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Biodiversity: Concept, Threats and Conservation

December 2015 · Environment Conservation Journal 16(3):19-28

DOI:10.36953/ECJ.2015.16303

Authors:

N. K. Agarwal
Rawat U.S
Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal Central University Uttarakhand, India

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Citations (86) References (35)

Abstract

Biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants,
animals, micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form. It refers to Discover the world's
genetic variation, ecosystem variation, species variation (number of species) within an research
area, biome or planet. Relative to the range of habitats, biotic communities and ecological 25+ million
processes in the biosphere, biodiversity is vital in a number of ways including promoting
members
the aesthetic value of the natural environment, contribution to our material well-being
through utilitarian values by providing food, fodder, fuel, timber and medicine. Biodiversity 160+ million
is the life support system. Organisms depend on it for the air to breathe, the food to eat, publication
and the water to drink. Wetlands filter pollutants from water, trees and plants reduce global pages
warming by absorbing carbon, and bacteria and fungi break down organic material and 2.3+ billion Join for free
fertilize the soil. It has been empirically shown that native species richness is linked to the citations
health of ecosystems, as is the quality of life for humans. The ecosystem services of
biodiversity is maintained through formation and protection of soil, conservation and
purification of water, maintaining hydrological cycles, regulation of biochemical cycles,
absorption and breakdown of pollutants and waste materials through decomposition,
determination and regulation of the natural world climate. Despite the benefits from
biodiversity, today’s threats to species and ecosystems are increasing day by day with
alarming rate and virtually all of them are caused by human mismanagement of biological
resources often stimulated by imprudent economic policies, pollution and faulty institutions
in-addition to climate change. To ensure intra and intergenerational equity, it is important to
conserve biodiversity. Some of the existing measures of biodiversity conservation include;
reforestation, zoological gardens, botanical gardens, national parks, biosphere reserves,
germplasm banks and adoption of breeding techniques, tissue culture techniques, social
forestry to minimize stress on the exploitation of forest resources.

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Environment Conservation Journal 16(3) 19-28, 2015

ISSN 0972-3099 (Print) 2278-5124 (Online)
Abstracted and Indexed

Biodiversity: Concept, threats and conservation

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6/4/23, 3:42 AM (PDF) Biodiversity: Concept, Threats and Conservation

Rawat U.S.1 and Agarwal N.K.2

Received:15.06.2015 Revised: 12.09.2015 Accepted: 18.10.2015

Abstract
Biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants, animals, micro-organisms, the
genes they contain and the ecosystem they form. It refers to genetic variation, ecosystem variation, species variation
(number of species) within an area, biome or planet. Relative to the range of habitats, biotic communities and ecological
processes in the biosphere, biodiversity is vital in a number of ways including promoting the aesthetic value of the natural
environment, contribution to our material well-being through utilitarian values by providing food, fodder, fuel, timber
and medicine. Biodiversity is the life s upport system. Organisms depend on it for the air to breathe, the food to eat, and
the water to drink. Wetlands fi lter pollutants from water, trees a nd plants reduce global warming by absorbing c arbon,
and bacteria and fungi break down organic material and fertilize the soil. It has been empirically shown that native
species richness is linked to the health of ecosystems, as is the quality of life for humans. The ecosystem services of
biodiversity is maintained through formation and protection of soil, conservation and purification of water, maintaining
hydrological cycles, regulation of biochemical cycles, absorption and breakdown of pollutants and waste materials
through decomposition, determination and regulation of the natural world cli mate. Despite the benefits from biodiversity,
today’s threats to species and ecosystems are increasing day by day with alar ming rate and virtually all of them are
caused by human mismanagement of biological resources often stimulated by imprudent economic policies, pollution and
faulty institutions in-addition to climate change. To ensure intra and intergenerational equity, it is important to conserve
biodiversity. Some of the ex isting measures of biodiversity conservation include; reforestation, zoological gardens,
botanical gardens, national parks, biosphere reserves, germplasm banks and adoption of breeding techniques, tissue
culture techniques, social forestry to minimize stress on the exploitation of forest resources.

