Biodiversity and its importance in environment

Biodiversity and its importance in environment

1. Dr. narayan panda Assistant Professor Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, India-751003 Environmental Studies and Disaster Management AC-213 (2+1) BIODIVERSITY

2. BIODIVERSITY

3. What is Biodiversity ? (Coined by Walter G. Rosen in 1986) Biodiversity , a contraction of "biological diversity," generally refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth. (Bio= Life + Diversity = Variety) It can be defined in terms of the variability within species, between species and between ecosystems. It is a measure of the variety organisms present in different  ecosystems. Richness : Expressed as the number of species found in a community Species Richness - This refers to the total count/number of species in a defined area. Species Abundance - This refers to the relative numbers among species. 2. Evenness : Proportions of species or functional groups present on a site.  The more equal species are in proportion to each other the greater the evenness of the site.  A site with low evenness indicates that a few species dominate the site.

4. Levels/Types of Biodiversity Three different types of biodiversity; Genetic variation/diversity (Intra-specific)- Variety in genetic makeup among individuals within a species Species variation/diversity (Inter-specific)- Variety among the species or distinct types of living organisms found in different habitats of the planet. E.g.T he Western Ghats has greater diversity of amphibian species than Eastern Ghats. If all the species have the same equal abundance, this means that the variation is high hence high diversity. Ecosystem variation (Community Specific)- Variety of forests, deserts, grasslands, streams, lakes, oceans, coral reefs, wetlands and other biological communities Functional Diversity : Biological and chemical processes of functions such as energy flow and matter cycling needed for the survival of species and biological communities. It includes many ecological interactions among species e.g. competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, etc as well as ecological processes such as nutrient retention and cycling.

5. Diversity at the level of community and ecosystem Alpha( α )Diversity :  richness and evenness of individuals within a habitat unit. -E xpressed by the number of species (i.e., species richness ) in that ecosystem. Beta ( β ) Diversity :   expression of diversity between habitats. -Usually measured as the amount of species change between the ecosystems. Gamma( γ ) Diversity :  landscape diversity or diversity of habitats within a landscape or region. A measure of the overall diversity within a large region. γ = α + β

6. IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY 1. Ethical and moral values 2. Aesthetic value -Leisure activities e.g. bird watching and nature trailing -Spotting activities e.g. spot hunting, spot fishing, diving and mushroom picking -Hearing, touching or just seeing wildlife -Enjoyment as seen in art and culture e.g. dolls and teddy bears. 3. Utilitarian values - Consumptive use value : providing products like food, fodder, fiber, shelter etc. necessary for domestic consumption. - Productive use value : Products that are harvested commercially such as timber, fish, medicinal plants etc. - Non-consumptive use value : services like tourism, scientific research etc. 4. Ecological values -Maintaining the CO 2 to O 2 balance -Regulation of biochemical cycles and flow of energy within different life forms -Absorption and breakdown of pollutants and waste materials -Climatic balance -Regulation of hydrological cycle -Stability in crop production -Ensuring sustenance of life on earth etc. 5. Sustainability in food production : Development of new varieties of plants and races of animals is essential to cope with the increased demand of food in a changing environment.

7. Biodiversity Hotspots Hotspot is a term used to define regions of high conservation priority combining high richness, high endemism and high threat. [ It is a bio-geographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans .] Criteria to be considered as biodiversity Hotspots. (Myers, 2000 edition of the hotspot-map) It must possess high numbers of vascular plants as endemics (at least 0.5% or 1500 species). 2. It have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation In the world there are 34 biodiversity hotspots . They represent just 2.3% of Earth’s land surface.

8. In India four global biodiversity hot spots namely (Biodiversity Report 2009, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change). - Eastern Himalaya, - Indo-Burma, - Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, - Sundaland Himalaya:  Includes the entire Indian Himalayan region (and that falling in Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar) Indo-Burma:  Includes entire North-eastern India, except Assam and Andaman group of Islands (and Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and southern China) Western Ghats and Sri Lanka:   Includes entire Western Ghats (and Sri Lanka) Sundalands :   Includes Nicobar group of Islands (and Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines)

9. Threats to Biodiversity Specific types of human actions that threatened biodiversity and ecosystems and causes to extinction of many species Causes: - Population growth and resource consumption, -Climate change and global warming, -Habitat conversion and urbanisation , -Habitat degradation and destruction For example uncontrolled ground fire might not kill the large tree species but greatly affects the ground flora and fauna. - Over-exploitation of natural resources and environmental degradation - Natural calamities : catastrophic events like flood, draught, cyclones, volcanoes, fire etc. causes severe biodiversity loss. - Poaching and Haunting : Organised poaching of animals for fur, food, bones horns etc. either for medicinal purposes, cultural taboos or illegal trade have driven many animals at the verge of extinction.

10. - Scientific Research : Plants and animals are often disturbed at/from their natural home for the sake of scientific research. - Institutional / policy failure - Other human activities : Some human activities indirectly responsible of loss of biodiversity includes Changing pattern of land use Shifting cultivation Over grazing Fishing Pet and illicit trade - -Invasive alien species , The introduction of non-native species into an ecosystem can threaten endemic wildlife (either as predators or competing for resources), affect human health and upset economies. e.g. Environmental damage caused and threat posed to our native species by invasive weed species like Parthenium , Lantana and water hyacinth ( Eicchornia ). The recent illegal introduction of the African catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ) for aquaculture purposes is posing a threat to the indigenous catfishes in our rivers. Domino Effect: The cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events.

