RAS question
The Biodiversity Heritage Sites in India are notified under:
Correct answer: (B) Biological Diversity Act 2002.
Biodiversity Heritage Sites in India are notified under Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 by State Governments in consultation with local bodies.
Explanation
Biodiversity Heritage Sites are a mechanism under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, not under the general environmental or forest statutes listed in the options. Section 37 is the key provision: it allows the State Government, after consulting local bodies, to notify areas of biodiversity importance in the official gazette as Biodiversity Heritage Sites. That legal route matters because these sites are identified for their biodiversity value and unique ecosystems, and the notification power is placed with State Governments rather than treated as a protected-area declaration under wildlife law. For RAS, the exam trap is usually between broad environmental laws and the specific biodiversity statute; here, the specific statute is the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Environment Protection Act, 1986 is a broad environmental law, but the specific notification route for Biodiversity Heritage Sites is Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- (C) The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 deals with protected areas through a different legal framework, whereas Biodiversity Heritage Sites are notified under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- (D) The Forest Conservation Act, 1980 concerns forest conservation, not the statutory notification of Biodiversity Heritage Sites under Section 37.
Concept
This tests the environment-law mapping between conservation categories and their parent statutes. It recurs in RAS because biodiversity questions often hinge on the exact Act and authority behind a conservation label.