Key words: Biodiversity, conservation, ecosystem services

Introduction
Biodiversity is a comprehensive umbrella term for
the extent of natures variety or variation within the
natural system; both in number and frequency. It is
often understood in terms of the wide variety of
plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they
contain and the ecosystem they form. The
biodiversity we see today is the result of billions of
years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and,
increasingly, by the influence of humans. It forms
the web of life of which we are an integral part and
upon which we so fully depend. So far, about 2.1
million species have been identified, mostly small
creatures such as insects. Scientists believe that
there are actually about 13 million species, though
as per UNEP estimates there are 9.0 to 52 million
species exist on earth (Mora et al., 2011). Biodiversity
Author’s Address
1
Shri Dev Suman Uttarakhand University, Badshahithaul -Tehri Species diversity: This is the variety of species or the
Garhwal (India)
2
Department of Zoology, School of Life Science
HNB Garhwal University Campus Badshshithaul- Tehri Garhwal
E-mail: agarwalnareshk3@rediffmail.com
also includes genetic differences within each species -
for example, between varieties of crops and breeds of
livestock. Chromosomes, genes, and DNA-the building
blocks of life-determine the uniqueness of each
individual and each species. Yet another feature of
biodiversity is the variety of ecosystems such as those
that occur in deserts, forests, wetlands, mountains,
lakes, rivers, and agricultural landscapes. In each
ecosystem, living creatures including human form a
community, interacting with one another and with the
air, water, and soil around them. Biodiversity is thus
considered at 3 major levels:
Genetic diversity: This is the variety of genetic
information contained in all of the individual plants,
animals and microorganisms occurring within
populations of species. Simply it is the variation of
genes within species and populations.
living organisms. It is measured in terms of- Species
Richness - This refers to the total count of species in a
defined area. Species Abundance - This refers to the

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6/4/23, 3:42 AM (PDF) Biodiversity: Concept, Threats and Conservation

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6/4/23, 3:42 AM (PDF) Biodiversity: Concept, Threats and Conservation

Citations (86) References (35)

... Conversely, one of the regularly most cited definitions for the term is the convention on biodiversity [3] which
described biological diversity as "the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial,
marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within
species, between species and of ecosystems." It was also tagged as "a comprehensive umbrella term for the extent of
natures' variety or variation within the natural system; both in number and frequency" [4] . Furthermore, it could be
described as the baseline of a complex network of life upon which humans and other interacting living phenomena
depend [4]. ...

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6/4/23, 3:42 AM (PDF) Biodiversity: Concept, Threats and Conservation
... It was also tagged as "a comprehensive umbrella term for the extent of natures' variety or variation within the natural
system; both in number and frequency" [4]. Furthermore, it could be described as the baseline of a complex network of
life upon which humans and other interacting living phenomena depend [4] . ...
... For instance, different research scholars categorized biodiversity's benefits differently. Tackacs [6] divided biodiversity
valuable nature into two classes: intrinsic and anthropocentric; Rawat and Agarwal [4] established four major
categories of biodiversity benefits vis-à-vis utilitarian benefits, ecosystem services, ethical and moral benefits, and
aesthetic value. ...

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... These include terrestrial habitats, marine and other aquatic sources of life support system, which provides fresh air,
food, and water for species. As a major concern in this climate change era, it is related to environmental fields like
conservation, ecology, and environmental policy [3] . ...

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... Here in this verse, besides indicating prolific, extended food and variety of paradisiacal eating stuff, it is also
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times as food which is excluded the prohibition of pork or ham, Baqara (173), Maeda (3), Inaam (145), Nahel (115), and
2 times entitled as paradisiacal food was indicated that each time was mentioned after fruit Nahel (14) , Fater (12),
which are indicating more valuable of fruits to health. In both verses, fruit is in priority because of more enjoyment rather
than other foodstuffs; whereas some people believe that human beings are the consumers of fruits and natural food,
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because using meat is not like getting fruit. ...

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entire planet (Uno et al., 2001). Rawat and Agarwal (2015) defined biodiversity as the variety of different forms of life
on earth, including the different plants, animals, micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form.
The variation in the different ecological, geographic and geological zones of the world supports various types of floristic
composition. ...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294876262_Biodiversity_Concept_Threats_and_Conservation 5/9
6/4/23, 3:42 AM (PDF) Biodiversity: Concept, Threats and Conservation
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organisms. Ecosystem diversity can be interpreted as variations in habitats, biotic communities and ecological
processes in the biosphere (Rawat & Agarwal, 2015; Verma, 2016). Indonesia has a high level of biodiversity supported
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