UNIT -v piodiversity And its Conservation it eduction to Biodiversity isa great diversity of life in nai silty of ite forms; mnected by the laws of a Scientists have estimated that ature. More than 50 million ces of plants and animals, including invertebrates and ctvorganisms, Occur on Earth and hardly 2 Million of them juve been described. by man so far. Biodiversity or biological diversity Tefers to the Variety and anability of al] plants, animals and Micro Organisms Present on arth under a set of certain environmental Conditions. It is the wealth of a nation and necessary for ecological balance in nature. ‘expresses the Telative Tichness of every varie! It is difficult to b ‘Pecies of ants, 3, 00, ‘shes and 20, ty or Species. elieve that there are more than 20,000 Species of beetles, 28,000 species of A Species of Orchids, . The word biodiversity Was coined by Walter G 86 an Popularized by Ea Rosen in Wilson, a Sociobi Ologist. i : their different Cranisms differ from each other due to thele differ nt Benetic eup. Hence diversity of Sreenisms|ce * Benetic level, species level and ecosystem Significance Of Biodiversity eae i 5 j ‘ isfies human s eccaues Wy AEE vey ten sede te S, direct an, i As of Nn come from prime forests. Biodive: not oni ‘ime sts. Biodiversity ye f huma:—— 7 ultural productivity but also un de: tes. “opm and basic needs, mecca plant and aunt neip mn crease rt seer sendes OS oene ETO Indirect benefits include nutr water cycles, SOU production abso: a provision of recreational scentinc, exo on of this species will t of ant cancer treatments. Global Biodiversity It refers to totality of all 5 According to International Union for Conservation of \. (IUCN, 2004) total number of scienti flowering plants) constitute the largest number of species i the world. Biodiversity in India India has only about 2.4% of world’s land area; however share of the global species diversity is 8.1%. This makes ! one of the 12 megadiversity countries of the world. In In total number of known species is about 1, 42,000. ie The classification of land into different zones depe® rea Plants and animals is the biogeographical ass" praia is called a biogeographical zone and has Ral imate, plant and animal species, soil factor etc. WAY and HS. Panwar (1988) have divided India int wsF geerephica zones sien 2? i) and Oe ones (i) Trans (vi) OE and One arid, (v) Wester cnt) cost any fore pesert, aii) Gangetic Plain, (vi 7 ) \, (viii) Ni rth Bast” ing an (adia is characterized by high ‘mountain? 7 and it is nano” 167 cultivated crops originated ™ 1nd panne od for 320 wild relatives oF nop plants © te af, sugarcane, millets ete ive Om a s " < 7 , as piodiversity helps in producing mor sosyste5 which can tolerate various stress tic, 5 pee inter-related hierarchical lev® 7 ological: evels of Biodiversity ) Genetic Level Biodiversity ag number hand every variety of a species has 4 partion re js the si combination Of genes called genome: The 8° an total of the genes (DNA) of an organis™ ccerent tic biodiversity refers to genetic variations a on dividuals of 2 species (intraspecific). ‘A species is 9 pop her similar individuals. These individuals te with one ano! ad donot mate with individuals of another species erms of total DNA This type of diversity jg measured in t sntent, genome size, num! is due to the sence of different alleles (like t i int), different combination mosomal recombinations: fe India has more than 1000 varieties of mangoes ales indica) and 5,000 varieties of Rice (Oryza sativa) vie the varieties of rice together make up the rice iy et variety has its own characteristic genome. One ‘mth Haas can hybridize with another variety of rice but ybridize with a variety of another species (Eg. Mango). takes place between two How eg ne when hybridization ' species, a new combination of genes is possible ew Combinati bination causes genetic variability. And genetic of genes anial for the origin of new 5 a aw mater! variability ie variations are at a greater risk of ete. speci ed ‘ith a new disease. ction, wi tes j di ity of a species 1S studied w; netic diversity Pe 7 With py cequend ng and DNA finget printing techniques, h Dna £ Genetic Diversity ged Plant d shows genetic variations in ten layan ‘ms of Pot lency,, f the active chemical Reserpine It enables 4 population to adapt better to the ch; environmental conditions, e.g., the medicinal Rauwolfia pomitoria grows in different Hima| ranges an the concentration 0} 2. Genetic diversity of a species provides genetic stoc for breeding, programmes. ks 3. It gives genetic relationships between related individuals. 