UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Environment Minister and CM (West Bengal) release 1st Tigress in Buxa Tiger Reserve under Tiger Reintroduction Programme

Q1. With reference to approaches used to restore tiger populations in reserves such as Buxa, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Releasing animals into a part of a species' range where it has become locally extinct is termed reintroduction.
  2. Adding animals to a small surviving population is termed augmentation, and because some animals still persist there, it does not require the original causes of decline to be addressed first.
  3. A tiger that disperses by itself from a neighbouring reserve through connected forest into an area without a resident population is an example of conservation translocation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. In Buxa Tiger Reserve, years of grassland restoration and the release of chital came before the translocation of the first tigress.
  2. A reintroduced population is unlikely to become self-sustaining unless the factors that caused the species' original local decline are addressed first.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. With reference to the legal and administrative framework for Tiger Reserves in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The core or critical tiger habitat of a Tiger Reserve has the legal status of a National Park or a Sanctuary.
  2. Tiger Reserves are managed directly by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, and State forest departments play only an advisory role.
  3. Management interventions for tiger corridors are put into effect through a Tiger Conservation Plan.
  • A. 2 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project in Buxa is implemented by the Government of West Bengal, with the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India providing support.
  2. Project Tiger is a Central Sector Scheme under which the Union Government fully funds and directly manages every Tiger Reserve.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. In 2023 a tiger photographed in Buxa Tiger Reserve was matched to an individual from Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam. Buxa's forests also adjoin protected areas in Bhutan. Applying the principle of landscape connectivity to this case, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Because a tiger from Manas reached Buxa on its own, connectivity alone was enough, and restoring habitat and prey inside Buxa was unnecessary.
  2. Corridors that link reserves allow gene flow and reduce the risk of inbreeding in small, isolated tiger populations.
  3. Because the landscape extends into Bhutan, how well its corridors work over the long term depends on conservation on both sides of the international border.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 3 only

Q6. The forest link between two tiger reserves is permanently cut by a highway and expanding farmland. Which of the following is the most likely long-term consequence for the tiger population of the smaller reserve?

  • A. An increase in hybridisation with leopards sharing the isolated patch
  • B. No genetic change, since tigers are long-lived and breed slowly
  • C. A rise in genetic diversity as isolation speeds up local adaptation
  • D. A decline in genetic diversity through inbreeding and genetic drift

Q7. With reference to community institutions involved in forest and wildlife management in India, such as those engaged in the Buxa tiger programme, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Joint Forest Management follows from the National Forest Policy, 1988, which formally recognised the role of local people in managing forests on a 'care and share' basis.
  2. Eco-Development Committees are linked to the management of Protected Areas, whereas Joint Forest Management Committees are linked mainly to wider forest protection and management.
  3. Eco-Development Committees are constituted under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, and therefore function only in Scheduled Areas.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 only

Q8. With reference to the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) and the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The AITE identifies individual tigers from camera-trap images by their unique stripe patterns and estimates abundance in a capture–recapture framework.
  2. The MEE assesses how well a Tiger Reserve is managed, using a framework adapted from the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.
  3. A high MEE rating for a Tiger Reserve necessarily means that its tiger population has grown since the previous AITE cycle.
  4. Buxa's 'Good' rating in the 5th-cycle MEE shows that it held a stable resident tiger population when it was assessed.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only