Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
Option (a) is correct — the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was adopted in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, came into force in 1975, and is the only international treaty focused on a single ecosystem type. Option (b) is wrong as it concerns wetlands, not rainforests; option (c) is wrong because designation rests on ecological criteria (such as supporting vulnerable species or significant waterbird populations), not prior park notification; and option (d) is the trap — the Montreux Record is a watch list of Ramsar sites whose ecological character has changed or is threatened, not a delisting register.
- Chilika Lake — Odisha
- Keoladeo National Park — Rajasthan
- Loktak Lake — Manipur
- Wular Lake — Himachal Pradesh
Pairs 1, 2 and 3 are correct — Chilika Lake, Asia's largest brackish-water lagoon, is in Odisha and was India's first Ramsar site (1981); Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur) is in Rajasthan; and Loktak Lake, famous for its floating phumdis and Keibul Lamjao National Park, is in Manipur. Pair 4 is the trap — Wular Lake, one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes, lies in Jammu & Kashmir, not Himachal Pradesh.
Reason (R): Wetlands filter pollutants, recharge groundwater, and regulate water flow, thereby performing important ecological functions.
A is correct — wetlands are popularly called the "kidneys of the landscape" for their natural purifying role. R is also correct and directly explains A, because wetlands trap sediments, filter pollutants and excess nutrients, recharge aquifers, and moderate floods and droughts — the very functions that justify the kidneys metaphor — so option (a) applies.
- The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 were notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- Under these Rules, wetlands are regulated by a Central Wetland Authority that directly manages every wetland in the country.
Statement 1 is correct — the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 were notified under the umbrella Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, replacing the 2010 Rules. Statement 2 is the trap — the 2017 Rules adopt a decentralised approach, vesting authority in State/UT Wetland Authorities rather than a single central body that directly manages every wetland.
- Mangroves are salt-tolerant wetland ecosystems that act as a natural barrier against cyclones and coastal erosion.
- Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth and serve as important carbon sinks.
- Eutrophication, caused by nutrient overloading, leads to oxygen depletion and is harmful to wetland health.
- All Ramsar sites in India are also designated as Biosphere Reserves.
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct — mangroves thrive in saline intertidal zones and buffer coasts against storm surges and erosion (as seen in the 2004 tsunami); wetlands are among the planet's most biologically productive systems and store large amounts of carbon as sinks (though degraded ones can become sources); and eutrophication from nutrient enrichment triggers algal blooms, hypoxia and fish kills. Statement 4 is the trap — there is no rule that every Ramsar site is also a Biosphere Reserve, as the two designations are independent.
