This document discusses biodiversity, which refers to the variety of life on Earth. It describes the three main types of biodiversity as genetic diversity within species, species diversity across ecosystems, and ecosystem diversity globally. Key points made include that India ranks high in biodiversity with over 45,000 plant and 91,000 animal species. Several biodiversity hotspots in India are highlighted, including the Himalayas, Indo-Burma, Sundaland, and Western Ghats regions. Major threats to biodiversity are habitat loss and degradation, poaching, and man-wildlife conflicts. The document concludes with an overview of important in-situ and ex-situ conservation methods used to preserve biodiversity.

1. Biodiversity
Department: Environmental Science

2. Biodiversity (VARIETY OF LIFE)
• It refers to that part of nature which includes all from of lif such
as plants, animals, and microorganisms.
• These life-forms vary in shape, size, and colour.
• BIOS = LIFE and DIVERSITAS = VARIETY or DIFFERENCE
• Edward O. Wilson  "father of biodiversity“
• Biodiversity are of three types: Genetic diversity, Species diversity
and ecosystem diversity

3. Genetic Diversity
-Genetic biodiversity arise because of the
combination the large number of different
genes
-The variety of genes that exists
within a single species is called
genetic diversity.
- This gives every individual his/her specific
characteristics.
-Species with good genetic diversity have
more chances of survival in changing
environment. Ex. Food crops like rise,
wheat and corn

4. Species Diversity
-It refers to the number of species of plants and
animals present in a region.
-This type of diversity occurs in various
ecosystems.
-Species diversity is the number or variety of
species in a particular region
-For example, a natural ecosystem yields a
large number of non-wood forest products,
whereas a timber plantation does not provide a
large variety of such products

5. Ecosystem diversity
Desert Tundra
Prairie
Coral reef
-Ecosystem diversity arises due to the
differences in Species and their
habitat across different ecosystems.
-Desert, tundra, coral reef and prairie
are all ecosystems. Each one is
different, with its own set of species
living in it.

6. Value of Biodiversity
• Biological variety meets our needs for
food, clothing, housing, energy, and
medicines directly or indirectly.
• The timber produced by forest is useful
for construction purpose.
• Animal wastes are useful for obtaining
biogas, which is used for heating and
also for making fertilizers for crops.
• Plants, fungi and bacteria remove toxic
substances from air, water and land.

7. Value of Biodiversity
• Animal and plant species help us to
meet our food requirements.
• A number of drugs obtained from
medicinal plants such as atropine
(belledonna plant), caffeine
(tea/coffee), codeine and morphine
(opium poppy), Penecillium
(Penecillium fungi), quinine (cinchona
bark), and reserpine (Indian
snakeroot).
Caffeine
Penecillium

8. India as a Mega Biodiversity
• India ranks 8th in the worlds top ten biodiversity nations.
• The country is having already documented over 91,000 species of animals and
45,500 species of plants in its 10 bio-geographic regions. Nearly 6,500 native
plants are still used prominently in indigenous healthcare systems.
Or
The number of plant species in India is estimated to be over 45,523
representing about 11.8 per cent of the world’s flora. These include over 17,500
flowering plants of which 4,950 species are endemic to the country.
• It contains over 7 per cent of the world’s biodiversity on 2.5 per cent of the
Earth’s surface.
• India has about 50,000 species of insects including 13,000 butterflies and moths.

10. Hotspots of Biodiversity
• Hotspots:
Large regions containing exceptional concentrations of plant and animal
endemism and experiencing high rates of habitat loss.
• The idea was first developed by Norman Myers in 1988.
• Biodiversity hotspots are a method to identify those regions of the world
where attention is needed to address biodiversity loss and to guide
investments in conservation.
• Currently, 34 biodiversity hotspots have been identified. most of which occur
in tropical forests. They represent just 2.3% of Earth’s land surface, but
between them they contain around 50% of the world’s endemic plant species
and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrates.

11. Important hotspots
1.Western Ghats and Sri Lanka
2.Himalaya
3.Mediterranean basin
4.Indo-Burma
5.Horn of Africa
6.Madagacsar and Indian ocean islands
7.Sundaland
8.Forests of Australia
9. Caucasus
10. Mesoamerica

12. Hotspots of India

13. Hotspots of India
• Himalaya
• Indo-Burma
• Sundalands
• Western Ghats and Sri Lanka

14. Himalaya
• Includes the entire Indian Himalayan region
(and that falling in Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal,
Bhutan, China and Myanmar)
• The Himalaya Hotspot is home to the world's
highest mountains.
• The hotspot is home to important populations
of numerous large birds and mammals,
including vultures, tigers, elephants, rhinos
and wild water buffalo.

