UNIT-3

BIODIVERSITY AND BIOTIC

RESOURCES
BIODIVERSITY AND BIOTIC RESOURCES
 Introduction  Conservation of biodiversity
 Definition  In-situ and ex-situ
 Genetic , species , ecosystem
diversity conservation
 Value of bio diversity  National biodiversity act
 Consumptive uses
 Social , ethical , asthatic and
optional values
 India as a mega diversity nation
 Hotspot of biodiversity
 Field visit
 Threats to biodiversity
 Habitat loss poaching of wildlife,
man conflicts
 INTRODUCTION

 The term ‘Biodiversity’ was introduced by

an American Biologist Edward Wilson.

 Biodiversity refers to the variety of

life forms and habitats found in a
defined area.

 Itrepresents the totality of genes,

species and ecosystem of a given region.
 WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY
Bio-biology
Diversity-variety

 Life on earth.
 Variety life found on the earth.
 Biodiversity refers to the variety of organisms, number of
organisms and complex ecological relationships between
organisms or group of organisms and their environment.
 Biodiversity includes plants from grasses to giant trees,
and animals from insects to mammals i.e all type of species
like plants , animals ,microbes, ecosystem and ecological
process(organisms and environment).
 IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

 Biodiversity is important for the proper functioning of many

organisms and ecosystems.
 Medicinal purpose

 Climate maintain

 Food resources

 Industrial

 Control pollution

 Healthy ecosystem

 Soil quality
 IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

 Biodiversity is important for the proper functioning of many

organisms and ecosystems.
 Biodiversity plays an important role in the formation and

enriching of soil.
 Biodiversity influences the water cycle and biogeochemical

cycles in the ecosystem.

 Human populations depend on the varieties of plants and

animals for their food, clothing, shelter etc. That means,

biodiversity influences human life.
 Biodiversity is a biological wealth of a country or region.
 LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY

 The biological diversity includes three inter-related

hierarchical levels
 GENETIC DIVERSITY
 Genetic diversity refers to the number of genetic variations
within the same species in the number and types of genes
present within the same species.
 Ex: human being diff characters in same type of species

 Genes are the basic source of biodiversity. Genes are the basic units

of hereditary information, character or quality that has been passed

on from one generation to the other.
 SPECIES DIVERSITY

 It refers to the variety of species or number of different kinds of

organisms within the community or ecosystem. means the variety of
different types of living things on earth such as plants, bacteria,
fungi, insects, mammals, etc. within a region.
 For example, human beings belong to a single species, as they can

successfully inter-breed with each other and produce off springs.

 ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY

 Ecosystem diversity in the diversity of ecological complexity,

showing variations in trophic levels, number of habitats, food
webs, nutrient cycles, recycle materials within the ecosystem
 Ecosystem diversity can be studied easily by grouping

organisms with specific climatic zones, called ‘biomes’.

 The major biomes or climate zones are

tundra, temperate deciduous forests,

tropical rain forests,
grassland forests,
savanna and prairie and deserts.
 VALUE OF BIODIVERSITY
 The biodiversity influences human life. It is vital to human survival, as it
provides food, medicines, materials for shelter, clothing, tools etc.
 Biodiversity value means the utility or uses of biodiversity to man. Types
of biodiversity value:
1. Consumptive value.
2. productive value
3. Social value
4. Ethical value
5. Aesthetic value
6. option value
7. Legal value
8. economic value
9. Ecological value
 CONSUMPTIVE VALUE

 Consumptive value: Biodiversity is an essential requirement for the

maintenance of global food supply. The main sources of human food
includes animals, fish and plant produces.
 A large number of plants are consumed by human beings as food. A few
animal species are consumed by people which comes from cattle, pigs,
sheep, goats, buffaloes, chickens, ducks, geese and turkey species.
 Biodiversity provides a number of products having consumptive use value,
such as
 Food/Drink
 Fuel
 Medicine
 Batter crop varieties
 Industrial Material
 Fish: Many fresh water fish can be grown in ponds. Israel and
China already get about half of their fish from aqua culture.
 Drugs & medicines: About 75% of the worlds population

depends upon plants or plant extracts for medicines. The

drug Penicillin used as an antibiotic is derived from a fungus
called Penicillium. Likewise, Tetracycline from a bacteria
which is used to cure malaria is obtained from the bark of
cinchona tree. .
 Fuel: The fossil fuels like coal, petroleum products and

natural gas are the products of biodiversity.

