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Environment Notes for UPSC

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🌿 Environment & Ecology

Environment Notes for
UPSC Preparation

Structured notes on Ecology, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Pollution, Conservation & International Conventions — covering the full Environment syllabus for Prelims & Mains.

80Topics covered
15–20Qs in Prelims
GS3Mains relevant
🌿 Environment practice · Sample question Free
Which of the following is NOT a correct match regarding the Ramsar Convention?
A It deals with conservation of wetlands
B Montreux Record is maintained under it
C Its Secretariat is in Nairobi, Kenya
D India has more than 75 Ramsar sites
💡 Correct: C. The Ramsar Convention Secretariat is in Gland, Switzerland — not Nairobi. UNEP is headquartered in Nairobi.
Attempt full test on:
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80 topics
Jump to section — hover to preview topics
Ecology & Ecosystem 4
Ecology & Ecosystem
Environment and Its Components Levels of Organization in Ecology Ecosystem Ecological Succession
Nutrient Cycles 3
Nutrient Cycles
Carbon Cycle Phosphorus Cycle Sulphur Cycle
Aquatic Ecosystem 8
Aquatic Ecosystem
Aquatic Organisms Aquatic Ecosystem Eutrophication Wetlands Mangroves Corals Coral Bleaching Coral Triangle
Biodiversity 8
Biodiversity
Biodiversity IUCN Red List Biodiversity Hotspots Biodiversity Loss Keystone Species Foundation Species Indicator Species Why Conserve Biodiversity?
Marine Organisms 5
Marine Organisms
Plankton Phytoplankton Zooplankton Seagrass Seaweeds
Protected Areas 7
Protected Areas
National Parks Wildlife Sanctuaries Biosphere Reserves Tiger Reserves Conservation Reserves Community Reserves Elephant Reserves
Conservation Efforts 4
Conservation Efforts
Project Tiger Project Elephant Project Lion Project Dolphin
Species 6
Species
Snow Leopard Lion-tailed Macaque Saltwater Crocodile Orcas — Killer Whales Tardigrades Blue Dragon
Pollution 10
Pollution
Pollution (Overview) Air Pollution Water Pollution Soil Pollution Thermal Pollution National Air Quality Index NAAQS +3 more topics →
Climate Change 9
Climate Change
Climate Change Global Warming Ozone Depletion Ocean Acidification Black Carbon Climate Forcing Global Warming Potential Geoengineering Cloud Seeding
Environmental Organisations 5
Environmental Organisations
National Green Tribunal (NGT) National Biodiversity Authority Central Zoo Authority Animal Welfare Board of India Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
International Conventions 11
International Organisations & Conventions
Ramsar Convention CITES UNEP IUCN CMS (Bonn Convention) Basel Convention Minamata Convention +4 more topics →
🌱
Environment Practice Tests — mixed topic questions Our current tests cover all Environment topics together. Read the notes for any topic, then head to the test series to practise.
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Ecology and Ecosystem

4 topics
01

Environment and Its Components

Notes live  · Biotic · Abiotic · Spheres
📖 Notes
02

Ecological Succession

Notes live  · Primary · Secondary · Climax community
📖 Notes
03

Levels of Organization in Ecology

Notes live  · Individual → Biosphere
📖 Notes
04

Ecosystem

Notes live  · Food chain · Energy flow · Trophic levels
📖 Notes

Nutrient Cycles

3 topics
05

Carbon Cycle

Notes live  · Photosynthesis · CO₂ · Ocean sink
📖 Notes
06

Phosphorus Cycle

Notes live  · No gaseous phase · Rock weathering
📖 Notes
07

Sulphur Cycle

Notes live  · Acid rain · SO₂ · Volcanic emissions
📖 Notes

Aquatic Ecosystem

8 topics
08

Aquatic Organisms

Notes live  · Plankton · Nekton · Benthos
📖 Notes
09

Aquatic Ecosystem

Notes live  · Freshwater · Marine · Lentic · Lotic
📖 Notes
10

Eutrophication

Notes live  · Algal bloom · Dead zone · Nutrient pollution
📖 Notes
11

Wetlands

Notes live  · Ramsar sites · Ecological services
📖 Notes
12

Mangroves

Notes live  · Carbon sink · Coastal protection
📖 Notes
13

Corals

Notes live  · Polyps · Zooxanthellae · Reef types
📖 Notes
14

Coral Bleaching

Notes live  · Ocean warming · Mass bleaching events
📖 Notes
15

Coral Triangle

Notes live  · Amazon of the sea · SE Asia
📖 Notes

Biodiversity

8 topics
16

Biodiversity

Notes live  · Alpha · Beta · Gamma diversity
📖 Notes
17

IUCN Red List

Notes live  · CR · EN · VU · Categories
📖 Notes
18

Foundation Species

Notes live  · Habitat engineers · Structural role
📖 Notes
19

Biodiversity Loss

Notes live  · Sixth mass extinction · Causes
📖 Notes
20

Keystone Species

Notes live  · Disproportionate ecosystem role
📖 Notes
21

Biodiversity Hotspots

Notes live  · 36 hotspots · Western Ghats · Himalayas
📖 Notes
22

Why Should We Conserve Biodiversity?