15. SPECIES DIVERSITY AND ENDEMISM
Taxonomic Group Species Endemic Species Endemism (%)
Plants 10,000 3160 31.6
Mammals 300 12 4.0
Birds 977 15 1.5
Reptiles 176 48 27.3
Amphibians 105 42 40.0
Freshwater Fishes 269 43 12.3

16. Indo-Burma
• It includes entire North-eastern India, except Assam and Andaman
group of Islands (and Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
and southern China)
• Encompassing more than 2 million km² of tropical Asia.
• Indo-Burma is still revealing its biological treasures.
• Six large mammal species have been discovered in the last 12
years: the large-antlered muntjac, the Annamite muntjac, the
grey-shanked douc, the Annamite striped rabbit, the leaf deer

17. The large-antlered muntjac Grey-shanked douc
The Annamite striped rabbit white-eared night-heron

18. Taxonomic Group Species Endemic Species Endemism (%)
Plants 13,500 7,000 51.9
Mammals 433 73 16.9
Birds 1,266 64 5.1
Reptiles 522 204 39.1
Amphibians 286 154 53.8
Freshwater Fishes 1,262 553 43.8

19. Sundalands
• The Sundaland hotspot covers the western half of the Indo-
Malayan.
• Dominated by two of the largest islands in the world: Borneo
(725,000 km²) and Sumatra (427,300 km²).
• Notable plants in the hotspot include members of the genus
Rafflesia, Rafflesia arnoldii, has the largest flowers in the world,
measuring up to one meter in diameter.

20. Rafflesia Sunda Clouded Leopard
red-knobbed hornbill

21. Taxonomic Group Species Endemic Species Endemism (%)
Plants 25,000 15,000 60.0
Mammals 380 172 45.6
Birds 769 142 18.5
Reptiles 452 243 53.8
Amphibians 244 196 80.3
Freshwater Fishes 950 350 36.8

22. Western Ghats and Sri Lanka
• The western Ghats, known locally as the Sahyadri hills run parallel
to India's western coast, about 30 to 50 Km inland.
• They cover an area about 1,60,000 Sq Km and stretch for 1,600
Km from Gujarat to south tip.

23. Taxonomic Group Species Endemic Species Endemism (%)
Plants 5,916 3,049 51.5
Mammals 140 18 12.9
Birds 458 35 7.6
Reptiles 267 174 65.2
Amphibians 178 130 73.0
Freshwater Fishes 191 139 72.8

24. Black Eagle Northern goshawk
Tibetan Partridge Lammergeier Bird

26. Threats to biodiversity
•Natural causes
 Narrow geographical area
 Low population
 Low breeding rate
 Natural disasters
• Anthropogenic causes
 Loss of habitat
 Poaching
 Man- Animal conflict
 Introduction of exotic varieties
 Pollution
 Global warming and Climate change

27. Habitat loss can be described when an
animal losses their home.
Every animal in the animal kingdom has a
niche, in their animal community and
without their habitat they no longer have a
niche.
Reasons of habitat loss by humans:
 Agriculture, farming
Harvesting natural resources for personal
use
For industrial and urbanization
development

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29. Poaching of wildlife/Animal
Hunting
• 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.

30. Man-wildlife conflicts
• When animal enters human
territory and kills, that can
create fears.
• Increase in man wildlife
conflict is due to resource
limitation like: Space, food,
and shelter.
• It is also due to increasing
population of human beings,
loss of forest, decrease in
quality of forest and
developmental activities.

31. Conservation of biodiversity
• Considering the rich diversity and the threats conservation of this
vast biodiversity is very important
• 2 major approaches
• In-situ conservation (at the place)
• Ex-situ conservation (out of the place)

33. 1. Sacred Groves and lakes : A sacred
grove or sacred woods are any grove of
trees that are of special religious
importance to a particular culture
In-situ Methods
Spiritual Importance of
Banyan Tree
Spiritual Importance of
Lakes and Rivers
2. Biosphere Reserves: Biosphere
reserves are areas of terrestrial and
coastal ecosystems promoting solutions
to reconcile the conservation of
biodiversity with its sustainable use.
3. National park is a park in use for conservation
purposes. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or
developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns.
4. Wildlife sanctuary is a space that is set aside
exclusively for the use of wild animals, which are protected
when they roam or live in that area.
5. Biosphere reserve is a voluntary, cooperative,
conservation reserve created to protect the biological and
cultural diversity of a region while promoting sustainable
economic development.

34. Ex-situ Methods
1. Seed Bank: A seed bank stores seeds to preserve genetic diversity
2. Field gene Bank: it is a method of planting plants for the conservation of gene.
Seed Bank
Field gene Bank
3. Cryopreservation: it derives from the Greek word cryos, meaning “Cold”. Thus
it refers to the preservation of biological tissues in sub zero temperatures.
Typically -196˚C.
4. Botanical and zoological garden: A botanical garden is a garden dedicated
to the collection, cultivation, preservation and display a wide range of plants
labeled with their botanical names.
cryopreservation

35. Thank You!