Biodiversity and its

Conservation

• Concept of biodiversity and its levels

• Benefits of biodiversity

• Causes of biodiversity loss

• Approaches to conservation

This module will enable you to understand:

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What do you think biodiversity mean?

BioBiodiversitydiversity

What does “Bio” mean?

Bio =

Diversity = VarietyWhat does “Diversity” mean?

Biodiversity: The variety and variability of life on

Earth

The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made

possible by complex interactions among all

living things including micro-organisms

Levels of Biodiversity

Genetic Diversity

Species Diversity

Ecosystem Diversity

Genetic Diversity

Species DiversityVariability within a species/between diff species of a community

Species richness & its abundance

Ecosystem Diversity

Biogeographical Classification of India

1.Trans-Himalayan

2.Himalayan

3. Desert

4. Semi-arid

5. Western Ghats

6. Deccan Paninsula

7. Gangetic Plain

8. North-East India

9. Islands

10. Coasts

Biogeography: phytogeography and zoogeography

characteristic climate, soil, topography and biodiversity

Value of Biodiversity

Intrinsic/inherent Value = Something that has value in and of itself

Extrinsic/Utilitarian/instrumental Value = the value something has as a means to another’s end

Value of Biodiversity

Consumptive use value

Productive use value

Social value

Ethical value

Aesthetic value

Option values

Ecosystem service value

Consumptive use valueDirect Use Value: Goods

Source: © AMNH-CBC

• Food• Building Materials• Fuel• Paper Products• Fiber (clothing,

textiles)• Industrial products

(waxes, rubber, oils)• Medicine

Food• Today, most people rely

on ~20 types of plants, and only 3 to 4 are staple crops.

• Diversity is critical for developing new strains and breeds, i.e. that suit a particular environment or are resistant to pests or disease and as a source of new crops Source: © AMNH-CBC

Building Materials, Paper Products, and Fuel

So

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e:

© A

MN

H-C

BC

Fiber

Source: USDA Photo b Ken Hammond 

Source: USDA Cotton Program

Medicine

• About 80% of the people in developing countries use plants as a primary source of medicine.

• 57% of the 150 most-prescribed drugs have their origins in biodiversity

Source: © AMNH-CBC

D r u g

S o u r c e U s e

B a r b a l o i n , a l o e - e m o d i n A l o e ( A l o e s p p . ) a n t i b a c t e r i a l , s k i n c o n d i t i o n s , p u r g a t i v e

A t r o p i n e B e l l a d o n n a ( A t o p a b e l l a d o n n a )

R e l a x a n t , s e d a t i v e

C o d e i n e O p i u m p o p p y ( P a p a v e r s o m n i f e r u m )

P a i n k i l l e r

C o l c h i c i n e A u t u m n c r o c u s ( C o l c h i c u m a u t u m n a l e )

A n t i c a n c e r a g e n t

D i g i t o x i n C o m m o n f o x g l o v e ( D i g i t a l i s p u r p u r e a )

C a r d i a c s t i m u l a n t

E p h e d r i n e , P s e u d o e p h e d r i n e

J o i n t f i r ( E p h e d r a s i n i c a )

A s t h m a , e m p h y s e m a , b r o n c h i o d i l a t o r , h a y f e v e r

L - D o p a V e l v e t b e a n ( M u c u n a d e e r i n g i a n a )

P a r k i n s o n ’ s d i s e a s e

M e n t h o l M i n t ( M e n t a s p c s . ) N a s a l c o n g e s t i o n M o r p h i n e O p i u m p o p p y

( P a p a v e r s o m n i f e r u m ) P a i n k i l l e r

Q u i n i n e Y e l l o w c i n c h o n a ( C i n c h o n a l e d g e r i a n a )

M a l a r i a

R e s e r p i n e I n d i a n s n a k e r o o t ( R a u v o l f i a s e r p e n t i n a )

H y p e r t e n s i o n

S c o p o l a m i n e T h o r n a p p l e ( D a t u r a m e t e l ) S e d a t i v e T a x o l P a c i f i c Y e w ( T a x u s

b r e v i f o l i a ) A n t i c a n c e r

V i n b l a s t i n e , v i n c r i s t i n e R o s y p e r i w i n k l e ( C a t h a r a n t h u s r o s e u s )

