Biodiversity & Its Conservation

Biodiversity ???
• Diversity = variety
• Bio= living
• Thus, variability among living organisms from
all sources including terrestrial, marine &
other aquatic ecosystems and ecological
complexes of which they are part of.
 Levels of Biodiversity….

Genetic Species Ecosystem

• Genes within same • Represents • Diversity in complex
species show species richness & systems in physical,
variation abundance in a ecological, food
• E.g. Colour & sizes community web, nutrient
of Rose • No. of plants, cycling
animals, birds in • Diversity in forest
an area.
 Values of Biodiversity…
• It is in terms of commercial utility, ecological services,
social & aesthetic Values
• Given by McNeely et al. 1990.
 Consumptive use Value
• In the form of food, drugs, fibre pulp, fuel, wood fall
under this group
• Food: 80,000 edible plants species are there.
– About 90% of present day food crops have been
domesticated from wild plants
– A large number of wild animals are also source of
food.
• Drugs & Medicines:75% world’s population is dependent
on plants or plant extracts for medicines
• Fuel: big source of fuel wood. Firewood collected by
individuals are direct consumptive value
 Productive Use Values
• These are commercially usable values where the product is marketed &
sold
• Musk Deer- production of Musk , Silk Worm- Silk, wool from sheep, lac
from insects.
• Many industries are dependent on these products, e.g. pulp & paper
industry, silk industry, ivory work, pearl industry, leather industry.

Social Values
•Values associated with social life, customs, religion and psycho-spiritual aspects of
the people

•Many plants are considered holy & sacred. Eg. Tulsi, mango, peepal etc.

•Social life, songs, dances, customs are woven with rounding wildlife

•Cow, snake, bull have special value in biodiversity

 Ethical Value
• “All Life must be preserved” based on “Live and let live”.
• This means we don’t use the species directly or indirectly, but
we feel sorry about the loss of a species.
• E.g. Passenger Pigeon, zebra etc.,
• They have a existence value

Aesthetic Value
It is related to the beauty of Biodiversity
The pleasure, excitement and visual peace of any area
Concept of Eco-tourism and willingness to pay are gaining
grounds, leading to monetary estimate for aesthetic value of
biodiversity
 Option Value
• This includes the potentials of biodiversity that are
presently unknown and need to be explored.
• This biological resources will be of importance in
future if not today
• Eg. Marine animals – anti cancer drugs

Ecosystem Value
It refers to ecosystem services, it is a non-consumptive value.
Functions of ecosystems- nutrient cycling, cycling of water. Etc.
 Global Biodiversity….
• Currently about 1.9 million species are known,
• Thought to be a significant underestimate of the
total number of species (as of 2010).
• 0-30 million insects;
• 5-10 million bacteria;
• 1.5 million fungi;
• 3,21,212 – Plants
– 1,367,555 animals, including: 1,305,250
invertebrates ,62305 vertebrates
Did u know this..?????

• 50 to 80% of Biodiversity is in rain forests.

• Deserts show minimum biodiversity
• Many species are identified everyday…
• List goes on increasing
• Marine biodiversity is extremely high.
• 1,25,000 flowering plant species are in Tropical
forests
• Roughly 1.5 million species are known till date
which may be just 15% of actual number.
 Biodiversity at National Level (Indian)
• India is one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the world.
• 2.4% of the land area, accounting for 7-8% of the species of
the world.
• 10th among plant rich countries
• 11th in number of endemic species of higher vertebrates
• 6th in terms of centres of diversity

Ministry of Environment and Forests records (as of 2000)

