Biodiversity

and its
Conservation

This module will enable you to

understand:
Concept of biodiversity and its levels
Benefits of biodiversity
Causes of biodiversity loss
Approaches to conservation

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What do you think biodiversity

mean?

Biodiversity
What does Bio mean?

Bio =
What does Diversity mean?

Diversity = Variety

Biodiversity: The variety and variability of life on

Earth

The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made

possible by complex interactions among all

living things including micro-organisms

Levels of Biodiversity
Genetic Diversity
Species Diversity
Ecosystem Diversity

Genetic Diversity

Species Diversity
Variability within a species/between diff species of a
community
Species richness & its abundance

Ecosystem Diversity

Biogeographical Classification of India

Biogeography:
phytogeography and zoogeography

characteristic
climate,
topography and biodiversity

soil,

1.Trans-Himalayan
2.Himalayan
3. Desert
4. Semi-arid
5. Western Ghats
6. Deccan Paninsula
7. Gangetic Plain
8. North-East India
9. Islands
10. Coasts

Value of Biodiversity
Extrinsic/Utilitarian/instrumental Value =
something has as a means to anothers end

the

value

Intrinsic/inherent Value = Something that has value in and of

itself

Value of Biodiversity
Consumptive use value
Productive use value
Social value
Ethical value
Aesthetic value
Option values
Ecosystem service value

Consumptive use value

Direct Use Value: Goods

Food
Building Materials
Fuel
Paper Products
Fiber (clothing,
textiles)
Industrial products
(waxes, rubber, oils)
Medicine
Source: AMNH-CBC

Food
Today, most people rely
on ~20 types of plants,
and only 3 to 4 are
staple crops.
Diversity is critical for
developing new strains
and breeds, i.e. that suit
a particular environment
or are resistant to pests
or disease and as a
source of new crops

Source: AMNH-CBC

Source: AMNH-CBC

Building Materials, Paper Products, and

Fuel

Fiber

Source: USDA Cotton Program

Source: USDA Photo b Ken Hammond

Medicine
About 80% of the
people in developing
countries use plants
as a primary source
of medicine.
57% of the 150
most-prescribed
drugs have their
origins in biodiversity
Source: AMNH-CBC

Traditional Medicine: Basis of Many Drugs

D r u g

S o u r ce

U se

B a rb a lo in , a lo e -e m o d in

A lo e ( A lo e s p p .)

A tro p in e

B e lla d o n n a (A to p a
b e lla d o n n a )
O p iu m p o p p y
(P a p a v e r s o m n ife r u m )
A u tu m n c r o c u s
(C o lc h ic u m a u tu m n a le )
C o m m o n fo x g lo v e
(D ig ita lis p u r p u r e a )
J o in t fir (E p h e d r a
s in ic a )

a n tib a c te ria l, s k in
c o n d itio n s , p u rg a tiv e
R e la x a n t, s e d a tiv e

C o d e in e
C o lc h ic in e
D ig ito x in
E p h e d rin e ,
P s e u d o e p h e d rin e
L -D o p a
M e n th o l
M o rp h in e
Q u in in e
R e s e rp in e
S c o p o la m in e
T a x o l
V in b la s tin e , v in c ris tin e

V e lv e t b e a n (M u c u n a
d e e r in g ia n a )
M in t ( M e n ta s p c s .)
O p iu m p o p p y
(P a p a v e r s o m n ife r u m )
Y e llo w c in c h o n a
(C in c h o n a le d g e r ia n a )
I n d ia n s n a k e r o o t
(R a u v o lfia s e r p e n tin a )
T h o r n a p p le (D a tu r a m e te l)
P a c ific Y e w (T a x u s
b r e v ifo lia )
R o s y p e riw in k le
(C a th a ra n th u s ro s e u s )