Notes live  · Ecological · Economic · Aesthetic values
📖 Notes
23

Indicator Species

Notes live  · Bioindicators · Lichens · Frogs
📖 Notes

Marine Organisms

5 topics
24

Plankton

Notes live  · Ocean food chain base · Carbon pump
📖 Notes
25

Seagrass

Notes live  · Blue carbon · Dugong habitat
📖 Notes
26

Phytoplankton

Notes live  · Primary producers · 50% global oxygen
📖 Notes
27

Seaweeds

Notes live  · Macroalgae · Agar · Economic uses
📖 Notes
28

Zooplankton

Notes live  · Heterotrophic · Copepods · Ocean food web
📖 Notes

Protected Areas

7 topics
29

National Parks

Notes live  · WPA 1972 · No human activity
📖 Notes
30

Community Reserves

Notes live  · Local community participation
📖 Notes
31

Tiger Reserves

Notes live  · NTCA · Core & buffer zones
📖 Notes
32

Wildlife Sanctuaries

Notes live  · Limited human activity permitted
📖 Notes
33

Biosphere Reserves

Notes live  · UNESCO MAB · Core-Buffer-Transition
📖 Notes
34

Conservation Reserves

Notes live  · 2002 WPA amendment
📖 Notes
35

Elephant Reserves

Notes live  · Project Elephant · Corridors
📖 Notes

Conservation Efforts

4 topics
36

Project Tiger

Notes live  · Launched 1973 · NTCA · Population recovery
📖 Notes
37

Project Dolphin

Notes live  · Gangetic dolphin · 2020 launch
📖 Notes
38

Project Elephant

Notes live  · Launched 1992 · Corridor protection
📖 Notes
39

Project Lion

Notes live  · Asiatic lion · Gir · Reintroduction
📖 Notes

Species

6 topics
40

Lion-tailed Macaque

Notes live  · Western Ghats endemic · Endangered
📖 Notes
41

Orcas — Killer Whales

Notes live  · Apex predator · Dolphin family
📖 Notes
42

Saltwater Crocodile

Notes live  · Largest reptile · Sundarbans · Schedule I
📖 Notes
43

Blue Dragon (Glaucus atlanticus)

Notes live  · Pelagic sea slug · Rare species
📖 Notes
44

Tardigrades

Notes live  · Extremophiles · Cryptobiosis · Indestructible
📖 Notes
45

Snow Leopard

Notes live  · Himalayas · Vulnerable · CITES Appendix I
📖 Notes

Pollution

10 topics
46

Pollution (Overview)

Notes live  · Types · Causes · Effects · Control
📖 Notes
47

National Air Quality Monitoring Programme

Notes live  · CPCB · Monitoring stations
📖 Notes
48

Thermal Pollution

Notes live  · Power plants · Hot water discharge
📖 Notes
49

Soil Pollution

Notes live  · Heavy metals · Pesticides · Remediation
📖 Notes
50

Air Pollution

Notes live  · PM2.5 · PM10 · AQI · Health effects
📖 Notes
51

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Notes live  · CPCB · Pollutant limits
📖 Notes
52

Water Pollution

Notes live  · BOD · COD · Point & non-point sources
📖 Notes
53

Fly Ash

Notes live  · Coal combustion · Utilisation policy
📖 Notes
54

National Air Quality Index

Notes live  · 6 categories · Good to Severe
📖 Notes
55

Bioremediation

Notes live  · Microorganisms · Oil spill cleanup
📖 Notes

Climate Change

9 topics
56

Global Warming

Notes live  · Greenhouse effect · IPCC · 1.5°C target
📖 Notes
57

Climate Forcing

Notes live  · Radiative forcing · Aerosols
📖 Notes
58

Ozone Depletion

Notes live  · CFCs · Montreal Protocol · Ozone hole
📖 Notes
59

Climate Change

Notes live  · UNFCCC · COP · NDC · Paris Agreement
📖 Notes
60

Global Warming Potential (GWP)

Notes live  · CO₂ vs CH₄ vs N₂O comparison
📖 Notes
61

Geoengineering

Notes live  · SRM · CDR · Ethical concerns
📖 Notes
62

Black Carbon

Notes live  · Short-lived climate pollutant · Glaciers
📖 Notes
63

Ocean Acidification

Notes live  · CO₂ absorption · pH decline · Coral impact
📖 Notes
64

Cloud Seeding

Notes live  · Silver iodide · Artificial rain
📖 Notes

Environmental Organisations

5 topics
65

Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)

Notes live  · PCA Act 1960 · Statutory body
📖 Notes
66

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)

Notes live  · MoEFCC · Wildlife trafficking
📖 Notes
67

Central Zoo Authority (CZA)

Notes live  · Zoo recognition · National Zoo Policy
📖 Notes
68

National Green Tribunal (NGT)

Notes live  · NGT Act 2010 · Green justice
📖 Notes
69

National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)

Notes live  · BD Act 2002 · ABS · Chennai
📖 Notes

International Organisations & Conventions

11 topics
70

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Notes live  · Nairobi · Founded 1972 Stockholm
📖 Notes
71

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Notes live  · Gland, Switzerland · Founded 1948
📖 Notes
72

Ramsar Convention

Notes live  · 1971 · Montreux Record · India 80+ sites
📖 Notes
73

Convention on Migratory Species (CMS / Bonn)

Notes live  · Migratory wildlife · Flyways
📖 Notes
74

CITES

Notes live  · Appendix I II III · Wildlife trade
📖 Notes
75

TRAFFIC

Notes live  · Wildlife trade monitoring network
📖 Notes
76

Global Tiger Initiative (GTI)

Notes live  · World Bank · Tx2 · 13 range countries
📖 Notes
77

Rotterdam Convention

Notes live  · Prior Informed Consent · Hazardous chemicals
📖 Notes
78

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Notes live  · POPs · Dirty dozen · Elimination
📖 Notes
79

Minamata Convention on Mercury

Notes live  · Mercury reduction · 2013 · ASGM
📖 Notes
80

Basel Convention

Notes live  · Hazardous waste · Transboundary movement
📖 Notes
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