MCQ
Eco-Sensitive Zones MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers
Solve 98 Eco-Sensitive Zones questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.
Practice questions
Q1With reference to Eco-Sensitive Zones around protected areas, consider the following statements: 1. They are declared around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries based on State Government proposals and the 9 February 2011 Ministry guidelines. 2. Their purpose is to act as a shock absorber and transition zone between areas of high and lesser protection. 3. Unless a notification says otherwise, Eco-Sensitive Zones are prohibitive in nature rather than regulatory. 4. Declaration of an Eco-Sensitive Zone prohibits the vocation of local communities, including agriculture and house construction. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: the PIB reply ties ESZ declaration to State proposals and the 2011 MoEFCC guidelines, and describes the shock-absorber/transition-zone purpose. Statement 3 is false because ESZs are regulatory rather than prohibitive unless the particular notification specifies otherwise. Statement 4 is false because ESZ declaration does not itself prohibit local vocations such as agriculture or house construction.
Q2Assertion (A): The Eco-Sensitive Zone of 408.7 square kilometres notified around the Hastinapur Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary on April 23, 2026 regulates commercial mining and large polluting industries within its limits. Reason (R): An Eco-Sensitive Zone is notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to act as a graded buffer around protected areas. Choose the correct option:
A is false but R is true. The area stated in Assertion A does not match the official Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary Eco-Sensitive Zone notification, so A as worded is incorrect. R is true: an Eco-Sensitive Zone is notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (and the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986) as a graded buffer around protected areas. Hence the correct option is the one stating A false, R true.
Q3Consider the following statements about the draft Eco-Sensitive Zone notification for Sariska Tiger Reserve: 1. The area of the Eco-Sensitive Zone is 78.73 square kilometres. 2. Its extent varies from zero to 24 kilometres from the sanctuaries mentioned in the notification. 3. The notification identifies 374 species of mammals in Sariska Tiger Reserve. 4. The Zonal Master Plan is to be prepared in consultation with, among others, the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statements 2 and 4 are correct: the Sariska draft gives a zero-to-24-kilometre range from the relevant sanctuaries and includes the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board among consulted bodies. Statement 1 is incorrect because the area is 87.73 square kilometres, not 78.73. Statement 3 is incorrect because 374 refers to bird species; the mammal figure is nearly 20 species.
Q4With reference to the Supreme Court’s 26 April 2023 modification order on ESZs, consider the following statements: 1. The Court modified its earlier direction prescribing a uniform one-kilometre ESZ, noting practical difficulties and lack of uniformity around protected forests. 2. The modified order made mining permissible within National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries if a State Government grants prior permission. 3. The Court directed that a final ESZ notification under Rule 5(3)(d) of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 should not be given effect for 30 days from issuance. 4. The Court held that the one-kilometre direction would not apply to ESZs for which draft and final notifications had been issued by MoEFCC or proposals had been received by the Ministry. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct. The Supreme Court modified the uniform one-kilometre direction, imposed a 30-day non-effect period for final notifications, and exempted notified/proposed ESZs from the one-kilometre direction. Statement 2 is false because the order says mining within National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and within one kilometre of their boundary shall not be permissible.
Q5With reference to barasingha mentioned in the Hastinapur ESZ context, consider the following statements: 1) Barasingha is also called swamp deer. 2) It is the state animal of Uttar Pradesh. 3) It is listed in Schedule II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 according to the corpus fact bank. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: the corpus says swamp deer is commonly called barasingha and is Uttar Pradesh's state animal. Statement 3 is incorrect because the corpus states Schedule I, not Schedule II.
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6Consider the following statements: 1. Projects or activities in a notified ESZ around protected areas are regulated and governed by the concerned ESZ notification. 2. If an ESZ is not notified or is only in draft stage, prior environmental clearance is required for projects within the default zone of 10 km from protected-area boundaries. 3. Such projects require consideration by the National Board for Wildlife or its Standing Committee. Which of the statements given above are correct?
7Consider the following statements: 1. For Sanjay Gandhi National Park, 19.25 sq km of the ESZ was forest land and 40.21 sq km was non-forest land. 2. A 1.65 sq km land parcel for the Mumbai Metro Rail Shed, temple etc. was excluded in the final notification. 3. The final notification for Sanjay Gandhi National Park included the Mumbai Metro Rail Shed land inside the ESZ without any exclusion. Which of the statements given above are correct?
8Consider the following statements: 1. In June 2022, the Supreme Court directed a minimum one-kilometre ESZ for each national park or wildlife sanctuary. 2. A State Government may dilute the minimum ESZ width entirely on its own. 3. Activities inside a notified ESZ may be prohibited, promoted or regulated as per the notification. Which of the statements given above are correct?
9Consider the following statements: 1. In the Indian Himalayan Region, 92 ESZs and 2 Ecologically Sensitive Areas had been notified in 13 States as stated in the 23 March 2023 PIB release. 2. Ecologically Sensitive Areas are described as having unique biological resources that require special attention for conservation. 3. The 23 March 2023 PIB release stated that 92 Ecologically Sensitive Areas and 2 ESZs had been notified in the Indian Himalayan Region. Which of the statements given above are correct?
10With reference to information recorded in ESZ notifications, consider the following statements: 1) ESZ notifications may include available flora and fauna, including rare, endangered and threatened species. 2) ESZ notifications may include geo-coordinates of villages. 3) ESZ notifications never mention monitoring committees. Which of the statements given above are correct?
11Consider the following statements: 1. Sensitive corridors and ecologically important patches beyond 10 km may be included in an ESZ where they are crucial for landscape linkage. 2. The width of an ESZ need not be uniform all around a protected area. 3. Every ESZ must be an exactly uniform 10-km ring around the protected area. Which of the statements given above are correct?
12Consider the following statements about the Supreme Court's 26 April 2023 modification of ESZ directions: 1. The Court noted that the Government of India had issued ESZ guidelines on 9 February 2011 for National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. 2. The Court recorded that those guidelines contained activities categorized as prohibited, regulated and permitted. 3. The Court held that mining within a National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary and within 1 km from its boundary shall not be permissible. 4. The Court's 2023 modification made the 1 km ESZ direction applicable even to protected areas on inter-State borders or with common boundaries. Which of the statements given above are correct?
13With reference to the origin and scope of Eco-Sensitive Zone guidelines, consider the following statements: 1. The idea of ESZs was placed before the Indian Board for Wildlife in its 21 January 2002 meeting when the Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 2002 was adopted. 2. The 2002 strategy envisaged notifying areas within 10 kilometres of National Park and Sanctuary boundaries as eco-fragile zones under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986. 3. The 2011 ESZ guidelines contain only a prohibited-activities list and no regulated or promoted-activities categories. 4. ESZ notifications typically include the area and boundary of the ESZ, maps, village lists, Zonal Master Plan directions, prohibited and regulated activities, and Monitoring Committee details. Which of the statements given above are correct?
14Consider the following statements: 1. ESZ notifications mandate preparation of a Zonal Master Plan by the respective state governments within two years of publication of the notification. 2. The Zonal Master Plan is drawn up to regulate development within the ESZ and ensure compliance with the notification. 3. The Zonal Master Plan excludes tourism and heritage-site considerations by rule. Which of the statements given above are correct?
15With reference to Eco-Sensitive Zones, consider the following statements: 1) The Ministry issued ESZ declaration guidelines in 2011 to facilitate site-specific proposals from State governments. 2) ESZ guidelines contain an indicative list of prohibited, regulated and promoted activities. 3) ESZ notifications require the physical relocation of farmers and village residents from the zone. Which of the statements given above are correct?