P a in k ille r
A n tic a n c e r a g e n t
C a rd ia c s tim u la n t
A s th m a , e m p h y s e m a ,
b ro n c h io d ila to r, h a y
fe v e r
P a rk in s o n s d is e a s e
N a s a l c o n g e s tio n
P a in k ille r
M a la ria
H y p e rte n s io n
S e d a tiv e
A n tic a n c e r
L e u k e m ia

Productive use value

Commercially usable values:Product is marketed and sold

Tusk of elephant, musk of musk deer, silk from silk-worm,wool

from sheep, fur of many animals,
Originating plant or animal
Cork oak (Quercus suber)
PAR RUBBER TREE (HEVEA
BRASILIENSIS)
Lac insect (Laccifer spp.)
CARNAUBA PALM (COPERNICIA CERIFERA)
Wax plant (Euphorbia antisyphilitica)
Jojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis)
Cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus)

Product/End use
Cork
Rubber
shellac
CARNAUBA WAX

candelilla wax
jojoba oil
CARMINE DYE*

Social values
Values associated with the social life, customs, religion
and psycho-spiritual aspects of the people

Plants: Tulsi (holy basil), Peepal, Mango, Lotus, Bael etc,

leaves/fruits/flowers/plant itself used for worship
Animals: Cow,snake, bull, owl etc in psycho-spiritual arena
of us

Ethical values
Known as existence value

All life must be preserved

Concept: Live and let live

Aesthetic Value
Eco-tourism

Source: Brumbaugh AMNH-CBC

Option value

Potential of biodiversity that is unknown so far and need

to be explored
Could be a miracle for any disease in future
Option

to

visit

areas

endemic/endangered/rare

where

species

are

Ecosystem service value

Regulating global processes, such as atmosphere and
climate
Soil and water conservation
Nutrient cycling
Fixation of Nitrogen

Source of Inspiration
or Information

Biomimicry
Applied Biology
Medical Models
Education and Scientific
Research

Biodiversity at global, national and local

level
Only after the Earth Summit (1992) there was growing need to know and
scientifically name a large number of species which are still unknown on this
earth.
Roughly 1.5 million species are known till date which is perhaps 15% or may be
just 2% of the actual number
The tropical rainforests are inhabited by millions of species of plants, birds,
amphibians, insects as well as mammals
They are the earth's largest storehouse of biodiversity

About 50 to 80% of global biodiversity lies in tropical rainforests

More than one-fourth of the world's prescription drugs are extracted from plants
growing in tropical forests
Out of the 3000 plants identified by National Cancer Research Institute as sources
of cancer fighting chemicals, 70% come from tropical rain forests
There is an estimated 1,25,000 flowering plant species in tropical forests
The Silent Valley in Kerala is the only place in India where tropical rain forests
occur

Roughly there are 1,70,000 flowering plants, 30,000 vertebrates and about 2,50,000
other groups of species globally
It is a big task of describing the remaining species which may range from 8
million to 100 million
Marine diversity is even much higher than terrestrial biodiversity and are still less
known and described

Living species estimates (World Resource Institute, 1999)

Taxonomic group
Bacteria & Cyanobacteria
Protozoans (Single celled animals)
Algae
Fungi (Molds, Mushrooms)
Higher Plants
Sponges
Jelly fish, Corals etc.
Flatworms, roundworms, earthworms
Snails, Clams, Slugs etc
Insects
Mites, Ticks, Croaks, shrimps
Fish and Sharks
Amphibians
Reptiles
Birds
Mammals
Total

Number
5,000
31,000
27,000
45,000
2,50,000
5,000
10,000
36,000
70,000
7,50,000
1,20,000
22,000
4,000
5,000
9,000
4,000
1,400, 000

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AT NATIONAL LEVEL

(Indian Biodiversity)
India has a rich biological diversity of flora and fauna
Overall six percent of the global species are found in India
Estimated that India ranks :
6th among the centres of diversity and origin of agricultural crops
10th among the plant rich countries of the world and
11th in terms of number of endemic species of higher vertebrates

