BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Natural Resources

Indestructible Air
Wate
---
r
Destructible Renewabl :
--- e Soil
Forest
Wildlife
Non-
renewable :
 Biodiversity -
Definition

The variability among living

organisms from all sources including
terrestrial, marine, and
aquatic other the
and
complexes of
ecosystems ecological they
which
includes diversity are species,
a part;
within and of
species this between
 Types of Biodiversity
1. Genetic diversity - genetic variability or
diversity within a species, i.e. between the
individuals of a species
Example ; 5,000 recorded varieties of
mango 88,000 recorded varieties of
Oryza sativa
2.Species diversity - diversity between different
species
Example ; Felis tigris
Felis domestica
 3. Ecosystem diversity – diversity within a
region

Grasslan Shola
 Facts related to Biodiversity

➢ Total Land Area of Earth –

510,065,284 sq.km

➢ Forest Cover – 38.7 m. sq.km

(26%)

➢ 40% of Global Forest

Land is in South
America, Africa, and
South Asia.
 Facts related to Biodiversity
contd..
■ There are 5 million to 100 million
species on earth.

■ Only about 1.9 million species

have been catalogued so far.

■ There are 34 recognised

“Hotspots” in the world.

■ 44.4% of Global Plant species and

35.3% of Vertebrate species are

present in Hotspots.
 Facts related to Biodiversity contd..

Total land area of India - 143

million.ha
India occupies 2.47% of the World’s
geographical area and has only 1% of the
forest

India has 16.1% of world

human population and
15.1% of cattle population

Forest Cover in India –

 Facts related to Biodiversity
contd..

India is sharing 12.53

% of world’s
biodiversity

India has 3.9 % of

grasslands,
2.0 % of hot deserts, 4.1
m.ha of wetland
ecosystems.

India is the 7th largest

country in the world and
 Facts related to Biodiversity

contd..

India recorded :

❖ 45,000 + species of wild plants

❖ 89,000 + species of wild animals

❖ At least 320 species

of wild relatives of crops

 Facts related to Biodiversity
In India: contd..
1,39,000 species of plants, animals
and microbes are recorded

More than 4 lakh species are yet to be

identified

There are three mega centers of

endemism and 26 micro centers of
endemism
 PLANT SPECIES IN INDIA AND WORLD
Taxa Species
India World
Bacteria 850 4000
Viruses unknown 4000
Algae 6500 40,000
Fungi 14,500 72,000
Lichens 2000 17,000
Bryophyta 2850 16,000
Pteridophyta 1100 13000
Gymnosperms 64 750
Angiosperms 17,500 250,000
 ANIMAL SPECIES IN INDIA AND WORLD
Taxa Species
India World
Insects 60,000 8,00000
Mollusca 5000 100000
Fishes 2,500 23,000
Amphibians 190 4,520
Reptiles 400 6,550
Birds 1,175 8,400
Mammals 872 4,231
 Hotspots
1. Endemism-
(0.5% or 1500 species of the world’s 3
Lakh Plant species as endemics should
be present)

2.Degree of Threat

Hotspots

3. Western Ghats
4. Eastern Himalayas
5. Indo-Burma region
6. Sundaland (Indonesia, Malaysia, parts
of India especially Nicobar Islands)
 Why Biodiversity is
important?
Provides food, fruit, fuel, timber, medicine

1.Commercial value :

Oil, Fertilizers etc. species extracted

from of plants.

2.Biological value:

Pollination
Soil
formation
Nutrient
3.Recreational Value:

Can not be measured in

terms

of money.

4. Aesthetic Value:

Art, Poetry, Literature.

5.Scientific Value:

Gene Pool,
Evolution, Human
 Value of a Tree
A tree that lives for 50 years
generates:
• Rs. 5.3 lakhs worth of oxygen

• Facilitates Rs. 6.4 lakhs worth of soil

erosion control

• Creates Rs. 10.5 lakhs worth of air

pollution control

• Provides Rs. 5.3

lakhs worth of
shelter for birds and
animals
 ….Value of a Tree
• Recycles Rs. 6.4 lakhs worth of
fertility

• Besides provide flower, fruits

and timber

• When a tree is fell it is something

worth more than Rs. 33. 9 lakhs.
 Threats to
Biodiversity
1. Deforestation and overgrazing

2. Habitat destruction and fragmentation

of the area.
3. Poaching and hunting for
flesh, fur, skin, horn, naiI and
recreation.

4. Forest fires including smoking

in the woods.

5. Over‑exploitati
on of the
resources.
6. Natural calamities like floods,
high wind velocities, earthquakes,
etc.,.

7. Pollution of various kinds and

release of toxic substances.

8.Soil erosion and loss of soil

nutrients.
9.Population pressure and
unequal distribution of the
resources

10. Agricultural expansion

11.Spreading urbanization and

establishment of industries.

12.Construction of
hydro‑electric power
projects
13.Climatic changes like depletion of
ozone, global warming, increased
concentration of carbon dioxide,
etc,

14.Mining activities and quarrying.