L e u k e m i a

Traditional Medicine: Basis of Many Drugs

Productive use value

Commercially usable values:Product is marketed and sold

Originating plant or animal Product/End useCork oak (Quercus suber) CorkPARē RUBBER TREE (HEVEA

BRASILIENSIS)Rubber

Lac insect (Laccifer spp.) shellacCARNAUBA PALM (COPERNICIA CERIFERA) CARNAUBA WAX

Wax plant (Euphorbia antisyphilitica) candelilla waxJojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis) jojoba oilCochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus) CARMINE DYE*

Tusk of elephant, musk of musk deer, silk from silk-worm,wool from sheep, fur of many animals,

Social values

Values associated with the social life, customs, religion

and psycho-spiritual aspects of the people

Plants: Tulsi (holy basil), Peepal, Mango, Lotus, Bael etc,

leaves/fruits/flowers/plant itself used for worship

Animals: Cow,snake, bull, owl etc in psycho-spiritual arena

of us

Ethical valuesKnown as existence value

All life must be preserved

Concept: Live and let live

Aesthetic Value

Source: Brumbaugh © AMNH-CBC

Eco-tourism

Option value

Potential of biodiversity that is unknown so far and need

to be explored

Could be a miracle for any disease in future

Option to visit areas where species are

endemic/endangered/rare

Ecosystem service value

Regulating global processes, such as atmosphere and

climate

Soil and water conservation

Nutrient cycling

Fixation of Nitrogen

Source of Inspirationor Information

• Biomimicry

• Applied Biology

• Medical Models

• Education and Scientific

Research

Only after the “Earth Summit” (1992) there was growing need to know and

scientifically name a large number of species which are still unknown on this

earth.

Roughly 1.5 million species are known till date which is perhaps 15% or may be

just 2% of the actual number

The tropical rainforests are inhabited by millions of species of plants, birds,

amphibians, insects as well as mammals

They are the earth's largest storehouse of biodiversity

Biodiversity at global, national and local level

About 50 to 80% of global biodiversity lies in tropical rainforests

More than one-fourth of the world's prescription drugs are extracted from plants

growing in tropical forests

Out of the 3000 plants identified by National Cancer Research Institute as sources

of cancer fighting chemicals, 70% come from tropical rain forests

There is an estimated 1,25,000 flowering plant species in tropical forests

The Silent Valley in Kerala is the only place in India where tropical rain forests

occur

Roughly there are 1,70,000 flowering plants, 30,000 vertebrates and about 2,50,000 other groups of species globally

It is a big task of describing the remaining species which may range from 8 million to 100 million

Marine diversity is even much higher than terrestrial biodiversity and are still less known and described

Living species estimates (World Resource Institute, 1999)

Taxonomic group NumberBacteria & Cyanobacteria 5,000 Protozoans (Single celled animals) 31,000 Algae 27,000Fungi (Molds, Mushrooms) 45,000 Higher Plants 2,50,000Sponges 5,000 Jelly fish, Corals etc. 10,000Flatworms, roundworms, earthworms 36,000 Snails, Clams, Slugs etc 70,000 Insects 7,50,000 Mites, Ticks, Croaks, shrimps 1,20,000 Fish and Sharks 22,000 Amphibians 4,000 Reptiles 5,000 Birds 9,000 Mammals 4,000Total 1,400, 000

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AT NATIONAL LEVEL (Indian Biodiversity)

India has a rich biological diversity of flora and fauna

Overall six percent of the global species are found in India

Estimated that India ranks :

6th among the centres of diversity and origin of agricultural crops

10th among the plant rich countries of the world and

11th in terms of number of endemic species of higher vertebrates

Total number of living species identified in our country is 1, 50,000

Out of 25 biodiversity hot-spots in the world, India possesses two:

one in the north-east region and one in the western ghats

Indian is also one of the 12 mega-biodiversity countries in the world

Biodiversity Profile of Indiaces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/cesmg/indiabio.html

LOCAL BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity at regional level: four types based on their spatial distribution:

(i)Point richness refers to the number of species that can be found at a single point in a given space

(ii)Alpha (α-) richness refers to the number of species found in a small homogeneous area

(iii)Beta (β-) richness refers to the rate of change in species composition across different habitats.

