B.

Tech (TES-CHM4601)
7th Semester

BIODIVERSITY (PART-1)
Unit 2
Natural Resources

Prepared by; Dr Chittaranjan Panda

Professor, Civil engineering
Subject: Topics in Environmental
Studies
 Contents
What is Biodiversity

Types of Biodiversity

Values of Biodiversity

Global Biodiversity

Biodiversity in India

Hot spot Biodiversity

 What is Biodiversity

Biodiversity: It is concerned with the variety of individuals within populations, the

diversity of species within communities, and the range of ecological roles within
ecosystems
 Types of Biodiversity
1) Species biodiversity, 2) Genetic biodiversity, 3)
Ecosystem biodiversity
1. Species Biodiversity:
i) Refers to the variety of species within a community in a region.
ii) It an index represents species richness and their abundance in a
community.
ii) At present, about 1.8 million species on Earth.
iii) India is among the world’s 15 Nations that are exceptionally rich
in species diversity.

It is the variety of
different species in a
given area/Communities
 Types of Biodiversity
2. Genetic Biodiversity: It may be defined as variability in genes
of a particular species in a population
Recombination of gene (DNA) gives rise to some new variety
Each member of any plant and animals species differ from
others due to genetic recombination.

all rice varieties

All rice, dog, insect varieties, on colour, size , shape etc

Today the new varieties created By genetically manipulation o
DNA
i) Disease resistant, Drought resistance crops
ii) Breed superior domestic animals (high yield Caws, plants)
iii) Better medicines and a variety of industrial products are
also developed.
 Types of Biodiversity
(3) Ecosystem Biodiversity:
Ecosystem: Integration of biotic and abiotic components of a particular
environment and their interaction with each other
i) This is the diversity of ecological complexity showing variations in ecological
tropic structure, food chain food-webs, nutrient cycling resulted different variety
of Ecosystem.
ii) variations is caused by change in physical parameters like hydrosphere,
atmosphere, and lithosphere, moisture, temperature, altitude, precipitation etc.
E.g. Forest, Grassland, Desert, Pond ecosystems.

Marine Ecosystem
Desert Ecosystem

Tundra Ecosystem
Forest Ecosystem
Biogeographic Classification of India
India is divided in to 10 major
regions based on geography,
climate, vegetation pattern,
mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians, insects and other
invertebrates present in them.

8 8 Coast East coast and waste 6500

coast 6500
9
9
8
10
8 Source: .Conserving our Biological Wealth., WWF
for Nature-India and Zoological Survey of India.
 Values of Biodiversity
1. Direct values (Consumptive uses)
 Food, fuel, medicines for local community –forest ecosystem.
 Food: Fish, other edible aquatic plants and animals – Marine resources
 Medicines
Vinblastin and vincristine,
Quinine for malaria two anticancer drugs, from
from the bark of Catharanthus roses plant
Cinchona tree,

2. Productive use value: These are the commercially usable values

where the product is marketed and sold.
Animal products: like tusks of elephants, musk from musk deer, silk from silk-
worm, wool from sheep, fir of many animals, lac from lac insects etc
 Pharmacist – New and better drugs/medicines
 Raw material for Industry – the paper and pulp industry, Plywood industry,
Railway sleeper industry, Silk industry, textile industry, leather industry
 Agricultural – Developing new crops Better crops with plant breeding
3. Social Values:
Values of Biodiversity
Preserved as valuable resource many sacred and holy plants like-
based on religion worship: Tulsi, Peepal, and animals like Cow.

4. Ethical and Moral values: Ethical responsibility to protect all life

forms.
 Preservation of nature through local traditions.

 Conservation of biodiversity & economic importance.

5. Aesthetic Values: Preservation of its inherent value, beauty,

aesthetics and creativity for tourist attraction.
 Indian mythology eulogies animals like elephant, snake and cow.

 No visit to barren land but to enriched biodiversity promote eco- turism

Industry.

