Biodiversity Conservation:

Prof. K.C. SharmaDepartment of Environmental Science

Biodiversity

Biodiversity, or biological diversity = the sum of an area’s organisms, considering the diversity of species, their genes, their populations, and their communities

Biodiversity

Genetic diversity

Species diversity

Ecosystem diversity

Components of biodiversity

Biodiversity exists on several levels:

Genetic diversity

Species diversity

Ecosystem diversity

Figure 15.2

Diversity of subspecies

Within species, diversity exists in subspecies, or geographic variations.

The tiger, Panthera tigris, had 8 subspecies.

5 persist today, including Panthera tigris altaica, the Siberian tiger.

Causes of species extinction

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

e.g., current global amphibian declines are thought due to a complex combination of:

Chemical contamination

Disease transmission

• Habitat loss

• Ozone depletion and UV penetrance

• Climate change

• Synergistic interaction of these factors

Biodiversity

Group No.of described species*(‘000)

Estimated Total Number(‘000)

Viruses 4 400

Bacteria 4 1000 III

Fungi 72 1500 II

Protozoa# 40 200

Algae# 40 400

Plants 270 II 320

Nematodes 25 400

Crustaceans 40 150

Arachnids 75 750

Insects 950 I 8000 I

Mollusks 70 200

Vertebrates 45 50

Others** 115 250

Total 1.75 Million 13.62 Million

Value of Biodiversity

Consumptive Value (Food, Drugs, Fuel etc)

Productive Use (Silk, Wool, Fir etc)All industries

Social Value ( Customs, religion, spiritual)

Ethical Value (Species existence on Earth)

Aesthetic Value and Eco-tourism

Ecosystem Service Value

A typical tree provides $ 19,62,150 (Rs. 8.83 Crores) worth of ecologicalServices (oxygen, fertilizer of soil, erosionControl, water recycling, wildlife habitat, Toxic gases moderation)

Total value of that tree is $ 950 (Rs. 42,750) if sold as timber

Medicinal Products from Natural Resources

Products Sources Use

Penicillin Fungus Antibiotic

Streptomycin Actinimycete Antibiotic

Tetracycline Bacterium Antibiotic

Digitalis Foxglove Heart Stimulant

Quinine Cinchona Bark Malaria treatment

Diosgenin Mexican your Birth control

Cytarabine Sponge Leukemia cure

Vinblastin Periwinkle Anticancer drug

Taxol Taxus Anticancer drug

Reserpine Rauvolfia Hypertension drug

Bee Venom Bee Arthritis relief

Morphine Poppy Analgesic

IS THE BIODIVERSITY OF INDIA UNDER THREAT?

10% of India’s plant species are under threat.

More than 150 medicinal plants have disappeared in recent decades.

About 10% of flowering plants,20% of mammals and 5% of the birds are threatened.

From 30000 to 12 ???