(iv)Gamma (γ-) richness refers to the rate of change across large landscape gradients

INDIA AS A MEGA-DIVERSITY NATION

The country has a rich heritage of biodiversity and is recognized to be uniquely rich in all three aspects of biodiversity

Salient features of India’s biodiversity are as under :

India is one of the 12 mega-diversity nations of the world

India has ten biogeographic regions

Record by MoEF, Govt. of India:

There are 89,317 species of fauna that is 7.31% of the world fauna and

45,364 species of flora that is 10.88% the world flora

NUMBER OF ANIMAL SPECIES IN INDIA AND WORLD

NUMBER OF PLANT SPECIES IN INDIA AND WORLD

BIOSPHERE RESERVES OF INDIA

INDIA’S WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Endemism: Species restricted only to a particular area are known as endemic

18% of the Indian plants are endemic to the country and found nowherelse in the world

About 62% of amphibians and 50% of lizards are endemic to India

Western ghats are the site of maximum endemism

Centre of Origin: A large number of species are known to be originated in India

Nearly 5000 species of flowering plants had their origin in India

From agro-diversity point of view, our country is also quite rich. India has been the center of origin of :

166 species of crop plants and

320 species of wild relatives of cultivated crops

India is considered to be the centre of origin of 30,000 to 50,000 varieties of rice, pigeon-pea, mango, turmeric, ginger, sugarcane, gooseberries, etc.

Ranks seventh: in terms of contribution to world agriculture

Collection by Gene bank :34,000 cereals and 22,000 pulses grown in India

Also India has:

27 indigenous breeds of cattle40 breeds of sheep22 breeds of goats8 breeds of buffaloes

HOT SPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY

Areas which exhibit high species richness as well as high species

endemism are termed as hot spots of biodiversity

There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level

Two are present in India----the Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats

These hot spots covering less than 2% of the world’s land area are

found to have about 50% of the terrestrial biodiversity

According to Myers et al. (2000), an area is called as a hotspot when it contains at

least 0.5% of the plant species as endemic

Nearly 40% of terrestrial plants and 25% of vertebrates are endemic to these

hotspots

Highest in tropical rain forest (evergreen broad leaf forest found near equator)

2nd highest in Mediterranean (western Amazon, Madagascar, North & East Borneo,

North-Eastern Australia, West Africa etc)

More than 1 billion people (1/6 of world population) who are desperately very poor

live in these areas

Out of 135 genera of land mammals in India, 85 (63%) are found in the

Northeast

The Northeast States have 1,500 endemic plant species

A major proportion of amphibian and reptile species, especially snakes,

are concentrated in the Western Ghats, which is also a habitat for 1,500

endemic plant species

Coral reefs in Indian waters surround the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,

Lakshadweep Islands, the Gulf areas of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. They are

nearly as rich in species as tropical evergreen forests

Eastern Himalayas: They display an ultra-varied topography that fosters species

diversity and endemism

Numerous deep and semi-isolated valleys in Sikkim which are extremely rich in

endemic plant species.

7298 Km2 of Sikkim--- about 4250 plant species are found of which 60% are

endemic.

The forest cover of Eastern Himalayas has dwindled to about 1/3rd of its original

cover. Certain species like Sapria himalayana, a parasitic angiosperm was sighted

only twice in this region in the last 70 years

Out of the world’s recorded flora, 30% are endemic to India, of which 35,000 are in

the Himalayas

Western Ghats: It extends along a 17,000 Km2 strip of forests in Maharashtra,

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala

Has 40% of the total endemic plant species

62% amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic to Western Ghats

The major centers of diversity are Agastyamalai Hills and Silent Valley

Reported that only 6.8% of the original forests are existing today while the rest

has been deforested or degraded

THREATS TO

BIODIVERSITY

• “Extinction is the most irreversible and tragic of all environmental

calamities. With each plant and animal species that disappears, a

precious part of creation is callously erased”

• Michael Soule, 2004

• As our numbers climb, we expand agricultural conversion, import

invasive species, hunt more species, degradate habitat, fragment

and lose habitat, pollute water and air, impact climate etc.

