Conservation of Biodiversity

Conservation of Biodiversity

• We know that ecosystem are undergoing change due to habital loss & fragmentation, invasive species, overexploitation, co extinctions, pollutions etc. Most people are beginning to recognise that diversity at all levels— gene pool, species and biotic community—is important and needs to be conserved.
• There are two basic strategies of biodiversity conservation in site (on site) and ex situ (off site), in situ & ex situ are Latin phrases that literally mean in/ on site & out/off site respectively.

1. In situ (on site) conservation

• The in situ (on site,) Conservation emphasises protection of total ecosystem.
• When we conserve and protect the whole ecosystem, its biodiversity at all levels is protect— We save the entire forest to save the tiger. This approach is called in situ (on site) conservation.
• Faced with the conflict between development and conservation, many nations find it unrealistic and economically not feasible to conserve all their biological wealth. Invariably, the number of species waiting to be saved from extinction far exceeds the conservation resources available. On a global basis, this problem has been addressed by eminent conservationists. They identified certain 'biodiversity hotspots' regions for maximum protection.

Hot spots

British environmentalist Norman Myers (1934-2019) developed the hot spots concept in 1988 to designate priority areas for in situ (on site) conservation. The hot spots are the richest and the most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth.

Key criteria for determining a hot spot are—

(i) Number of Endemic/Unique species: Endemic species means unique species that is the species which are found nowhere else. It must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics.

(ii) Degree of Threat: It is measured in terms of habitat loss. If species have lost at least 70% of its original habitat then it will be considered as species have to threat.

• About 20% of the human population lives in the hot spots regions.
• Initially 25 biodiversity hot spots were identified, but subsequently 11 more have been added to the list, bringing the total number of biodiversity hotspots in the world to 36.
• Although all the biodiversity hot spots put together cover less than 2% of the earth's land area, the number of species they collectively harbour is extremely high and strict protection of these hot spots could reduce the ongoing mass extinctions by almost 30%.

Hot spots in India & its Neighbour Countries

• Out of the 36 hot spots of the world, 4 are located in India and its neighbour countries. These 4 hot sports cover exceptionally high biodiversity regions. These hot spots are—Indo-Burma, Sundaland (Nicobar is a part of Sundaland), Himalayas and Western Ghats—Sri Lanka.

(i) Indo-Burma:

Burma is now a days known as Mynamar. Indo-Burma hot spot is spread out from Eastern Bangladesh to Vietnam. It includes Indian states that lies south of Brahmaputra river : Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya & Tripura. Indian regions covers only 5% of land surface of this hot spot.

Concerned Countries: Bangladesh (Eastern Part), India (North Eastern Part), Burma/Mynamar, China Thailand, the southern Cambodia and Vietnam Area : 23, 73, 057 km2.

(ii) Sundaland:

UNO declared Sundaland as hot spot in 2013. This hot spot lies in South-East Asia and spread out from Nicobar Island to Indonesia. It includes Nicobar Island of India. Indian region cover 1.28% of land surface of this hot spot.

Concerned Countries: India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. Area 15,01,063 km2. Speciality: Sundaland has the distinction of being home to the world's largest flower the rafflesia, which measure one metre across.

(iii) Himalayas:

The himalaya is bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram &Hindukush, on the north by the Tibetan plateau, and on the south by the Gangetic plain. It is spread out 2400 km from Pakistan to China.

This hot spot covers Indian regions: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Darjeeling (northern part of West Bengal, Sikkim, Northern part of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Indian region covers 44.4% of land surface of this hot spot. Concerned Countries: Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan & China

Area: 7,41,706 km²

(iv) Western Ghats — Sri Lanka:

This hot spot lies in India and Sri Lanka and spread out from Western Ghats (also known as SahyadriHills) to highlands of south-western Sri Lanka. This hot spot covers Indian regions: Southern Gujarat, Western Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala & western Tamil Nadu. Indian region cover 64.9% of land surface of this hot spot. Concerned Countries: India & Sri Lanka. Area 1,89,611 km².

Protected Areas

• In India, ecologically and biodiversity-rich regions are legally protected as Biosphere Reserves, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Till date India has 18 Biosphere Reserves, 106 National Parks and 553 Wildlife Sanctuaries. India has 903 protected areas, covering 5.02% of the land surface, as against 10% internationally suggested norm.

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first Biosphere Reserve established in India in 1986. (The earliest biosphere reserve of the world—Dry Tortugas Biosphere Reserve of Florid^ USA established in 1979).

The Hailey National Park (renamed in 1952 Ramganga National Park renamed in 1956 Jim Corbet National Park) was the first National Park established in India in 1936. (The earliest national park of the world— the Yellowstone National Park of USA established in 1872.)

Biosphere Reserves

• Biosphere Reserves are a special category of protected areas of land and/or coastal environment, where in people are an integral component of the system.
• The concept of Biosphere Reserves was launched in 1975 as a part of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme —MBP), dealing with the conservation of ecosystem and the genetic resources contained there in.
• Till date there are 738 Biosphere Reserves in 134 countries in which 18 Biosphere Reserves are in India.
• A Biosphere Reserve may incorporate within its limit existing or proposed National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and other protected areas.

Functions of Biosphere Reserves:

The main function of Biosphere Reserves are—

(a) Conservation: To ensure the conservation of landscapes, ecosystem, species and genetic resources. It also encourage traditional resource use.