 PRODUCTIVE VALUE
 Some of the organisms are commercially usable where the product
is marketed and sold. The animal products like tusks of elephants;
musk from deer; silk from silkworm; wool from sheep or goats; fur of
many animals etc all of which are traded in the market.
 Calabar bean: was tradionally used as a poison in West Africa. (kill

the pest)
 Daisy plants were first used as a lice remedy in the middle east

and this led to the discovery of Pyrethrum.

 Mosquito coils made from Pyrethrum are sold in the market.

 The Bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis produces toxic proteins

that kill certain insects.

 Neem tree has been using as anti bacterial.
 SOCIAL VALUE

 These are the values associated with the social life, religion
and spiritual aspects of the people. Many of the plants are
considered to be sacred in our country like Tulasi, Mango
leaves, Banana leaves. The leaves, fruits, flowers of some of
the plants are used in worship.
 Many animals like cow, snake, bull, peacock also have

significant place in spiritual and thus hold special importance.

Thus, biodiversity has distinct social value, attached with
different societies.
 ETHICAL VALUE

 The ethical value means that human beings may or may not
use a certain species but knowing the very fact that this
species exists in nature gives pleasure.
 For eg: a peculiar species of Pigeon, grey / white bird with

short legs is no more on this earth. Similarly, Dodo species is

also no more.
 Human beings are not deriving anything direct from

Kangaroo, giraffe but strongly feel that these species should

exist in nature.
 AESTHETIC VALUE

 Every one of us would like to visit vast stretches of lands to

enjoy the visible life. People from farther areas, spend a lot of
time and money to visit wild life areas where they can enjoy
the aesthetic value of biodiversity and this type of tourism is
known as eco tourism.
 Eco-tourism is estimated to generate 12 billion dollars of

revenue annually that roughly gives the aesthetic value of

biodiversity.
 A study of the impact of environment on the psyche was

undertaken by Kaplan and Kaplan ( 1989) in which they found

that being near nature relieved working stresses while people
who worked in closed environment or human made structures
experienced much more job stresses and illnesses.
 INDIA AS A MEGA DIVERSITY NATION

 India contains a great wealth of biodiversity in the forests, wet lands and marine
areas. Hence biodiversity can be observed at all levels ie locally, nationally and
globally.
 India, as a subcontinent representing a major part of South Asia is rich in flora and
fauna and hence it is one of the world’s “MEGADIVERSITY NATIONS”.
 India is one of the 12 mega-diversity countries in the world. It host about 7% of
global flora(47,000 plant species) and 6.5% of fauna (81,000 species of animal).
Some of the biodiversity criteria are as follows:

1)Endemism: India shows a good number of endemic species. About 62% of

amphibians and 50% of lizards are endemic to India. Western ghats are the site of
maximum endemism.

2)Centre of origin: A large number of species are known to have originated in India.
Nearly 5000 species of flowering plants had their origin in India.
 In India, there are
approximate
 350 mammals which make up 7.6% of world species

 1224 birds which make up 2.6% of the world species

 197 amphibians which make up 4.4% of the world

species

 408 reptiles which make up 6.2% of the world species

 2546 fishes which make up 11.7% of the world species

 15000 flowering plants which make up 6% of the world

species
 Biogeographic regions
of India
According to wild life Institute of India, the country has 10
distinct biogeographic zones or regions. They are:
1. Trans – Himalayan Zone
2. Himalayan Zone
3. Desert Zone
4. Semi – arid Zone
5. Western Ghats
6. Deccan Zone
7. Gangetic plain Zone
8. NE Indian Zone
9. Coastal Zone
10. Islands around the country.
HOTSPOTS OF
BIODIVERSITY
 Hotspots are the main  The term was
areas of focus for introduced by Norman
biodiversity Myers (1988).
conservation
 Myers et al (2000)
 Extremely rich in recognized 25 hot spots
biodiversity
 These are on a global
 Have high level of level out of which two
endemism and are are present in India,
under constant threat of namely the Eastern
species extinctions and Himalayas and Western
habitat destruction Ghats

 According to Myers et
 These hotspots covering al. (2000) an area is
less than 2% of the designated as a hotspot
world's land area are when it contains at least
found to have about 0.5% of the plant
50% of the terrestrial species as endemics
biodiversity
 To qualify as a hotspot, a region must meet two strict
criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular
plants (> 0.5 percent of the world’s total) as endemics,
and it has to have lost at least 70 percent of its original
habitat.

