Biodiversity

What is Biodiversity
 The term biodiversity is made up of two words - bio and
diversity.
 Variability among living organisms from all sources
(including terrestrial, marine and other ecosystems)
 Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) in Rio Earth
Summit
 India ranks 10th among the plant rich countries of the
world, 11th in terms of number of endemic species of
higher vertebrates and 6th among the centers of diversity
and origin of agricultural crops.
 Levels of Biodiversity
 Genetic diversity
 Variations among the genes of the
same species are known as genetic
diversity.
 It is this type of diversity that
gives rise to the different varieties
of rice, mangoes, dogs etc.
Levels of Biodiversity
 Species Diversity
 Diversity which arises due to
variations among species present in
specific areas is called as ‘species
diversity’.
 Horses and donkeys are distinct
species, as are lions and tigers.
Levels of Biodiversity
 Ecosystem Diversity
 Ecosystem diversity is the
diversity of habitats which include
the different life forms within.
 The term also refers to the variety
of ecosystems found within a
biogeographical political boundary.
 Values of biodiversity
 Productive Value
 Different products are obtained from different organisms, like silk from
silk-worm, wool from sheep, fir of many animals,
 lac from lac insects etc.
 Ecological Services
 It refers to the services provided by ecosystems like prevention of soil
erosion, prevention of floods, maintenance of soil fertility, cycling of
nutrients, fixation of nitrogen, cycling of water, their role as carbon sinks,
pollutant absorption and reduction of the threat of global warming etc.
 Biodiversity have enormous potential and a decline in biodiversity will lead
to huge economic, ecological and socio-cultural losses.
 Values of biodiversity
 Survival
 Food: A large number of wild plants are consumed by human beings as food.
 Fuel: The fossil fuels coal, petroleum and natural gas are also products of fossilized
biodiversity.
 Health and Healing
 About 75% of the world population depends upon different plants or plant extracts for
medicines.
 Ethical and Aesthetic Value
 Many of the plants are considered holy and sacred in our country like Tulsi, Peepal etc.
 The ethical value means that we may or may not use a species but knowing the very fact
that this species exists in nature gives us pleasure.
 People from far and wide spend a lot of time and money to visit wilderness areas where
they can enjoy the aesthetic value of biodiversity and this type of tourism is now known
as eco-tourism.
Hot spots of Biodiversity
 A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a
significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from
humans
 These have been identified based on three criteria:
 The number of species present.
 Endemism (The number of those species found exclusively in an
ecosystem).
 The degree of threat they face.
Hot spots of Biodiversity
 Hot Spots of India
 The Western Ghats
 The Eastern Himalayas
 Indo-Burma
 Sundaland (Nicobar island)
What is meant by extinction of species?

• An irreversible loss of species is called biological extinction.

