BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

• “The variability among living, inter alia, terrestrial , marine and other aquatic
systems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity
with in species, between species , and of ecosystems” Convention on Biological
Diversity, 1992.

• “The totality of genes, species and ecosystems in the region” IUCN

• “ The wealth of life on earth, the millions of plants, animals and microorganisms, the
genes they contain, and the intricate ecosystems they help build into living
environment.” World wildlife Funds.
• GENETIC BIODIVERSITY IS THE VARIATION IN GENES THAT EXISTS WITHIN A SPECIES. A
HELPFUL WAY TO UNDERSTAND GENETIC DIVERSITY IS TO THINK ABOUT DOGS. ALL DOGS
ARE PART OF THE SAME SPECIES, BUT THEIR GENES CAN DICTATE WHETHER THEY ARE
CHIHUAHUA OR A GREAT DANE. THERE CAN BE A LOT OF VARIATION IN GENES – JUST THINK
ABOUT ALL THE COLORS, SIZES, AND SHAPES THAT MAKE UP THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF
DOGS.
• SPECIES OF DATE PALM.
•
• ECOLOGICAL BIODIVERSITY IS THE DIVERSITY OF ECOSYSTEMS, NATURAL COMMUNITIES AND
HABITATS. IN ESSENCE, IT’S THE VARIETY OF WAYS THAT SPECIES INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND
THEIR ENVIRONMENT. THE FORESTS OF MAINE DIFFER FROM THE FORESTS OF COLORADO BY THE
TYPES OF SPECIES FOUND IN BOTH ECOSYSTEMS, AS WELL AS THE TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL.
THESE TWO SEEMINGLY SIMILAR ECOSYSTEMS HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE THEM
BOTH SPECIAL.
• OR TEMPERATE FORESTS, HOT AND COLD DESERTS, WETLANDS, RIVERS, MOUNTAINS, CORAL REEFS,
ETC. EACH ECOSYSTEM CORRESPONDS TO A SERIES OF COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BIOTIC
(LIVING) COMPONENTS SUCH AS PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND ABIOTIC (NON-LIVING)
COMPONENTS WHICH INCLUDE SUNLIGHT, AIR, WATER, MINERALS AND NUTRIENTS.
• SAHARA AND KALAHARI IN AFRICA, ARABIAN DESERT IN MIDDLE EAST, GREAT VICTORIA DESERT IN
AUSTRALIA, GOBI DESERT IN ASIA, AND GREAT BASIN DESERT IN NORTH AMERICA, THE ANTARCTIC
AND ARCTIC DESERTS ,
• WETLANDS, RIVERS, MOUNTAINS, CORAL REEFS
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

✓ BIODIVERSITY IS ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL PREREQUISITES THAT SUSTAIN HUMAN

SOCIETY .
✓ BIODIVERSITY GENERALLY REFERS TO THE VARIETY AND VARIABILITY OF LIFE ON
EARTH.
✓ BIODIVERSITY TYPICALLY MEASURES VARIATION AT THE GENETIC, THE SPECIES,
AND THE ECOSYSTEM LEVEL.
✓ TERRESTRIAL BIODIVERSITY TENDS TO BE GREATER NEAR THE EQUATOR, WHICH
SEEMS TO BE THE RESULT OF THE WARM CLIMATE AND HIGH PRIMARY
PRODUCTIVITY.
✓ TROPICAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS COVER LESS THAN 10 PER CENT OF EARTH'S
SURFACE, AND CONTAIN ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S SPECIES.
✓ MARINE BIODIVERSITY TENDS TO BE HIGHEST ALONG COASTS IN THE WESTERN
 AMOUNT OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Viruses, 1000, 0% Other animals,

281000, 20%
Bacteria etc, 4800,
0%

Fungi, 69000, 5%
Insects, 751000,
Algae, 26900, 2% 53%

Plants, 248500,
Protists, 30800, 2% 18%
• At least twice of the number of described species remains
undescribed.
• Only 4000 bacterial species are taxonomically described, on the
other hand , 4000 Species of bacteria found in a single gram of
soil in Norway.
• Insufficient collection: such as from deep sea and rainforests.
• Phylum Loricifera was first discovered rom deep sea in 1983
Giant Muntjac deer discovered in mountain rainforest
DECLINE IN BIODIVERSITY

✓ WE HAVE BEEN LOSING 1-10% OF OUR BIODIVERSITY PER DECADE

✓ ABOUT TWELVE THOUSAND VERTEBRATE AND INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS
THREATENED BY 2015 .

