Which one of the following is NOT a major cause of Wildlife Extinction ?
- (a)Loss of natural habitat
- (b)To make fire in the forest
- (c)Illegal commercial trade of wildlife
- (d)Fast pace of population growth
Correct (per the official key) — D, 'Fast pace of population growth'. Loss of natural habitat (a), forest fires (b) and the illegal commercial trade in wildlife (c) are all direct, proximate causes — they destroy the ecosystems animals depend on or kill the animals themselves. Rapid human population growth is treated here as an underlying, indirect driver: it fuels extinction only through those direct causes (more land cleared, more hunting and trade) rather than acting as a direct cause itself, so the paper marks it as the option that is NOT a major (direct) cause. Note honestly: some ecology frameworks do list human population growth among the ultimate drivers of biodiversity loss; this question takes the proximate-cause view, and the answer follows the key.
- (a)Loss of natural habitat — This IS a major cause, so it is not the answer — habitat destruction and fragmentation is the single largest direct driver of species extinction worldwide.
- (b)To make fire in the forest — This IS a cause, so it is not the answer — forest fires destroy habitat and directly kill wildlife, making them a genuine cause of extinction.
- (c)Illegal commercial trade of wildlife — This IS a cause, so it is not the answer — poaching and the illegal wildlife trade directly deplete species such as tigers, rhinos and pangolins.
Species extinction has both proximate (direct) causes — habitat loss and fragmentation, over-exploitation and poaching, invasive species, pollution and fires — and ultimate (indirect) drivers such as human population growth and rising economic demand that operate through those proximate causes. Exam 'odd-one-out' items on extinction usually expect you to separate a direct cause from an indirect driver.
The question asks for the exception. Three options (habitat loss, forest fires, illegal trade) are direct causes; population growth is the outlier because it acts indirectly. The intended answer is therefore the indirect driver, marked as 'NOT a major cause'.
- Habitat loss and fragmentation is the leading direct cause of wildlife extinction
- Illegal wildlife trade / poaching directly threatens species like tigers, rhinos and pangolins
- Forest fires destroy habitat and directly kill wildlife
- Human population growth is generally classed as an underlying/indirect driver, acting through habitat conversion and resource demand
Three options are direct causes; rapid population growth is an underlying driver, so it is the 'NOT a major cause' answer (d).
- Reading the question as 'which IS a cause' instead of 'which is NOT a cause'
- Assuming population growth is unrelated — it is an indirect driver, not the same as a direct cause
UPPSC/UPSC ask 'which is NOT a cause / odd one out' — distinguish direct (proximate) causes from indirect (ultimate) drivers of extinction.
The term "sixth mass extinction/sixth extinction" is often mentioned in the news in the context of the discussion of
- (a) Widespread monoculture practices in agriculture and large-scale commercial farming with indiscriminate use of chemicals in many parts of the world that may result in the loss of good native ecosystems.
- (b) Fears of a possible collision of a meteorite with the Earth in the near future in the manner it happened 65 million years ago that caused the mass extinction of many species including those of dinosaurs.
- (c) Large-scale cultivation of genetically modified crops in many parts of the world and promoting their cultivation in other parts of the world which may cause the disappearance of good native crop plants and the loss of food biodiversity.
- (d) Mankind's over-exploitation/misuse of natural resources, fragmentation/loss of natural habitats, destruction of ecosystems, pollution and global climate change.
Answer(d) Mankind's over-exploitation/misuse of natural resources, fragmentation/loss of natural habitats, destruction of ecosystems, pollution and global climate change.
Same concept — the human-driven causes of extinction; UPSC's answer lists habitat loss, over-exploitation, pollution and climate change as the drivers, mirroring the direct-cause options in this question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following is generally the single largest direct cause of wildlife/biodiversity loss?
- (a)Loss and fragmentation of natural habitat
- (b)Volcanic eruptions
- (c)Earthquakes
- (d)Solar flares
Answer(a) Loss and fragmentation of natural habitat — the leading direct driver of extinction.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The illegal international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora is regulated by which convention?
- (a)Ramsar Convention
- (b)CITES
- (c)Montreal Protocol
- (d)Basel Convention
Answer(b) CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.