Answer: Option D. -> 1, 2 & 3
YEMEN’S POLITICAL INSTABILITY HAS BEEN COMPOUNDED AND PARTLY CAUSED BY THE SEVERE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS IN THE COUNTRY. THE AVERAGE YEMENI HAS ACCESS TO ONLY 140 CUBIC METERS OF WATER PER YEAR FOR ALL USES, WHILE THE MIDDLE EASTERN AVERAGE IS 1000 M3/YR, AND THE INTERNATIONALLY DEFINED THRESHOLD FOR WATER STRESS IS 1700 CUBIC METERS PER YEAR.[10] YEMEN’S GROUNDWATER IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF WATER IN THE COUNTRY BUT THE WATER TABLES HAVE DROPPED SEVERELY LEAVING THE COUNTRY WITHOUT A VIABLE SOURCE OF WATER. FOR EXAMPLE, IN SANA’A, THE WATER TABLE WAS 30 METERS BELOW SURFACE IN THE 1970S BUT HAD DROPPED TO 1200 METERS BELOW SURFACE BY 2012. THE GROUNDWATER HAS NOT BEEN REGULATED BY YEMEN’S GOVERNMENTS. EVEN BEFORE THE REVOLUTION, YEMEN’S WATER SITUATION HAD BEEN DESCRIBED AS INCREASINGLY DIRE BY EXPERTS WHO WORRIED THAT YEMEN WOULD BE THE “FIRST COUNTRY TO RUN OUT OF WATER”. AGRICULTURE IN YEMEN TAKES UP ABOUT 90% OF WATER IN YEMEN EVEN THOUGH IT ONLY GENERATES 6% OF GDP – HOWEVER A LARGE PORTION OF YEMENIS ARE DEPENDENT ON SMALL-SCALE SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE. HALF OF AGRICULTURAL WATER IN YEMEN IS USED TO GROW KHAT, A NARCOTIC THAT MOST YEMENIS CHEW. THIS MEANS THAT IN SUCH A WATER-SCARCE COUNTRY AS YEMEN, WHERE HALF THE POPULATION IS FOOD-INSECURE, 45% OF THE WATER WITHDRAWN FROM THE EVER-DEPLETING AQUIFERS IS USED TO GROW A CROP THAT FEEDS NOBODY. THIS WATER INSECURITY HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON POLITICAL STABILITY. OUTSIDERS HEAR MOST ABOUT THE PROXY WAR BETWEEN FACTIONS SUPPORTED BY OTHER COUNTRIES, BUT ACCORDING TO THE YEMENI NEWSPAPER AL-THAWRA, 70% TO 80% OF CONFLICTS IN THE COUNTRY’S RURAL REGIONS ARE WATER-RELATED. THE COUNTRY’S INTERIOR MINISTRY HAS ESTIMATED THAT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WATER AND LAND RELATED DISPUTES KILL 40,000 PEOPLE A YEAR – MORE THAN TERRORISM. IN AL-JAWF GOVERNORATE, A DISPUTE OVER A WELL’S PLACEMENT HAS LED TO A BLOOD FEUD THAT HAS CONTINUED FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. IN 2007, YEMEN’S MINISTER OF WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SUGGESTED THAT THE SANA’A MIGHT HAVE TO BE EVACUATED IF IT RUNS OUT OF WATER. ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNMENT WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE CAPITAL IN AN ORDERLY AND PEACEFUL WAY, THE WAR AND POLITICAL CRISIS HAS RENDERED SANA’A AND MOST OF YEMEN INTO A BATTLEGROUND THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO FLEE.

Answer: Option C. -> Clouded leopard
THE CLOUDED LEOPARD (SMALLEST OF THE WORLD’S BIG CATS) IS LISTED AS VULNERABLE UNDER THE IUCN RED LIST. IT IS IS WIDELY FOUND IN HIMALAYAN FOOTHILLS IN INDIA, NEPAL AND BHUTAN ALONG WITH SOME OTHER COUNTRIES. IT IS CONSIDERED TO BE MOST TALENTED CLIMBERS AMONG THE CATS, IT CAN CLIMB UPSIDE DOWN AND HANG FROM BRANCHES WITH ITS HIND FEET.