 There are 25 such hotspot of biodiversity on a global level

out of which two are present in India, namely the Eastern
Himalayas and western Ghats.
GLOBAL HOT SPOTS
 1. Tropical Andes  13. Succulent Karoo
 2. Mesoamerica  14. Mediterranean Basin
 3. Caribbean  15. Caucasus
 4. Brazil's Atlantic Forest  16. Sundaland
 5. Choco/Darien/Western  17. Wallacea
Ecuador
 18. Phillipines
 6. Brazil's Cerrado
 19. Indo-Burma
 7. Central Chile
 20. South-Central China
 8. California Floristic Province
 21. Western Gnats/Sri Lanka
 9. Madagascar  22. SW Australia
 10. Eastern Arc and Coastal
Forests of Tanzania/Kenya
 23. New Caledonia
 11. Western African Forests  24. New Zealand
 12. Cape Floristic Province
 25. Polynesia/Micronesia
HOTSPOTS IN INDIA
 Eastern Himalayas and  Many deep and semi isolated
Western ghats valleys are exceptionally rich
in endemic plant species
 These areas are particularly
rich in floral wealth and  In Sikkim, in an area of 7298
endemism km2 , of the 4250 plant
species , 2550 (60%) are
endemic
 In addition to flowering plants
some reptiles, amphibians ,
swallow tailed butterflies,
and some mammals also exist  In Nepal, there are around
7000 plant species, many of
Eastern Himalayas
which overlap with those of
India, Bhutan, and even
Yunnan. Of these species, at
 The area comprises Nepal, least 500 (8%) are believed to
Bhutan, and neighboring states be endemic to Nepal
of northern India, along with a
continuous sector of the Yunnan
province in Southwest China  Bhutan, possesses an
 All Himalayan forests lie north of estimated 5000 species, of
the Tropic of Cancer, and some of which as many as 750 (15%)
them are at altitudes of 1780 - are considered to be endemic
3500 m, they can be considered to the Eastern Himalayas
tropical forests
Western Ghats:  The forest cover in western
Ghats has reduced to 34 %
from 1972- 1989
 Out of India’s 49219 plant
species , 1600 endemics
(40% of the total number of
endemics) are found in an Floral and faunal
17000 km2 along the sea commonality exists in
side of the Western Ghats in India's two hot spots
Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Kerala
 Although the two areas,
the Eastern Himalayas and
 Forest track up to 500 m in the Western Ghats are
elevation, comprising 1/5 th today disjunct and have
of the entire forest their own characteristic
expanse, flora and fauna, there are a
 mostly evergreen number of species common
 while those in 500-1500 m to both
range are semi- evergreen

 There are two main centers

of diversity, the
Agasthyamalai Hills and the
Silent Valley/New
Amambalam Reserve Basin
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
 ‘Extinction’ is the (A) Natural Extinction
elimination of a species
which is a normal process of
the nature  Fossil records suggest that
more than 99% of all
 All organisms die and are species that existed in the
usually replaced by their past are now extinct
own progeny as a part of
evolution
 Mass extinctions have
 This rate of extinction is very wiped out vast numbers of
slow and occurs naturally. species due to climate
For example, in undisturbed change
ecosystems, about one
species is lost every decade
 For example, at the end of
 On the other hand, cretaceous period, large
anthropogenic impacts on asteroids hit the earth and
populations and ecosystems might have triggered
have accelerated the rate of climate changes
extinction and eliminated
thousands of species
 Dinosaurs disappeared
 Thus biodiversity is along with 50% of existing
threatened by both nature species
and man in many ways
1.Population Risk 2.Environmental Risk

These are variations in the

Random variations in physical or biological
population rates (i.e. environment, including
birth rates and death variations in predator, prey,
rates) can cause a symbiotic or competitor
species in low species
abundance to become
extinct In case of species that are
sufficiently rare and isolated,
such normal environmental
It is a risk especially to variations can lead to their
species that consist of extinction
only a single population
in one habitat 3.Natural Catastrophe:

