Unit 4 : Biodiversity and

its conservation
Topics to be covered…
• Introduction – Definition : genetic, species and ecosystem diversity.
• Biogeographical classification of India
• Value of biodiversity : consumptive use, productive use, social, ethical,
aesthetic and option values
• Biodiversity at global, National and local levels.
• India as a mega-diversity nation
• Hot-sports of biodiversity.
• Threats to biodiversity : habitat loss, poaching of wildlife, man-wildlife
conflicts.
• Endangered and endemic species of India
• Conservation of biodiversity : In-situ and Ex-situ conservation of biodiversity.

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1. Introduction
 1. Introduction
 The diversity of life on Earth has provided support for human development
over time
 Careful and sustainable use of biodiversity is necessary for survival
 Scientific classification of living organisms has aided in understanding and
utilizing biological wealth for human benefit
 Better health care, better crops, and raw materials for industrial growth
have resulted from this understanding
 Consumerism has negatively impacted biodiversity
 Sustainable use of biodiversity can lead to continued development and new
products for generations
 Managing biodiversity as a precious resource and preventing species
extinction is essential for achieving this goal.
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2. Biodiversity
2. Biodiversity
 Biodiversity includes differences in genes among individuals of a
species, plant and animal species, and ecosystems
 It deals with the degree of nature's variety in the biosphere
 Three levels of biodiversity:

organization of species in an
area into distinctive plant and
animal communities

variety of species
gen a
within
etic
community
vari
abil
ity
wit 6
hin
a
2.1 Genetic diversity

 Genetic makeup of individuals in a species is widely different due to

numerous gene combinations
 Genetic variability is essential for a healthy breeding population, and
reduction in the number of breeding individuals can cause inbreeding
and eventually lead to extinction
 Wild species' diversity forms the 'gene pool' used to develop crops and
domestic animals over thousands of years
 Wild relatives of crop plants are used to create new varieties of more
productive crops and to breed better domestic animals
 Modern biotechnology manipulates genes for developing better
medicines and industrial products.
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Reference website: https://prsindia.org/policy/analytical-reports/state-agriculture-
india

8
Further read: Green Revolution in India
2.2 Species Diversity
 Species diversity is the number of species of plants and animals present in a
region
 Natural undisturbed tropical forests have greater species richness than
plantations developed for timber production
 A natural forest ecosystem provides a large number of non-wood products that
local people depend on, while timber plantations do not
 Returns from non-wood forest products are said to be greater than the returns
from felling a forest for its timber in the long-term
 Modern intensive agricultural ecosystems have a lower diversity of crops than
traditional agro-pastoral farming systems
 Around 1.8 million species have been identified and categorized on Earth, with
many new species still being discovered, especially in flowering plants and
insects
 Areas rich in species diversity are called 'hotspots', and India is among the 15
9

nations exceptionally rich in species diversity.

 10
Image source: wikipedia
2.3 Ecosystem Diversity
 Earth has a variety of different ecosystems that have their own
complement of distinctive interlinked species based on habitat
differences.
 Ecosystem diversity can be described for a specific geographical region,
political entity or country.
 Ecosystems include landscapes such as forests, grasslands, deserts,
mountains, and aquatic ecosystems such as rivers, lakes, and the sea.
 Natural ecosystems are relatively undisturbed by human activities,
whereas modified ecosystems are changed to other types of uses, such as
farmland or urban areas.
 If natural ecosystems are overused or misused, their productivity
eventually decreases and they are then said to be degraded.
 India is exceptionally rich in its ecosystem diversity.
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 3. Biogeographic
classification of India
Biogeographic classification of India
 India can be divided into ten major regions based on geography,
climate, and vegetation.
 Each region contains various ecosystems, including forests,
grasslands, rivers, lakes, wetlands, mountains, and hills.
 These ecosystems have specific plant and animal species and
communities of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and
other invertebrates.
 The regions are: the Trans-Himalayas, Himalayas, Desert, Semi-Arid
Zone, Western Ghats, Deccan Plateau, Gangetic Plain, North-East
India, Islands, and Coasts.

