This presentation discusses biodiversity in India. It begins by defining biodiversity as the variety of life on Earth, including genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. India is considered a megadiversity nation with high numbers of endemic species. Biodiversity provides both direct value through resources and indirect value through ecosystem services. However, biodiversity in India faces threats from habitat loss, poaching, and other human activities. Conservation efforts focus on both in-situ methods within protected areas as well as ex-situ methods like zoos and seed banks. Key biodiversity hotspots in India are the Indo-Burma and Western Ghats regions.

1. PRESENTATION
BY:
Ms.PRIYANKA WANDHE

2. BIODIVERSITY
 Biodiversity is the variety and difference among living organisms
from all sources, including terrestrial, marine, and other
ecosystem and the ecological complexes.
 Biologists most often define "biodiversity” as the "totality of
genes, species, and ecosystems of a region".
 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.

3. LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY
GENETIC SPECIES ECOSYSTEM
 It refers to the total
number of genetic
characteristics in the
genetic make up of a
species.
 Diversity of genes
within a species
increases its ability to
adapt to diseases,
pollution and other
environment changes.
 Destruction in
varieties of species,
diminishes the genetic
diversity.
 It refers to the variety
of species within a
region.
 Species diversity is an
index that incorporates
the number of species in
an area and also the
irrelative abundance.
 More species diversity
means more biological
wealth.
 It refers to the variety
of ecosystems in a
particular zone. eg-forests,
desserts etc.
 It has 3 perspectives:
Alpha Diversity :Within
community. Refers to the
diversity of organisms
sharing the same Habitat.
Beta Diversity: Between
community, organisms
sharing two habitat.
Gamma Diversity:
Diversity of the habit at
over the total
geographical area

4. BIO-GEOGRAPHIC
CLASSIFICATION OF INDIA
 Biogeography deals with the distribution of Communities of plants
and animals in different geographical areas of the world. Biogeography
is divided into branches:
 Phyto -geography deals with origin, distribution and environmental
interrelationships of plants.
 Zoo-geography deals with the migration and distribution of animals.
 From the stand point of biodiversity, India is given the status of a
“Mega-diversity” zone. CISSP There are 10 biogeographic zones witch
are distinguished clearly in India. They are as follows—
Trans Himalayan zone.
Himalayan zone.
Desert zone.
Semiarid zone.
Western ghat zone.
Deccan plateau zone.
Gangetic plain zone.
North east zone.
Coastal zone.
Islands present near the shore line.

5. VALUE OF DIVERSITY

6. VALUE OF DIVERSITY
Direct values Indirect values
 The direct value include
food resources like grains,
vegetables, fruits which are
obtained from plant resources
and meat, fish, egg, milk and
milk products from animal
resources. These also include
other values like medicine,
fuel, timber, fiber, wool, wax,
resin, rubber, silk and
decorative items.
 Biodiversity provides
indirect benefits to human
beings which support the
existence of biological life
and other benefits which are
difficult to quantify. These
include social and cultural
values, ethical values,
aesthetic values, option values
and environment service
values.

7. Direct values
 Consumptive use value: These are the direct use values where
the biodiversity products can be harvested and consumed directly.
Example: Food, fuel and drugs. These goods are consumed locally
and do no figure in national and international market.
 Productive use values: These are the direct use values where the
product is commercially sold in national and international market.
Many industries are dependent upon these values. Example-
Textile, leather, silk, paper and pulp industry etc. Although there
is an international ban on trade of products from endangered
species like tusks of elephants, wool from sheep, fur of many
animals etc. These are traded in market and fetch a booming
business.

8. Indirect values
 Social and cultural value: Many plants and animals are considered
holy and sacred in India and are worshipped like Tulsi, peepal,
cow, snake etc. In Indian society great cultural value is given to
forest and as such tiger, peacock and lotus are named as the
national animal, bird and flower respectively.
 Ethical: These values are related to conservation of biodiversity
where ethical issue of ‘all life forms must be preserved’ is laid
down. All species have a moral right to exist independent.
 Aesthetic value: Natural landscapes at are a delight to watch and
also provide opportunities for recreational activities like bird
watching, photography etc. It promotes eco-tourism which further
generates revenue by designing of zoological, botanical gardens,
national parks, wild life conservation etc.
 Environment service values: The most important benefit of
biodiversity is maintenance of environment services which
includes, photosynthesis, maintaining the essential nutrients like C,
O, N, P etc, soil formation, decomposition of wastes.