Extinction or elimination of a species is a natural process of evolution

The process of extinction has become particularly fast in the recent years

of human civilization

One of the estimates by the noted ecologist, E.O. Wilson puts the figure

of extinction at 10,000 species per year or 27 per day!

If the present trend continues we would lose 1/3rd to 2/3rd of our current

biodiversity by the middle of twenty first century

THREATS

1. LOSS OF HABITAT

2. POACHING

3. MAN-WILDLIFE CINFLICT

LOSS OF HABITAT

• Destruction and loss of natural habitat-- the single

largest cause of biodiversity loss

• Natural forests and grasslands were the natural homes

of thousands of species which perished due to loss of

their natural habitat

• Billions of hectares of forests and grasslands have been

cleared to convert into agriculture lands, pastures,

settlement areas or development projects

• If a habitat is destroyed or disrupted, the native species might

have to relocate or they will die

• Destruction of habitat - such as the clearing of tropical

rainforests, has a direct impact on global biodiversity

• Disruption of habitat - the declining population of one species

can affect an entire ecosystem

Sometimes the loss of habitat occurs in instalments -- habitat

fragmentation-- The separation of an ecosystem into small pieces

of land is called

The smaller the parcel of land, the fewer species it can support

There has been a rapid disappearance of tropical forests in our

country also, at a rate of about 0.6% per year

With the current rate of loss of forest habitat, it is estimated that

20-25% of the global flora would be lost within a few years

Marine biodiversity is also under serious threat due to large scale

destruction due to human intervention

POACHING

Poaching----Illegal trade of wildlife products by killing prohibited

endangered animals

Despite international ban on trade in products from endangered species,

smuggling of wildlife items like furs, hides, horns, tusks, live specimens

and herbal products worth millions of dollars per year continues

The developing nations in Asia, Latin America and Africa are the richest

source of biodiversity and have enormous wealth of wildlife

The rich countries in Europe and North America and some affluent countries in Asia like Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong are the major importers of the wild life products or wild life itself.

The cost of elephant tusks can go upto $ 100 per kg

The leopard fur coat is sold at $ 100,000 in Japan

Bird catchers can fetch upto $ 10,000– for rare hyacinth macaw, a beautiful coloured bird, from Brazil

Sciencemuseum.org

MAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS

In Sambalpur, Orissa 195 humans were killed in the last 5 years by

elephants. In retaliation the villagers killed 98 elephants and badly injured

30 elephants.

Several instances of killing of elephants in the border regions of Kote-

Chamarajanagar belt in Mysore have been reported

Cause: massive damage done by the elephants to the farmer’s cotton and

sugarcane crops

Villagers electrocute the elephants and sometimes hide explosives in the

sugarcane fields, which explode as the elephants intrude into their fields

14 persons were killed by leopards---Sanjay Gandhi National Park,

Mumbai and created a panic among the local residents

Causes of Man-animal conflicts

Dwindling habitats of tigers, elephants, rhinos and bears due to shrinking

forest cover compels them to move outside the forest and attack the field

or sometimes even humans

Earlier there used to be wild-life corridors through which the wild animals

used to migrate seasonally in groups to other areas.

Due to development of human settlements in these corridors, the path of

wildlife has been disrupted and the animals attack the settlements

Remedial Measures to Curb the Conflict

Adequate crop compensation and cattle compensation scheme must be started,

along with substantial cash compensation for loss of human life.

Cropping pattern should be changed near the forest borders and adequate fodder,

fruit and water should be made available for the elephants within forest zones.

