UNIT-2 Biodiversity and Conservation.pdf

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2. “Biodiversity isthevariationamongliving
organismsfromdifferent sourcesincluding
terrestrial,marineanddesertecosystems, andthe
ecologicalcomplexesofwhich theyareapart.”
Thetotalnumberofdifferentspecies/rangeof
communitieslivinginadefinedarea,ecosystemorbiome.
Hugeinterdependencebetweenspeciesandbiodiversityis
essentialtomaintainecologicalbalanceandstability.

3. LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY

4. Speciesdiversity
Speciesdiversityreferstothevarietyofdifferenttypesofspeciesfoundinaparticulararea.Itis
thebiodiversityatthemostbasiclevel.Itincludesallthespeciesrangingfromplantstodifferent
microorganisms.
Notwoindividualsofthesamespeciesareexactlysimilar.Forexample,humansshowalotof
diversityamongthemselves.
Geneticdiversity
Itreferstothevariationsamongthegeneticresourcesoftheorganisms.Everyindividualofa
particularspeciesdiffersfromeachotherintheirgeneticconstitution.Thatiswhyeveryhuman
looksdifferentfromeachother.Similarly,therearedifferentvarietiesinthesamespeciesofrice,
wheat,maize,barley,etc.
Ecologicaldiversity
Anecosystemisacollectionoflivingandnon-livingorganismsandtheirinteractionwitheach
other.Ecologicalbiodiversityreferstothevariationsintheplantandanimalspeciesliving
togetherandconnectedbyfoodchainsandfoodwebs.
Itisthediversityobservedamongthedifferentecosystemsinaregion.Diversityindifferent
ecosystemslikedeserts,rainforests,mangroves,etc.,includeecologicaldiversity.

6. WILD EDIBLES

7. FUELWOOD

8. MEDICINAL PLANTS

9. EXISTENCE/CULTURAL VALUES

10. INFORMATION VALUES

11. AESTHETIC VALUES

18. •Largedistinctiveunitsof
relativelyhomogeneous
Ecology, biome
representation, and
community&species
composition
•Indiahas10Bio-
geographicregions,which
areagainsubdividedinto24
Bioticprovinces
BIO-GEOGRAPHIC ZONES/REGIONS OF
INDIA

19. Bio-geographic Zones/Regions of India

20. Biogeographic Zones of India Biotic Provinces
1. 1. Trans Himalayan 1A Tibetan
2. 2. The Himalayan 2A North-West Himalaya
2B West Himalaya
2C Central Himalaya
3. 2D East Himalaya
3. Desert 3A Kutch
4. 3B Thar
4. Semi arid 4A Punjab
4B Gujarat- Rajwara
5. 5. Western Ghats 5A Malabar Coast
5B Western Ghat Mountains
6. 6. Deccan Peninsula 6A Deccan Plateau South
6B Central Plateau
6C Eastern Plateau
6D Chhota Nagpur
7. 7. Gangetic Plain 7A Upper Gangetic plain
7B Lower Gangetic Plain
8. 8. Coasts 8A West Coast
8B East Coast
9. 9. Northeast India 9A Brahmaputra Valley
9B Assam Hills
10. Islands 10A Andaman
10B Nicobar
10C Lakshadweep

21. 1. Trans Himalaya

22. Wild yak
Estimated 186,200
km
2
within India
(far more extended
outside India)
Covers Lahul-
Spitidistricts of
H.P. & Ladakh
Vegetation -sparse
(alpine steppe;
level plain
grasslands, devoid
of forests
especially in
Russia and Siberia)

23. Himalayan marmot

24. Black necked crane
•Bird -black necked Crane
(Lakes & Marshes)

25. 2. Himalayan

26. ImportantintermsofNaturalResourcesalthoughitoccupiesonly7%ofthe
surfaceareaofthecountry
PopulationofIndo-GangeticplainaredependentonHimalayanwaters
HimalayanEnvironmentExtremelyFragileduetothesteepslopes,
unconsolidatedsoilsandintenseseasonalrainfall
VegetationvariesfromTropicalrainforesttoAlpinemeadowsandscrubsdueto
variationinClimateandGeology
Oneoftherichestareasinhabitats&speciesdiversity

27. Takin

28. Gibbon

31. 3. The Indian Desert
•TheThardesertofwesternIndian&easternPakistanisof
relativelyrecentformation.
•Biogeographically,itistheeastwardextensionoftheSahara-
ArabiandesertsystemwhichspreadsthroughIran,
AfghanistanandBaluchistantotheTharareaontheIndia-
Pakistanborder.
•Annualrainfallinthisdesertislessthan400mm(mostofthe
rainfalloccurduringrainymonths).
•Livestockdensityisfargreaterthanthelandcansupport
makingthedesertconditionmoreharsh.
•SaltflatsofKutcharedifferentfromthetypicaldesert
conditions.
•Saltmarshes,islandsinKutcharea,sanddunes,andsouthern
hillsallprovidevarietytothedesertenvironment
•Forestscomprisebushythornyplantse.g.Acacianilotica,
Prosopiocineraria,Salvadoraoleoides&Tecomellaspp.

