What is the purpose of maintaining the continuity of forested landscapes and corridors? 1. Preservation of biodiversity. 2. Management of mineral resources. 3. Grant of forest lands for human activities. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Passage

Ecological research over the last quarter of the century has established the deleterious effects of habitat fragmentation due to mining, highways, and such other intrusions on forests. When a large block of forests gets fragmented into smaller bits, the edges of all these bits come into contact with human activities resulting in the degradation of the entire forest. Continuity of forested landscapes and corridors gets disrupted, posing a serious threat to biodiversity conservation. Ad hoc grants of forest lands to mining companies, coupled with rampant illegal mining, is aggravating this threat.

QUESTION

CSAT

Easy

Comprehension

Prelims 2013

What is the purpose of maintaining the continuity of forested landscapes and corridors?

Preservation of biodiversity.
Management of mineral resources.
Grant of forest lands for human activities.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. The passage emphasizes the importance of maintaining forest continuity to prevent habitat fragmentation, which is critical for biodiversity conservation.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The passage does not discuss managing mineral resources as a purpose of maintaining forest landscapes and corridors. Instead, it mentions mining as a factor disrupting habitats.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The passage criticizes ad hoc grants of forest lands for activities like mining, suggesting they are harmful rather than purposeful for maintaining forests.