• By extinction we mean complete disappearance of a species.
• Local and ecological extinction
• Before a species goes biologically extinct, it goes through stages of local and
ecological extinction
• Local extinction means that the species is no longer found in the area it once
inhabited.
Endangered species
 Plant or animal species which are at
the verge of their extinction are
called endangered species.
 Red panda, Gir lion, Gharial, Great
Indian bustard etc. are some
endangered animal species of India.
Vulnerable species
 A vulnerable species is one which has
been categorized by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature as
likely to become endangered unless the
circumstances that are threatening its
survival and reproduction improve.
 vulnerable species in India: Sarus crane,
Nilgiri Langur, Barasingha etc.
Rare species
 A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon, scarce, or
infrequently encountered.
 The International Union for Conservation of Nature uses the term "rare"
as a designation for species found in isolated geographical locations.
They are not endangered, but classified as "at risk".
Red Data Book
 Red data book is the document established by International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for documenting the rare and endangered
species of plants, animals, fungi and also a few local species that exist
within a state or country.
Endangered black buck
 The black buck is also known as kala hiran in India.
 Earlier, it was found all over India except in the north-
eastern regions of the country.
 Due to large scale-poaching and destruction of habitat,
its existence now restricted in some parts of Punjab,
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Haryana.
 The black buck does not require dense forests, even it is
usually found in open plains in herds. So, open plains
need to be conserved in order to enable the black buck
to move freely.
Endemic Species
 The plant or animal species confined to a particular region and having
originated there or a species which occur continuously in that area are known
as endemic species. Restriction of species or taxa in small region is known as
endemism.
 True Cardamoum (Eletaria repens), Peepal (Ficus religiosa), Palash tree
(Butea monosperma), Bargat (Ficus bengalensis), etc. are some of the endemic
plants of India.
 One-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis), Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius),
Snow leopard (Panthera uncia), Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris),
Gir lion (Panthera leo persica) etc. are some of the endemic animals of India.
EDGE species
 Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally
Endangered (EDGE) species represent a
disproportionate amount of unique evolutionary
history. They have few close relatives, are often
the only surviving member of their genus, and
sometimes the last surviving genus of their
evolutionary family.
 Some EDGE species, such as elephants and
pandas, are well known.
Threats to biodiversity
Conservation of Biodiversity
 Wildlife conservation is the practice of
protecting animal species and their
habitats.
 There are two approaches of biodiversity
conservation:
 In situ Conservation: Protection of species in
their natural habitat.
 Ex situ Conservation: Protection in a place
away from their natural habitat.
In-situ Conservation
 National Parks
 A national park conserves the environment and
natural objects and wildlife therein. National
parks are areas dedicated to conserve wild
animals and natural scenery of the environment.
All private rights are non existent and all forestry
operations and other activities such as grazing of
domestic animals is prohibited. No human
inhabitation is allowed in the park apart from on
duty public servants and people allowed by chief
wildlife warden. It comprises the core zone.
In-situ Conservation
 Wildlife sanctuaries
 A wildlife sanctuary is an area specially designated
where it is illegal to interfere in anyway with the
natural life there. Hunting, shooting and fishing
would be prohibited.
 Wildlife sanctuary is a place where killing or
capturing of any animal is prohibited except under
orders of the authorities concerned. they provide
protection and optimum living conditions to wild
animals.
 A wildlife sanctuary is dedicated the wildlife but it
considers the conservation of species only in addition
, its boundary is not limited by state legislation.
In-situ Conservation
 Biosphere reserves
 Biosphere reserves are areas of
terrestrial and coastal ecosystems
promoting solutions to reconcile the
conservation of biodiversity with its
sustainable use. They are
internationally recognized,
nominated by national governments
and remain under sovereign
jurisdiction of the states where they
are located.
In-situ Conservation
 Advantages
 Ecological integrity is maintained and managed
 Better opportunity for conservation as well as evolution
 Cheaper way of conservation.
 Disadvantages
 Less protection against pollution
 Poachers and Eco tourists may cause damage
In-situ Conservation
 Zones of a biosphere reserve
 Core zone
 In core or natural zone human activity is not allowed. This
area is legally protected and undisturbed ecosystem.
 Buffer zone
 The immediate surrounding area of core zone is buffer
zone. Here limited human activities live like research,
education and research strategy is permitted.
 Transition zone
 transition zone is the outermost or peripheral area of
biosphere reserve. With the cooperation of reserve
management and local people several human activities like
settlements, cropping, recreation, and forestry are carried
out without disturbing the environment.
 Restoration zone
 Through the restoration activities selected degraded area
called restoration region is restored to natural form. This is
a part of Buffer zone.
In-situ Conservation
Objectives Features Zone

National Parks Conservation of species of a No person resides in the park Core

habitat with minimal or very other than public servants on duty
low intensity of human and persons permitted by the chief
activities wildlife warden
Wildlife Conservation of species and No person resides in the park Core, Buffer and
Sanctuary habitats by manipulative other than public servants on duty Restoration
management and persons permitted by the chief
wildlife warden