Global Hotspots of Biodiversity

Hotspots Endemic Plants

% of Global Plants

Endemic Vertebrates

% of Global Vertebrates

1.Tropical Andes 20000 6.7 1567 5.7

2.Meso-american forests 5000 1.7 1159 4.2

3.Carribean 7000 2.3 779 2.9

4.Brazil’s Atlantic Forest 8000 2.7 567 2.1

5.Choc/Darien of Panama Western Ecuador

2250 0.8 418 1.5

6.Brazil’s Cerrado 4400 1.5 117 0.4

7. Central Chile 1605 0.5 61 0.2

8.California Floristic Provinces

2125 0.7 71 0.3

9.Madagascar 9704 3.2 771 2.8

10.Eastern Arc and Caostal Forest of Tanzania/Kenya

1500 0.5 121 0.4

11.Western African Forests

2250 0.8 270 1.0

12.Cape Floristic Province 5682 1.9 53 0.2

13.Succulent Karoo 1940 0.6 45 0.2

Hotspots Endemic Plants

% of Global Plants

Endemic Vertebrates

% of Global Vertebrates

14.Meditarranean Basin 13000 4.3 235 0.9

15.Caucasus 1600 0.5 59 0.2

16.Sundaland 15000 5.0 701 2.6

17.Wallacea 1500 0.5 529 1.9

18.Philippines 5832 1.9 518 1.9

19.Indo-Burma Eastern Himalayas

7000 2.3 528 1.9

20.South-Central China 3500 1.2 178 0.7

21.Western-Ghats Srilanka

2180 0.7 355 1.3

22.South-Western Australia

4331 1.4 100 0.4

23.New Caledonia 2551 0.9 84 0.3

24.New Zealand 1865 0.6 136 0.5

25.Polynesia/Micronesia

3334 1.1 223 0.8

Total 1,33,149

44.4 9645 35.3

Threats to Biodiversity

Extinction at 10,000 species per year or 27 per day!

1. Loss of habitats2. Biological invasions3. Poaching4. Man-Wildlife Conflicts5. Consumerism approach

?

Thousands

50

40

30

20

10

1900 1972 1989 1993 2009

1827 4334 3750

>40,000

Tiger population in India

Tiger Poaching: Some Facts

1,500 Tigers have been poached in past 10 years, the most in the world

150 killed every year in two National Parks Rs. 900 Crore is what tiger poachers have

earned since 1995 Rs 60 lakh is the cost of each poached tiger Rs 8.6 Lakh is skin cost of each tiger 2020 is when the Indian tiger will become

extinct at this rate

Species described 1,26,188

Vulnerable

Extinct

Endangered

Biodiversity Loss

Th

reats

an

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pre

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re AbundantRare

Rio Conference: CBDA milestone for conservation of BDGenetic resources and Ecosystems

Convention on Biological Diversity

National policies and practices with cooperation of UN and international organizations with support of local people and their communities, NGOs, business and scientific communities

Turmeric US Patent and Trademark

Office (USPTO) awarded a patent in 1995 to University of Mississippi, USA

Turmeric is grandmother’s remedy in India for healing wounds, ulcers

Patent based on non-obviousness and novelty required by USPTO

CSIR revoked in 1997 and put 32 sources in literature

Neem

53 patents form Northern Corporations as pesticide, fungicide

Research on Neem in India began in 1920 IISc, Nimbin isolated in CSIR Lab.

University of Keele UK isolated azadirachtin (unstable). Grace Co could stabilize the product and succeeded in novelty character.

India failed in industrial production and marketing

India patents 3 –IIImmunology 1993; Godrej Soaps Ltd 1994; CSIR 1995

Today more than 6 patents are from India

Basmati Rice Tech Inc. USA got

patent of Basmati of India and Jasmine of Thailand from USPTO in 1997.

Affected Rice export as competition from Rice Tech

Revoked under Geographical indicators of WTO (Trade-related intellectual Property Rights TRIPS), but applied to whisky and wines

The 12 Mega-diversity Countries of the World

Australia (7.68 m km2)

Brazil (8.55 m km2)

China (9.57 m km2)

Colombia (1.14 m km2)

Ecuador (0.27 m km2)

Democratic Republic of Congo (2.35 m km2)

India (3.16 m km2)

Indonesia (1.90 m km2)

Madagascar (0.59 m

km2)

Malaysia (0.33 m km2)

Mexico (1.96 m km2)

Peru (1.28 m km2)

What is an Endangered Species and what are the chances of an animals survival?

1.Critically Endangered Status - 50% Chance of Extinction within ten years

2.Endangered Status - 20% Chance of Extinction within 20 years

3.Vulnerable Status - 10% Chance of Extinction within 100 years

•Fact 12 - What is an Endangered Species classified as Endangered?1.Blue Whale2.Giant Panda3.Snow Leopard4.Madagascar Mongoose5.African Wild Dogs6.Tiger7.Indian Rhinoceros8.Bornean Orangutan9.Grevy's Zebra10.Giant Octopus11.Gorillas12.Bonobos13.Tasmanian Devil14.Chimpanzees15.Maned Three-toed Sloth16.Steller sea lion17.Green Peafowl18.Kiwi19.Red-crowned Crane20.Panda Bears21.Some species of Parrots