4, Plant genetic resources are the biological basis of food security and support every person on Earth, These resources are used as food, feed, fibre, clothing, shelter and energy. The conservation and sustainable use of the Is are necessary to ensure crop production plant materia and meet growing environmental challenges and climate change. 2) Species Level Biodiversity esent within @ region. It It refers to the variety of species pr can be studied by the following parameters: a) Species Richness: defined area. b) Species Abundance: it Is ative ab’ different species in an area. Thi population size of any specie’ any ort the basic unit of studying 8° ic diver it is the total number of species it? taxon. ee ied as: The species diversity can be studied 4 the rel a) Alpha Diversity: it refers #0 different species in anarea.It rep’Environmental Studies | 133 jduals of every species within a community i oie stem. the same ecosys' ; oo ersity: it refers to the relative tichness of jes along a gradient from one habitat to diferent the community but between two major ecosystems like between a grassland and forest. Gamma Diversity: it refers to the richness of different species in a range of habitats over a large geographical area. It is represented by various habitats, trophic levels that sustain the energy flow and focuses on various biotic interactions. i | j : a Dive | by Bet a Ecosystem Level Biodiversity t refers to species variation in different ecosystems of a sographical area. Forest is an ecosystem and sea is another system. Every ecosystem has a particular set of environmental saditions and allow particular group of plants and animals to ow therein. The ecosystem diversity shows variations in habitat, oducers, consumers, energy level, food chain, food web, ‘rient cycle etc. In India, there is a huge diversity in deserts, unforests, mangroves, coral reefs, and wetlands. It enables to dy diversity at various ecological habitats like forests, ’sslands, wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems and desert “Ssystems, where innumerable organisms are present. In general, the number of habitats or e. "a tegion is a measure of biodiversity. Value of Biodiversity ‘cosystems present Biodiversity is useful for human beings and their pets in ‘“veral ways. It provides food, useful products and goods to prove the social value. 1 Consumptive use Value The consumption of biodiversity products is called ‘onsumptive use. Food, fuel and drugs are the products harvested from the biodiversity and consumed114 | Environmental Studies a) Food ; The plants form the food for animals. The Plants and form food for human beings. Rice, wheat, fruits, Vegetaby epg, milk, cereals etc. are the products of biog} b) Drugs Many drugs known as herbal medicines are plants Penicillin, an antibiotic, is obtained fr, Quinine, to treat malaria, is obtained from Chinen Morphine, a pain killer, is obtained from Poppy plane ad from Papaya plant assists in protein digestion, 1 Papain versity, Obtained from om a fungus c) Fuels Fire wood is a fuel. Coal and petroleum a1 ire the f and Gobar gas is obtained from cow dung ssi fuels 2. Productive use Value The marketable items of biodiversit use value. Timber is obtained from forest through Silviculture Fish is a protein food ~ produced by Aquaculture, Silkworm, produces silk ~ Sericulture, Honeybee produces honey - Apiculture, Cotton is obtained from cotton plants, manufactured from wood pulp. 3. Aesthetic Value The use of plants and animals in beautifying the surroundings is the aesthetic values. Biodiversity include attractive species of plants, animals and birds, which give 7 natural beauty to the habitat. Ornamental plants are eer tte hanging baskets in rooms and home gardens “I cabin’ surroundings, beautiful birds are reared in a ance Ornamental fishes are kept in glass containers od town are beauty of the indoor environment, Parks in cities ty form the productive Paper is Loss of Biodiversity The biological wealth in the form of earth is declining rapidly. One of the main eae eet human activities. We are losing the specronm, Studies | 135 more and to industrializanne” Nand and also the activities leading The foggy a” wPaPization and agricultural practices: : eat of een Fecords show a large-scale loss or mass oe times Haman ete 1:00 ines fate tan nae Pee AD 3 Activities ar 7 ha fas' inc © responsible for suc extinction. As the rate and : . ae ore ena ate forced towards extinction As a result, the Specie become endangereq in the area. Human Population is incr fear. This increases the consumption pattern of Bleni ake animals by humans. There san Increasing demand for food, shelter, cloth and space for developmental activities. Therefore, vegetational