(b) Development: To promote economic development which is culturally, socially and ecologically sustainable.

(c) Scientific research, monitoring and education: The aim is provide support for research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development.

(d) Constituents of Biosphere Reserve: A Biosphere Reserve consists of core, buffer and transition zone.

Core or Natural Zone: The Core or Natural Zone represents an undistributed or least disturbed area of representative ecosystem.

Buffer Zone: The Buffer Zone surrounds the Core Zone, and is meant for demonstration, research and educational activities.

Transition Zone: The Transition Zone, the outermost part of the biosphere reserve, is an area of active cooperation between reserve management and the local people, where in activities like settlement, cropping forestry and recreations and other economic uses continue in harmony with conservation goals.

Biosphere Reserves in India

Till date there are 18 Biosphere Reserves in India as given below in the table (in descending order of area)—

Sacred Forests and Sacred Lakes

• A traditional strategy for the protection of biodiversity has been in practice in India and some other Asian countries in the form of sacred forests. These are forest patches of varying dimensions protected by tribal communities due to religious sanctity accorded to them.
• The sacred forests represents island of pristine forest (most undisturbed forests without any human impact) and have been free from all disturbances; though these are frequently surrounded by highly degraded landscapes.
• In India, sacred forests are located in several parts, e.g, Khasi and Jaintia hills in Meghalaya, Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan, Western Ghat regions of Maharashtra & Karnataka, Sarguja, Chanda&Bastar areas of Chhattisgarh, Kerala etc. These sacred forests are serving as refusia for a number of rare, endangered and endemic taxa.
• Similary, several water bodies (e.g. Khecheopalri Lake in Sikkim) have been declared sacred by the people, leading to protection of aquatic flora and fauna.

2. Ex Situ (off site) Conservation

• In this conservation, threatened plants and animals are taken out from their natural habitat and placed in special setting where they can be protected by given special care.
• This conservation includes Botanical Gardens, Zoo, Conservation Stands and gene, pollen, seed, seeding tissue culture and DNA banks.
• Seed gene banks are the easiest way to store germplasm of wild and cultivated plants at low temperature in cold rooms. Preservation of genetic resources in carried out in field gene banks under normal growing conditions.
• In vitro conservation, especially by crypopreservation in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C, is particularly useful for conserving vegetatively propagated crops like potato. Crypopreservation is the storage of material at ultra-low temperature either by very rapid cooling (used tor storing seeds), or by gradual cooling and simultaneous dehydration at low temperature (used for tissue culture). The material can be stored for a long period of time in compact, low maintenance refrigeration units.
• Conservation of biological diversity in Botanical Gardens, Arboreta (botanicalgarden where specific tree and shrub species are cultivated), Zoos and Aquaria (plural of aquarium, a container, such as a glass container or an artificial pond in which living aquatic plants and animals are kept) is already in practice.
• Plants and animals conserved in Botanical Garden, Arboreta, Zoo and Aquaria can be used to restore degraded land, reintroduce species into wild, and restock depleted populations.

Biodiversity Conservation (Global Efforts)

• Biodiversity knows no political boundaries and its conservation is therefore a collective responsible of all nations.
• The historic Convention on Biological Diversity (The Earth Summit) held in 1992 (came into force in 1993) at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), called upon all nations to take appropriate measures for conservation of biodiversity and sustainable utilisation of its benefits.
• In 2000, the United Nations has proclaimed May 22 the International Day of Biodiversity-IDB to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
• In a follow up, the World Summit on Sustainable Developement held in 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, 190 countries agreed to achieve a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss at global, regional and local levels.

Biodiversity Conservation (National Efforts)

• Indian region countributes significantly to global diversity. India is a homeland of many cultivated species and wild relatives of crop plants.
• India is the centre of diversity of animal species (zebu, mithun, chicken, water buffalo, camel)-, Crop plants (rice, sugarcane, banana, tea, millet)-, fruit plants and vegetables (mango, jackfruit, cucurbits), edible dioscoreas, alocasia, colocasia; spices and condiments (cardamon,black pepper, ginger, turmeric)-, bamboos, brasicas and tree cotton. India also represents a secondary centre of domestication for some animals (horse, goat, sheep, cattle, yak and donkey) and plants (tobacco, potato and maize).
• The biodiversity management systems for conserving biodiversity in India are shown below—

• The in situ (on site) conservation of biodiversity is being carried out through Biosphere Reserves, National Parks, Wildlife sanctuaries and other protected areas by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climat Change (Note In Indian Ministry of Enivironment is established in 1980.This ministry is renamed in 1985, Minisrtry of Envirorment and Forests, and in 2014, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.) The joint forest management systems involve forest departments and local community.
• The ex situ (off site) conservation of biodiversity is being carried out through Seed Banks, Botanical Garden, Zoological Garden etc. The National Bureaus of Plant, Animal and Fish Genetic Resources have a number of programmes to collect and conserve the germplasm of plants and animals in Seed Gene Banks. Similarly, Botanical and Zoological Gardens have large collection of plant and animal species. Besides governmental efforts, the individuals and NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) are working in this field.
• In India, a programme is underway to develop a system of community registers of local informal innovation related to the genetic resources, as well as natural resources management in general.