Endangered Species classified as Critically endangered1.Mountain Gorillas2.Sumatran Orangutan3.Chinese alligator4.Bactrian Camels5.Chinese giant salamander6.Pygmy Three-toed Sloth7.Iberian Lynx8.California Condor9.Dama Gazelle10.Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat11.Ruffed Lemur12.Javan rhinoceros13.Sumatran rhinoceros

Endangered Species classified as Extinct in the wild?1.Barbary Lion2.Alagoas Curassow3.Seychelles Giant tortoise

Endangered Species classified as Extinct1.Dodo2.Javan Tiger3.Dinosaurs

Rio Summit + 5 Review by CoP - Progress of CBD & Needs

1. Efforts for Conservation and equitable sharing of benefits

2. Ratify countries to CBD not included so far

3. CoP decisions to be implemented also for marine and coastal regions

4. BT approach for handling and its benefits

5. Provision for financial resources

6. Technology transfer to developing countries

7. Complete the bio-safety protocol under CBD

Approaches To Biodiversity Conservation

In-situBiosphere reserves

National Parks

Wildlife Sanctuaries

Wetlands

Mangroves

Sacred groves

Protected landscapes

Ethnobiological

Protected forests

Ex-situ

___________________________________

Whole organism Organ Parts

Botanical Gardens Seed/Pollen grains

Zoological Parks Tissue/Organ cult

Arboreta Cryopreservation

Aquarium Sperm/Egg/Embryo

Genebanks/Libraries

Important National Parks in India

National Parks State 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 Uttranchal Tiger

Dudwa U.P. Tiger

Ranthambore Rajasthan Tiger

Sariska Rajasthan Tiger

Some Important Wildlife Sanctuaries of India

Name of Sanctuary State Major Wildlife

Ghana Bird Sanctuary Rajasthan 300 species of Birds (Including Migratory)

Hazaribagh Sanctuary Bihar Tiger, Leopard

SultanpurBird Sanctuary Haryana Migratory birds

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary Gujarat Water birds

Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary Punjab Black buck

Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary Tamil Nadu Tiger, Elephant, Leopard

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu Water Birds

Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary W.Bengal Rhinoceros, Elephant,Tiger

WildAss Sanctuary Gujarat Wild Ass,Wolf, Nilgai,

Chinkara

India’s World Heritage Sites

Site Location

Kaziranga National Park

Assam

Keoladeo National Park Rajasthan

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary

Assam

Nanda Devi National Park

Uttar Pradesh

Sunderban National Park

West Bengal

Project tiger launched on April 1, 1973.

A task force was set up in 1970 by the Indian Board for wildlife.

Nine Tiger Reserve were established 1973-74.

Presently 18 Tiger Reserves in 13 States covering over 28,000 sq km of forest area.

The Gir Lion Sanctuary Project

In 1973 state government prepared a scheme for the management of the Gir Lion Sanctuary with proper guidelines for conservation.

Asiatic Lion once existed in the northern and central areas of Indian sub continent is now confined to Gir Forest of Gujarat.

Asiatic lion was in danger of being wiped out either due to starvation, epidemics or human interference.

Legislation

The wildlife (protection) Act, 1972 is a comprehensive central legislation for the protection of wild animals including birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc. and the endangered species.

Five schedules in the Act which list the rare and endangered species to be totally protected.

Section 9 of the Act prohibits hunting of all wildlife

Stricter provision and procedure to deal with stocks of wildlife, deterrent punishment to poachers etc.

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)

Conservation thru participation and tapping into knowledge of diverse stakeholders

Arrangement between Biotech Consortium India Ltd. (BCIL) and Kalpavriksh an NGO

BCIL for administrative, financial and logistic aspects while Kalpvriksh deal with Technical and policy core group (TPCG)

Biodiversity Bill passed in the parliament in 2002

CITES is a major step towards wildlife conservation

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild fauna and flora (CITES) 1975

India is a signatory to this convention.

Thanks