ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) — Environmental Sciences (subject 71) and Agricultural Meteorology (subject 60) · India · National Testing Agency for ICAR
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersConservation beyond the field boundary: habitat fragmentation, corridors, land sparing versus land sharing, protected-area networks and conflict between wildlife and farmers.
In the exams: ICAR AICE subject 71 Unit 2 (national parks, sanctuaries); UPSC CSE Prelims environment; Forestry track overlaps on wildlife management
ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Environmental Sciences (Unit 2) and ASRB
Protected-area types and networks in India, corridors, fragmentation and edge effects, human-wildlife conflict, community conservation and wildlife trade; mostly recall with applied examples.
How our questions for ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF spread across the units of Landscape Ecology, Protected Areas & Human-Wildlife Interactions. Difficulty: 14 easy, 21 medium, 4 hard.
| Human-wildlife conflict and crop raiding | 10 | |
| Habitat fragmentation and edge effects | 6 | |
| Protected-area categories and management effectiveness | 6 | |
| Wildlife trade and CITES | 6 | |
| Community-based conservation and co-management | 5 | |
| Connectivity and wildlife corridors | 4 | |
| Landscape structure: patches, corridors and matrix | 1 | |
| Land sparing versus land sharing | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
A square forest patch of 1000 m × 1000 m has edge effects penetrating 100 m. What is its core area?
B. 64 ha
Core = (1000 − 2 × 100)² = 800² m² = 64 ha. 90 subtracts only 10 %; 100 ignores edges; 81 subtracts the edge from one side only (900²).
According to Haddad and colleagues (2015), what share of the world's forest lies within 1 km of an edge?
B. About 70 %
They found about 70 % of remaining forest within 1 km of an edge, showing how fragmented forests are.
Further reading: Haddad et al. 2015
The Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, begun in 1979, is located near which city?
A. Manaus, Brazil
The BDFFP near Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon is the longest-running fragmentation experiment.
Further reading: Laurance et al. 2011
How often are management effectiveness evaluations of India's tiger reserves carried out?
B. Every four years
NTCA and WII have conducted MEE of tiger reserves on a four-yearly cycle since 2006, alongside the All India Tiger Estimation.
Further reading: NTCA–WII
A farm has a 30 % chance each season of losing a crop worth 50000 to wildlife. What is the expected loss per season?
B. 15000
Expected loss = 0.30 × 50000 = 15000. 50000 is the maximum loss; 1500 a decimal slip; 35000 the expected value of the harvest kept.
Why did capturing leopards and releasing them far away often increase conflict in Maharashtra?
C. Displaced leopards caused more attacks near release sites
Translocated leopards were associated with increased attacks near release sites, so managers shifted to awareness and response teams. The other claims are false.
Further reading: Athreya et al. 2011
Joint Forest Management in India was launched by a central government circular in which year?
A. 1990
The 1990 circular enabled village committees to share in the management and produce of degraded forests. 1980 is the Forest (Conservation) Act; 2006 the Forest Rights Act.
Further reading: MoEF 1990
Which mammals are often described as the most trafficked in the world?
C. Pangolins
Pangolins are trafficked for scales and meat; all eight species are in CITES Appendix I.
Further reading: CITES; UNODC
Small habitat patches close enough for animals to hop between are called:
A. Stepping stones
Stepping stones are discrete patches that allow movement across a landscape.
Further reading: Turner and Gardner, Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice
CITES Appendix I lists species that are:
A. Threatened with extinction
Appendix I covers species threatened with extinction, generally barred from commercial trade.
Further reading: CITES
Ten here, 39 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
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