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BIODIVERSITY AND ITS CONSERVATION
Index:Biodiversity:
Biodiversity meaning.
Need of biodiversity.
Classification of biodiversity.
Biodiversity at international level.
Biodiversity at national level.
Causes of biodiversity:
Threats to biodiversity.
Effects of biodiversity.
Conservation of biodiversity:Methods to prevent biodiversity.
Conservation approaches.
Conclusion.
BIODIVERSITY.
Biodiversity
Bio =
Diversity = Variety
Definition:
‗Biological diversity‘ or biodiversity is that part of nature which
includes the differences in genes among the individuals of a
species, the variety and richness of all the plant and animal
species at different scales in space, locally, in a region, in the
country and the world, and various types of ecosystems, both
terrestrial and aquatic, within a defined area.
The word BIODIVERSITY originates from the Greek word BIOS = LIFE
and Latin word DIVERSITAS = VARIETY or DIFFERENCE.
The whole word BIO DIVERSITY generally therefore means:
VARIETY OF LIFE.
Why is biodiversity important?
Everything that lives in an ecosystem is part of the web of
life, including humans. Each species of vegetation and each
creature has a place on the earth and plays a vital role in the
circle of life. Plant, animal, and insect species interact and
depend upon one another for what each offers, such as food,
shelter, oxygen, and soil enrichment.
Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is
necessary to preserve the web of life that sustains all living
things. In his 1992 best-seller, "The Diversity of Life," famed
Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson -- known as
the "father of biodiversity," -- said, "It is reckless to suppose
that biodiversity can be diminished indefinitely without
threatening humanity itself."
Speciesdiversity is the
effective
number of
different
species that are
represented in
a collection of
individuals
Genetic diversity, the level of biodiversity refers to
the total number of genetic characteristics in the
genetic makeup of a species.
Ecosystem diversity refers to
the diversity of a
place at the level
of ecosystems.
The term differs
from biodiversity,
which refers to
variation in species
rather than
ecosystems.
• Includes the differences in DNA composition among individuals within a given species.
• Adaptation to particular environmental conditions may weed out genetic variants that are not successful.
• But populations benefit from some genetic diversity, so as to avoid inbreeding or disease epidemics.
Genetic diversity
Includes diversity above the species level.Biologists have viewed diversity above the species level in various ways. Some alternative ways to categorize it include:
Ecosystem diversity
species = a particular type of organism; a population or group of populations whose members share certain characteristics and can freely breed with one another and produce fertile offspring
› Species diversity = the number or variety of species in a particular region
› Species richness = number of species
› Evenness, or relative abundance= extent to which numbers of different species are equal or skewed
SPECIESDIVERSITY
Community diversity
Habitat diversity
Landscape diversity
•India is known for its rich heritage of biodiversity.
• India is one of the 17 mega-diverse countries in the world.
• With only 2.4 % of the world‘s area, India accounts for 7–8 % of the world‘s
recorded plant and animal species.
• India‘s ten biogeographic zones possess an exemplary diversity of ecological
habitats like alpine forests, grasslands, wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems,
and desert ecosystems.
• Amongst the existing biota, 91,307 species of animals of which 2,557 Protista,
12,470 general invertebrates, 69,903 arthropods, 4,994 vertebrates, and 45,500
species of plants as well as 5,650 microbial species have been documented in its
10 bio-geographic regions.
• India has four out of thirty-four global biodiversity hotspots, which is an indicator
of high degree of endemism (of species) in India.
• About 5,150 plant species and 1,837 animal species are endemic to India.
•India‘s biodiversity includes wild relatives of agricultural crops and domesticated
animals.
India has 16 major types and 251 subtypes of forests.
Indigenous medicine systems utilize nearly 6,500 native plants for both human and
animal healthcare.
India‘s diverse preponderance of native tribal and ethnic groups has contributed
significantly in the conservation and diversification of biodiversity. Its cultural and ethnic
diversity includes over 550 tribal communities of 227 ethnic groups spread over 5,000
forested villages. India proudly upholds the tradition of nature conservation.
In 252 B.C., the Emperor Asoka established protected areas (PAs) for mammals, birds,
fish and forests through a proclamation. Jim Corbett National Park covering an area of
325 sq km came into being as the India‘s first and world‘s third National Park in 1936.
