Biodiversity for various competative exams

biodiversity

1. Biodiversity Points of Discussion • Biodiversity basics • Biodiversity Hotspots • Mega Diverse Countries • Convention on Biological Diversity • Cartagena Protocol, Nagoya Protocol, Aichi Targets • Environment Protection Act 1986 • National Biodiversity Act 2002 • Wildlife Protection Act 1972

2. Biodiversity means the diversity of life in all its forms; the diversity of species, genetic variations within one species, and diversity between ecosystems UN Earth Summit 1992 defined biodiversity as ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems

3. Levels of Biodiversity Biodiversity can be broadly classified into 3 types - • Genetic diversity- diversity within species • Species diversity- a variety of species within a habitat or region • Ecological diversity- variation in the ecosystems found in a region or the variation in ecosystems over the whole planet. Note: Biodiversity on earth is highest in tropics or low latitudes and lowest on poles.

4. Measurement of Biodiversity Biodiversity can be measured through 2 major components • Species Richness It is the measure of number of species found in a community It could further be divided into 3 levels ➢ Alpha diversity – It refers to the diversity within a particular area or ecosystem. It is generally measured by the number of species in that ecosystem. ➢ Beta diversity - It is a comparison of diversity between ecosystems. It is measured by the change in amount of species between the ecosystems. ➢ Gamma diversity - It is a measure of the overall diversity for the different ecosystems within a region. • Species evenness It reflects the proportion of species at a given site . For ex: A low value of species evenness indicates that a few species dominate the site.

5. Biodiversity Hotspots The term ‘hot spot’ was introduced by N. Myers in 1988 for those geographical regions particularly rich in ‘endemic’, ‘rare’ and ‘threatened’ species found in relatively small areas but facing significant threats to habitat loss. Presently, there are 36 areas across the globe that qualify as hotspots. They represent 2.4% of the Earth’s land surface but support more than half of the world’s plant species as endemics — and nearly 43% of bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species as endemics. For any area to qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, the following two criteria’s must be met: • The area must contain at least 1,500 species of endemic vascular plants. • The area must have lost at least 70 per cent of its primary native vegetation

6. The map shows 34 biodiversity hotspots which cover 2.3% of the Earth's land surface, yet more than 50% of the world’s plant species and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrate species are endemic to these areas (Conservation International). These are the areas which are suffering biodiversity loss and where attention is needed There are 4 biodiversity hot spots present in India . They are: • The Eastern Himalayas [Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan, Eastern Nepal] • Indo-Burma and [ Purvanchal Hills, Arakan Yoma , Eastern Bangladesh] • The Western Ghats and Sri Lanka • Sundalands : Includes Nicobar group of Islands (and Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines).

7. Biodiversity Conservation Conservation of biodiversity is very important. There are two modes of biodiversity conservation – • Ex-Situ conservation where the conservation takes place outside the natural habitats of the species. For example Zoological Parks, Gene Banks, Botanical gardens etc. • In-Situ conservation where conservation takes place in the natural environment like National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries etc. IUCN Red Data book keeps track of the species which are facing imminent danger. It assigns different codes based on the threat perception.

8. Mega Diverse Countries • Megadiversity Countries is a term used to refer to the world’s top biodiversity-rich countries. • This country-focused method raises national awareness for biodiversity conservation in nations with high biological diversity, with many species unique to a specific country. Criteria The principle criterion is endemism, first at the species level and then at higher taxonomic levels such as genus and family. To qualify as a Megadiverse Country, a country must: • Have at least 5000 of the world’s plants as endemics. • Have marine ecosystems within its borders.

9. Biodiversity Conservation Efforts Global Efforts Efforts in India for biodiversity conservation

10. Protected areas of India • These are defined according to the guidelines prescribed by IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature). There are mainly four types of protected areas which are- (a) National Park (b) Wildlife Sanctuaries (c) Conservation reserves (d) Community reserves

11. National Park • Classified as IUCN category II • Any area notified by state govt to be constituted as a National Park • There are 104 national parks in India. • First national park in India- Jim Corbett National Park (previously known as Hailey National Park) • No human activity/ rights allowed except for the ones permitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state. • It covered 1.23 Percent geographical area of India • Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of National Park, i.e. 10 • Largest National Park in India- Hemi National Park (J&K) • Latest entry: Kuno National Park (MP)- Dec 2018

12. (b) Wildlife Sanctuarie s • Classified as IUCN category II • Any area notified by state govt to be constituted as a wildlife sanctuary. • Certain rights are available to the people. Example- grazing etc. • There are 543 wildlife sanctuaries in India. • It covered 3.62 Percent geographical area of India (c) Conservation reserves • These categories added in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002. • Buffer zones between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India. • Uninhabited and completely owned by the Government. • It covered 0.08 Percent geographical area of India (d) Community reserves • These categories added in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002. • Buffer zones between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India. • They are used for subsistence by communities and community areas because part of the land is privately owned. • It covered 0.002 Percent geographical area of India