Natural catastrophes like

 For example—blue fires, storms, floods,
whales swim over the earthquakes, volcanic
vast areas of ocean, and eruptions, changes in oceanic
if in one year most currents and upwelling, etc.
cause the local extinction of
whales were most forms of life there
unsuccessful in finding a
mate then births could
be dangerously low
4.Genetic Risk (B) Man induced
Extinction
Detrimental change in
genetic characteristics in  According to some
a small population of a ecologists, almost one
species, due to million species are lost in
a year which is equal to
 reduced genetic variation 27 species per day due to
 genetic drift or mutation anthropogenic activities

makes the species more

 At this rate, millions of
vulnerable to extinction organisms will be
eliminated in the next
few decades which may
This is because it lacks trigger a mass extinction
the variety once present
or because a mutation
that leads to poor health  This may be not due to
becomes fixed in asteroids or volcanoes,
population but human impacts alone
will be held responsible
(I) HABITAT LOSS
A ‘habitat’ refers to a place
where a specific species can The growth and expansion of
human population has caused
be found both quantitative and
qualitative loss of the habitat
From a habitat, an organism
obtains food, water,
sunlight, minerals, and Deforestation, construction of
other substances that are houses, roads, cities, bridges
needed for its survival and and dams for meeting the
man’s demands have
reproduction destroyed the habitat for
many native species
The removal or destruction
of such habitat where an
organism lives is called Habitat loss may be
‘habitat loss’ quantitative and qualitative

It is difficult to estimate E.g. Coringa mangroves

decreased in the Kakinada bay
how many species become ecosystem due to
extinct each year because deforestation for aquaculture
of habitat loss but it poses a activities
serious threat to
biodiversity Oceans, lakes and rivers are
damaged and destroyed by
pollution
 Habitat Fragmentation Pollution
It is a process where a large, 
Environmental pollution is the
continuous habitat is reduced most subtle form of habitat
in area and even divided into degradation
two or more fragments
 The most common causes of
 Habitat fragmentation may which are pesticides, industrial
take place due to the effluents and emissions, and
development of roads, towers, emission from automobiles
canals, fields, industries, etc.
in an original large habitat
Introduction of Exotic
Diseases Species

 Pathogens, or disease  Organisms introduced into

organisms, may also be habitats where they are not
considered Predators native are termed as exotics

 The incidence of disease in  They act as biological

wild species may increase due pollutants and are the most
to human activities damaging agents of habitat
alteration and degradation in
the world
(II) WILD LIFE POACHING
 For instance, more than 90%
The illegal of the world's wild rhinos have
killing/trading of disappeared or killed for their
magnificent horns
animals and wildlife 
species is called The elephant populations in
‘poaching’ that occurs many nations declined to
across the globe alarmingly low levels between
1979 and 1989, mainly due to
the worldwide demand for
Many animals are ivory
mercilessly and illegally
killed for their meat,  During this period, due to
skins and internal huge demand for ivory,
organs and for sport poaching reduced Africa's
elephant population to 50%

One of the drivers for  In 1977, for instance, 1.3

the illegal trade of million elephants lived in
animal parts is the Africa while only 6,00,000
remained as of 1997
multimillion dollar
market that exists
globally  Savannah elephants were the
worstly affected species
because they sported largest
Illegal wildlife trade is tusks
Other species poached include  Polar Bear Poaching
Tigers (Panthera tigris) for
bones, rhinos for their horns, and
 Polar bear (Ursusmaritimus) is
bears for a variety of body parts among the largest carnivores
in the world and is primarily a
marine bear
All bear species, including
 Numerous adaptations help
Brown bear (Ursus arctos), them to lead life in icy
habitats
Black bear (Ursus americanus),
 They have thick which covers
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) even their feet, for warmth
Asiatic black bear (Ursus
and traction on ice and can
thibetanus), swim as far as 40 miles

Spectacled bear (Tremarctos  According to the ‘World

ornatus), Conservation Union’ (IUCN)
estimates that there are
Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), between 20,000 and 25,000
polar bears in the world,
Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), distributed throughout the
Arctic region
Giant Panda bear (Ailuropoda
melanoleuca)  The decreasing trends in well-
studied populations are
alarming
are used traditionally in China
 For example, in the western
Hudson Bay, from 1,200 bears
in 1987 the numbers
decreased to 935 bears in
2004

 In the Beaufort Sea north of

Alaska, the population
dropped 15 % in five years,
from 1,800 to 1,526 bears

 It is feared that this

population of bears may be
declining due to illegal
hunting, pollution, oil
exploration, tourism and
climate change