Biosphere Conservation of natural Both natural and human- Core, Buffer,

Reserves resources and the influenced ecosystems; substantial Restoration and
improvement of the human settlement Transition
relationship between humans
and the environment
Ex-situ Conservation
Aquaria:
 The aquaria are mainly used for the
threatened and endangered fresh water
species.
Zoo:
 In the past, zoos were mainly display
facilities for the purpose of public
enjoyment and education. As large
numbers of the species traditionally on
display have become rarer in the wild,
many zoos have taken on the additional
role of building up numbers through
captive breeding programmes.
Ex-situ Conservation
Botanical Gardens:
 Botanical gardens are used for the
conservation of rare and endangered
plant species for study and research of
specific plant characters and for
disseminating scientific information and
experiences to promote sustainable
development.
Gene Bank:
Seed Bank
 Pollen Bank
 Sperm Bank
 Ova Bank
Ex-situ Conservation
 Tissue Culture Technique:
 Tissue culture refers to a special technique used for
asexual propagation in plants a very small piece of
shoot apex ,leaf section or even an individual cell is
cut and placed in a sterile culture in a test tube,
petri dish.
 DNA technology:
 DNA of plant or animal cell or a part of it to be
conserved. DNA technology can provide an
innovative and effective approach for biodiversity
conservation
Ex-situ Conservation
 Advantages
 Organisms are completely protected from predation and poaching
 The species survive longer and may breed more offspring than usual
 The quality of offspring may be improved by genetic techniques
 Breeding of hybrid species is possible.
 Disadvantages
 Animals may not behave as normal making reproduction difficult
 Animals may not survive reintroduction into the wild
 Overprotection may result in loss of natural occurrence.
Man-wildlife conflict
 Sometimes we come across conflicting situations when wildlife starts causing
immense damage and danger to man and under such conditions it becomes very
difficult for the forest department to pacify the affected villagers and gain local
support for wild-life conservation.
 Elephant is one of the holy animal in India, especially in Kerala but due to
elephant attack some 500 people are killed by each year.
 The Corbett National Park of Uttarakhand is famous for notable man-eaters
leopard, responsible for at least 400 attacks on humans.
 The largest Swamp and mangroves forest of India is also home to over 500
Bengal tigers, who killed from 50-250 people per year in India and Bangladesh.
Causes of Man-animal conflicts
 shrinkage of habitat
 Man-eating tendency
 Food scarcity
 Electric wiring
 Lack of corridors
 Inadequate compensation to the farmers.
 Major biogeographic habitats of India
Biogeographic zone Biotic province
1 Trans-Himalayan Upper region
2 Himalayan North-west Himalayas, West Himalayas, Central Himalayas, East Himalayas

3 Desert Kutch, Thar, Ladakh

4 Semi-Arid Central India, Gujrat-Rajwara
5 Western Ghats Malabar coast, Western Ghat mountains
6 Deccan Peninsula Deccan plateau, Chhota Nagpur, Central highlands
7 Gangetic plain Upper Gangetic plain, Lower Gangetic plain
8 North-east India Brahmaputra Valley, North-eastern hills
9 Islands Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands
10 Coasts West coasts, East coasts
Phyto-geographical regions of India
 On the type of flora, India has been divided into following
phytogeographical regions:
 The Western Himalayas
 The Eastern Himalayas
 Western Deserts
 Gangetic Plains
 Central India
 Western Coast
 Deccan Plateau
 North-East India
 Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Zoo-geographical regions of India
 On the type of fauna, India has been divided into following
zoogeographical regions:
 Himalayan Region
 Malabar Region
 Nilgiri Region
 Northern Plains
 Desert Lands
 Deccan Plateau Region
India: A Mega-diversity nation
 Conservation International identified 18
mega-diverse countries in 1998. India is
one of them.
 Few of the fields of diversity of India are:
 Geographical diversity
 Climatic diversity
 Biodiversity
 Habitat diversity
 Cultural diversity
Thank You