Wild life corridors should be provided for mass migration of big animals during

unfavorable periods

Causes of species extinction

• Primary causes spell like“HIPPO”:

– •Habitat alteration/loss

– • Invasive species

– •Pollution

– •Population growth

– •Overexploitation

“HIPPO”: Invasive species

• Accidental or intentional introduction of exotic

species to new areas

• In today’s globalizing world, invasive species

have become perhaps the second- worst

threat to native biota

Mosquito fish

– Zebra mussel

– Kudzu

– Asian long-horned beetle

– Rosy wolfsnail

– Cane toad

– Bullfrog

• Gypsy moth

• European starling

• Indian mongoose

• Caulerpa algae

• Cheatgrass

• Brown tree snake

Some Invasive Species

“HIPPO”: Pollution

• Air and water pollution; agricultural runoff, industrial chemicals, etc.

• Pollution causes widespread harm, but not like the threat pose by other elements of HIPPO.

Pollution - Biological Magnification

• Biological magnification is

the increasing concentration

of toxic substances in

organisms as trophic levels

increase in a food chain or

food web.

• Pesticides - DDT

“HIPPO”: Population growth

• Human population growth ---magnifies effects of the

other elements of HIPPO:

• More people-----more habitat change, more invasive

species, more pollution, more overexploitation.

Some other causes of species extinction

• In most cases, extinctions occur because of a combination of factors

• a complex combination of:• Chemical contamination• Disease transmission• Habitat loss• Ozone depletion and UV penetrance• Climate change• Synergistic interaction of these factors

ENDANGERED SPECIES OF INDIA

IUCN publishes the Red Data Book that includes the list of endangered

species of plants and animals

The red data symbolizes the warning signal for those species which are

endangered and if not protected are likely to become extinct in near

future.

IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural

Resources

In India, nearly 450 plant species have been identified in the categories of

endangered, threatened or rare

About 150 mammals and 150 birds species are estimated to be threatened

while an unknown number insect species are endangered

Few species of endangered reptiles, birds, mammals and plants

Reptiles : Gharial, green sea turtle, tortoise, python

Birds : Great Indian bustard, Peacock, Pelican, Great Indian Hornbill, Siberian

White Crane

Carnivorous Mammals : Indian wolf, red fox, Sloth bear, red panda, tiger, leopard,

striped hyena, Indian lion, golden cat, desert cat, dugong

Primates : Hoolock gibbon, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Capped monkey,

golden monkey

Plants : A large number of species of orchids, Rhododendrons, medicinal plants

like Rauvolfia serpentina, the sandal wood tree Santalum, Cycas beddonei etc.

Extinct: when a species is not seen in the wild for 50 years at a stretch e.g.

Dodo, passenger pigeon

Endangered: when the number of a species has been reduced to a critical level

or whose habitats have been drastically reduced and if not protected and

conserved, it is in immediate danger of extinction

Vulnerable: When the population of a species is facing continuous decline due

to overexploitation or habitat destruction. Such a species is still abundant, but

under a serious threat may go to endangered category if causal factors remains

unchecked

Rare: Species which are not endangered or vulnerable at present, but are at a risk

are categorized as rare species

Extinct

Passenger pigeon Dodo

Spotted owl Tortoise The Great Indian Bustard

Endangered

Black rhinoceros Dugong Red panda

Green sea turtle Tiger Snow leopard

ENDEMIC SPECIES OF INDIA

India has two biodiversity hot spots and possesses a large

number of endemic species

Out of about 47,000 plants, 7000 are endemic

About 62% endemic flora, restricted mainly to Himalayas,

Khasi Hills and Western Ghats

Some endemic flora include orchids and species like

Sapria himalayana, Uvaria lurida, etc

Out of a total of 81,000 species of animals in our country , a large number is

endemic

The western ghats are particularly rich in amphibians (frogs, toads etc.) and

reptiles (lizards, crocodiles etc.)

About 62% amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic to Western Ghats

CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY

A number of measures are being taken world wide to conserve biodiversity -- plants and wildlife

Two approaches of biodiversity conservation

In situ(within habitat):

Conservation of species in their natural habitat

E.g. Biosphere Reserves, National Parks, Sanctuaries, Reserve Forests

Ex situ(outside habitats):

Conserving species in isolation of their natural habitat

E.g. gene banks, seed banks, zoos, botanical gardens, culture collections

In Situ ConservationIn our country

Major Biosphere reserves-7

National Parks-80

Wild-life sanctuaries-420

Botanical gardens-120

Total area: 4% of the geographic area

The Biosphere Reserves: conserve some representative ecosystems as a whole for long-term in situ conservation

BIOSPHERE RESERVES OF INDIA

National Park

An area dedicated for the conservation of wildlife along with its

environment

Also meant for enjoyment through tourism but without impairing the

environment

Activities like--grazing of domestic animals, all private rights and forestry

activities are prohibited within a National Park

Each National Park aims at conservation of some particular species of

wildlife along with others.