 Recognizing these alarming

trends, Russia made polar-
bear hunting illegal

 Canada, Denmark, Greenland,

Norway, and the United
States) entered into the
International Agreement for
the Conservation of Polar
Bears in 1973
(III) MAN- WILDLIFE
CONFLICTS
 A major problem  Instances of man animal
associated with the conflicts keep on coming
conservation of wild to lime light from
animals especially the several states in our
herbivores like country
elephants in India is
that of crop depredation
and man-slaughter
 In Sambalpur, Orissa
195 humans were killed
in the last 5 years by
 Animals such as elephants
elephants, wild boar and
birds like peacock cause
extensive damage to the
 In retaliation the
crops villagers killed 98
elephants and badly
injured 30 elephants
 This phenomenon has
registered significant
increase in recent years
 Several instances of
due to habitat killing of elephants in
fragmentation and the border regions of
degradation of natural Kote - Chamarajanagar
forests and corridors belt in Mysore have
ENDANGERED SPECIES OF
INDIA
The International Union
of Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources
(IUCN) maintains called a
'Red Database' at the
World Conservation
Monitoring Centre (WCMC)
in which information on
endangered and vulnerable
species of plants and
animals is kept

From time to time, this

database is translated into
popular form and published
as 'Red Data Books‘

The red data symbolizes

the warning signal for
those species which are
endangered and if not
protected are likely to
become extinct in near
 In India, nearly 450 plant  (a) Reptiles: Gharial, green sea
species have been identified in turtle, tortoise, python
the categories of endangered,
threatened or rare
 (b) Birds: Great Indian
bustard, Peacock, Pelican,
 Existence of about 150 Great Indian Hornbill, Siberian
mammals and 150 species of White Crane
birds is estimated to be
threatened while an unknown
number of species of insects  (c) Carnivorous: Indian wolf,
are endangered red fox, Sloth bear, red panda,
Mammals tiger, leopard,
striped hyena, Indian lion,
 A species is said to be golden cat, desert cat, dugong
endangered when its number
has been reduced to a critical
level or whose habitats, have  (d) Primates: Hoolock gibbon,
been drastically reduced and if lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri
such a species is not protected langur, Capped monkey,
and conserved, it is in golden monkey
immediate danger of
extinction  (e) Plants: A large number of
plant species like
 It may not be of direct Rhododendrons, Rauwolfia
relevance here to give a serpentina, the sandal wood
complete list of endangered tree Santalum, Cycas
flora and fauna of our country beddomei etc

 However, a few species of

GHARIAL
PEACOCK
PELICAN
INDIAN TIGER LEOPARD
INDIAN LION
RED FOX
GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD
SIBERIAN WHITE CRANE
CAPPED MONKEY GOLDEN MONKEY
RHODODENDRON
RAUWOLFIA SERPENTINA, CYCAS
BEDDOMEI
 (i) Endangered Species (iii) Rare Species

 A species is said to be  These are species with small

endangered when its number population size in the world
has been reduced to a critical usually localized within
level or whose habitats, have restricted habitats
been drastically reduced and
if such a species is not
protected and conserved, it is  It is necessary to mention
in immediate danger of here that a species that is
extinction. rare is not necessarily in
danger of becoming extinct ;
some species, like the
 (ii) Vulnerable Species Whooping Crane, are
naturally rare
 The species that are under
threat such that they may (iv) Threatened Species
have to be classified as
endangered in the near future
if causal factors continue to
 The term 'threatened' is used
operate in the context of
conservation of the species
which are in any one of the
 Species whose populations above three categories
have been seriously depleted
 These are species that have
 Species whose populations declined significantly in total
are still abundant but are numbers and may be on the
under threat throughout their verge of extinction in certain
range localities
 ENDANGERED SPECIES
OF INDIA
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN) publishes the Red Data Book which include list of
endangered species of plants and animals.

In India, nearly 450 plant species have been identified in the

category of endangered, threatened or rare. Existence of about 150
mammals and 150 species of birds is estimated to be Threatened while an
unknown number of species of insects are endangered.
 Least Concern (LC): is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or
lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other
category such as threatened, Near Threatened, or (prior to 2001)
Conservation Dependent. Many common species such as the Rock Pigeon,
Honeybee, Asian Tiger Mosquito, Common Juniper, Snail Kite, Sacred
Kingfisher and House Mouse, as well as humans, are assigned the Least
Concern category.

