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What is biodiversity?. Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or the entire Earth. Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health of biological systems.
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What is biodiversity? • Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or the entire Earth. Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health of biological systems. • Biodiversity found on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct biological species, the product of four billion years of evolution.
Importance of biodiversity • Fibers that make our clothes • Air and water purification • Climate regulation • Generation of moisture and oxygen • Soil fertility • Utility of wetland in removing pollution • Aesthetic value
Vegetation helps recycle moisture into the atmosphere. A single corn plant (450g dry weight) can transfer 240 liters of water from soil to atmosphere in a few months. • A single rainforest tree, in its 100 year lifespan can transfer approximately 10 million liters from soil to air. • Their role in the hydrologic cycle is crucial.
A gram of fertile agricultural soil may contain 2.5 billion bacteria, 400 000 fungi, 50 000 algae and 30 000 protozoa. • All these organisms have particular functions and interact with each other and with their physical environment to create the fertile soil that humans depend on for agricultural production.
Definition of Biodiversity • "variation of life at all levels of biological organization". ii) a measure of the relative diversity among organisms present in different ecosystems. "Diversity" includes diversity within a species and among species, and comparative diversity among ecosystems. iii) "totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region". it describes most circumstances and present a unified view of the traditional three levels at which biodiversity has been identified
Genetic Biodiversity • All forms of life on earth, whether microbes, plants, animals, or human beings, contain genes. Genetic diversity is the sum of genetic information contained in the genes of individual plants, animals, and micro-organisms. • The number of genes ranges from about 1000 in bacteria to more than 400 000 in many flowering plants. • Each species consists of many organisms and virtually no two members of the same species are genetically identical.
Species biodiversity • Species diversity is the variety of species in a given region or area. • Taxonomic diversity is more precise and considers the relationship of species to each other. It can be measured by counting the number of different taxa present. • For example, a pond containing three species of snails and two fish, is more diverse than a pond containing five species of snails, even though they both contain the same number of species.
Biodiversity Hotspots • Areas that are rich in species diversity are called ‘hotspots’ of diversity. India is among the world’s 15 Nations that are exceptionally rich in species diversity. • To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 70% of its original habitat.
Hotspots in India • Around the world, at least 25 areas qualify under this definition • In India three such hotspots are identified • Himalayas • Western Ghats • Andaman and Nicobar islands
Global Biodiversity Hotspots1. The Tropical Andes (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia)2. Madagascar3. Brazil's Atlantic Forest Region4. The Philippines5. Meso-American forests6. Wallacea (eastern Indonesia)7. Western Sunda (in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei)8. South Africa's Cape floristic region9. The Antilles10. Brazil's Cerrado11. The Darién and Chocó of Panama, Colombia, and Western Ecuador12. Polynesia and Micronesian Island complex, including Hawaii13. Southwestern Australia14. The Eastern Mediterranean region15. The Western Ghats of India and the island of Sri Lanka16. The Guinean forests of West Africa17. New Caledonia18. Eastern Himalayas19. Southeastern Australia and Tasmania
Ecological biodiversity • Diversity at a higher level of organization, the ecosystem. • Ecosystem diversity can be described for a specific geographical region, or a political entity such as a country, a State or a taluk. • Distinctive ecosystems include landscapes such as forests, grasslands, deserts, mountains, etc., as well as aquatic ecosystems such as rivers, lakes, and the sea.
India’s Biogeographic Zones 1. The cold mountainous snow covered TransHimalayan region of Ladakh. 2. The Himalayan ranges and valleys of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam and other North Eastern States. 3. The Terai, the lowland where the Himalayan rivers flow into the plains. 4. The Gangetic and Brahmaputra plains. 5. The Thar Desert of Rajasthan. 6 The semi arid grassland region of the Deccan plateau - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 7. The Northeast States of India, 8. The Western Ghats in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala. 9. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 10. The long western and eastern coastal belt with sandy beaches, forests and mangroves.
