Environment Notes to Prepare for UPSC Online

In the notifications that UPSC issue, they are very consistent about the fact that the candidates they are looking for should be vigilant and have a good grasp of everything happening around them. Thus, environment forms a major part of UPSC Preliminary Exam with atleast 20% of weightage by marks.

Here, we have tried to provide the basic understanding of what constitutes in UPSC environmental syllabus.

Section 1 : Ecology & Eco – Diversity >> Basics of Environment Studies

• • • Ecology, Biome, Ecotone, Niche, Ecosystem, Biosphere
    • Ecological Succession, Food Chain, Food Web, Ecological pyramids
    • Biogeocycles: Water Cycle, Carbon Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle
    • Environment Pollution – Air Pollutants
    • Environment Pollution – Water Pollutants
    • Electronic Waste Major Pollutants
    • Bioaccumulation vs Bioconcentration vs Biomagnification + Composting + Vemiculture
    • Greenhouse Effect & Greenhouse Gases
    • Acid Rain & Ozone Depleting Substances
    • Ocean Acidification & Salt Marsh Ecosystem

Section 2 : Biodiversity Conservation, Geoengineering, Species, Plants, Forest & Aquatic Ecosystems

• • • Carbon Sources & Sequestration
    • Geoengineering
    • Environmental Impact Assessment + Agriculture Techniques & Revolutions
    • Biodiversity and Biodiversity Hotspots
    • Biodiversity Conservation
    • Different types of Species
    • Biofertilizers and Green Manure
    • Forest Ecosystem
    • Aquatic Ecosystems & Eutrophication
    • Wetlands, Ramsar Convention, Montreux Record, Estuaries
    • Mangroves and Coral Reefs
    • Plant Classification and Parts of Tree
    • Types of Roots & Insectivorous Plants
    • Effect of Abiotic Components on Plants