9. INDIA-MEGADIVERSITY
NATION
 About 2.1 million species have been identified till date, while
many more species are believed to exist.
 The worlds major biodiversity is in south countries in its tropical
forests having 50-150 trees/hectare. It consists at least half of the
worlds living species.
 According to UNEP (united nations environment programme)
estimate, approximately 9.0–52 million of species exist on earth.
 India’s position is 10th in the world & 4th in Asia in terms of Plant
diversity.

10. THREATS-BIODIVERSITY LOSS
 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.
 The main causes of habitat are agriculture activities ,Mining,
development to human settlement ,industry etc.
 According to UNEP report, more than 50% of wild life habitat
has been destroyed in 49 out of 61 old world tropical countries.
 In last century, human impact has been so severe that thousands
of species and varieties are becoming extinct annually.

11. POACHING OF WILDLIFE
 Poaching is an unlawful practice in which
an animal is hunted illegally mainly
for commercial reasons.
 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.
 The country loses on its natural wealth
and property and at the same time,
ecological balance receives major
setbacks.

12. HOTSPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY
 A biodiversity hotspot is a bio geographic region with a
significant reservoir of biodiversity that is threatened with
destruction.
 An area is designated as a hotspot when it contains at least 0.5%
of plant species as endemic.
 There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level due
to resource exploitation and habitat loss, out of which two are
present in India.
1. Indo-Burma (earlier The Eastern Himalayas)
2. The western Ghats & SriLanka..
 It also include all of Cambodia,Vietnam &Laos, and nearly the
entire areas of Thailand, Myanmar & Bhutanas part of Nepal, far
eastern India and extreme southern China. It covers several off
shore Islands including Island in the south China Sea and
Andaman & Nicobar Islands in Indian Ocean..

13. MAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS
 The conflict between man and wildlife started with the evolution of
man, but intensity increased due to the activities of modern man.
 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.
 The instances of man-animal interface have grown in recent years in
Orissa, in respect of wild elephants and bear. There are cases of
human kill, human injury, cattle kill, house damage & crop damage
by wild animals; and also retaliatory killing of wild animals.
 During the period of ten years from 1994-95 to 2003-04, a total of
3425 instances of depredation have been recorded (excluding the
cases of crop damage), on the basis of compassionate payment made
to the victims, out of which 2888 cases were due to elephants (84%),
358 cases due to bears (10.45%), 69 cases due to tigers (2.01%), 67
cases due to crocodiles (1.95%) & 43 cases due to leopard (1.25%).

14. ENDANGERED SPECIES
 Out of about 47,000 species of plants in our country, 7000 are
endemic
 India contains 172 species of animals considered globally
threatened by IUCN ,or 2.9% of the world’s total number of
threatened species.
 These include 53 species of mammals, 69birds, 23 reptiles and 3
amphibians, 3000-4,000higher plants may be under high degree
of threat in India
 Thus Indian subcontinent has about 62% endemic flora, restricted
mainly to Himalayas ,khasi Hills & Western Ghats.
 Golden monkey, Niligiri Langur, Indian Wolf, Red Fox,
Himalayan Brown Bear, Great Indian One Horned Rhinoceros,
White Winged Wood Duck, Black Necked Crane, Indian Pea
Fowl, Gharial, Indian egg eating Snake, Indian Salamander etc.
are some examples of endemic animal species of India.

15. BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
 Conservation is defined as “ the management of human use of
the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit
to the present generation while maintaining its potential to meet
the needs and aspirations of the future generations”.
 The two basic approaches to wildlife conservation in protected
habitats are:
1) In-situ conservation
2) Ex-situ conservation.

16. IN SITU EX SITU
 Conservation of species in its
natural ecosystem or even in man
made ecosystems called as “protected
areas”.
 There are different categories of
protected areas managed with
different objectives. These include;
Biosphere reserves, National parks,
Wild Life Sanctuaries etc.
 Presently we have 11 major
biosphere reserves, 80 National parks,
420 wildlife sanctuaries in our country
covering 4% of the geographic area.
 Egs:- Nilgiri-5,520 sq.kms, Ghana
Bird sanctuaries, Gir National Park-
Gujarat
 Conservation of component of
biological diversity (Sample of
genetic diversity, particularly of
endangered species) outside their
natural habitats.
 It maintains breeding of
endangered plant and animal species
under controlled conditions. E.g.
Zoos, Botanical Gardens, Aquaria,
Nurseries, DNA bank, Seed bank,
Gene bank etc.
 There are more than 1500 Botanical
gardens in the world having more
than 80,000 species, more than 800
zoos having 3,000 species of
mammals, birds, reptiles &
amphibians, many gene banks;
National Bureau of Plant genetic
Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi.

17. THANK-YOU!!!!