pyq/2013/csat/58

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.

What is the central focus of this passage?

(A) Illegal mining in forests.

(B) Extinction of wildlife.

(C) Conservation of nature.

(D) Disruption of habitat.