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India’s Biogeographic Zones
 1. The cold mountainous snow covered Trans Himalayan region of
Ladakh.
 2. The Himalayan ranges and valleys of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Assam and other North Eastern States.
 3. The Terai, the lowland where the Himalayan rivers flow into the
plains.
 4. The Gangetic and Bhramaputra plains.
 5. The Thar Desert of Rajasthan.
 6. The semi arid grassland region of the Deccan plateau Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Andra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
 7. The Northeast States of India,
 8. The Western Ghats in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.
 9. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
 10. The long western and eastern coastal belt with sandy beaches, 14

forests and mangroves.

Source:
researchgate
DOI:10.5194/isprs-annals-IV-5-W2-49-2019 15
License
CC BY
4. Value of biodiversity
4.1 Meaning

 Environmental services from species and ecosystems are essential for

global, regional, and local levels.
 Forests play an important role in converting carbon dioxide into carbon
and oxygen, and loss of forest cover contributes to global warming and
climate change.
 Biological diversity is important for preserving ecological processes
and supporting human needs, such as food, clothing, housing, and
medicine.
 Biodiversity plays a major role in human development and the
preservation of it is essential for improving the quality of human life.
 The loss of biodiversity is a threat to human survival and strategies to
preserve it are necessary.
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4.2 Different types of values of
Biodiversity

Consumptive Productive
Social values
use value use value

Ethical and Aesthetic

Option value
moral values values

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4.2.1 Consumptive use value

 Value arising due to the daily need of resources

 Local communities depend on the biodiversity of ecosystems for their
daily needs.
 Forest dwellers use timber for building material, and collect local
fruits, roots, and plant material for food and medicines.
 Fisher folk rely on fish and other edible aquatic animals and plants for
their sustenance.

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4.2.2 Productive use value
 Pharmacists use biological diversity to identify new drugs from plant or animal
products.
 Industrialists use biodiversity to develop new products.
 Agricultural scientists use biodiversity in wild relatives of crops to develop better
crops.
 Genetic diversity enables scientists to develop better crops and domestic animals.
 New crop varieties are being developed using genetic material found in wild
relatives of crop plants through biotechnology.
 Species of plants and animals are constantly being discovered in the wild, which
are building blocks for the betterment of human life.
 Preservation of biodiversity has become essential for industrial growth and
economic development.
 A variety of industries, such as pharmaceuticals, depend on identifying compounds
of great economic value from wild species of plants in undisturbed natural forests,
called biological prospecting. 20
4.2.3 Social values
 Traditional societies have preserved their biodiversity as a life-
supporting resource, whereas modern man has rapidly depleted it to
the extent of leading to the irrecoverable loss due to extinction of
several species.
 The local use or sale of products of biodiversity has a social aspect
where more and more resources are used by affluent societies.
 Traditional societies valued biodiversity as a resource and
appreciated that its depletion would be a great loss to their society.
 ‘Ecosystem people’ value biodiversity as a part of their livelihood as
well as through cultural and religious sentiments.
 In recent years, farmers have begun to receive economic incentives
to grow cash crops for national or international markets, rather than
to supply local needs.
 This has resulted in local food shortages, unemployment, 21
landlessness, and increased vulnerability to drought and floods.
4.2.4 Ethical and moral values
 Ethical values related to biodiversity conservation are based on the
importance of protecting all forms of life
 All forms of life have the right to exist on earth
 Humans are only a small part of the Earth's great family of species
 Plants and animals have an equal right to live and exist on our planet
 Apart from economic importance, there are several cultural, moral,
and ethical values associated with the sanctity of all forms of life
 Many traditional societies have preserved biodiversity as a life-
supporting resource
 In India, a large number of sacred groves or 'deorais' have been
preserved by tribal people in several states which act as gene banks
of wild plants

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4.2.5 Aesthetic values
 Biodiversity should be preserved for its own sake, as it is a beautiful
and fascinating aspect of nature that attracts tourists.
 Wild species have been venerated and considered sacred in many
cultures, including in Hinduism and Buddhism, where animals such as
the lion, elephant, and mouse are associated with deities.
 There are cultural and historical reasons to preserve biodiversity,
such as references in ancient literature and the use of plants in
traditional medicine.
 Preserving biodiversity also has practical benefits, such as serving as a
gene bank for future crop breeding and maintaining the ecological
balance.

