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The headquarters of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), which surveys the country's faunal resources, is in:
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Answer: Option D — Kolkata
Detailed Solution
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has its headquarters in Kolkata, West Bengal.
About the ZSI:
- It was established on 1 July 1916 to promote the survey, exploration and research of the fauna (animal life) of India.
- Its origin lies in the zoological section of the Indian Museum, Kolkata, and the collections of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (founded in 1784).
- Its first Director was Thomas Nelson Annandale.
- It works under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
- It has 16 regional centres across India, such as those in Shillong, Dehradun, Jodhpur, Pune, Chennai, Port Blair, Patna and Solan.
Its work:
It surveys and documents the animal species found in India.
It describes new species. Every year, ZSI publishes "Animal Discoveries", listing new species and new records found in India.
It maintains the "National Zoological Collection", one of the largest in Asia, with millions of specimens.
It publishes the "Fauna of India" and "Fauna of States" series.
It prepares the status reports of threatened species.
About India's biodiversity:
- India has about 2.4 per cent of the world's land area but about 7-8 per cent of the world's recorded species.
- More than 1,04,000 animal species have been recorded in India.
- India has four of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots: the Himalaya, the Indo-Burma region, the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, and Sundaland (including the Nicobar Islands).
Botanical Survey of India (BSI):
- It was established in 1890 to survey the plant resources of India.
- Its headquarters is also in Kolkata.
- Its first Director was Sir George King.
Other related institutions:
- Wildlife Institute of India: Dehradun (1982).
- Forest Research Institute: Dehradun (1906).
- Forest Survey of India: Dehradun (1981); publishes the "India State of Forest Report".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Dehradun has the Wildlife Institute of India and the Forest Survey of India.
- ✗New Delhi has the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- ✗Chennai has a regional centre of the ZSI.
Quick tip
Remember: Zoological Survey of India = Kolkata (1 July 1916; MoEFCC; "Animal Discoveries"); Botanical Survey of India = Kolkata (1890); Wildlife Institute of India and Forest Survey of India = Dehradun.
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Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers biodiversity and its conservation: biodiversity hotspots, endangered and endemic species, the IUCN Red List, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, India's national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and biosphere reserves, and wildlife conservation projects. Questions commonly ask in which state a national park is located and which animal it is known for (Kaziranga in Assam for the one-horned rhinoceros, and Gir in Gujarat for the Asiatic lion), when Project Tiger began (1973), and which regions of India are biodiversity hotspots. The number of protected areas changes as new ones are declared, so check the latest lists. Practise the biodiversity and conservation questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.