Answer: Option C. -> Only 1
CAPTIVE BREEDING IS THE PROCESS OF BREEDING ANIMALS IN HUMAN CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS WITH RESTRICTED SETTINGS, SUCH AS WILDLIFE RESERVES, ZOOS AND OTHER CONSERVATION FACILITIES; SOMETIMES THE PROCESS IS CONSTRUED TO INCLUDE RELEASE OF INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS TO THE WILD, WHEN THERE IS SUFFICIENT NATURAL HABITAT TO SUPPORT NEW INDIVIDUALS OR WHEN THE THREAT TO THE SPECIES IN THE WILD IS LESSENED. CAPTIVE BREEDING PROGRAMS FACILITATE BIODIVERSITY AND MAY SAVE SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION. HOWEVER, SUCH PROGRAMS MAY ALSO REDUCE GENETIC DIVERSITY AND SPECIES FITNESS. CAPTIVE BREEDING TECHNIQUES ARE USUALLY DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT FOR HIGHLY MOBILE SPECIES LIKE SOME MIGRATORY BIRDS (E.G. CRANES) AND FISHES (E.G. HILSA). SPECIES LIKE LARGE CETACEANS (WHALES, DOLPHINS, ETC.) MAY ALSO HAVE SOME DIFFICULTIES AS IT WOULD BE HARD TO MEET THEIR BIOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS IN CAPTIVITY, ESPECIALLY THE VAST AMOUNT OF SPACE REQUIRED TO KEEP LARGE POPULATIONS.

Answer: Option C. -> Only 1, 2, 3 & 4
THE NGT WAS LAUNCHED IN OCTOBER 2010, FOR EFFECTIVE AND EXPEDITIOUS DISPOSAL OF CASES RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF FORESTS AND OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES INCLUDING ENFORCEMENT OF ANY LEGAL RIGHT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENT AND GIVING RELIEF AND COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES TO PERSONS AND PROPERTY AND FOR MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH OR INCIDENTAL THERETO. NGT HAS GOT ORIGINAL AS WELL AS APPELLATE JURISDICTION ON MATTERS PERTAINING TO SEVEN ACTS RELATED TO WATER, AIR, FOREST CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY. THESE ACTS ARE – WATER ACT, 1974, WATER CESS ACT 1977, FOREST ACT 1980, AIR ACT, 1981, ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT, 1986, PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE ACT, 1991 AND BIODIVERSITY ACT, 2002.

Answer: Option A. -> Only 1 & 2
NICOBAR FLYING FIX IS A MAMMAL. HOUSE SPARROW COMES UNDER LEAST CONCERNED.

Answer: Option C. -> Only 1 & 3
BIO-DIGESTER BIO-TOILET IS 100% MAINTENANCE FREE. IT DOESN’T NEED ANY EXTERNAL ENERGY FOR TREATMENT. IT PRODUCES INFLAMMABLE GAS, WHICH CONTAINS MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF METHANE. IT PRODUCES GREEN ENERGY (RENEWABLE COOKING GAS).

Answer: Option D. -> 1, 2 & 3
ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE CORRECTLY MATCHED

Answer: Option D. -> IUCN is a collaboration of both the governmental agencies and private conservation groups
THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN) WORKS IN THE FIELD OF NATURE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES. IT WAS FOUNDED IN THE YEAR 1948. IT IS A COLLABORATION OF BOTH THE GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES AND PRIVATE CONSERVATION GROUPS. IUCN PUBLISHES “RED LIST” COMPILING INFORMATION FROM A NETWORK OF CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS TO RATE WHICH SPECIES ARE MOST ENDANGERED IN THE WORLD.

Answer: Option B. -> Phosphates
USE OF DETERGENT PHOSPHATES CAUSE DISASTROUS ALGAL BLOOMS IN WATER, THUS, POLLUTING THE ENVIRONMENT. USE OF PHOSPHATES IN DETERGENTS HAS BEEN BANNED IN MANY COUNTRIES.

Answer: Option C. -> Only 3
NILGIRI MYSTUS IS A FISH ENDEMIC TO WESTERN GHATS AND IS FOUND IN CAUVERY RIVER AND ITS PRINCIPAL TRIBUTARIES. SOCIABLE LAPWING (VANELLUS GREGARIOUS) IS A BIRD, WINTER MIGRANT TO INDIA. THIS SPECIES HAS SUFFERED A SUDDEN AND RAPID POPULATION DECLINE DUE TO WHICH IT HAS BEEN LISTED AS CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. ITS HABITAT IS FALLOW FIELDS AND SCRUB DESERT. IT IS FOUND IN KAZAKHSTAN, RUSSIA, KYRGYZSTAN, TAJIKISTAN, UZBEKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, ARMENIA, GEORGIA, AZERBAIJAN, IRAN, IRAQ, SAUDI ARABIA, SYRIA, TURKEY, EGYPT, INDIA, PAKISTAN AND OMAN. IN INDIA, DISTRIBUTION IS RESTRICTED TO THE NORTH AND NORTH-WEST OF THE COUNTRY. THE CURRENT THREATS TO THE BIRD INCLUDE CONVERSION OF HABITAT TO ARABLE LAND, ILLEGAL HUNTING AND PROXIMITY TO HUMAN SETTLEMENTS. PYGMI HOG IS A MAMMAL.