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4.2.6 Option value
 Option value refers to keeping future possibilities open for the use of
certain species and varieties
 It is impossible to predict which species or traditional crop varieties
will be useful in the future
 To improve cultivars and domestic livestock, we need to preserve
wild relatives of crop plants and animals
 Preserving biodiversity must also include the traditional strains of
crops and domestic animals that already exist

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5. Biodiversity at global,
national and local levels
 There are currently 1.8 million known species in the world, but the
actual number of species could range from 1.5 to 20 billion.
 Developing nations with high biodiversity are in the South, while
economically developed nations with low biodiversity are in the North.
 The developed world supports the concept of biodiversity as a global
resource, but this could compromise the sovereignty of developing
nations over their biodiversity.
 India has a rich biodiversity and has the potential to develop
biotechnology and genetic engineering for economic benefit.
 The value of biologically rich natural areas is increasingly appreciated
worldwide, and international agreements such as the World Heritage
Convention and CITES attempt to protect and support such areas.
 India is a signatory to these agreements and has several protected areas
designated as World Heritage sites.

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27
6. India as a mega
diversity nation

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India as a mega diversity nation
 India's geological history has provided conditions for high levels of
biodiversity.
 India was a part of Gondwanaland, the southern landmass, together with
Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.
 Later, tectonic movements shifted India northward across the equator to
join the Northern Eurasian continent, and plants and animals from
Europe and the Far East migrated into India.
 India has a unique position between three distinctive centers of
biological evolution and radiation of species.
 India is among the top 10 or 15 countries for its great variety of plants
and animals, with high levels of endemism.

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Cont…
 India has 350 different mammals, 1,200 species of birds, 453 species of
reptiles, and 45,000 plant species, with a high diversity of ferns and
orchids.
 India has 50,000 known species of insects, including 13,000 butterflies
and moths, and a high degree of endemism for various groups of insects,
marine worms, centipedes, mayflies, and fresh water sponges.
 India has a great diversity of cultivated crops and breeds of domestic
livestock, with a high diversity of cultivars concentrated in high rainfall
areas.
 Gene-banks have collected over 34,000 cereals and 22,000 pulses grown
in India, and India has 27 indigenous breeds of cattle, 40 breeds of
sheep, 22 breeds of goats, and 8 breeds of buffaloes.

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Source: researchgate 31
ISBN: UBN: 015-A94510112027
7. Hotspots of
biodiversity

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Hotspots of biodiversity
 India has a rich and varied biodiversity due to its unique geological
history and location between three distinctive centers of biological
evolution and radiation of species.
 India is among the top 10-15 countries for its great variety of plants
and animals, many of which are not found elsewhere.
 India has a high degree of endemism, with 18% of Indian plants and a
third of flowering plants found nowhere else in the world.
 India has 350 different mammals, 1,200 species of birds, 453 species
of reptiles, 50,000 known species of insects, including 13,000
butterflies and moths.
 India has a great diversity of cultivated crops and breeds of domestic
livestock, including 30,000-50,000 varieties of rice and a number of
cereals, vegetables, and fruits.
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Cont…
 The world's richest, rarest, and most distinctive natural areas are
referred to as the Global 200, with 200 ecoregions identified as such.
 It is estimated that 50,000 endemic plants, comprising 20% of global
plant life, probably occur in only 18 "hot spots" in the world.
 Countries with a large proportion of these hot spots are referred to as
"megadiversity nations."
 India is a megadiversity nation, with globally accepted national hot
spots in the forests of the North-East and the Western Ghats, and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are extremely rich in species, with
as many as 2200 species of flowering plants and 120 species of ferns.

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Cont…
 The Northeast States have 1,500 endemic plant species, and a major
proportion of amphibian and reptile species, especially snakes, are
concentrated in the Western Ghats.
 Coral reefs in Indian waters are nearly as rich in species as tropical
evergreen forests and are found around the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Gulf areas of Gujarat and Tamil
Nadu.