India has currently 4.79 % of total geographic area under an elaborate network of PAs,
which includes 99 National Parks, 513 wildlife sanctuaries, 43 conservation reserves, 4
community reserves and 3 biodiversity heritage sites.
India has a National Wildlife Action Plan, which envisages 10 % of the geographical
area of the country under PA coverage.
Causes of
BIODIVERSITY
BENEFITS OF BIODIVERSITY
Consumptive value:
Food/Drink
Fuel
Medicine
Batter crop varieties
Industrial Material
Non-Consumptive Value:
Recreation
Education and Research
Traditional value
Ecological services:
Balance of nature
Biological productivity
Regulation of climate
Degradation of waste
Cleaning of air and water
Cycling of nutrients
Control of potential pest and disease causing species
Detoxification of soil and sediments
Stabilization of land against erosion
Carbon sequestration and global climate change
Maintenance of Soil fertility
Flora and fauna diversity depends on-
Climate
Altitude
Soils
Presence of other species
Most of the biodiversity concentrated in Tropical region.
BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS:
A region with high biodiversity with most of spices being
Endemic.
India have two Biodiversity Hotspots- East Himalayan Region
and Western Ghat
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
Natural causes:
Narrow geographical area
Low population
Low breeding rate
Natural disasters
Anthropogenic causes:
Habitat modification
Overexploitation of selected species
Innovation by exotic species.
Pollution
Hunting
Global warming and climate change
Agriculture
Domino effect
Each species is classified within a hierarchy reflecting evolutionary relationships.
Two related species might be in the same genus; two related genera in the same family, etc.
Species and taxonomy
Threatened endangered species In India
Within species, diversity exists in subspecies, or geographic variations.
The tiger, Panthera tigris, had 8 subspecies.5 persist today, including Panthera tigrisaltaica, the Siberian tiger.
Diversity of subspecies
Endangered golden lion
tamarin, endemic to Brazil’s
Atlantic rainforest, which has
been almost totally destroyed.
CONSERVATION OF
BIODIVERSITY
• Various treaties have helped conserve biota.
• A major one is CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, prepared in 1973.
• It bans international trade and transport of body parts of endangered organisms.
Conservation approaches: International treaties
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), from the Rio Conference in 1992, aims to:• Conserve biodiversity
• Use it sustainably
• Ensure fair distribution of its benefits
The CBD has been signed by 188 nations, but not by the United States.
Conservation approaches: International treaties
Biodiversity is the variety of life forms on earth and the essential
interdependence of all living things.
As defined in convention on Biological diversity singed at Rio De Jenerio
(Brazil) in 1992 by 154 countries, the Biodiversity defined as “the variability among
living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic eco-systems and the ecological complexes of which the area part- this
include diversity with in species, between species and of ecosystem.”
According to IUCN in 1998, “the variety and variability of species of their
population, the variety of species of their life forms, the diversity of the complex
association with species with their interaction and their ecological process which
influences perform.”
BIODIVERSITY CONVENSIONS
The first convention on biodiversity organized at Rio De
Janerio, capital of Brazil from June 5 to 16, 1992 named as United
Nation Conference On Environment and Development
(UNCED), batter known as Rio Summit to maintain ecological
balance and enrich biodiversity. The agreement on biodiversity
signed by 150 countries including three programmes-
To ensure conservation of biodiversity
Sustainable use of biodiversity
Rational and equitable share of profit to accrue from use of
genetic resources.
The second convention organized at Johannesburg in 2002
called World Summit On Sustainable Development (WSSD)
where the Biodiversity and Sustainable Ecosystem Management
was the issue.
The International Conference held on Biodiversity in
Relation to Food & Human Security in a warming planet 15-17
February, 2010 in Chennai.
International Conference on Wildlife & Biodiversity
Conservation held on 3 to 5 June, 2010 at Dal lake, Srinagar,
Kashmir.
Indian Biodiversity Congress (IBC) & Indian Biodiversity
Expo(IBE) will be held on 27-31 December at
Thriuvananthapuram, Kerala
CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY: INSITU AND EX-SITU
In-situ conservation:Conservation of a species is best done by protecting
its habitat along with all the other species
that live in it in nature.
