Indian Forest Service Examination Forest Policy, Law & Governance: practice questions

1 · Forest policy: concepts and process · hard

A recurring lesson of forest policy worldwide is that rules imposed without regard to local rights and livelihoods:

1. Are always more effective than participatory approaches in protecting forests over time
2. Have no effect at all on local behaviour, whether enforced or not
3. Are welcomed by communities because they reduce local responsibilities
4. Are hard to enforce, while secure tenure and benefit sharing give reasons to conserve

2 · Forest acts: reserved and protected forests and control of forest-land conversion · easy

Under the Indian Forest Act, the notification of the government's intention to constitute a reserved forest is made under:

1. Section 20
2. Section 26
3. Section 52
4. Section 4

3 · Forest acts: reserved and protected forests and control of forest-land conversion · hard

Why was the 2023 amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act controversial?

1. It banned all diversion of forest land for any purpose, including defence
2. It abolished compensatory afforestation and net present value payments
3. It narrowed coverage from the wide Godavarman reading and exempted certain projects
4. It transferred all forest land to state revenue departments

4 · Forest law compared across countries · hard

In the United States, forestry practices on private land are regulated mainly by:

1. State forest practice acts and best-management practices, which vary by state
2. The National Forest Management Act, which applies equally to all private land
3. The Wilderness Act, which covers all private forests
4. The Forest Service, which issues felling licences for every private tree

5 · Forest offences, settlement of rights and forest settlement procedure · hard

Several states have amended the Indian Forest Act to allow departmental confiscation of seized property. The main purpose is to:

1. Remove the right of appeal from all accused persons
2. Transfer all forest cases from criminal to civil courts for trial
3. Act quickly against organised timber theft, with appeal against the order
4. Abolish compounding of offences

6 · International instruments: CBD, UNFCCC, CITES, Ramsar, UNFF · medium

The Ramsar Convention, signed in 1971, concerns:

1. Trade in endangered species
2. Wetlands of international importance
3. Desertification in drylands
4. Desertification and land degradation in drylands

7 · Timber legality: EU Deforestation Regulation, US Lacey Act, FLEGT · easy

The cut-off date in the EU Deforestation Regulation, after which deforestation makes a product non-compliant, is:

1. 31 December 2020
2. 1 January 2013
3. 31 December 2005
4. 1 January 2024

8 · Forest institutions and forest service organisation · easy

The Indian Forest Service was constituted as an All India Service in:

1. 1864
2. 1947
3. 1980
4. 1966

9 · Forest institutions and forest service organisation · medium

Why are forests a 'concurrent' subject in India important for forest governance?

1. Only Parliament can pass any law concerning forests
2. Both Parliament and state legislatures can make forest laws, while states manage forests
3. Only Parliament can pass any law concerning forests in any state
4. Forests are governed by international law alone

10 · Indigenous and customary rights · medium

Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) means that indigenous peoples should:

1. Be informed after a project has begun, without any right to object
2. Pay a fee before they can be consulted about projects
3. Consent freely given, with full information, before projects affecting their lands
4. Consent only if the government offers compensation first