 Near Threatened( NT): species evaluated from 2001 onwards may also be
ones which are dependent on conservation efforts to prevent their
becoming threatened. Example: European Otter, Maned Wolf.

 Vulnerable species: is one which has been categorized by the International

Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as likely to become Endangered
unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve.
A species is said to be vulnerable category if its population is facing
continuous decline due to overexploitation or habitat destruction. Example:
African Elephant,
 Endangered (EN): considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in
the wild. Its number has been reduced to a critical level or whose habitat,
have been drastically reduced. Example: Sumatran orangutan, Cross
River gorilla.

 Critically Endangered (CR): facing an extremely high risk of extinction in

the wild. Example: Mountain Gorilla, Red Wolf

 Extinct in the Wild (EW): known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity

or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past range.
Example: Hawaiian Crow (extinct in the wild since 2002), Wyoming
Toad (extinct in the wild since 1991).

 Extinct (EX): there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
A species is said to be extinct when it is not seen in the wild for 50 years at
a stretch example: Dodo, passenger pigeon.

 Rare Species: Species which are not endangered or vulnerable at

present but are at risk are categorized as rare species. These taxa are
usually localized within restricted areas i.e. they are usually endemic.
Example of some endangered species:

1) Reptiles: Gharial, green sea turtle, tortoise, python

2) Birds : Great Indian Bustard, Peacock, Great Indian Hornbill, Siberian

White Crane.

3) Carnivorous Mammals : Indian Wolf, red fox, red panda, tiger, leopard,
Indian Lion, golden cat, desert cat, striped
hyena

4) Primates: Hoolock gibbon, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, capped

monkey

5) Plants: A large number of species of orchids, rhododendrons, medicinal

plants like Rauvolfia serpentina,
India contains globally important populations of some of Asia's rarest animals, such as the Bengal
Fox, Asiatic Cheetah, Marbled Cat, Asiatic Lion, Indian Elephant, Asiatic Wild Ass, Indian Rhinoceros,

Markhor, Gaur, Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo etc.

ACCORDING TO IUCN, INDIA CONTAINS 172 SPECIES OF ANIMALS THAT ARE CONSIDERED
GLOBALLY THREATENED. IN OTHER WORDS, 2.9% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL NUMBER OF
THREATENED SPECIES OCCURS IN INDIA THE IMPACT OF MAN-RELATED ACTIONS COULD
RESULT IN THE LOSS OF SUCH VALUABLE SPECIES
Group IUCN Red List Threat Category

Endangered Vulnerable Rare Indeterminate Insufficiently known

Mammals 13 20 2 5 13 53
Birds 6 20 25 13 5 69
Reptiles 6 6 4 5 2 23
Amphibians 0 0 0 3 0 3
Fishes 0 0 2 0 0 2
Invertebrates 1 3 12 2 4 22

Total 26 49 45 28 24 172
ENDEMIC SPECIES OF INDIA
 Endemics are species that are found in a
single locality/area and nowhere else in the
world. They, thus have a value in their
uniqueness

 The endemism of Indian biodiversity is quite

high

 About 33% of the country's flora are

endemic to the country and are
concentrated mainly in the North-East,
Western Ghats, North-West Himalaya and
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

 Out of about 47,000 species of animals in

our country 7000 are endemic
 ENDEMIC SPECIES
Endemic species are species of organisms which are restricted to a particular area. Or
These are species which exist only in certain conditions that are present in a definite
area.

Ex: 60% amphibians (frog, toads etc.) and 50% lizards are endemic to western Ghats
ENDANGERED SPECIES OF INDIA
CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
 Conservation is defined CGIAR -Consultative Group
as 'the management of for International Agricultural
Research
human use of the
biosphere so that it may CIFOR -Centre for Institute of
Forest Research
yield the greatest
sustainable benefit to UNCED -UN Convention of
Environmental Development
present generation
while maintaining its WWF -World Wide Fund for
nature
potential to meet the
UNEP - United Nations
needs and aspirations Environmental Protection
of future generations' CITES -Convention on
International Trade in
 Given the value and Endangered Species of wild
Fauna and Flora
importance of biodiversity,
there is a great need to  In addition to the developed
conserve the ever nations, efforts by G-15
threatened organisms. countries have significantly
helped in promoting the
implementation of
Some of the international conservation strategies in
agencies play a crucial role these nations
in evolving the
conservation strategies
STRATEGIES FOR CONSERVATION
There are two  Insitu conservation
approaches of applies only to wild
biodiversity fauna and flora and not
conservation: to the domesticated
animals and plants,
because conservation is
 In situ conservation achieved by protection
(within habitat): This is of populations in nature
achieved by protection
of wild flora and fauna
in nature itself  E.g., National Parks,
Sanctuaries, Biosphere
reserves etc.
 Ex situ conservation
(outside habitats) This
is done by
establishment of gene
banks, seed banks,
zoos, botanical gardens,
culture collections etc.
 A National Park is an area dedicated for the conservation of wildlife along with its
environment.
It is also meant for enjoyment through tourism but without impairing the
environment.