Ex-sittu conservation:However, there are situations in which an endangered species is so close to extinction that
unless alternate
methods are instituted, the species may be rapidly
driven to extinction.
Biodiversity inventories
Conserving Biodiversity in protected Habitats-
In situ conservation
Ex situ conservation
Seed Bank, Gene Bank, Pollen Bank, DNA
Bank
Restoration of Biodiversity
Imparting Environmental Education
Enacting, strengthening and enforcing Environmental
Legislation
Population Control
Reviewing the agriculture practice
Controlling Urbanization
Conservation through Biotechnology
Biodiversity Conservation
In situ
Sacred groves
and lakes
Biosphere Reserves
Terrestrial
Marine
National parks, wildlifesanctuaries
Ex situ
Sacred plant home garden
Seed Bank, Gene bank,
Cryopreservation
Botanical garden,
Zoological garden, Aquaria
• Extinction = last member of a species dies and the species vanishes forever from Earth
• Extirpation = disappearance of a particular population, but not the entire species globally
• These are natural processes.On average one species goes extinct naturally every
500–1,000 years—this is the background rate of extinction.
• 99% of all species that ever lived are now extinct.
Biodiversity loss and species extinction
Biophilia = human love for and attachment to other living things; ―the connections that human beings subconsciously seek out with the rest of life‖:
• Affinity for parks and wildlife• Keeping of pets• Valuing real estate with landscape views• Interest in escaping cities to go hiking, birding, fishing, hunting,
backpacking, etc.
Benefits of biodiversity: Biophilia
Do we have an ethical responsibility to prevent species extinction?
On one hand, as humans we need to use resources and consume other organisms to survive.
On the other hand, we have conscious reasoning ability and are able to make conscious decisions.
Ethics?
• Scientific discipline devoted to understanding the factors, forces, and processes that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity within and among ecosystems.
• Applied and goal-oriented: conservation biologists intend to prevent extinction.
• This discipline arose in recent decades as biologists grew alarmed at the degradation of natural systems they had spent their lives studying.
Conservation biology
• Explains how species diversity patterns arise on islands, as a result of:
• Immigration
• Extinction
• Island size
• Distance from the mainland
• The theory originally developed as basic science for oceanic islands.
• Then it was found to apply to islands of habitat (fragments) within terrestrial systems, for conservation biology.
Equilibrium theory of island biogeography
• This has worked so far for the California condor (in photo, condor hand puppet feeds chick so it imprints on birds, not humans).
• But this is worthless if there is not adequate habitat left in the wild.
• Many endangered species are being bred in zoos, to boost populations and reintroduce them into the wild.
Conservation approaches: Captive breeding
• When habitat is preserved to meet the needs of an ―umbrella species,‖ it helps preserve habitat for many other species. (Thus, primary species serve as an ―umbrella‖ for others.)
• Large species with large home ranges (like tigers and other top predators) are good umbrella species.
• So are flagship species, or charismatic species that win public affection, like the panda.
Conservation approaches: Umbrella species
Biodiversity hotspot = an area that supports an especially high number of species endemic to the area, found nowhere else in the world
Conservation approaches: Biodiversity hotspots
Global map of biodiversity hotspots, as determined by Conservation International.
Conservation approaches: Biodiversity hotspots
• Many environmentalists from developed nations who want to establish reserves in developing nations have been viewed with resentment by local people.
• But today many efforts work with local communities to get them invested in the conservation of their own natural resources.
• This community-based conservation makes efforts more complex, but will probably be more successful in the long run.
Conservation approaches: Community-based conservation
Conservation approaches: Economic incentives
Debt-for-nature swaps = a non-governmental organization (NGO) raises money and offers to pay off debt for a developing country, in exchange for parks, reserves, habitat protectionConservation concession = an NGO offers money to a developing nation‘s government for a concession to some of its land—for conservation, rather than for resource extraction
CONCLUSION
Biodiversity is our life. If the Biodiversity got lost at this rate then in
near future, the survival of human being will be threatened. So, it is
our moral duty to conserve Biodiversity as well our Environment.
Long-term maintenance of species and their management requires
co-operative efforts across entire landscapes. Biodiversity should be
dealt with at scale of habitats or ecosystems rather than at species
level.
The end
REPORTED
BY
•Anil
•akhil