Passage

Maintaining an ecosystem just to conserve biodiversity will affect its commercial potential as well as the livelihoods dependent on the ecosystem. There is also a conflict between using an ecosystem only for livelihoods, for commercial exploitation, or strictly for conservation. Deforestation caused due to commercial exploitation will lead to indirect harm like floods, siltation problems and microclimatic instability, apart from adversely affecting livelihoods dependent on forests. These conflicts are particularly acute in developing countries where the dependence of people on the ecosystem is significant, and commercial exploitation has the potential to boost national income.

QUESTION

CSAT

Easy

Comprehension

Prelims 2025

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

I. No country needs to depend on ecosystems to boost national income. II. Resource-rich countries need to share their resources with those of scant resources so as to prevent the degradation of ecosystems.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Assumption I is incorrect: The statement that “no country needs to depend on ecosystems to boost national income” contradicts the passage. The author explicitly mentions that “commercial exploitation has the potential to boost national income,” particularly in developing countries. This means some nations do depend on ecosystems for economic gains, making this assumption invalid.

Assumption II is incorrect: The passage does not mention sharing resources among countries. It focuses on internal conflicts within ecosystems — between conservation, livelihood, and commercial use — especially in developing nations. Hence, the idea of inter-country resource sharing goes beyond the scope of the passage.

Therefore, both assumptions are invalid.