Aspirant Academy
ENHI

RAS question

Two statements are given below: Statement 1: The concept of biodiversity hotspots requires a region to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation to qualify. Statement 2: The Western Ghats & Sri Lanka hotspot is one of the four biodiversity hotspots found in India. Which of the following is correct?

Correct answer: (A) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct..

A biodiversity hotspot must have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation, and the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka hotspot is one of the four biodiversity hotspots found in India.

  1. (A)

    Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct.

  2. (B)

    Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect.

  3. (C)

    Statement 1 is incorrect but Statement 2 is correct.

  4. (D)

    Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are incorrect.

Explanation

Both statements are correct because the hotspot idea combines exceptional endemism with severe habitat loss. A region must contain at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species and must have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation. The National Biodiversity Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change lists four biodiversity hotspots in India: Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, and Sundaland. This matters for RAS because the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka example tests both parts of the concept: the formal threshold for hotspot status and India's recognised hotspot geography. The category is conservation-heavy because the recognised hotspots retain only about 2.5% of Earth's land surface as intact habitat, yet hold very high shares of endemic plants and vertebrates.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (B) Statement 2 is not incorrect, because Western Ghats and Sri Lanka is listed among India's four biodiversity hotspots.
  • (C) Statement 1 is not incorrect, because the hotspot criterion includes the loss of at least 70% of primary vegetation.
  • (D) Both statements cannot be rejected: the 70% vegetation-loss criterion is part of hotspot qualification, and Western Ghats and Sri Lanka is listed as one of India's four hotspots.

Concept

This tests biodiversity hotspot criteria and India's hotspot distribution, a recurring Environment and Ecology theme in RAS because it links static geography with conservation priorities. Statement-pair questions often use one criterion and one Indian example to check whether candidates know both the definition and the map.

Source

Related questions