What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity comes from the term ‘biological diversity’. Biodiversity is a term given
to the variety of all forms of life on Earth including plants, animals and micro-
organisms and their interrelationship (‘Bio’ means life and Diversity means
variety). Biodiversity includes a variety of ecosystems, species and genes, and the
ecological processes that support them
Types of Biodiversity:
There are three levels of biodiversity namely:-

(a) Species diversity: This refers to the variety of types of plants, animals, and
micro-organisms.
(b) Genetic diversity: This refers to the variety of genes within a species of plant
or animal. Healthy plant and animal populations have a genetic variety, serves as a
way for populations to adapt to changing environments. Example of genetic
variations in dogs is the difference in skin colour, ears, eyes and body shape.
(c) Ecosystems diversity: This refers to different types of ecosystems which
provide homes or habitats for all organisms. Examples of ecosystems diversity are
forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, wetlands, oceans and deserts.
Importance of Biodiversity:
Biodiversity is vital for supporting all life forms on Earth. Biodiversity is the
foundation of healthy functioning ecosystems upon which all life depends.
Biodiversity provides the following ecological services:
soil formation;
nutrient,
nitrogen, oxygen and carbon cycling;
energy production;
flood and erosion control; clean air;
clean water;
breaking down pollutants;
pest and disease control;
food and medicines.
Biodiversity also provides raw materials for construction and industrial
production as well as opportunities for recreation, tourism, scientific research
and education, and source of cultural identity
 INDIA AS A MEGA DIVERSITY NATION

India is a huge country of diverse landscape, ecological, socio economical,

regional and cultural variations. All these factors are responsible for the diverse
nature of Indian subcontinent. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly across the
globe. Certain countries, lying mostly in the tropics, are characterized by high
species richness and more number of endemic species-called Mega diversity
nations About 19 countries/Nations belongs to this category as on today and
India is one of them for the following reasons:

1. India a mega diversity country with only 2.4% of the land area of the world,
but accounts for 7.8% of the recorded species of the world.
2. India is known for its rich heritage of Biological diversity, having already
documented over 91,000 species of animals and 45,500 species of plants in
its 10 bio-geographic regions. Nearly 6,500 native plants are used
prominently in healthcare systems due to their high medical importance.
3. India has second largest human population in world after China. With about
2.5% of the world’s geographical and 1.8% of the forest area, the country at
present is supporting 16% of the world’s population and 18% of the domestic
cattle population, amounting to about 500 million.
4. India accounts for about 8% of world’s biodiversity. It also has two global
terrestrial biodiversity hot spots – the North-eastern States and the Western
Ghats.
5. The forests of the country (from tropical rain forests in the south and the
northeast to the dry alpine forests in the (northwest Himalaya) have been
classified into 16 types and 251 subtypes on the basis of climatic and geographical
conditions. Some of the principal commercial species include teak (Tectona
grandis), Sal (Shores robusta), Dipterocarpus spp., and conifers (pine, fir, spruce,
deodar, etc.).
6. India’s natural habitats range from the Palearctic Trans-Himalayan in the north
to the Indo-Malayan region in the northeast, the Indo-Ethiopian region in the
west and the Oriental region in peninsular region along with s the coastal and
island ecosystems. These ecosystems have given India 10 biodiversity rich
zoogeographic zones.
 HOTSPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY

A biodiversity hotspot is a bio-geographic region with significant levels of

biodiversity that is threatened by humans. Some of these hotspots support up to
15,000 endemic plant species and some have lost up to 95% of their natural
habitat.
There are currently 36 recognized biodiversity hotspots. These are Earth’s most
biologically rich—yet threatened—terrestrial regions.
To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, an area must meet two strict criteria:

A. Contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth
(known as "endemic" species).
B. Have lost at least 70 percent of its primary native vegetation.

India hosts 4 biodiversity hotspots: the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the Indo-
Burma region and the Sundaland (Includes Nicobar group of Islands). These
hotspots have numerous endemic species.
 CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY: IN-SITU AND EX-SITU

Conservation of biodiversity and genetic resources helps protect, maintain and

recover endangered animal and plant species. There are mainly two strategies for
the conservation of wildlife: In-situ conservation and Ex-situ conservation.
Although, both the strategies aim to maintain and recover endangered species,
they are different from each other.

In-situ Conservation:
In-situ conservation, which is also known as "on-site conservation", refers to the
conservation of wild species in their natural habitats and environment. It aims to
conserve the natural habitats of the wild species, especially the endangered
species and helps in their recovery.
The national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserve are some of the
examples of in-situ conservation. This method of conservation allows animals
flourish in their natural habitat and food chain and offers more mobility to the
animals. It is suitable for the conservation of animals that are found in abundance.
Ex-situ Conservation:
Ex-situ conservation, which is also known as off-site conservation, refers to the
conservation of endangered species in the artificial or man-made habitats that
imitate their natural habitats, e.g. zoo, aquarium, botanical garden etc. It offers less
mobility to the animals as it is smaller in area than the area of in-situ conservation.
This method of conservation is suitable for the animals which are not found in
abundance.
It provides protection to animals against predators, unfavourable climatic conditions
and other hostile factors. Furthermore, proper food and care is provided under good
supervision.