This document discusses biodiversity conservation methods, including both in-situ and ex-situ approaches. In-situ conservation aims to protect whole ecosystems and biodiversity within habitats, and is done through designating biodiversity hotspots and establishing protected areas like national parks and sanctuaries. Ex-situ conservation involves protecting threatened species outside their natural environments, such as through botanical gardens, zoos, seed banks, and gene banks which preserve genetic material. The document provides details on biodiversity hotspots in India, examples of protected areas, and challenges to conserving biodiversity due to habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate change.

1. DILSHANA FATHIMA
M.Sc. BIOCHEMISTRY
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

2. INTRODUCTION
 Biodiversity is important at every heirarchial level-
genetic diversity, species diversity, community &
ecosystem diversity.
 It is being threatened by reduction in space, smaller &
fragmented habitats, over exploitation by human,
climatic changes, pollution, invasion by exotic species
etc.
 However it is important that present population drive
economic, functional, remote & aesthetic benefits from
biodiversity.
 Conservation of biodiversity is protection, uplift &
scientific management of biodiversity so as to maintain
its optimum level & derive sustainable benefits.

3. Biodiversity
conservation
In-situ
conservation
1. Hotspots
2. Protected
areas
Ex-situ
conservation
1. Offsite
collections
2. Gene banks

4. IN-SITU CONSERVATION
 It is the conservation & protection of whole
ecosystem & its biodiversity at all levels inorder to
protect the threatened species.
 It is not economically feasible to conserve all
biological wealth & all the existing ecosystem.
 2 alternative methods are being used to save
biodiversity
1. Hotspots
2. Protected areas

5. 1. HOTSPOTS
 There are areas with high density of biodiversity or
megadiversity which are also the most threatened ones.
 Ecologically hotspots are determined by 4 factors
 Number of species or species diversity
 Degree of endemism
 Degree of exploitation
 Degree of threat to habitat due to its degradation or
fragmentation
 Myers initially identified 12 hotspots with 14% of
plant species in an area of 0.2%
 4 more hotspots were added by Myers.

6.  Today the number of hotspots identified by ecologists
is 34 covering an area of less than 2% of land surface
with about 20% of human population living there.
 India has 3 hotspots
 Indo Burma
 Himalayas
 Western Ghats – Sri Lanka
 India is a country of megadiversity with 2.4% of land
area & 8.1% of global diversity.
 Major centers of biodiversity are Agasthyamalai hills,
Silent valley & Amambalam reserve.
 There is high degree of endemism as well as richness
of species.

7.  Indo Burma hotspots extend from Bhutan – Myanmar
covering most of north east. Valleys of this region are
rich in endemic species.
 It is an active centre of evolution of flowering plants,
being rich in angiosperm genera & primitive
angiosperm families.
2. Protected areas
 They are ecological areas where biological diversity
along with natural & cultural resources are protected,
maintained & managed through legal or other effective
measures.
 Include National parks, Sanctuaries & Biosphere
reserves.

8. (a) National parks
 Areas maintained by government & reserved for
betterment of wildlife.
 Cultivation, grazing, forestry & habitat manipulation
are not allowed.
 There are 103 national parks in India occupying
nearly 1.2% geographical area.
 Ex: Periyar national park, Kerala; Nagarhole
national park, Karnataka; Gir national park, Gujarat
(b) Sanctuaries
 Tracts of land with or without lakes where wild
animals or fauna can take refuge without being
hunted.

9.  Activities like collection of forest products,
harvesting of timber, put ownership of land, tilling of
land etc are not allowed.
 There are 543 wildlife sanctuaries in India
occupying 3.62% of geographical area.
(c) Biosphere reserve
 Creation of biosphere reserves was initiated under
MAB program of UNESCO.
 These are multipurpose protected areas which are
meant for preserving genetic diversity in
representative ecosystem of natural biomes & unique
biological communities by protecting wild
population, traditional lifestyle of tribals &
domesticated plant/animal genetic resources.

10.  Each biosphere reserve has 3 zones
 Core/Natural zone
 No human activity is allowed
 Area is undisturbed
 Legally protected ecosystem
 Buffer zone
 Surrounds the core area
 Limited human activity is allowed
 Transition/Manipulation zone
 Outermost part of biosphere reserve
 Active cooperation is present b/w reserve management &
local people.
 Has different parts like forestry, agriculture, tourism etc

11. EX-SITU CONSERVATION
 It is the protection of threatened plants/animals in
places outside their natural biomes.
 Include offsite collections & gene banks.
1. Offsite collections
 Live collection of wild & domesticated species in
botanical gardens, zoological parks etc.
 Botanical garden
 A place where plants especially ferns, conifers &
flowering plants are grown & displayed for the
purpose of research & education.

12.  Botanical gardens that specialize in trees are
sometimes referred to as arboreta.
 They are occassionally associated with zoos.
 Currently there are more than 1500 botanical
gardens & arboreta having more than 80000 species.
2. Gene banks
 Institutes that maintain stocks of viable seeds, live
growing plants, tissue culture, frozen germplasm etc.
 Seed banks
 Seed banks – orthodox & recalcitrant
 Orthodox seeds – Those seeds which can tolerate
reduction in moisture content, anaerobic condition &
low temperature.

13.  Ex: cereals, legumes etc
 At intervals the seeds are allowed to germinate
from plants & develop fresh seeds for storage.
 Recalcitrant seeds - seeds which get killed on
reduction of moisture & exposure to low
temperature.
 Ex: tea, cocoa, coconut
 Can be stored for short duration after treatment
with fungicides

14. THANK YOU