✓ MORE THAN 50% OF THE VERTEBRATE SPECIES HAVE DECLINED IN LAST FOUR DECADES ACROSS THE
WORLD.

✓ ABOUT SEVEN PERCENT OF THE DESCRIBED PLANT SPECIES ARE IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION.

HOWEVER, THESE ESTIMATIONS ARE FAR BELOW THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF THREATENED SPECIES BECAUSE,
FIRST, LARGE NUMBERS OF SPECIES ARE STILL TAXONOMICALLY UNDESCRIBED; AND SECOND, THESE
ESTIMATES WERE BASED ON THE ASSESSMENT OF A LIMITED PROPORTION OF DESCRIBED SPECIES WHICH
WERE EVALUATED FOR THEIR CONSERVATION STATUS.
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN PAKISTAN

✓ 195 MAMMAL SPECIES (6 BEING ENDEMIC), 20 THREATENED

✓ 668 BIRD SPECIES (25 BEING ENDANGERED), 25 THREATENED

✓ 177 REPTILE SPECIES (13 BEING ENDEMIC), 6 THREATENED

✓ 22 AMPHIBIANS (9 BEING ENDEMIC),

✓ 198 FRESH WATER FISHES (29 BEING ENDEMIC),

✓ 5,000 SPECIES OF INVERTEBRATES,

✓ 5,700 SPECIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS (OVER 400 BEING ENDEMIC).

POTENTIAL THREATS TO BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN PAKISTAN

✓ OVERGRAZING & DEFORESTATION ( 2ND HIGHEST RATE WORLDWIDE)

✓ THE DIVERSION OF WATER FOR IRRIGATION HAS ADVERSELY IMPACTED THE ECOLOGY OF
MANGROVE AND RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS

✓ GAME BIRDS AND ANIMALS ARE HEAVILY HUNTED

✓ FISHERIES FROM INLAND AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS ARE HARVESTED TO THE FULL LIMIT (WITH
PRESSURE INCREASING IN PARALLEL WITH POPULATION GROWTH)

✓ AGROBIODIVERSITY HAS SUFFERED SERIOUS EROSION DUE TO THE INTRODUCTION OF HIGHER

YIELDING VARIETIES AND THE USE OF AGROCHEMICALS.

✓ POLLUTION AND DISPOSAL OF UNTREATED SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT INTO THE RIVERS
AND SEAS ARE MAJOR THREATS TO AQUATIC AND MARINE BIODIVERSITY
AICHI BIODIVERSITY TARGETS, BY 2020

✓ADDRESS THE CAUSES OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS

✓ MASS AWARENESS, STEPS TO CONSERVATION
✓ INTEGRATION OF BIODIVERSITY VALUES INTO LOCAL AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
✓ SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION, USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES WELL WITHIN SAFE
ECOLOGICAL LIMITS.

✓ REDUCE PRESSURE AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE USE

✓ RATE OF HABITAT LOSS HALVES, REDUCE FRAGMENTATION
✓ FISH STOCK AND AQUATIC PLANTS TO BE MANAGED WITH IN SAFE ECOLOGICAL LIMITS.
✓ REDUCE POLLUTION LEVEL TO SAFEGUARD ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS
✓ IDENTIFICATION OF INVASIVE SPECIES AND THEIR PATHWAYS
AICHI BIODIVERSITY TARGETS, BY 2020

✓SAFEGUARD SPECIES AND ECOSYSTEMS

✓ CONSERVATION OF AT LEAST 17% TERRESTRIAL AND INLAND WATER
✓ 10% OF COSTAL AND MARINE
✓ PREVENTION OF KNOWN THREATENED SPECIES

✓ENHANCE BENEFITS FROM BIODIVERSITY & ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

✓ HEALTH & WELLBEING
✓ LIVELIHOOD, CLEAN WATER
✓ CONTRIBUTION OF BIODIVERSITY TO CARBON STOCK
✓ COMBATING DESERTIFICATION