You are on page 1of 12

SUBMITTED BY: ABHINAV CHAUHAN -10809471 DIVYANSHU KRISHNA-10810562

BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity can simply be defined as the variation of life at a given site or

ecosystem. However, it is through this diversity that natural systems adapt,


evolve, and thrive. Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity

is a measure of the health of ecosystems.

Biodiversity is considered to exist at three levels: genetics, species, and ecosystems. Genetic diversity: the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic

makeup of a species. Genetic diversity allows species to adapt to changing


environments. This diversity aims to ensure that some species survive drastic changes and thus carry on desirable genes. The survival of individuals ensures the survival of the population. Species diversity: a ratio of one species population over total number of organisms across all species in the given biome. Zero would be infinite diversity, and one represents only one species present. Ecosystem diversity: the diversity of a place at the level of ecosystems. The Earth is our biosphere, and the variation of ecosystems within our biosphere is a measure of ecosystem diversity.

Biodiversity is measured by two major components: species richness, and species evenness. Species richness if similar to species diversity, but it simply
measures the total number of species in an ecosystem. The second component
is species evenness, which gauges the proportion of species at a given site.

Species richness

Species evenness

BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS
A specific location that has enormous species diversity but is also under threat from human activities is known as a biodiversity hot spot. According to Norman Myers,

the man who coined the term hotspot, two key criteria must be met for an area to
be considered a biodiversity hotspot: it must contain at least 0.5% or 1,500 species of [plants known to only exist in that region (endemic)], and it has to have lost at

least 70% of its primary vegetation.At least 25 areas around the world meet these
qualifications, and they support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with a very high share of endemic species.9 This

gives you a sense of how many unique species are under threat from human impacts
around the world.

BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS IN INDIA

BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS IN INDIA

BIODIVERSITY IN INDIA
India, known for its rich heritage of biological diversity, has so far documented over 91,200 species of animals and 45,500 species of plants in its ten biogeographic regions. Besides, it is recognized as one of the eight Vavilovian centres of origin and diversity of crop plants, having more than 300 wild ancestors and close relatives of cultivated plants, which are still evolving under natural c India ranks among the top ten species-rich nations and shows high endemism. India has four global biodiversity hot spots (Eastern Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, and Sundaland). The varied

edaphic, climatic and topographic conditions and years of geological stability


have resulted in a wide range of ecosystems and habitats such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts, and coastal and marine ecosystem conditions.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
The conservation ethic advocates management of natural resources for the

purpose of sustaining biodiversity in species, ecosystems, the evolutionary


process, and human culture and society. Conservation biology matured in the mid-20th century as ecologists, naturalists, and other scientists began to research and address issues pertaining to global biodiversity declines. WHY CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY? Ecological reasons: Individual species and ecosystems have evolved over

millions of years into a complex interdependence. This can be viewed as

being akin to a vast jigsaw puzzle of inter-locking pieces. If you remove


enough of the key pieces on which the framework is based then the whole picture may be in danger of collapsing.

Two linked issues which are currently of great ecological concern include world-wide deforestation and global climate change. Forests not only harbour untold numbers of different species, but also play a critical role in regulating climate. The destruction of forest, particularly by burning, results in great increases in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Average global temperatures have been showing a steadily increasing trend. Global sea levels have risen by 100 - 200 mm over the last century due to melting of snow caps. scientists predict that the earth could be on average1oC warmer by 2025 and 3oC warmer by 2100. These changes, while small, could have drastic effects. Economic reasons: Environmental disasters such as floods, forest fires and hurricanes indirectly or directly caused by human activities, all have dire economic consequences for the regions afflicted.

Erosion and desertification, often as a result of deforestation, reduce the ability of people to grow crops and to feed themselves. This leads to economic dependence on other nations. Non-sustainable extraction of resources (e.g. hardwood timber) will eventually lead to the collapse of the industry involved, with all the attendant economic losses. Large-scale habitat and biodiversity losses mean that species with potentially great economic importance may

become extinct before they are even discovered. The vast, largely untapped
resource of medicines and useful chemicals contained in wild species may disappear forever. Ethical reasons: Do we have the right to decide which species should survive and which should die out? Do we have the right to cause a mass extinction? Most people would instinctively answer 'No!'. However, we have to realise that most biodiversity losses are now arising as a result of natural competition between humans and all other species for limited space and resources.

Aesthetic Reasons: Most people would agree that areas of vegetation, with

all their attendant life forms, are inherently more attractive than burnt,
scarred landscapes, or acres of concrete and buildings. Human well-being is inextricably linked to the natural world.

You might also like