Introduction to biodiversity conservation

1. Biodiversity
Conservation
Week 15

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3. Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety and differences among
living organisms from all sources ,including
terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystem.
𝗈 It Is virtually synonymous with “Life on earth”.
𝗈 Biologists most often define "biological diversity“ or
“biodiversity“ as the "totality of genes, species, and
ecosystems of a region".
𝗈 The biodiversity found on Earth today consists of
many millions of distinct biological species, which is
the product of nearly 3.5billion years of evolution.

4. Levels or Types of
Biodiversity
𝗈 Community and
Ecosystem diversity
(different habitats, niches, species
interactions)
𝗈 Species diversity
(different kinds of organisms,
relationships among species)
𝗈 Genetic diversity
(different genes & combinations of
genes within populations)

5. Community and Ecosystem diversity:
𝗈 Ecosystem diversity refers to the diversity of a place at
the level of ecosystems. This has 3 perspectives:
𝗈 Alpha Diversity: Within community diversity. Alpha
diversity refers to the diversity of organisms sharing the
same C ommunity /Habitat.
𝗈 Beta Diversity: Between community diversity. It refers to
the diversity of organisms sharing two habitat.
𝗈 Gamma Diversity: Diversity of the habitat over the total
landscape or geographical area is called gamma diversity
Temperate Rain forest Tropical rain forest

6. Species diversity:
𝗈 It refers to the variety of species with in a region.
𝗈 Species diversity is an index that in corporates
the number of species in an area and also their
relative abundance.
𝗈 It is generally a much more useful value than
species richness.

7. Genetic Diversity:
𝗈 It is a level of biodiversity that refers
to the total number of genetic
characteristics in the genetic make up
of a species.
𝗈 It is distinguished from genetic
variability, which describes the
tendency of genetic characteristics to
vary.

8. Values of Biodivesity
Food:
𝗈 About 80,000 edible plants and about 90% of present day food
crops have been domesticated from wild.
Drugs & Medicines:
𝗈 About 75% of world’s population depend on plants and
plants extracts.
Fuel:
𝗈 Forests have been used since ages for fuel wood. Fossil fuels
are also products of Biodiversity.
Social Value:
𝗈 Many of the plants like Tulsi, Lotus, Peepal etc are
considered holy and sacred.
𝗈 About 2.1 million species have been identified till date, while
many more species are believed to exist.
𝗈

9. Hot-spots of Biodiversity
𝗈 A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeography region with a
significant reservoir of biodiversity that is threatened
with destruction.
𝗈 An area is designated as a hotspot when it contains atleast
0.5% of plant species as endemic.
𝗈 There are 25 such hotspots of biodiversity on a global
level.
𝗈 These hotspots covering less than2% of the world’s land
area are found to have about 50% of the terrestrial
biodiversity

10. Criteria for determining hot-spots:
𝗈
𝗈
𝗈
𝗈
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No. of Endemic Species i.e. the species which are found no
where else.
Degree of threat, which is measured in terms of Habitat loss.
Indo-Burma (Eastern Himalayas) Hotspot:
The hotspot includes all of Cambodia, Vietnam & Laos, and
nearly the entire areas of Thailand, Myanmar & Bhutan as
well as part of Nepal, far eastern India and extreme southern
China
In addition, it covers several off shore Island including Main
an Islands in the south China Sea and And adoman & Nicobar
Islands in Indian Ocean.
Indo Burma is one of the most threatened biodiversity
hotspots, due to the rate of resource exploitation and habitat
loss.

11. Threats to Biodiversity
𝗈 Extinction is a natural event and, from a geological
perspective, routine.
𝗈 In last century, human impact has been so severe that
thousands of species and varieties are becoming extinct
annually.
𝗈 Some of the main causes are:
Habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation:
𝗈 Habitat loss & degradation are major causes of species
extinction, affecting 89% of all threatened birds, 83% of
mammals & 91% of all threatened plants assessed
globally(IUCN,2000)
𝗈 The main causes of habitat are agriculture activities,
Mining, development of human settlement, industry etc.

12. Poaching of Wildlife:
𝗈 Poaching is another threat that has emerged in
recent decades as one of the primary reason for
decline in number of species.
𝗈 Wildlife is sold and traded in many countries for
live specimens, folk medicines, furs, Skin, and
other products such as Ivory, horns etc
amounting to millions of dollars.
Man –wildlife conflicts:
𝗈 The conflict between man and wildlife started
with the evolution of man, but intensity increased
due to the activities of modern man
𝗈 Due to the lack of stable food and disruption of
movement, wild animals came out of forest area
and attack the agricultural field and humans and
in turn got killed by the humans.

13. 𝗈 According to The International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN), the species that considered in imminent danger of
extinction and whose survival is unlikely, if factors causing their decline
continue to operate.
Indian subcontinent has about 62% endemic flora, restricted mainly to
Himalayas, khasi Hills & Western Ghats.
A large number out of a total of 81,000 species of animals in our country is
endemic. About 62% amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic to western
Ghats.
Endangered Species:

14. CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY:-
Conservation refers to management of human activities in the environment. So, that it does not
lead to habitual destruction and loss of biodiversity.
• To preserve and protect the species of their habitat.
• To maintain essential ecological process. So that there is no ecological imbalance created.
• To use the species and ecosystem sustainably without exploiting them.
• The creation of natural parks, sanctuaries biosphere reverses etc., to preserve flora and
fauna.
• Conservation of genetic biodiversity by establishing zoo’s botanical gardens, nurseries etc.,
• Proper planning of land use and other natural resources affecting the biodiversity.
• By prohibiting of hunting, poaching of animals, fishing etc., beyond the productive capacity of
ecosystem.