34. Whyflamingosfavourthisparticularpart
oftheRann?
•Thepeculiarconditionsofthissalinedesert,
inundatedbyrainstoformashallow,salty
lagoon,makeconditionsidealforthemto
breed,usuallyinSeptember-October.
•Successfulnestingisessentiallya
consequenceofthedynamicflowofwater.
•Aninfluxoffreshwaterthatflowsinfrom
theLuniriverinRajasthanandalsofrom
northGujarat,mingleswiththesalinewater
providingarichflowofnutrientsinwhich
microorganisms,crustaceans,algaeandfish
thrive—makingaperfectmeal,andbreeding
ground,forflamingos,rosypelicans,avocets
andahostofotherbirds.

35. 4. Semi-Arid

36. •Occupies15%areaofIndia,mostproductiveagriculturalareasofPunjab&
Haryana
•Endemisminbothplant&animalinlowe.g.AsiaticLion,whichisrestricted
toGirNationalForestReserveinthisZone.

37. Black buck
Nilgai

40. 5. Western Ghats
•Thiszoneextendsfrom
Kanyakumariinsouthtothehills
southoftheTaptiriverinnorth.
•Theghatscanrisefromsealevelto
2,700melevation
•1800endemicspeciesconstitutes
2/3
rd
ofendemicspeciesofhigh
plants
•Moistevergreenforests;ofthe4000
spp,3000occurinthemoist
evergreenforests&about850in
moistdeciduousforests
•Rainfallinheavy,>2000mmin
mostoftheareas,butcanexceed
5000mminsomeareas
•Hillslopeshavinggoodsoils,forests
havebeenreplacedbytea,Coffee,
Cocoa,rubber,cardamom,chincona
•Thesubtropicalforestcommonly
knownas“Sholas”occurinPalni,
Anaimalai&Nilgiris,usuallyatan
altitudeof1800m.

41. SHOLA FORESTS
ThehillforestsarelocallyknownasSholas.Theterm‘shola’isacorruptformof
theTamilword‘cholai’borrowedandincorporatedintoforesttypology.InTamilthe
term‘cholai’(Malayalam:‘chola’)referstoacoldplace,athicketetc.

42. •LinkagesofbiogeographicinteresttoHimalaya(e.g.
tahr),North-eastIndia&toSriLanka.
•Sp.&Sp.groupsrestrictedtoGhatsare;
oPrimates;NilgiriLangur,Liontailedmacaque
oSquirrels;thegrizzledgiantsquirrel
oCarnivores;Malabarcivet,rustyspottedcat
oUngulates;Nigiritahr(awildgoat)&Hornbills
o
•TheMalabargreyhornbillisagoodindicatorofhealthy
&maturedeciduousforestalongwesternGhats.
•Someotherspeciesofconservationalsignificanceare;
tiger,leopard,dhole,slothbear,Indianelephant&gaur
(althoughtheyoccurinotherzonesalso)

46. 6. Deccan Peninsula
•Covers43% ofIndian
subcontinent.
•ForestsareconservedinM.P.,
Maharashtra&Orissaofthisarea,
otherareasaredisturbed(don’t
havegoodforests).
•Deccanhighlandsconstitutethe
catchmentareasofimportantrivers
ofsouthIndialikeNarmada,Tapti,
Mahanadi&Godavari.
•Hasmostlydeciduousforests,thorn
forestsanddegradedshrublands.
•Evergreenforestsonlyinsmall
areas.
•Sal(Shorearobusta)&Teak
(Tectonagrandis)forests;premier
timberspeciesofIndia.Tree
speciesgrowinginnorthernhalfof
thezone.

49. 7. The GangeticPlain
•Oneofthelargestzonesin
India,stretchingfrom
eastwards across
Uttarakhand,U.P,Bihar,
WestBengal&Coastal
plainsofOrissa.
•The plain is
topographically
homogeneousforhundreds
ofkilometres,and
representsoneofthemost
fertileareasofthecountry
•AlongtheHimalaya;
Shorearobustaforestsin
plains;Inplainsmixeddry
deciduousforests

50. •Ineasternplainareaduetoexpansionofagriculture&high
densityofpopulationwildlifeeliminatednow;although
centuriesagotheareawasrichinwildlifelikeRhino,elephant,
wildbuffalo,swampdeeretc.

51. 8. Northeast India
•Richest in
communities,species
&endemics.
•About40%ofthe
totalareaofAssam,
Manipur,
Meghalaya,
Mizoram,Nagaland
&Tripura;forested.
•Largeherbivores;
e.g.Rhinoceros,wild
buffalo,elephant,
swampdeer,hog
deer,pygmyhog&
hispiddeer.