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 36

Source: Times of India

 8. Threats to
biodiversity: habitat
loss, poaching of
wildlife, man-wildlife
conflicts
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 Human overuse and misuse of natural ecosystems have led to
unsustainable resource-use, turning productive forests and grasslands
into deserts and wasteland.
 Mangroves have been cleared for fuelwood and prawn farming, leading
to a decrease in marine fish breeding habitat.
 Wetlands have been drained to increase agricultural land, leading to a
decrease in aquatic species.
 The destruction of remaining large wilderness habitats, especially in
super diverse tropical forests and coral reefs, is the most important
threat to biodiversity.
 Human activities are likely to eliminate approximately 10 million
species by the year 2050.

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Cont…
 Loss of species occurs due to the destruction of natural ecosystems,
either for conversion to agriculture or industry, or by over-extraction
of their resources, or through pollution of air, water, and soil.
 In India, forests and grasslands are continuously being changed to
agricultural land, leading to loss of natural biodiversity.
 Exotic weeds, such as lantana bushes, Eupatorium shrubs, and
‘congress’ grass, have invaded several large tracts of natural forests,
spreading at the expense of indigenous undergrowth species.
 Traditional farming techniques such as cultivation by slash and burn
and ‘rab’ by lopping of tree branches as a wood-ash fertilizer, when
carried out by a large number of people, are leading to a loss of
forest biodiversity.

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Cont…

 Overharvesting of fish, especially by trawling, is leading to serious

depletion of fish stocks.
 Specific threats to certain animals, such as tigers, elephants, rhinos,
must deer, and bears, are related to large economic benefits.

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 9. Endangered and
endemic species of India

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9.1 Endangered animal species
 Bengal tiger
 Asiatic lion
 Indian rhinoceros
 Snow leopard
 Indian elephant
 Ganges river dolphin
 Nilgiri tahr
 Lion-tailed macaque
 Great Indian bustard
 Indian pangolin
 Himalayan musk deer
 Red panda
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 Asiatic cheetah (functionally extinct in India)….
 43

Source: https://www.gr8ambitionz.com/2017/04/essay-endangered-wildlife-in-india.html
9.2 Endangered plant species
 Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana)
 Nilgiri tahr's grass (Danthonia nilagiriensis)
 Khasi pine (Pinus kesiya)
 Beddome's cycad (Cycas beddomei)
 Lady's Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium cordigerum)
 Pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana)
 Wild date palm (Phoenix paludosa)
 Malabar ironwood (Mesua ferrea)
 Andaman bullet wood (Mimusops andamanensis)
 Indian sandalwood (Santalum album)

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 45
Source: researchgate DOI:10.33980/jbcc.2019.v05i01.016
9.3 Endangered marine species
 Olive Ridley Turtle
 Hawksbill Turtle
 Leatherback Turtle
 Green Sea Turtle
 Dugong (Sea Cow)
 Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin
 Irrawaddy Dolphin
 Finless Porpoise
 Whale Shark
 Giant Clam…

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9.4 Endangered bird species
 Great Indian Bustard
 Jerdon's Courser
 Forest Owlet
 Himalayan Quail
 White-rumped Vulture
 Indian Vulture
 Red-headed Vulture
 Baer's Pochard
 Siberian Crane
 Spoon-billed Sandpiper…

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 10. Conservation of
biodiversity: in-situ and
ex-situ