Name of National Park State Important Wildlife

Kaziranga Assam One horned Rhino

Gir National Park Gujarat Indian Lion

Dachigam J & K Hangul

Bandipur Karnataka Elephant

Periyar Kerala Elephant, Tiger

Kanha M.P. Tiger

Corbett U.P. Tiger

Dudwa U.P. Tiger

Ranthambore Rajasthan Tiger

Sariska Rajasthan Tiger

Some important National parks in India

Wildlife sanctuaries

Protected areas where killing, hunting, shooting or capturing of wildlife is

prohibited except under the control of highest authority

Some Important Wildlife Sanctuaries of India

Name of Sanctuary State Major Wild Life

Ghana Bird Sanctuary Rajasthan 300 species of birds

Hazaribagh Sanctuary Bihar Tiger Leopard

Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary Haryana Migratory birds

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary Gujarat Water birds

Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary Punjab Black buck

Mudamalai Wildlife Sanctuary T amil Nadu Tiger, elephant, Leopard Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu Water birds

Jaldapara Wild Life Sanctuary W. Bengal Rhinoceros, elephant, Tiger Wild Ass Sanctuary Gujarat Wild ass, wolf, nilgai, chinkara

One gene sanctuary for Citrus plants (Lemon

family) and one for pitcher plant (an insect eating

plant) in Northeast India

Ex situ Conservation

Outside its natural habitat by controlled situation

Mainly done for conservation of crop varieties, the wild relatives of crops and

all the local varieties

Main objective: conserving the total genetic variability of the crop species for

future crop improvement or afforestation programmes

There is expertise to multiply the species under artificially managed conditions

Breeding programs for rare plants and animals (however more expensive than

managing a Protected Area)

For all type crocodile species e.g. Madras Crocodile Bank Trust has grown from

10 to 8,035 crocodiles

Breeding of the very rare pygmy hog in Gauhati zoo

Other way of preserving a plant is by preserving its germ plasm in a gene bank

(but this is even more expensive)

Estimated about 30,000 varieties of rice grown in India till 50 years back

Now new varieties are being cultivated, derived from the germplasm of the

original types

Gene bank collections: more than 34,000 cereals and 22,000 pulses

Important gene bank/seed bank facilities in India

1. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi: agricultural

and horticultural crops and their wild relatives are preserved by cryo-

preservation of seeds by using liquid nitrogen at low as -196°C.

2. National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) Karnal, Haryana:

preserves the semen of domesticated bovine animals

3. National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture Repository (NFPTCR):

conservation of varieties of crop plants/trees by tissue culture

Breeding Programs

Project Tiger: launched by Govt. Of India in 1973

Initially 9 tiger reserves with area of 16339 sq km

By 2001, 27 tiger reserves with area of 37761 sq km

By 1972, tiger no 268, in 9 tiger reserves

By 1997, tiger no around 1500 in 23 tiger reserves

Crocodile Conservation: Breeding and conservation

program was initiated in 1975 to protect the remaining

population (since their skin is used to make leather items)

Olive Ridley Turtles (Odisha): Gahirmatha and other sites

in Odisha coast

Project Elephant: launched in 1992 for long-term survival

of elephants in North, North-eastern and south india.

Implemented in 12 states

CASE STUDYBeej Bachao Andolan (Save the Seeds Movement)

This movement began in the Himalayan foothills

collected the seeds of diverse crops in Garhwal

hundreds of local rice varieties, rajma, pulses, millets, vegetables, spices and

herbs conserved

supported by local women’s groups who felt these varieties were better than

those provided by the green revolution

In contrast, men who were interested in cash returns in a short time found it

difficult to appreciate the benefits of growing indigenous varieties