Name of National park State Name of wild animal

1. Kaziranga Assam One horned Rhino
2. Gir National Park Gujarat Indian Lion
3. Corbett U.P. Tiger
4. Bandipur Karnataka Elephant

 Wildlife sanctuaries are also protected areas where killing, hunting, shooting or
capturing of wildlife is prohibited except under the control of highest authority.
EX- SITU CONSERVATION
 This type of conservation is mainly done for
conservation of crop varieties, the wild relatives of crops
and all the local varieties with the main objective of
conserving the total genetic variability of the crop
species for future crop improvement or afforestation
programs

 In India, we have the following important gene

bank/seed bank facilities:

(i) National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

(NBPGR) is located in New Delhi. Here agricultural and
horticultural crops and their wild relatives are preserved
by cryo-preservation of seeds, pollen etc. by using liquid
nitrogen at a temperature as low as -196 °C

 Varieties of rice, pearl millet, Brassica, turnip, radish,

tomato, onion, carrot, chilli, tobacco, poppy etc. have
been preserved successfully in liquid nitrogen for
several years without losing seed viability
 National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources
(NBAGR) located at Karnal, Haryana. It preserves the
semen of domesticated bovine animals

 (iii) National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture

Repository (NFPTCR) for the development of a facility
of conservation of varieties of crop plants/trees by
tissue culture. This facility has been created within the
NBPGR
SEED BANK
 Endangered animal species are preserved using
similar techniques

 The genetic information needed in the future to

reproduce endangered animal species can be
preserved in gene banks, which consist of cryogenic
facilities used to store living sperm, eggs, or embryos
 The Zoological Society of San Diego has established a
"frozen zoo" to store such samples from more than
355 species, including mammals, reptiles, and birds
MAINTENANCE OF REPOSITORIES
 Since facilities are available for conservation of
valuable germplasm, it is necessary that other
resources and facilities for multiplication,
regeneration, evaluation, characterization,
documentation and distribution of this
germplasm are also made available
 However, the identity and genetic stability
must be ensured during conservation and
management of germplasm
 Samples must be maintained in duplicates at
different sites
 If these precautions are not taken and
adequate facilities for management of
collections are not extended, some of the
germplasm repositories may become
germplasm mortuaries
 In other words, the germplasm collections
would become absolutely useless
BIO DIVERSITY ACT
 The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 was passed by the parliament
of India to protect biodiversity and facilitate the sustainable
management of biological resources with the local communities.
 The Act was enacted to meet the requirements stipulated by the

United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to

which India is a party.

 The Act’s main objective is to ensure the conservation of

biological diversity, sustainable use of its
components and fair usage of its resources in order to
prevent overuse or eventual destruction of biodiversity.
 Since India is one of the most biologically diverse nations in the

world, this act is a necessity to protect its biological heritage.

 The salient features of the Biological Diversity Act are as
follows.
 Regulation of access to biological resources of the country
 Conservation and sustainability of biological diversity
 Protecting the knowledge of local communities regarding
biodiversity
 Secure sharing of benefits with local people as conservers of
biological resources and holders of knowledge and information
relating to the use of biological resources
 Protection and rehabilitation of threatened species
 Involvement of institutions of state governments in the broad
scheme of the implementations of the Biological Diversity Act
through the establishment of dedicated committees.
SUMMARY
(1) Biodiversity is of extreme importance for
ensuring ecological balance
(2) It has Consumptive, Productive, Genetic, Ethical,
Social, Aesthetic and Optional values
(3) There are 10 biogeographic zones and 26
provinces
(4) India is a mega diversity nation
(5) Hot spots are regions with rich biodivesity and
there are 25 hot spots in world while India has 2
hot spots
(6) Many species are threatened by both nature and
man
(7) India has 2% of global endangered and endemic
species