6. Option Value: Keeping future possibilities open for their use is called
the option value. In nature many thing yet to explore, plant ,
 Indian Biodiversity
 India has a rich biological diversity of flora and fauna.

 Overall 6% of the global species are found in India.

 India ranks 10th among the plant rich countries of the world,

 11th in terms of number of endemic species of higher

vertebrates

 6th among the centers of diversity and origin of agricultural

crops.

 The total number of living species identified in our country is

150,000.

 Out of a total of 25 biodiversity hot-spots in the world, India

 INDIA AS A MEGA-DIVERSITY NATION
India is one of the 12 mega-diversity countries in
the world.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt.
of India (2000) records
 47,000 species of plants (7% of world )and 4 th in
Asia
350 mammal species – 8th in the world
81,000 species of animals (6.5% of world ).
1200 bird species – 8th in the world

453 reptile species -5th in the world

45,000 plant species – 15th in the world

Endemism: Species which are restricted only to a particular area are known as
endemic.
 INDIA AS A MEGA-DIVERSITY NATION
18% Indian plants are endemic to the country and found nowhere
in the world

62% amphibians are endemic

50% of the lizards are endemic

Gene banks have collected - 34,000 cereals
- 22,000 pulses
- 27 breeds of cattle
- 40 breeds of sheep
- 22 breeds of goat
- 8 breeds of buffalos
Many of these are dying out due to misguided adoption of all
foreign things.
 MOEF is the nodal agency for implementation of CBD in India.
 National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) was formulated in 2007
INDIA AS A MEGA-DIVERSITY NATION
Center of origin:. Nearly 5000 species of flowering
plants had their origin in India.
center of origin of 166 species of crop plants and 320
species of wild relatives of cultivated crops,
Marine diversity: Along 7500 km long coastline
More than 340 species of corals. rich in mollusks,
crustaceans (crabs etc.),
Several species of Mangrove plants and sea grasses
(Marine algae).
93 major wet lands, coral reefs and mangroves need to
be studied
Indian forests cover 64.01 million hectares having a
rich biodiversity of plants in the Trans-Himalayan,
north-west, west, central and eastern Himalayan
 HOT SPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY
 Areas which exhibit high species richness & high species
endemism are termed as hot spots of biodiversity.

 25 hot spots in world and 2 in India

 Eastern Himalayas, & Western Ghats

 . Hotspots covering less than 2% of

the worlds land area contain 50%
of the terrestrial biodiversity
Centre of Global biodiversity (Red )

 About 40% of terrestrial plants and 25% of vertebrate species are

endemic and found in these hotspots.

 Major hot spot in world i) Tropical rain forests ii)Western
Amazon, iii) Madagascar, iv)North and East Borneo, v) North
Eastern Australia,
vi) West Africa vii) Brazilian Atlantic forests.
 HOT SOPT BIODIVERSITY IN INDIA
1. Indo-Burma region (covering Sikkim Eastern
Himalayas)
Sikkim rich in endemic plant species. Area of 7298
Km2 of about 4250 plant species are found of which
60% are endemic.
Sapria himalayana, aparasitic angiosperm was
sighted only twice in this region in the last 70
years.
Cradle of flowering plants.
Out of the world's recorded flora 30% are endemic
to India of which 35,000 are in the Himalayas.
 HOT SOPT BIODIVERSITY IN INDIA

(2) Western Ghats: It extends along a 17,000 Km2

strip of forests in Maharashtra, Karnataka, TN & Kerala
40% of the total endemic plant species.
 62% amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic
500 m elevation covering 20% of evergreen forest
while those in 500-1500 m range are semievergreen.
 Major centers of diversity are Agastyamalai Hills and
Silent Valley. the New Amambalam Reserve Basin

Endemic plant and animals in western ghat: Ternstroemia japonica

Ternstroemia japonica, Rhododendron and Hypericum

Fairy blue bird, lizard hawk etc.
However, only 6.8% of the original forests are existing today while
the rest has been deforested
Fairy blue bird
Thank You