cover 1s destroyed in many areas. When the plants are destroyed, animals depending on them are also destroyed. Causes of Loss of Biodiversity 1. Habitat Loss and Fragmentation The destruction of habitat of plant and animals is called habit loss. Specific plant and animal species prefer to live in a particular habitat. When the habit is destroyed, the species of jlants and animals therein are under threat of extinction. Habitat loss is mainly due to construction of dams, cutting down of trees or cleaning of forests for timber or for setting up ‘using or industries, clearing the land for agriculture, ‘struction of wetland, quarrying the rock in the forest area, “etexploitation of herbal plants, setting fire to forests and illegal ‘ade of plant and animal Products. amples: |. In the Southern Parts of Western Ghats, an evergreen forest, lion tailed macaque were once found in large numbers, It has now become endangered due to loss of habitat. Deforestation is known to be the major cause of species €xtinction in the next 50 years. Because of deforestation 915% of Species may be eliminated by the year 2020.— )oo. ~~ 136 | Environmental Studies The changes ina habitat disrupt the interrelationships that exist between species and Plex resulting in the extinction of a number of Species, hereby With industrialization, man is trying to ac, to build dams, reservoirs, human dwelling etc the cover or shelter of forest vegetation, tall gra habitat of wild animals. This loss leads to the Wire mor, This takes , SSe¢ extinction paul When habitats get destroyed, the rem . becomes fragmented. When roads intrude in| fragmented into patches. The fragmented habitats by population living in the habitat into a series of ak the populations. Now they occupy unconnected Patches, Th aller to disappearance of a number of species, is led Way aining hab ita to a forest, ' 2. Poaching It is the illegal killing of animals. Poaching and hunting are the main cause of depletion of wild animals, Animals a pouched or hunted for food supply, drugs, flesh and parts like tusks of elephants, skins of crocodiles, etc. 3. Pollution and Disturbances Today our planet faces many environmental problems related to pollution of water, air and land. Pollution destroysthe ecosystem and a number of sensitive species. Water polluted with pesticides, lead poisoning and eutrophication nutrient enrichment are some of the pollution and lead to species extinction. Man-made fires in forests, massive releases of jane spillover of oil in seas all cause disturbances in the ee and loss of biodiversity. 4. Alien species invasion hic New species wontedly introduce: ws region is called exotic or alien species. The MY ine exist competition for food, space and predation of dist species. They may also lead to transmispesies ve parasites not present before. The exo#’ dintoanew goer?Environmental Studies | 137 disappe where exotic species h Red Data Book The species of plants facing the problems of extinction and becoming lesser in number are called endangered or threatened or rare plants. The species of these plants are given in a book galled Red Data Book. It is published by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). Iris a document enlisting rare and endangered species of animals, plants and fungi. ance of the native species. Many instances present created large impact on the ecosystem The species are classified into different categories of perceived tisk. Each Red Data Book usually deals with specific group of plants or animals. UCN Red List It is a publication of IUCN. It is catalogue of plants and snimals that are facing the risk of extinction. It gives information wnthreatened species of plants and animals. It aims at informing the urgency and scale of conservation problems to the public ind policy makers. This system was initiated in 1963. Total sumber of threatened species (Critically Endangered, ‘ndangered and Vulnerable species) is 23,928 as per Red List rublished in 2016. ses of Red List 1, Identification and documentation of endangered species. 