Environment & Ecology MCQs - 2026-07-21

The National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) is one of the eight missions under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). Its primary objective is to evolve measures for sustaining and safeguarding the Himalayan ecosystem, considering the impacts of climate change.

Enhancing resilience in the Himalayas requires a multi-faceted approach, with crucial elements including the implementation of early warning systems for hazards like GLOFs and landslides, developing climate-resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable land use, and strengthening local adaptive capacities.

Accelerated glacial melt, leading to the formation and expansion of glacial lakes (and potential Glacial Lake Outburst Floods - GLOFs), is one of the most critical and well-documented impacts of climate change on the Himalayan ecosystem, severely affecting water resources and increasing disaster risk.

The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, prohibit certain activities within wetlands and their zone of influence, including setting up of new industries, expansion of existing industries, dumping of solid waste, discharge of untreated effluents, and encroachment. Sustainable practices and traditional uses are often regulated or permitted.

The Amrit Dharohar initiative, launched in 2023, is a key government program focused on the conservation and optimal use of wetlands, particularly Ramsar sites, promoting local livelihoods and ecotourism. It works in conjunction with the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.

The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, remain the primary legal framework for wetland conservation in India. While initiatives like Amrit Dharohar complement it, the 2017 Rules define the regulatory aspects.