Conserving Biodiversity

The worst thing that can happen is not energy depletion, economic collapse, limited nuclear war, or conquest by a totalitarian government. As terrible as these catastrophes would be for us, they can be repaired within a few generations. But millions of years will take to correct the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly that our descendents are least likely to forgive us.

Biodiversity is the variability of all living organisms including animal and plant species of the genes of all these organisms, and of the terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems of which they are part. It is virtually synonymous with “Life on earth”.
Biodiversity makes up the structure of the ecosystems and habitats that support essential living resources, including wildlife, fisheries and forests. It helps provide for basic human needs such as food, shelter, and medicine. It composes ecosystems that maintain oxygen in the air, enrich the soil, purify the water, protect against flood and storm damage and regulate climate. Biodiversity also has recreational, cultural, spiritual and aesthetic values.

Values of Biodiversity
1) Food: About 80,000 edible plants and about 90% of present day food crops have been domesticated from wild.
2) Drugs & Medicines: About 75% of world’s populations depend on plants or plant extracts.
3) Fuel: Forests have been used since ages for fuel wood. Fossil fuels are also products of Biodiversity.
4) Social Value: Many of the plants like Tulsi, Lotus, Peepal etc are considered holy and sacred.

Threats to Biodiversity

Extinction is a natural event and, from a geological perspective, routine. But human impact has been so severe that thousands of species and varieties are becoming extinct annually. But some of the main causes are:

Habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation:

1) 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
2) The main causes of habitat are agriculture activities, Mining, development of human settlement, industry etc.

Poaching of Wildlife:

1) Poaching is another threat that has emerged in recent decades as one of the primary reason for decline in number of species.
2) 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:

1) The conflict between man and wildlife started with the evolution of man, but intensity increased due to the activities of modern man
2) 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

Introduction of Exotic species:

1) Organisms introduced into habitats where they are not native are termed as exotics.
2) They can be thought of as Biological Pollutants and are considered to be among the most damaging agents of habitat alteration and degradation the world.

Climate change:

A changing global climate threatens species and ecosystems.

1) The distribution of species (biogeography) is largely determined by climate.
2) Climate change may simply shift these distributions but, for a number of reasons, plants and animals may not be able to adjust.

Conservation of Biodiversity

It is 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
a) It simply means conservation of species in its natural ecosystem or even in man made ecosystems.
b) This strategy emphasizes protection of total ecosystem through a network of protected area.
c) Protected Areas: an area of land and/or sea specially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and managed through legal effective means.
d) There are different categories of protected areas which are managed with different objectives. These include; Biosphere reserves, National parks, Wild Life Sanctuaries etc.

2) Ex- situ conservation
a) It is defined as the conservation of component of biological diversity (Sample of genetic diversity, particularly of endangered species) outside their natural habitats.
b) It involves maintenance and breeding of endangered plant and animal species under partially or wholly controlled conditions. E.g. Zoos, Botanical Gardens, Aquaria, Nurseries, DNA bank, Seed bank, Gene bank etc.

With warm regards
Pankaj Kumar