2. Developing awareness about the importance of threatened biodiversity 3 Providing a global index of the decline of biodiversity 4 Defining conservation priorities at the local level and guiding conservation action cms Used in Red List “species - thespecies whose last ind’ has died fram bot vidu:__ 138 | Environmental Studies inct in Wild (EW) ~ the species ext; b) Extinct in rere | ©) Critically Endangered (CE) - nctin wilg T cultivation is the species facing high k extinction and the: : disappear in ¢ ‘Ym he immed, 2 future, Mediate 4) Endangered (EN) the species facing the high i of extinction in the wild inthe near future. Will become extinct if not Conserved, e) Vulnerable (VU) the species whose 50% of individuals are already extinct in the wild. The Species can become endangered if not Protected. £) Conservation Dependent (CD)- the species of interest inhabit conservation g) Low Risk (LR) ~ the species that does not face the threat of extinction h) Not Evaluated - the species has not yet been assessed against the above criteria 5 d to be In India, about 450 species of plants are a a endangered by the Botanical Survey of India ( et However, as on date about 1,000 plants are listed as Some examples of Endangered Plants 2 ca icinal plo 1. Adhatoda beddomei_ - Agasthiyamalai - inal plant dicinal P? 2. Aconitum ferox = ‘Sikkim ene ofan 3. Salvia hians ~ The Himalayas 7 ontial ol Fodder Piatt 4. Gremia sapida - Central India aaEnvironmental Studies | 1 Conservation of Endangered Plants Desi ee enance se awras. These areas Reserves eter for the survival nts, Sometimes plants in the protected areas: protected are are the endangered pla! ye propagated in » and then planted it species inindia, there are approximately 1,000 endangered plant Spec ind they need protection for their survival. “here are two methods of conservation A) In-situ conservation and B) Ex-situ conservation 4) In-situ Conservation The conservation of genetic resources of different plant gecies in their natural habitats is called in-situ conservation or /msite conservation. It is an easy, cost effective and suitable pe for the maintenance of many plant and animal species. * anarea is selected and declared as protected area, then special efforts are taken to conserve the plants and animals. agencies causing depletion of endangered plants are Prevented by adopting suitable methods. overgrazing by animals and destruction by fires are kept at reduced level. local water facilit Seasons, i mining and dam co: ome! Parks, Sanctuari rats, Cultural Landse: “tt conserya y for drinking is provided during dry nstruction are prevented. es, Nature Reserves, Natural apes, Biosphere Reserves are used140 | Environmental Studies National Parks The National Parks are distinctive public by the government for conservation of wildlif th flor de fauna. In all national parks, the hunting of animals, cutte and trees, grazing by animals, mining, construction activi Ng of ate strictly prohibited. All natural conditions wre Preserye such in the national parks. No private Ownership right ig ‘alow “i The size of a national park may be between - and 1000 sq. km. Tourists are freely allowed toenter the nature. As on 2018, India has 104 national parks of 40,500 km?, covers approximately 1% of India’s g area. Places sep e, bot 0.04 Sq. km, for enjoying With a total OBraphical Wildlife Sanctuaries Protected from its predators ing by human beings. Entry is sion. Carrying a weapon is strictly ing the animals and felling of trees In sanctuaries animals enjoy complete protection Some activities like harvesting of timber and collection of minor forest products are permitted. Private ownership rights are permitted as long as they do not interfere with the sell being of the animals. Tourists are allowed to view and enjoy the natural beauty. Wildlife is also saved from hunti allowed with proper permis prohibited. The acts of teasi are punishable. than plants. The size of a sanctuary may range from Ost sq. wn 7818 sq. km. covers approximately 3.7% of India's geograp area. i in Gujarat protects Asiatic Lions. Eg. Gir Sanctuary in Gujarat pr it Mudhumalai Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu conse Biosphere Reserves fed areas 0! These are a special category of protec ral compo! coastal environment, Here people are an intes the system. A biosphere reserve is an eo yaterest animals of unusual scientific and natur_™ironmental Studies | sphere reserve was launched in nr Man and Biosphere Programme (M! . es. The plan is to promote ms ABE a N ecosystem conservation. This includes or atural resources, These are wider areas Parks and sanctuaries. They combine nature conservation with scieni ‘search, environmental education, monitoring and training. The ecosystem as a whole is conserved in biosphere reserves. The gene pool is maintained and conserved as natural genetic resource using scientific research and techniques. Tourists are generally not allowed inside these sreas. Human interference is not allowed. Biosphere is the living part of our home planet and it comprises a number of ecosystems. It also includes the atmosphere. The ecologists divide the biosphere into smaller units such as ecosystems, habitats and niches. In India, the area enerally over 5670 sq. km. and its boundary is decided by Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Today there are 669 biosphere reserves in 120 countries of seworld. India has about 18 biosphere reserves, Nilgiris is the ast biosphere reserve declared in India in 1986. 