54. 9. The Islands
•Two clearly
differentgroupsof
Islands;
•TheAndamanand
Nicobar(A&N)
(locatedinBayof
Bengal, thinly
populatedwith
tropical
rainforests)
•Lakshadweep
(locatedinArabian
sea,withlittle
naturalvegetation)

57. 10. Coasts
•Indiahaslongcoastal
line;EastandWest
coasts.
•Mangroves;withgreat
variety of
communities;estuaries,
lagoons&deltas.
•Sandybeacheswith
distinctiveplant
communities like
Casuarina.
•Raisedcoral&rocky
coastlines.

59. CoinedbyNormanMyers,theterm“Biodiversityhotspots”canbe
definedastheregionswhichareknownfortheirhighspeciesrichnessand
endemism.
Fouroftheworld's36biodiversityhotspotsarelocatedinIndia
Aregionmustfulfilthefollowingtwocriteriatoqualifyasahotspot:
1.Theregionshouldhaveatleast1500speciesofvascularplantsi.e.,itshould
haveahighdegreeofendemism.
2.Itmustcontain30%(orless)ofitsoriginalhabitat,i.e.itmustbethreatened.
1.TheHimalayas
2.Indo-BurmaRegion
3.TheWesternGhats
4.Sundaland

60. BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS

61. Threatenedspecies:IUCNcriteria
1.Extinct(EX)
2.ExtinctintheWild(EW)
3.CriticallyEndangered(CR)
4.Endangered(EN)
5.Vulnerable(VU)
6.NearThreatened(NT)
7.LeastConcern(LC)
8.DataDeficient(DD)
9.NotEvaluated(NE)
Threatened

62. ENDANGERED SPECIES
Considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

69. ENDEMICSPECIES
•Endemismistheecologicalstateofbeinguniquetoaparticulargeographic
location,suchasaspecificisland,habitattype,nationorotherdefinedzones
•Theextremeoppositeofendemismiscosmopolitandistribution
•Endemictypesorspeciesareespeciallylikelytodeveloponbiologicallyisolated
areassuchasislandsbecauseoftheirgeographicalisolation
•Endemicscaneasilybecomeendangeredorextinctiftheirrestrictedhabitat
changes,particularlybutnotonlyduetohumanactions,includingthe
introductionofneworganisms
•Endemicsdefinetheuniquenessofanareaorplantcommunities

72. CONSERVATION

73. 1.Banofillegal
hunting
2.Boycottanimalskin
products
3.Banonconstruction
inforests
4.Availabilityoffood
andwater
5.Cropandcattle
compensation
6.Biodiversitylaws
CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY

75. IN-SITUCONSERVATION ofbiodiversityistheconservation
ofspecieswithintheirnaturalhabitat.Inthismethod,thenaturalecosystemis
maintainedandprotected.
Alargenumberoflivingorganismscanbeconservedsimultaneously.
Sincetheorganismsareinanaturalecosystem,theycanevolvebetter
andcaneasilyadjusttodifferentenvironmentalconditions.
Itisacost-effectiveandconvenientmethodofconserving
biodiversity.

76. National Parks
Thesearesmallreserves
maintainedbythe
government. Its
boundariesarewell
demarcatedandhuman
activitiessuchas
grazing,forestry,habitat
andcultivationare
prohibited.Foreg.,
KanhaNationalPark,
andBandipurNational
Park.

81. WildlifeSanctuaries
Thesearetheregionswhereonlywildanimalsarefound.
Humanactivitiessuchastimberharvesting,cultivation,
collectionofwoodsandotherforestproductsareallowed
hereaslongastheydonotinterferewiththeconservation
project.Also,touristsvisittheseplacesforrecreation.
Thereare567existingwildlifesanctuariesinIndia
coveringanareaof125564.86km
2
.

84. BiosphereReserves
Thesearemulti-purpose
protectedareaswhere
thewildlife,traditional
lifestyleof the
inhabitants and
domesticatedplantsand
animalsareprotected.
Touristandresearch
activitiesarepermitted
here.(Core,bufferand
transition)

86. EX-SITUCONSERVATION ofbiodiversityinvolvesthe
breedingandmaintenanceofendangeredspeciesinartificialecosystemssuchaszoos,nurseries,
botanicalgardens,genebanks,etc.Thereislesscompetitionforfood,waterandspaceamongthe
organisms.
Theanimalsareprovidedwithalongertimeandbreedingactivity.
Thespeciesbredincaptivitycanbereintroducedinthewild.
Genetictechniquescanbeusedforthepreservationofendangered
species.

92. KiyadaKaJungle/DevtaKa
Jungle,Darkali,Shimla
ThisSacredGrovefinditsplaceinDarkali
beatofBahlirange,Rampurforestdivision
22BighaofforestlandwasgiftedbyaBritish
officialtothelocaldeityoftheareawayback
ItcompriseofpurepatchofCedrusdeodara

94. KYOTO PROTOCOL

95. HIV-AIDS