India as a MegaDiversity Nation

India has a very rich diversity of wild plants and animals, and is considered to be one of the mega-diversity country. Its share of the global biodiversity is about 8.6% of wild plant animal species respectively. Estimates for the number of micro-organism species are not available. Parallel to this enormous diversity in domesticated animal such as buffalo, goat, sheep, pig, poultry, horse, ponies, camels, and yak. As per American standards, the productivity of these animals is very poor, but having undergone periods of rigorous selection, race are hardy, adaptable to heat and parasitic stresses and can survive o poor roughage. A great variety also exists among our crops. For example, Indian farmers probaly grew over 30,000 varieties of rice aloe.

Both plant and animal species are under threat of extinction primarily due to modification, degradation and loss of their habitats, causes by various developmental projects like industries, urban housing complexes, rail, road, and other communication networks, over exploitation, introduction of exotic species, pollution and global warming. Estimates show that about 50 species are being drawn to extinction every day, and at this rate about 25% of present day biodiversity is likely to become extinct during the next 20-30 years if appropriate are not taken for its conservation. It is therefore, the prime responsibility of all scientists and technocrats to ensure that developmental activities promoted by them cause no/ minimal loss to biodiversity of an area.

Threats to Biodiversity

1. Habitat loss is one of the biggest threats to biodiversityit is the number one reason species go extinct. Clear cutting forests to create fields, filling in wetlands to build houses, and creating dams that change river flow are all examples of habitat destruction. Mediterranean ecosystems and temperate forests have already lost 80% of their original cover. The rapidly growing human population is putting more and more pressure on existing habitats.

2. Pollution from human activities has caused ozone to be destroyed (or "depleted") in the stratosphere, leading to the "hole" in the ozone layer. Technically, it's not exactly a hole but a depletion of ozone around the north and south poles.

3. Overexploitation means harvesting species from the wild at rates faster than natural populations can recover. Overfishing and overhunting are both types of overexploitation. Currently, about a third of the world's endangered vertebrates are threatened by overexploitation.