• 47000 plants: 7% of global.
• 91000 species of mammals: 6.5% of global.
• Large numbers have ENDEMIC - ORIGINATED in India
• 5000 flowering plants..
Biogeographical Regions of India
 Hotspots of Biodiversity
• Areas which exhibit high species richness as well as high
species endemism are termed as hotspots of biodiversity
• Myers(1988) introduced this term, at that time 25
Hotspots were identified out of which 2 were in India.
Later 9 were added more bringing a total to 34.
• About 40% terrestrial plants & 25 % vertebrate species
are endemic found in this hotspots
• After tropical rain forests the second highest number
endemic species are found in Mediterranean
• These hotspots are threatened by human activities.
More than 1 billion people most whom are desperately
poor people, live in these areas.
• Measures protecting these areas should be planned.
 Biodiversity at Regional or Local
• This type of biodiversity can be characterized in richness of four types
based on their spatial distribution
– Point Richness- species that are found at one single point
– Alpha (α)- richness) – number of species found in small homogeneous
area. Here Physical factor is strongly corealted.
• Eg 100 species of tunicates in Arctic region, 400 species in temperate
waters & 600 species in tropical seas
– Beta (β )– richness) - refers to rate of change in species composition
across different habitats. Cumulative no. of species increases in
heterogeneous habitats.
• The No. of Ant species in local area will be 10 but it will be more than
200 no of species in equatorial area, due to increase in habitats.
– Gamma (γ )- Richness – refers to the rate of change across large
composition gradients.
Biodiversity Hotspots
 List of Hotspots
Sr. No Name of Hotspots Sr. No Name of Hotspots
1 Tropical Andes 19 Indo-Burma
2 Mesoamerican Forests 20 South Central China
3 Caribbean 21 Western Ghats
4 Brazil’s Atlantic Forest 22 South-Western Australia
5 Choc/Darien of Panama Western Ecuador 23 New Caledonia
6 Brazil’s Cerrado 24 New Zealand
7 Central Chile 25 Polynesia/Micronesia
8 California Floristic Province 26 The Madrean Pine-Oak woodlands
9 Madagascar 27 Maputaland-Pondoland Albany
10 Eastern Arc & Coastal forest of Tanzania/ 28 The eastern Afromontane
Kenya
11 Western African Forest 29 The Horn Africa
12 Cape Floristic Province 30 The Irano-Anatolian
13 Succulent Karoo 31 The Muntains of Central Asia
14 Mediterranean Basin 32 Eastern Himalaya
15 Caucasus 33 Japan
16 Sundaland 34 East Melanesiaan Islands
17 Wallacea
18 Phillipines
Eastern Himalayas Hotspot

Endemic orchids
 Eastern Himalayas
• Many deep and isolated valleys in Sikkim.
• Extremely rich in endemic plants (orchids)
• 35,000 recorded flora endemic to Himalayas
• 4250 species in Sikkim of which 60% endemic
 Western Ghats
• 17000 km2 strip of forests
• 20% forest Evergreen and semi-evergreen
• 4 states: Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu
• 40% endemic plants
• 62% amphibians
• 50% lizards
• Agastyamalai hills, Silent Valley, New
Ambamalam Reserve basin
• UNDER ALARMING THREAT
 Western Ghats Hotspot

Extends up to 17,000 Sq.kms in

maharastra, Karnataka, Tamil nadu
and kerala

Most alarmed region

Already lost huge
proportion of
Biodiversity
 INDO-BURMA

• East of Ganges – Brahmaputra lowland

• Indian states of Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya,
Nagaland, South Assam.
• One of the most densely forested regions of the country
• 13,500 species of plants out of which
7000 endemic
• 1260 species of birds
• 430 mammals
 Indo Burma
Hotspot

1,300 Different Bird

Species

Grey shanked langur

 Threats to biodiversity

• Anthropogenic causes • Natural causes

 Loss of habitat  Narrow geographical
 Poaching area
 Low population
 Man- Animal conflict
 Low breeding rate
 Introduction of exotic  Natural disasters
varieties
 Pollution
 Global warming and Climate
change
 Loss of habitat
• Continuous increase in human population and escalating demand for our
natural resources
• Conversion of forested land to agriculture.
• Loss of habitat to grazing land, industries, roads and cities.
• Habitat loss leads to the formation of isolated, small, scattered populations.
• These small populations are increasingly vulnerable to inbreeding, which
causes loss of gene pool, high infant mortality and susceptible to
environmental changes, which all may lead to extinction of the species.
 Poaching
• Hunting for various body parts.
• Illegal trade of skins, tusks, hair, horns
• Many animals fall prey to various traps
• International market very active
• Tibet, China
• Tiger skins, elephant tusks etc
• Cost is very less.
 Man Animal conflict
• When animal enters human territory and
kills
• From fear