Threats to biodiversity • Climate change • Habitat Loss • Poaching of Wildlife • Man-wildlife Conflicts HIPPO, standing for Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Human Over Population, and Overharvesting
Endangered and Endemic species of India • The Species whose existence is in danger by human activities are called ENDAGERED SPECIES. • Endangered species which are on verge of extinction are called THREATENED SPECIES. • The species which are unique to a locality/region are called ENDEMIC SPECIES.
Man-wild life conflicts: • Wild life starts causing immense damage and danger to man – forest department and local people
Causes for conflicts: • Shrinking forest cover, • human encroachment, • ill and weak animals, • lack of food
Value of Biodiversity for Human Society • Consumptive use value • Direct use values – products can be harvested and consumed directly. • The biodiversity held in the ecosystem provides forest dwellers with all their daily needs, food, building material, fodder, medicines and a variety of other products. They use the produces with the knowledge of their quality and sensitivity. • Fisher folk are highly dependent on fish and know where and how to catch fish and other edible aquatic animals and plants.
2. Productive Use Value • Commercially usable values where the product is marketed and sold. • Even today, species of plants and animals are being constantly discovered in the wild. The biotechnologist uses bio-rich areas to ‘prospect’ and search for potential genetic properties in plants or animals that can be used to develop better varieties of crops that are used in farming and plantation programs or to develop better livestock. • For the agricultural scientist the biodiversity in the wild relatives of crop plants is the basis for developing better crops. Genetic diversity enables scientists and farmers to develop better crops and domestic animals through careful breeding.
3. Social Values • Values associated with the social life, customs, religion and psycho-spiritual aspects. • Many trees/plants and animals are considered holy and sacred – tulsi, mango, lotus, bael, neem, jack fruit tree, cow, snake, bull, etc. • Traditional societies which had a small population and required less resources had preserved their biodiversity as a life supporting resource, modern man has rapidly depleted it even to the extent of leading to the irrecoverable loss due to extinction of several species. • Thus apart from the local use or sale of products of biodiversity there is the social aspect in which more and more resources are used by affluent societies. • The biodiversity has to a great extent been preserved by traditional societies that valued it as a resource and appreciated that its depletion would be a great loss to their society. • The consumptive and productive value of biodiversity is closely linked to social concerns in traditional communities. ‘Ecosystem people’ value biodiversity as a part of their livelihood as well as through cultural and religious sentiments.
4. Ethical and Moral Values: • It is also known as existence value– ethical issues like “all life must be preserved” based on the concept of “live and let live” • Ethical values related to biodiversity conservation are associated with the world view which respects the sanctity of all forms of life and protecting them is sacred commitment. • All forms of life have the right to exist on earth. • Man is only a small part of the Earth’s great family of species.
5. Aesthetic value • Biodiversity is a beautiful and wonderful aspect of nature. Sit in a forest and listen to the birds. Watch a spider weave its complex web. Observe a fish feeding. It is magnificent and fascinating. • Writers, poets, composers, artists - inspiration • Quite apart from killing wildlife for food, it is important as a tourist attraction. • Symbols from wild species such as the lion of Hinduism, the elephant of Buddhism and deities such as Lord Ganesh, and the vehicles of several deities that are animals, have been venerated for thousands of years. Valmiki begins his epic story with a couplet on the unfortunate killing of a crane by a hunter. The ‘Tulsi’ has been placed at our doorsteps for centuries.
6. Optional Value • Keeping future possibilities open for their use is called option value. • It is impossible to predict which of our species or traditional varieties of crops and domestic animals will be of great use in the future. • To continue to improve cultivars and domestic livestock, we need to return to wild relatives of crop plants and animals. • Thus the preservation of biodiversity must also include traditionally used strains already in existence in crops and domestic animals.