4 biosphere reserve has 3 important zones | Core Zone - No human activities are permitted, highly undisturbed and protected area. | Buffer Zone - Limited human activities like research and education activities are permitted. Transition Zone ~ large number of human activities like research and education purposes are permitted. Here active ‘operation between forest management and local people 'spresent, ‘tsitu Conservation these methods, the threatened animals and plants are , “oom their natural habitat and placed in special setting i) can be protected and given special care. Zoos, Sardens, Culture collections, Cryobanks (for gametes.i, * 142 | Environmental Studies tissues and cells), Conservatory, or shrubs are cultivated}, Hom, Germplasm Banks (for seeds, s Objectives for Ex-situ Conservation Guldagar in 1975, suggested four m, 1) Conservation of 8enotype of or} 2) Avoiding the loss of any allele i 3) Protection of ori AHOF Objectives ke Binal Populations in the Populations ‘ations f Pressure of evolution, rom Selection ginal Popul. 4) Preservation of Benotype modified by man, Botanical Gardens, Zoological Gardens and Ns are small Arboreta are places where trees and shrubs are grown for landscaping or scientific study. There are more than 1,500 botanical gardens and arboreta in the world, contain more than 80,000 species of plants. And there are more than 800 Professionally managed zoos in the world with about 3,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. There are number of animals that have become extinct in the wild but maintained in zoological parks. Gene Banks inthe Genetic diversity of threatened species are presen the form of gene banks or germplasm. Genetic a Seeds, poles reproductive cells [germ cells] is called sels ae preserve grains and vegetatively propagated ma\ wals js reduced °° Usually the moisture content of the mae "OP C. and the temperature is reduced to -10 Cryo preservation if materia It is the preservation or storage en. In this temperature of -196° C in liquid niloSVironmental Studies | 143 compact, low maintenant” be stored for a very long, tim ce refrigeration units. Uses of Ry. itu Conservation These methods act as a source of supply of genetic material from which researchers and genetic engineers can get useful genes in future. * The plants and animals conserved in botanical and zoological gardens can be used to restore degraded land, reintroduce species into the wild and restock depleted populations. «They are a source of genetic material even after the species has become extinct. ptinction of Species The biological wealth in the form of biodiversity on our arth is declining rapidly. We are losing the species in our greed ip acquire more and more land and the activities leading to industrialization. Three types of processes that lead to extinction ofspecies are: }) Natural Extinction Itrefers to the gradual disappearance of some species with te changes in natural environment conditions. Better adopted ‘pecies evolve as a result of natural selection. This loss of species xcurred naturally in the geological past at a very slow rate. ) Mass Extinction Itrefers to extinction of a large number of species at certain ‘etods in earth's geological history due to certain catastrophes "sudden changes in environment. Mass extinctions are rare "4 occur in millions of years. ' Anthropogenic Extinction hog ts to disappearance of species from earth due to Sin activities. This type of extinction of species occurs very ives short period of time and causes severe depletion 0 tether The extinction rate of species is 100 - 1000 time: the natural extinction rate.__ 144 | Environmental Studies In general, tropical forests are losing Species SES at an 2) high rate of about 14,000 - 40,000 species neq Year, ig ee species per hour. Earth may lose up to 599, . “e the “~3 end of 21* century if the current rate 0% loss ony be Extra points 1) United Nations Conference on Environm Development held in Riode Janeiro, Brazil inj was a Convention Of Biological Diz, countries. 2) Biogeographical Tegions Himalayas, Desert, Se: Peninsula Gangetic Andaman and Nicobar 3) Hotspot — ent ang Protected. 4) The Biodiversity Act, 2002 enormous bio logical resources from being destroved and stolen. The Act aims to achi conservation of biodive: Sustainable use of resources and equitable sharing of benefits arising from such use. this Act protects India's