Consider the following pairs:
| 1) Nokrek Biosphere Reserve | Garo Hills |
| 2) Loktak Lake | Barail Range |
| 3) Namdapha National Park | Dafla Hills |
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
- None
Explanation
Pair 1 is correct
- Nokrek Biosphere Reserve: It is located in the northeast of India on the Tura Range, which forms part of the Meghalaya Plateau (average altitude: 600 metres).
- The entire area is mountainous and Nokrek is the highest peak of the Garo hills, rising up 1,412 metres.
- Vegetation: Evergreen, semi-evergreen & deciduous.
- Key Fauna: Red Panda (EN), Hoolock Gibbons (EN), Red Giant Flying Squirrel (LC), etc.
Pair 2 is incorrect
- Loktak Lake is a freshwater lake in Manipur. It is the largest freshwater lake in the north-eastern region.
- Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park in the world, floats over it. Thick, floating mats of weeds covered with soil (phumids) are a characteristic feature.
- It is not located in the Barail Range. The Barail Range is the highest hill range in Assam and serves as the watershed separating the Brahmaputra and Barak river systems.
Pair 3 is incorrect
- It is located in Arunachal Pradesh between the Dapha bum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai range. It is crossed by the Noa Dihing River (a tributary of the Brahmaputra River) that originates at Chaukan Pass. It is the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot.
- Vegetation: Evergreen to temperate broadleaf forest.
- It is the only park in the World to have the four Feline species of big cat, namely: Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard and Clouded Leopard.
- It is famous for the critically endangered Namdapha flying squirrel which is endemic to the park.
- Major Fauna: Asian wild dog (dhole), Malayan sun bear, Indian wolf, Asiatic black bear, red panda, red fox, Asian golden cat, Indian elephant, wild boar, musk deer, hog deer, sambar, gaur, takin, bharal (blue sheep).
- Primates: Stump-tailed macaque, slow loris, Western Hoolock gibbon (the only ‘ape’ species found in India), capped langur, Assamese macaque and rhesus macaque.
- Daphla (or Dafla) Hills is a tract of hilly country on the border of western Arunachal and Assam.