15. THERE ARE TWO APPROACHES OF BIODIVERSITY
CONSERVATION:-
• In-situ conservation[With in habitat]:-
•This is achieved by protection of wild flora and fauna in nature itself.
Example:- biosphere reserves, national parks, sanctuaries reserve forest.
• Ex-situ conservation[outside habitats] :-
• This is done by establishing of gene banks, seed banks, zoo, botanical gardens,
culture correction etc.,

17. IN-SITU CONSERVATION
1. NATIONAL PARKS:
• A national park is an area which is strictly reserved for the
betterment of the wildlife and where activities like forestry,
grazing on cultivation are not permitted. In these parks,
even private ownership rights are not allowed.
• Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed. They
are usually small reserves spreading in an area of 100 Sq.
km. to 500 sq. km. In national parks, the emphasis is on the
preservation of a single plant or animal species.

18. IN-SITU CONSERVATION
2. WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES:
• A sanctuary is a protected area which is reserved for the
conservation of only animals and human activities like
harvesting of timber, collecting minor forest products and
private ownership rights are allowed as long as they do not
interfere with well-being of animals.
• Boundaries of sanctuaries are not well defined and
controlled biotic interference is permitted, e.g., tourist
activity.

19. IN-SITU CONSERVATION
3. BIOSPHERE RESERVES:
• It is a special category of protected areas where human
population also forms a part of the system. They are large
protected area of usually more than 5000 sq.km.
• A biosphere reserves has 3 parts-
Core,
Buffer
Transition zone.

20. IN-SITU CONSERVATION
4. SCARED FOREST AREAS:
• India and Africa has a history of religious/cultural traditions that
emphasized protection of nature.
• In many cultures, tracts of forest were set aside, and all the trees and
wildlife within were venerated and given total protection.
• Such sacred groves are found in Khasi and Jaintia Hills in
Meghalaya, Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan, Western Ghat regions of
Karnataka and Maharashtra and the Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar
areas of Madhya Pradesh.
• In Meghalaya, the sacred groves are the last refuges for a large number
of rare and threatened plants.

21. EX-SITU CONSERVATION
1. SEED GENE BANK:
• These are cold storages where seeds are kept under
controlled temperature and humidity for storage and this is
easiest way to store the germ plasma of plants at low
temperature. Seeds preserved under controlled conditions
(minus temperature) remain viable for long durations of
time.

22. EX-SITU CONSERVATION
2. GENE BANK:
• Genetic variability also is preserved by gene bank under
normal growing conditions. These are cold storages where
germ are kept under controlled temperature and humidity
for storage; this is an important way of preserving the
genetic resources.

23. EX-SITU CONSERVATION
3. TISSUE CULTURE BANK:
• Cryopreservation of disease free meristems is very helpful.
Long term culture of excised roots and shoots are
maintained. Meristem culture is very popular in plant
propagation as it’s a virus and disease free method of
multiplication.

24. EX-SITU CONSERVATION
4. BOTANICAL GARDENS:
• A botanical garden is a place where flowers, fruits and
vegetables are grown. The botanical gardens provide beauty
and calm environment. Most of them have started keeping
exotic plants for educational and research purposes.

25. EX-SITU CONSERVATION
5. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS:
• In zoos wild animals are maintained in captivity and conservation of
wild animals (rare, endangered species). The oldest zoo, the
Schonbrum zoo which exists today also, was established in VIENNA in
1759.
• In world there are about 800 zoos. Such zoos have about 3000 species
of vertebrates. Some zoos have undertaken captive breeding
programmes.

26. Why should we protect biodiversity?
Reasons to protect Biodiversity
1. Medicinal
2. Agricultural
3. Commercial
4. Ecological
5. Ethical/Aesthetic
𝗈 Medicinal: 40% of modern medicines come from
plants/animals/fungi, 95% of known plant species
have never been tested for medicinal value

27. 𝗈
Why Biodiversity is Important?
The natural environment is the source of all our resources for life.
Environmental processes provide a wealth of services to the living world —
providing us with air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat, as well as
materials to use in our daily lives and natural beauty to enjoy.
Complex ecosystems with a wide variety of plants and animals tend to be
more stable. A highly diverse ecosystem is a sign of a healthy system. Since all the
living world relies on the natural environment, especially us, it is in our best
interests and the interests of future generations to conserve biodiversity and our
resources. The benefits and services provided by ecosystems include:
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Generation of soils
Maintenance of soil quality
Maintenance of air quality
Maintenance of water quality
Pest control
Detoxification and decomposition of wastes
Pollination
Crop production
Climate stabilization
Prevention and mitigation of natural disasters
Provision of food security
Provision of health care – medicines
Income generation
Spiritual and cultural value

28. Habitat Protection:
To protect ocean biodiversity, fishing must be made sustainable and by-
catch reduced. Forests must be preserved in adequate size to support the
range of resident species. Fresh water must be conserved to preserve river,
lake and wetlands habitats.
Promoting Genetic Biodiversity:
A report from a Nature magazine also explains that genetic diversity helps
to prevent the chances of extinction in the wild (and claims to have shown
proof of this).
Prevention Of Pollution:
pollution must be strictly controlled and eliminated wherever possible.
Dealing with Climatic Change:
greenhouse gas emissions must be brought down to sustainable levels.

29. T H a N K Y O U … !