Conservation of Biodiversity: In-Situ In-situ conservation • The conservation of biodiversity at all its levels- genetic, species and as intact ecosystems- at the location of their original habitat is called In-situ conservation. • ‘ Protected Areas’. Network of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries • In the past National Parks and Sanctuaries in India were notified to preserve major wildlife species such as tigers, lions, elephants, and deer. The objective of these areas should be expanded to the preservation of relatively intact natural ecosystems, where biological diversity – from microscopic unicellular plants and animals, to the giant trees and major mammals – can all be preserved.
Ex-situ • Ex-situ Conservation is the conservation of biodiversity outside its natural habitat in a carefully controlled situation such as a botanical garden for plants or a zoological park for animals • This method of conservation is adopted when a species is close to extinction. The method of preserving a plant by preserving its germ plasm in a gene bank so that it can be used if needed in future • When an animal is on the brink of extinction, it must be carefully bred in zoos- no inbreeding
In India, successful ex situ conservation programs have been done for crocodiles. • Another recent success has been the breeding of the very rare pygmy hog in Gauhati zoo. • Delhi zoo has successfully bred the rare Manipur brow antlered deer. • Objective of breeding program is the reintroduction of a species into its original wild habitat.
Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks of India • There are 589 Protected Areas in India of which 89 are National Parks and 500 are Wildlife Sanctuaries. They include a variety of ecosystems and habitats. Some have been created in order to protect highly endangered species of wild plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. • The Great Himalayan National Park is the largest sanctuary in this ecosystem and is one of the last homes of the beautiful snow leopard. • Dachigam Sanctuary is the only place where the rare Hangul or Kashmir stag is found. There are several Sanctuaries in the Terai region. • Kaziranga National Park is the most famous which has elephant, wild buffalo, gaur, wild boar, swamp deer, and hog deer, in large numbers, as well as tiger and leopard. Its bird life is extremely rich and includes ducks, geese, pelicans and storks.
The Manas Sanctuary, in addition to the above Terai species, also includes the rare golden langur and the very rare pygmy hog, the smallest wild boar in the world. The florican is found only in a few undisturbed grasslands in the Terai sanctuaries. In the sal forests of Madhya Pradesh, there are several Protected Areas. • Kanha offers a wonderful opportunity to observe wild tigers from elephant back. It is the only Protected Area in which a sub species of the Barasingha is found. • Bharatpur is one of the most famous water bird sanctuaries in the world. Thousands of ducks, geese, herons, and other wading birds can be seen here. This is the only home of the very rare Siberian crane which migrates to India every winter. During the last 20 years, the 30 or 40 Siberian cranes have dwindled to only 2 or 3. During 2002-3 no cranes were seen and it is possible that this beautiful bird will never again come to India.
Ranthambor was the most well known sanctuary for observing tigers in the wild till about 3 or 4 years ago. Since then many tigers have been killed by poachers. • The Great and the Little Rann of Kutch have been made into sanctuaries to protect the very rare wild ass, the flamingo, the star tortoise and the desert fox. • In Gujarat, the Gir Sanctuary protects the last population of the majestic Asiatic lion. This thorn and deciduous forest is also the home of large herds of chital, sambhar, and nilgai. • The Sanctuaries of the Western Ghats and associated hill ranges protect some of the most diverse forest types in the country. The few examples of highly threatened species include the Malabar giant squirrel, the flying squirrel and a variety of hill birds, several species of amphibians, reptiles and insects.
Man-wild life conflicts: • Conflicting situations – wild life starts causing immense damage and danger to man – forest department and local people ex: Sambalpur, Orissa – 195 humans are killed in last 5 years by elephants – in retaliation villagers killed 98 elephants and badly injured more than 30 elephants. Similarly incidents of tigers, leopards etc. • Shrinking forest cover, human encroachment, ill and weak animals, lack of food (one adult elephant needs 200 kg green fodder and 150 kg of clean water), villagers put electric fence, compensation by Govt. is not enough, conflicts between forest dept. and villagers – Kailadevi wild life sanctuary, Rajasthan – local community – protection – banning mining, using resources judiciously etc.
