UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav releases Guidelines for Designation of India’s Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs), 2026, at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan, Armenia

Q1. With reference to the distinction between a Protected Area and an Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measure (OECM) as understood under the Convention on Biological Diversity, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. An area already notified as a wildlife sanctuary can additionally be reported as an OECM to strengthen its count towards area-based conservation targets.
  2. An area can qualify as an OECM even if its primary management objective is something other than biodiversity conservation, such as water supply or religious observance.
  3. An area managed with a declared conservation intent but delivering no sustained in-situ biodiversity outcome does not qualify as an OECM.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 3 only

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

  1. India's GEF-8 project on OECMs seeks to raise India's conserved coverage towards 30 per cent largely by recognising areas already being conserved, rather than by notifying new national parks and sanctuaries.
  2. Under Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, other effective area-based conservation measures count towards the 30 per cent goal alongside protected areas.
  • 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 recognition process under India's I-OECM Guidelines, 2026, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A Biodiversity Management Committee, a body that functions at the level of the local self-government, can itself propose an area for recognition.
  2. Recognition becomes final once the State Biodiversity Board validates a proposal, because land and local government are State subjects.
  3. The recognition chain mirrors the decentralised structure created under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, with bodies at the national, state and local levels.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

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

  1. Recognition of an area under India's I-OECM Guidelines, 2026 does not change who governs the area or which legal regime regulates it.
  2. Recognition under the I-OECM Guidelines is granted by notification under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • 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. Under India's I-OECM Guidelines, 2026, a candidate area must lie outside legally protected or conserved areas and must deliver long-term in-situ conservation outcomes. Consider the following areas: Which of the above could be considered for recognition as an I-OECM?

  1. A community reserve notified on community land in which local people help manage wildlife habitat
  2. A conservation reserve declared by a State Government on land linking two wildlife sanctuaries
  3. A municipal lake managed primarily for drinking water that sustains native fish and wintering waterbirds and is not notified under any wildlife law
  4. A stretch of coastal waters closed to fishing each breeding season under State fisheries regulations, which helps fish stocks recover
  • A. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q6. With reference to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Protocols, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Cartagena Protocol seeks to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
  2. Meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols can be held concurrently with the CBD Conference of the Parties, as happened at Yerevan in 2026.
  3. The Nagoya Protocol primarily provides rules on liability and redress for damage caused by transboundary movements of living modified organisms.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3