UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Social forestry programmes focus on involving local communities in tree planting and management outside traditional forest areas. The objectives include supplying fuelwood,fodder and small timber while improving the environment. The stem mentions planting on community lands and roadsides for local needs,which is a hallmark of social forestry. Therefore social forestry is the correct answer.

Option A:
Social forestry emphasises both livelihood support and ecological benefits such as soil conservation and micro climate improvement. Because the question stresses meeting local needs as well as tree planting,this option aligns closely with the described approach.

Option B:
Industrial forestry is oriented toward large scale timber production,often in monoculture plantations,primarily for industrial use. It is not specifically designed to meet small local subsistence needs,so it does not match the stem.

Option C:
Clear cut forestry refers to a harvesting method in which all or most trees in an area are felled at once. It describes a logging practice rather than a community oriented planting programme.

Option D:
Commercial forestry is driven mainly by profit from wood or other products and may not prioritise local subsistence needs or community participation. Hence it is not the best fit for the concept in the question.

Statements A, B, C, D and F are correct and together describe dependence on common resources, benefits of diversification, impacts of watershed programmes, long-term ecological risks of unsustainable policies and the importance of local institutions. Statement E is wrong because tenure security often shapes incentives for conservation and sustainable use. Therefore, the correct answer must include all true statements while excluding E, which denies a well-documented relationship between tenure and management.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect as it omits F and thus ignores how strong local institutions help align resource use with sustainability and equity. Without F, the role of governance in rural resource management is missing.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it includes E, which claims tenure has no influence on management, even though secure rights are known to encourage investment and stewardship. Including E makes the combination internally inconsistent.

Option C:
Option C is correct since it contains exactly those statements that reflect socio-ecological realities of rural livelihoods and natural resource management, and it rightly rejects E. It aligns with the unit’s emphasis on resources, livelihoods and institutions.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as it both includes E, which is false, and omits A. Excluding A removes the basic fact of dependence on common property resources, making the picture incomplete.

The poverty–environment nexus highlights a vicious cycle where poor households rely heavily on nearby land, forests and water for survival. Lacking alternatives, they may overexploit these resources, for example through excessive fuelwood collection or cultivation on steep slopes. Degradation of the resource base then reduces productivity, pushing them into even deeper poverty. This interconnected spiral is a central concern of people-centred environmental policy.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because scarcity and lack of alternatives often force the poor into unsustainable practices despite low overall consumption.

Option B:
Option B is correct; it clearly expresses how poverty and environmental degradation can reinforce each other, creating a difficult trap to escape.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as many studies show strong links between environmental quality and livelihood security, especially for resource-dependent communities.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because the poor are often the most vulnerable to environmental decline, lacking savings and insurance to cushion shocks.

Solar pumps allow farmers to access irrigation without relying entirely on diesel or unstable grid supply, lowering operating costs and local pollution. When combined with sound groundwater governance and crop planning, they can raise yields and incomes while keeping extraction within sustainable limits. They also reduce pressure on distribution companies that otherwise subsidise agricultural electricity heavily.

Option A:
This option is incorrect because solar pumps are introduced precisely to reduce diesel dependence.

Option B:
This option correctly highlights the multiple co-benefits of solar pumps and notes the importance of managing groundwater sustainably.

Option C:
Solar pumps alone cannot “automatically” solve over-extraction; institutional and regulatory measures are still needed.

Option D:
Decentralised pumps can actually reduce the need for long rural feeders, thereby lowering transmission losses.

Watershed management treats a drainage basin as a single ecological and hydrological unit. It aims to conserve soil and water, improve vegetative cover and enhance livelihoods through coordinated actions in that area. The approach considers upstream and downstream linkages so that interventions are environmentally sound and socially beneficial. Therefore, an integrated view of land and water resources within a watershed, as expressed in option C, correctly defines watershed management.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because focusing only on groundwater overlooks the interactions between rainfall, surface runoff, soil erosion and vegetation. Sustainable management requires attention to both surface and subsurface components of the hydrological cycle.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect since watershed programmes usually emphasise smaller structures like contour bunds, check dams and farm ponds rather than only large dams. The goal is to manage land and water at local scales, not just to build big projects on major rivers.

Option C:
Option C is correct as it integrates conservation and development goals. It recognises that soil conservation, water harvesting and vegetation restoration together can support agriculture, reduce drought vulnerability and improve rural incomes.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because marine fisheries belong to coastal and ocean ecosystems, which are outside the usual scope of inland watershed projects. Different management frameworks are used for marine resources.