15.Lack of awareness.
 Impact of Loss Of Biodiversity
Global warming and climate change
Increased pollution

Soil erosion and loss of fertility

Decomposition rate
by microbes is altered

Nutrient cycling is altered

Reduces gene pool - affects speciation

Food chain is altered

Alteration in Hydrologic
Cycle
Conservation
Measures:
1. Maintenance of the
integrity of the habitat
and improvement of
habitat in productivity and
quality for the desired
species to grow and
reproduce well.
2 Prevention and control of
forest fires. Burning
grasslands
of has to be controlled.
By controlling the forest fire,
protection can be given to
wildlife.

3 Excessive should
cutting be
eliminated
trees should beand
harvested.
only mature
New
seedlings should replace the
harvested trees.
4 Fragmentation of the forest area or wildlife
habitat, which decreases the diversity
biological (both genetic diversity and
ecological should be minimised. diversity),

5 Wise
management in
the control of
insects and
disease that
attack trees.
6 Measures to check the velocity of wind in
deserted areas, planting 'wind
breaks' across the direction of wind is
helpful.
Trees and shrubs may be
planted in several rows to check the blowing
away of the fertile top soil,
which determines the vegetational growth.

7 One should not smoke

in the woods. Camps fire
and trash fires should
be carefully tended and
thoroughly
extinguished.
8 Grasses such as Cynodon dactylon
are utilised as erosion resisting plants.
Conservation of many such types of
grasses help in improving the soil
fertility of the region for luxuriant growth of the
plants.

9 Reforestation in degraded forest and agricultural

wastelands with suitable
strains of tree species,
which are viable, genetically
superior and disease
resistant
10.Protection of forest from illicit felling and
overgrazing.

11.Establishment and maintenance of

'germplasm banks' of wild species for future
genetic improvement and breeding
programme.
12. The maintenance and preservation of
germplasm of vegetatively propagated
species is often a difficult task. Hence
to

conseve these 'genepool' development of

tissues culture techniques should be
greatly emphasized.
13. Improvement of the heredity

of trees and proper adoption of

breeding techniques.

14. The Management of natural

forests, which will ensure
future productivity and
environmental stability, should
be practiced.
15. If the principles and procedures
"Social Forestry" of are
stress on the exploitation of
followed,
renewable forest resources the
can be
minimised.
16. Conservation of endangered and endemic species
in natural forests, which are the “guardians of
diversity”, should be given prime importance.

17. Proper utilization and management of non‑wood

based resources and establishment of " Energy
Plantations".
18. Implementation of effective and scientific
methods to minimise the pollution of water, soil
and air to ensure high productivity of the
biomass in this region. Prevention of water
pollution will protect the aquatic animal life.

19. Improper land degradation due to mining

activities should be stopped.
20.Sensible and wise use of forest products and
the public awareness about the importance of
forest wealth to mankind and ecosystem can
promote the conservation

21.Control of soil erosion and establishment of

vegetative cover will provide fruit or browse for
wild animals.
22.Efforts should be intensified
to curb the destructive
activities of poachers.

23.Stabilization of water levels

in pools, ponds and lakes
should be undertaken so
as to prevent seasonal
destruction of aquatic
life through evaporation.

24.Development of renewable
resources in an area according
to the need of organisms
in the same area.
25. Prey - predator relation should be worked out
based on the carrying capacity of the
habitat. This will help in promoting the
habitat improvement.

26. Conservation also includes restoration of those

species, which can and should be restored.
27. Establishment of National Parks, National
Sanctuaries are excellent areas for the
preservation of natural biotic communities.

28. Establishment of Biosphere Reserves.

29. Development of electronics as a tool in the
conservation of wildlife should be given
prime importance as electronic devices are
helpful in aerial photography, data
collection of plants and animals, detection of
forest fires, educational programmes and
monitoring of animal movements.
30. Implementation of educational programmes to
promote the knowledge of conservation and
preservation of wildlife (including flora and fauna)
should be done through literatures, scientific
exhibitions, audio‑visual aids and conferences
stressing upon environmental conservation
➢ National Park
➢ Wildlife Sanctuaries
➢ Wetlands
➢ Mangroves
➢ Sacred Groves
➢ Protected Landscapes
➢ Ethnobiological Reserves
➢ Reserve and Protected Forests
➢ Preservation plots
➢ Biosphere Reserves
 Sacred Groves

Sacred groves comprise of patches of

forests or natural vegetation from a few
trees to forests of several acres – that are
usually dedicated to local folk deities
(Example – Ayyanar and Amman) or tree
spirits (Vanadevatas).

These spaces are

protected by local
communities because of
their religious beliefs
and traditional
rituals that run
through several
In India 13,270 sacred groves are documented
Experts estimate is in the range of 100,000 –
150,000

Himachal Pradesh --- 5000

Karnataka --- 1424
Kerala --- 2000
Names of sacred State
groves
Devara kadu Karnataka
Deo Bhumi Himachal Pradesh
Kovil Kadu Pondcherry and

TamilNadu
Kerala
Kavus
Maharashtra
Devrais
Megalaya
Mausmai
Uttaranchal
Bugyal
Uttaranchal & H.P.
Machhiyal
31. Team of scientists from various disciplines like
Botany, Zoology, Agriculture, Horticulture, Soil
Science, Pharmacology, Engineering, Silviculture
and Economics and trained foresters,
administrators, forest lovers‑all should be
integrated in managing, promoting and
implementing conservation programmes