11. Classification of Threatened Species The International Union of Conservation of Nation (IUCN) has classified the threatened species of wild life into 3 categories; 1. Endangered Species (E) 2. Vulnerable Species (V) 3. Rare Species (R) All these species comes under , 4. Threatened species (T). Endangered Species (E) These are the species whose populations have decreased or habitats have been reduced to the levels that pose immediate danger of extinction/disappearance. According to the  Red Data Book  of  International Union for Conservation of Nature  (IUCN), there are 47 critically endangered species in India

12. Fish Knifetooth sawfish  ( Anoxypristis cuspidata ) Asian arowana  ( Scleropages formosus ) Red line torpedo barb  ( Sahyadria denisonii ) Birds Narcondam hornbill  ( Rhyticero ) Reptiles Assam roofed turtle  ( Pangshura sylhetensis ) Mammals Asiatic lion  ( Panthera leo persica ) Bengal tiger  ( Panthera tigris tigris ) Blue whale  ( Balaenoptera musculus ) Banteng  ( Bos javanicus ) Central Kashmir vole  ( Alticola montosa ) Dhole  ( Cuon alpinus ) Fin whale  ( Balaenoptera physalus ) Fishing cat  ( Prionailurus viverrinus ) Animals Tiger Elephant Musk deer

13. 2. Vulnerable Species (V) An animal species that is likely to become endangered is called Vulnerable. A vulnerable animal species is often at risk due to loss of habitat or declining population. These are species whose populations have been seriously depleted and whose ultimate security is not assured. They are likely to move into the endangered category in near future. Cheetah Deer - Marsh Deer

14. Bird - Java Sparrow Butterfly - Apollo Butterfly Carp - Common Carp Black-footed Cat

15. 3. Rare Species (R) These are species with small populations in the world. They are confined to limited areas or are thinly distributed over a more wide area. They are not at present endangered and vulnerable but are at risk. Below is the list of seven most endangered species that you should see in India before they disappear: Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros. ... Nilgiri Tahr . ... Bengal Tigers. ... Asiatic Lion. ... Black Buck. ... Lion Tailed Macaque. ... Snow Leopard.

16. Biodiversity Conservation Conservation is the protection, preservation, management or restoration of wildlife and natural resources such as forests and water. Conservation can be broadly divided into 2 types; 1 . In situ: Conservations of habitats, species and ecosystems where they naturally occur is called in situ conservation. Here natural processes and interactions are conserved as well as the elements of biodiversity. Different categories of protected areas through which biodiversity can be conserved on the site (In-situ) are: Biosphere reserves National Parks  Wildlife Sanctuaries World heritage sites  Sacred groves/cultural landscape s

17. Advantages of In Situ Conservation The flora and fauna lives in natural habitats without human interference. The evolutionary process of the species is retained. It is less expensive and easy to manage. The interest of local people is also preserved. Ex Situ Conservation : The conservation of elements of biodiversity out of the context of their natural habitats is referred as ex situ conservation. E.g. -Zoos, -Botanical Parks, -Seed Banks/ Gene banks/Tissue Banks -Cryopreservation: The organism or its parts are stored in liquid nitrogen (-196 C). The metabolic processes of organism are suspended under low temperature which later used for research purposes Advantages of Ex-situ conservation: Useful for protection of a species whose population is declining. Endangered and threatened species are propagated/bred in controlled condition and then transferred to its natural environment with a minimum viable population. Useful for conducting research and scientific work of different species.

18. Agricultural Biodiversity Agricultural biodiversity  is a broad term that includes all components of biological diversity of relevance to food and  agriculture. All components of biological diversity that constitute the  agricultural  ecosystems, is named as agro-ecosystems. It is also known as agrobiodiversity and is a vital sub-set of biodiversity. Agricultural biodiversity is the outcome of the interactions among genetic resources , the environment and the management systems and practices used by farmers. This is the result of both natural selection and human inventive developed over millennia.

19. The following dimensions of agricultural biodiversity can be identified: 1) Genetic resources for food and agriculture : Plant genetic resources: including crops, wild plants harvested and managed for food, trees on farms, pasture and rangeland species, Animal genetic resources : including domesticated animals, wild animals hunted for food, wild and farmed fish and other aquatic organisms, Microbial and fungal genetic resources. These constitute the main units of production in agriculture, and include cultivated and domesticated species, managed wild plants and animals, as well as wild relatives of cultivated and domesticated species.

20. 2) Components of biodiversity that support ecosystem services  upon which agriculture is based. These include a diverse range of organisms that contribute, at various scales to,  inter alia , nutrient cycling, pest and disease regulation, pollination, pollution and sediment regulation, maintenance of the hydrological cycle, erosion control, and climate regulation and carbon sequestration. 3) Abiotic factors , such as local climatic and chemical factors and the physical structure and functioning of ecosystems, which have a determining effect on agricultural biodiversity.

21. 4) Socio-economic and cultural dimensions . Agricultural biodiversity is largely shaped and maintained by human activities and management practices, and a large number of people depend on agricultural biodiversity for sustainable livelihoods. These dimensions include traditional and local knowledge of agricultural biodiversity, cultural factors and participatory processes, as well as tourism associated with agricultural landscapes. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA): State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs): Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs): Other laws and policies strengthening the conservation of biodiversity are Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act (2006) Forest conservation Act -1980 Indian Forest Act, 1927 Wild life Protection Act, 1971 The Forest Policy of 1988 and Joint Forest Management (JFM)

22. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES )