Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
E
BIODIVERSITY AND
CONSERVATION
Part 2
LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
12% birds, 23%
27 species >15,500 mammals, 32%
amphibians, 31%
disappeared species face
gymnosperm
in the last the threat species face
20 years of extinction threat of
extinction
CAUSES OF
BIODIVERSITY
LOSSES Over-
Co-extinction
(‘THE EVIL
exploitation
QUARTET’)
Alien species
invasions
1. Habitat loss & fragmentation
Most important cause
E.g. Habitat loss in tropical rain forests (loss from 14% to 6%).
Thousands hectares of rain forests is being lost within hours.
The Amazon a rain forest (‘lung of the planet’) is being cut for
cultivating soya beans or for conversion of grass lands for cattle.
When large habitats are broken up into fragments, mammals
and birds requiring large territories and certain animals with
migratory habits are badly affected, leading to population
declines.
2. Over-exploitation
PASSENGER PIGEON
Many species
such as Stellar’s
sea cow,
Passenger pigeon
etc extinct due to
over exploitation.
Broadly utilitarian
arguments
Ethical arguments
1.Narrowly utilitarian arguments
ERAVIKULAM
Sanctuary
The area in which protection is given only to the animals. Operations
like collection of timbers, minor forest products and private
ownership rights are allowed so long as they do not interfere with
the well-being of animals. E.g. Periyar Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.
PERIYAR
Biosphere Reserves
Areas of land or coastal environments to conserve ecosystem and
genetic resources contained therein.
Sacred forests (Sacred groves)
Protected by several tribal communities. E.g.
Sacred groves in Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya
Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan
Western Ghat regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra
Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar areas of Madhya Pradesh.
EX SITU CONSERVATION (OFF SITE)
Conservation of organisms outside their habitats.
E.g. Genetic resource centres, zoological parks,
botanical gardens, gene banks etc.
HOTSPOTS
Hotspots are the richest and the most threatened
reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth.
There are 34 hotspots in the world.
3 hotspots (Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma
and Himalaya) cover India’s biodiversity regions.
WESTERN GHAT
HIMALAYA
INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS FOR CONSERVING
BIODIVERSITY
Sustainable use
of biodiversity
Sharing of
Conservation of benefits of the
biodiversity utilization of
genetic
resources
Objectives
of the EARTH
SUMMIT (Rio
de Jeneiro,
1992)
EARTH SUMMIT
INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS FOR CONSERVING
BIODIVERSITY