habitat together with a buffer area
- B. notified by the Central Government under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and bars all forms of human presence within its notified boundary
- C. declared by the State Board for Wildlife on the recommendation of the Chief Wildlife Warden, and permits regulated commercial forestry within its core area
- D. constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as a category of Protected Area under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
Q3. Consider the following statements about milestones in the growth of India's Ramsar network:
1. India had 26 Ramsar Sites in 2014.
2. India's tally stood at 98 sites after the wetlands added ahead of World Wetlands Day 2026.
3. India's tally stood at 91 sites in June 2025.
4. India crossed the 85-site mark with the wetlands added on the eve of Independence Day 2022.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- India had 26 Ramsar Sites in 2014.
- India's tally stood at 98 sites after the wetlands added ahead of World Wetlands Day 2026.
- India's tally stood at 91 sites in June 2025.
- India crossed the 85-site mark with the wetlands added on the eve of Independence Day 2022.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q4. Consider the following statements comparing the two phases of India's Ramsar designations:
1. India designated 26 Ramsar Sites between 1982 and 2013, as against 59 sites added between 2014 and 2024.
2. India became a party to the Convention on Wetlands in 1982, and its Ramsar network grew by over 276 per cent between 2014 and the eve of World Wetlands Day 2026.
3. The three wetlands added on the eve of Independence Day 2024 took the tally to 85, of which two were in Madhya Pradesh and one in Tamil Nadu.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- India designated 26 Ramsar Sites between 1982 and 2013, as against 59 sites added between 2014 and 2024.
- India became a party to the Convention on Wetlands in 1982, and its Ramsar network grew by over 276 per cent between 2014 and the eve of World Wetlands Day 2026.
- The three wetlands added on the eve of Independence Day 2024 took the tally to 85, of which two were in Madhya Pradesh and one in Tamil Nadu.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. Under the Convention on Wetlands, the Montreux Record is —
- A. a register of listed wetlands where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur
- B. a register of wetlands withdrawn from the List of Wetlands of International Importance by the Contracting Parties concerned
- C. the record of contributions made by Contracting Parties to the Convention's Small Grants Fund during each triennium
- D. the list of transboundary wetlands jointly nominated for designation by two or more Contracting Parties
Q6. Consider the following statements about the Convention on Wetlands:
1. It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar on 2 February 1971.
2. India became a Contracting Party to the Convention in 1982.
3. World Wetlands Day is observed on 2 February every year.
4. The Convention entered into force in 1971, in the same year in which it was adopted.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar on 2 February 1971.
- India became a Contracting Party to the Convention in 1982.
- World Wetlands Day is observed on 2 February every year.
- The Convention entered into force in 1971, in the same year in which it was adopted.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 1, 3 and 4
- D. 4 only
Q7. Tamil Nadu accounts for the largest number of Ramsar Sites in India. Which State stands second, with the next largest number of such sites?
- A. Uttar Pradesh, among whose sites is the Patna Bird Sanctuary in Etah district
- B. Gujarat, among whose sites is Chhari-Dhand in the Kutch district
- C. Rajasthan, among whose sites is Khichan in the Phalodi district
- D. Bihar, among whose sites is Gokul Jalashay in the Buxar district
Q8. As of the designations made around World Wetlands Day 2026, how many Ramsar Sites did Tamil Nadu, the State with the highest number, account for?
Q9. Which of the following is/are correctly identified with reference to India's standing in the Ramsar network?
1. India has the largest network of Ramsar Sites in Asia.
2. India has the largest number of Ramsar Sites among South Asian countries.
3. India has the largest Ramsar network in the world, exceeding that of every other Contracting Party.
4. Every wetland notified under India's domestic wetland conservation rules is automatically entered in the Ramsar List.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- India has the largest network of Ramsar Sites in Asia.
- India has the largest number of Ramsar Sites among South Asian countries.
- India has the largest Ramsar network in the world, exceeding that of every other Contracting Party.
- Every wetland notified under India's domestic wetland conservation rules is automatically entered in the Ramsar List.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 1, 3 and 4
- D. 3 only
Q10. The nomination of Indian wetlands for designation as Wetlands of International Importance is steered by which one of the following?
- A. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which is the nodal ministry for the Convention on Wetlands in India
- B. The Ministry of Jal Shakti, through its Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
- C. The National Biodiversity Authority, the statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002
- D. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, the statutory body constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
Q11. Which of the following is/are correctly identified with reference to Kamlang Tiger Reserve?
1. It is located in Arunachal Pradesh.
2. It is one of the 58 tiger reserves spread across 18 tiger-range States under Project Tiger.
3. Project Tiger, under which such reserves are supported, is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
4. It was reported to hold one of India's largest resident tiger populations in the latest government assessment of tiger reserves.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- It is located in Arunachal Pradesh.
- It is one of the 58 tiger reserves spread across 18 tiger-range States under Project Tiger.
- Project Tiger, under which such reserves are supported, is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- It was reported to hold one of India's largest resident tiger populations in the latest government assessment of tiger reserves.
- A. 1 and 4
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q12. Which one of the following wetlands was designated as India's 100th Ramsar Site, the milestone immediately preceding Glaw Lake?
- A. Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Surha Tal), Ballia, Uttar Pradesh
- B. Patna Bird Sanctuary, Etah district, Uttar Pradesh
- C. Chhari-Dhand, Kutch district, Gujarat
- D. Udaipur Jheel, West Champaran district, Bihar