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10.1 In-situ conservation
 Biodiversity can be best preserved by setting aside wilderness as "Protected
Areas".
 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries should be a network consisting of each
distinctive ecosystem in the region to preserve the total diversity of life.
 The objective of these areas should be expanded to the preservation of
relatively intact natural ecosystems where biological diversity can be
preserved.
 Rare, threatened, or endangered species, as well as areas with "endemic"
species unique to the region, should be given added importance.
 Whole ecosystems must be protected as species are interdependent on each
other.
 Animals such as elephants require different types of habitat to feed in during
different seasons.
 Protected Areas meant to protect elephants must be large enough and include
diverse habitat types to support a complete complement of interlinked
species. 49
10.1.1 Wildlife Sanctuaries and National
Parks of India
 India has 589 protected areas, including 89 national parks and 500
wildlife sanctuaries.
 Protected areas aim to conserve highly endangered species of plants
and animals found nowhere else in the world.
 The Great Himalayan National Park is the largest sanctuary and home
to the snow leopard.
 Dachigam Sanctuary is the only place where the rare Hangul or
Kashmir stag is found.
 Kaziranga National Park is famous for elephant, wild buffalo, gaur,
wild boar, swamp deer, hog deer, tiger, leopard, and rich birdlife.
 The Manas Sanctuary includes the rare golden langur and the pygmy
hog, the smallest wild boar in the world, and the florican.
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Cont…
 Kanha is the only protected area where a subspecies of the Barasingha is
found, and Bharatpur is famous for water bird sanctuaries.
 The Desert National Park protects black buck, neelgai, chinkara, and the
Great Indian Bustard.
 The Gir Sanctuary protects the last population of the majestic Asiatic
lion.
 Sanctuaries in the Western Ghats protect highly threatened species such
as the Malabar giant squirrel, flying squirrel, hill birds, amphibians,
reptiles, and insects.
 Sanctuaries in the Nilgiri Hills protect the Indian elephant.
 Chilka Lake, Point Calimere, Sunderbans, and Marine National Park in
Gujarat are important sanctuaries for preservation of coastal ecosystems.
 Over a hundred protected areas have been created in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands to preserve their very special island ecosystems. 51
 52
Source: https://www.insightsonindia.com/geography-optional-daily-answer-writing-challenge/map-based-questions-from-india-location-of-state-
city-river-lakes-important-places-including-ramsar-sites-biosphere-reserves-wildlife-sanctuaries-and-national-parks/national-parks/
10.1.2 The need for an Integrated
Protected Area System (IPAS)
 Protected Areas must be established in every biogeographic region, with
a larger representation of highly fragile ecosystems and high species
diversity or endemism.
 Protected Areas should be integrated with each other by establishing
corridors wherever possible so that wildlife can move between them.
 Setting aside more land for Protected Areas is not easily feasible in
countries with rapidly growing human populations, but there is an urgent
need to preserve biodiversity.
 The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources states that it is essential to include at least 10% of all
ecosystems as Protected Areas.
 India has only 5% of its land in Protected Areas, and most of it includes
plantations of sal or teak, which are relatively poor in diversity. 53
Cont…
 A major strategy to reduce impacts on the biodiversity of Protected
Areas should be to provide a sustainable source of resources for local
people living around them.
 Involving local people in Protected Area management and developing
tourist facilities that support income generation for local people can
help involve their support for the Protected Area.
 A carefully designed management plan incorporating an 'eco
development' component is important for PA management.
 Community Reserves or Community Conserved Areas need to be created
for species that survive outside current Protected Areas.
 Mass environmental education is necessary for conservation of biological
diversity.

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10.2 Ex-situ conservation
 Conservation of a species is best done by protecting its habitat along with all
other species in it (in-situ conservation).
 However, for endangered species on the brink of extinction, alternate
methods may be needed (ex-situ conservation).
 Ex-situ conservation involves breeding the species in a controlled environment
such as a botanical garden or zoological park.
 Breeding programs can be expensive, but they can help prevent extinction.
 Zoos can serve a conservation role by providing suitable habitats for breeding
endangered species.
 Successful ex-situ conservation programs have been carried out in India,
including for crocodiles, pygmy hogs, and deer.
 The ultimate goal is to reintroduce the species into its natural habitat by
rehabilitating the degraded habitat and addressing other man-made
influences that have caused population decline. 55
 56

Source: https://www.mapsofindia.com/tourism/zoos-in-india.html
10.2.1 Conservation of cultivars and
livestock breeds
 India had around 30,000 varieties of rice until 50 years ago, but now only a few
are grown.
 New varieties of rice are developed using germ plasm of the original types of rice.
 If traditional varieties vanish completely, it will be difficult to develop new
disease-resistant varieties in the future.
 Gene banks have preserved several varieties, but it is expensive and risky.
 Encouraging farmers to grow traditional varieties is important for the future of
mankind.
 Gene bank collections have over 34,000 cereals and 22,000 pulses.
 Traditional agro-pastoralists in India have selectively bred livestock for 2 to 3
thousand years.
 India has 27 breeds of cattle, 40 breeds of sheep, 22 breeds of goats, and 8 breeds
of buffaloes.
 Traditional breeds must be maintained for their genetic variability. 57
Thankyou.

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