Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
CITES was signed in Washington D.C. in 1973 and is often called the Washington Convention. Bonn gives its name to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Nairobi hosts the headquarters of UNEP, and Geneva hosts the CITES Secretariat, which is administered by UNEP. Students often confuse the place of signing with the location of the Secretariat.
- The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) is also known as the Bonn Convention.
- India is not a party to the Convention on Migratory Species.
Statement 1 is correct — CMS was signed in Bonn, Germany in 1979 and is known as the Bonn Convention. Statement 2 is incorrect — India has been a party to CMS since 1983, and India also hosted CMS COP13 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat in 2020.
Option (b) is incorrect — the Kunming-Montreal GBF (2022) sets the "30 by 30" target, which aims to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030, not 50%. Options (a), (c), and (d) are all correct — the CBD was opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit (1992); the Cartagena Protocol (2000) deals with biosafety and living modified organisms (LMOs); and the Nagoya Protocol (2010) governs access and benefit sharing (ABS) of genetic resources.
- Assertion (A): Commercial international trade in species listed in Appendix I of CITES is generally prohibited.
- Reason (R): Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction.
Assertion A is correct — Appendix I species, such as tigers and some rhinos, cannot be traded commercially, with trade allowed only in exceptional cases such as scientific research. Reason R is correct and explains A, since Appendix I is reserved for species threatened with extinction, which is why commercial trade in them is banned. Appendix II covers species that are not yet threatened but need controlled trade, while Appendix III covers species protected by at least one country that has asked others for help.
- Ramsar Convention — Wetlands of international importance
- UNCCD — Combating desertification
- Rotterdam Convention — Persistent Organic Pollutants
- Basel Convention — Transboundary movement of hazardous wastes
Pair 1 is correct — the Ramsar Convention (1971, Ramsar, Iran) protects wetlands of international importance. Pair 2 is correct — the UNCCD (1994) addresses desertification and land degradation. Pair 3 is incorrect — the Rotterdam Convention deals with Prior Informed Consent (PIC) for trade in hazardous chemicals and pesticides, while Persistent Organic Pollutants come under the Stockholm Convention. Pair 4 is correct, as the Basel Convention (1989) controls the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes.
