Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth and can be observed at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. The main threats to biodiversity are habitat loss, climate change, overexploitation, invasive species, and pollution. Some actions that can help address these threats include educating others, reducing pollution and energy use, sustainable practices, protecting habitats, and preventing invasive species spread. A case study from Kokkare Bellure, India shows how local people have protected endangered birds that bring benefits, demonstrating coexistence of humans and wildlife. All species have a right to survive on Earth.

1. Made By:
k.manikanth

2. BIODIVERSITY
• The word biodiversity is used to explain the
variety of life on Earth, and is considered at
different levels of biological organization
including genes, species and ecosystems.
• Biological diversity deals with the degree of
nature’s variety in the biosphere. This variety can
be observed at three levels; the genetic variability
within a species, the variety of species within a
community, and the organization of species in an
area into distinctive plant and animal
communities constitutes ecosystem diversity.
Ref: www.yourarticlelibrary.com

3. THE MAIN THREATS TO BIODIVESITY

4. HABITAT LOSS
• Habitat loss occurs when natural environments are
transformed or modified to serve human needs. It is
the most significant cause of biodiversity loss
globally.
• Habitat loss can also cause fragmentation, which
occurs when parts of a habitat (the local environment
in which an organism is usually found) become
separated from one another because of changes in a
landscape, such as the construction of roads.
• Fragmentation makes it difficult for species to move
within a habitat, and poses a major challenge for
species requiring large tracts of land such as the
African forest elephants living in the Congo basin.
Ref: www.earthfirstjournal.org
Ref: www.paryavaran.org

5. WHAT CAN WE DO
• Learn more about the natural habitats in your area, and help to educate others
about their importance.
• Help reduce pollution that can damage wildlife and habitat.
• By using proactive shoreline and streamside development techniques, you may be
able to simultaneously preserve habitat and reduce erosion and flood damage.
• Preserve existing wetland and salt marsh vegetation on your property, as it
provides valuable habitat for birds, fish, amphibians and mammals.
• Help to prevent the spread of invasive species in natural habitats.

6. CLIMATE CHANGE
• Climate change, which is caused by a build-up of
greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the Earth’s
atmosphere, is a growing threat to biodiversity.
• Climate change alters the climate patterns and
ecosystems in which species have evolved and on
which they depend.
• By changing the temperature and rain patterns species
have become accustomed to, climate change is
changing the traditional ranges of species.
• Biodiversity in the polar regions and mountain ranges
is especially vulnerable to climate change.
Ref: www.pinterest.com

7. WHAT CAN WE DO
• Buy energy efficient products.
• Conserve energy at home and at work.
• Plant trees.
• Reduce, reuse and recycle.
• Make wise transportation choices (Like riding a bicycle instead of driving in a
car)

8. OVEREXPLOITATION
Overexploitation, or unsustainable use, happens when
biodiversity is removed faster than it can be replenished and, over
the long term, can result in the extinction of species. For
example:
• the once-plentiful cod fishery off the coast of Newfoundland,
Canada has all but disappeared because of overfishing;
• freshwater snakes in Cambodia are declining from hunting
pressure;
• Encephalartos brevifoliolatus, a cycad, is now extinct in the
wild after being overharvested for use in horticulture;
• Overexploitation, especially when combined with destructive
harvesting practices, is a major
• cause of biodiversity loss in certain ecosystems.
Ref: www.duettocartoons.com
Ref: www.cartoonstock.com

9. WHAT CAN WE DO
• ADVERTISEMENT CAMPAIGNS
• COMMUNITY & GOVERNMENT GROUPS
• POLICIES/LEGISLATIONS
• NATIONAL PARKS

10. INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES
• Invasive alien species (IAS), or species that have
spread outside of their natural habitat and threaten
biodiversity in their new area, are a major cause of
biodiversity loss.
• These species are harmful to native biodiversity in a
no. of ways, for example as predators, parasites,
vectors (or carriers) of disease or direct competitors
for habitat and food.
• IAS may also cause economic or environmental
damage, or adversely affect human health.
• Some of the main vectors (carriers) for IAS are
trade, transport, travel or tourism, which have all
increased hugely in recent years.
Ref: www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov
Ref: www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov

11. WHAT CAN WE DO
• Serving as a lead partner in the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species, a
national partnership that provides a scientific voice on invasive species policy.
• Establishing and strengthening federal policy restricting the importation of potentially
damaging plant and animal species.
• Advocating for new legislation to require treatment of ballast water in ocean-going vessels, a
primary introduction pathway for damaging aquatic invasive species.
• Advocating for robust restoration funding in the Great Lakes and other major ecosystems to
repair the damage caused by existing invasive species.
• Leading the charge to prevent Asian carp from entering and decimating the Great Lakes.

12. POLLUTION
• The final driver of biodiversity loss
is pollution. Pollution, in particular
from nutrients, such as nitrogen and
phosphorus, is a growing threat on
both land and in aquatic ecosystems.
• Large-scale use of fertilizers has
allowed for the increased production
of food, it has also caused severe
environmental damage, such as
eutrophication.
Ref: www.dreamstime.com

13. WHAT CAN WE DO
• Making Sustainable Transportation Choices
• Making Sustainable Food Choices
• Making Sustainable Energy Choices
• Recycling, Reusing, and Reducing
• Keeping Chemicals Out of the Water Supply
• Getting Involved and Educating Others

14. CASE STUDY
Kokkare Bellure – Karnataka: Co-existence (Man and Wildlife) The pelican, which is an
endangered species breeds in large numbers at Kokkare Bellur which is one of the ten
known breeding sites in India. Kokkare Bellure is a village in Karnataka in Southern
India. In December every year, hundreds of spot billed pelicans, painted storks, ibis and
other birds migrate to this area to establish breeding colonies on the tall tamarind trees in
the center of the village. The local people have protected the birds, believing that they
bring good luck with regard to rain and crops. The villagers collect a rich supply of the
natural fertilizer that collects below the nests – the guano. The droppings of fish-eating
birds are rich in nitrates. The owners of the trees inhabited by the birds dig deep pits
under the trees, into which the guano falls. Silt from nearby lakes and ponds is mixed
with the guano which is used in their fields and sold as fertilizer. They have now planted
trees around their homes to encourage nesting

15. THE RIGHT OF SPECIES
We do not see all the varied functions that biodiversity plays in our
lives because they are not obvious. We rarely see how they are
controlling our environment unless we study nature. Thus we tend to
take short-term actions that can have serious impacts on biodiversity
leading to even extinction of species by disturbing their habitats. Man
has no right to do so. We only share this planet with millions of other
species that also have a right to survive on earth. It is morally wrong
to allow man’s actions to lead to the extinction of species.