The Western Ghats are a recognized biodiversity hotspot. Which of the following is currently considered the most significant threat to its endemic species, beyond general habitat loss?
- (a)Infrastructure development projects (e.g., roads, dams, mining).
- (b)Introduction of invasive alien species.
- (c)Forest fires due to climate change.
- (d)Human-wildlife conflict due to encroachment.
Answer
Why
Correct — B. The stem sets general habitat loss aside, and that decides the item.
Roads, dams and mining destroy and fragment habitat, and encroachment is habitat loss by settlement. Invasive alien species work differently: they spread through forest and grassland that still stands and crowd out endemic species there → option (b).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)Infrastructure development projects (e.g., roads, dams, mining). — Roads, dams and mining destroy and fragment habitat. That is the general habitat loss the stem sets aside, so this option restates what the question excludes.
- (c)Forest fires due to climate change. — Forest fire destroys habitat by burning it, which places it under the habitat loss the stem sets aside rather than beyond it.
- (d)Human-wildlife conflict due to encroachment. — Encroachment turns forest into farms and settlements, which is habitat loss again. The human-wildlife conflict that follows is a consequence of that loss, not a separate driver.
Concept
The Western Ghats form part of the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, one of four hotspots that include parts of India, with the Himalaya, Indo-Burma and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).
An invasive alien species is one introduced from outside its native range that spreads and harms native life. Endemic species and habitat specialists suffer most, since they are confined to this range.
The ranking in 'most significant' is a judgement, and the stem names no source for it. Read it as the item's logic: once habitat loss is excluded, invasive species are the option left that names a separate driver of decline.
Key facts
- India's four biodiversity hotspots: Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).
- UNESCO inscribed 39 sites across the Western Ghats as a World Heritage Site in 2012.
- Lantana camara, brought to India under British rule, is an invasive shrub that has spread through Indian forests.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing infrastructure because it is the most visible threat: roads, dams and mining are habitat loss, which the stem excludes.
- Reading human-wildlife conflict as a cause of decline rather than a symptom of encroachment.
The Ghats' global standing is asked at 17 Sep 2025, 12:30, GA Q.21 (keyed: they influence the Indian monsoon and are among the world's top biodiversity hotspots).
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