Total number of living species identified in our country is

1, 50,000
Out of 25 biodiversity hot-spots in the world, India
possesses two:
one in the north-east region and
one in the western ghats
Indian is also one of the 12 mega-biodiversity countries in
the world

Biodiversity Profile of India

ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/cesmg/indiabio.html

LOCAL BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity at regional level: four types based on their spatial distribution:
(i)Point richness refers to the number of species that can be found at a single
point in a given space
(ii)Alpha (-) richness refers to the number of species found in a small
homogeneous area
(iii)Beta (-) richness refers to the rate of change in species composition across
different habitats.
(iv)Gamma (-) richness refers to the rate of change across large landscape
gradients

INDIA AS A MEGA-DIVERSITY NATION

The country has a rich heritage of biodiversity and is recognized to be uniquely rich in all
three aspects of biodiversity

Salient features of Indias biodiversity are as under :

India is one of the 12 mega-diversity nations of the world
India has ten biogeographic regions
Record by MoEF, Govt. of India:
There are 89,317 species of fauna that is 7.31% of the world fauna
and
45,364 species of flora that is 10.88% the world flora

NUMBER OF ANIMAL SPECIES IN INDIA AND WORLD

NUMBER OF PLANT SPECIES IN INDIA AND WORLD

BIOSPHERE RESERVES OF INDIA

INDIAS WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Endemism: Species restricted only to a particular

area are known as endemic
18% of the Indian plants are endemic to the country and
found nowherelse in the world
About 62% of amphibians and 50% of lizards are endemic
to India
Western ghats are the site of maximum endemism

Centre of Origin: A large number of species are known to

be originated in India
Nearly 5000 species of flowering plants had their origin in
India
From agro-diversity point of view, our country is also quite
rich. India has been the center of origin of :
166 species of crop plants and
320 species of wild relatives of cultivated crops

India is considered to be the centre of origin of

30,000 to 50,000 varieties of rice, pigeon-pea,
mango, turmeric, ginger, sugarcane, gooseberries,
etc.

Ranks seventh: in terms of contribution to world

agriculture

Collection by Gene bank :

34,000 cereals and 22,000 pulses grown in India
Also India has:
27 indigenous breeds of cattle
40 breeds of sheep
22 breeds of goats
8 breeds of buffaloes

HOT SPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY

Areas which exhibit high species richness as well as high species
endemism are termed as hot spots of biodiversity

There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level

Two are present in India----the Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats

These hot spots covering less than 2% of the worlds land area are
found to have about 50% of the terrestrial biodiversity

According to Myers et al. (2000), an area is called as a hotspot when it contains at

least 0.5% of the plant species as endemic
Nearly 40% of terrestrial plants and 25% of vertebrates are endemic to these
hotspots
Highest in tropical rain forest (evergreen broad leaf forest found near equator)
2nd highest in Mediterranean (western Amazon, Madagascar, North & East Borneo,
North-Eastern Australia, West Africa etc)
More than 1 billion people (1/6 of world population) who are desperately very poor
live in these areas

Out of 135 genera of land mammals in India, 85 (63%) are found in the
Northeast
The Northeast States have 1,500 endemic plant species
A major proportion of amphibian and reptile species, especially snakes,
are concentrated in the Western Ghats, which is also a habitat for 1,500
endemic plant species
Coral reefs in Indian waters surround the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
Lakshadweep Islands, the Gulf areas of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. They are
nearly as rich in species as tropical evergreen forests

Eastern Himalayas: They display an ultra-varied topography that fosters species

diversity and endemism
Numerous deep and semi-isolated valleys in Sikkim which are extremely rich in
endemic plant species.
7298 Km2 of Sikkim--- about 4250 plant species are found of which 60% are
endemic.
The forest cover of Eastern Himalayas has dwindled to about 1/3rd of its original
cover. Certain species like Sapria himalayana, a parasitic angiosperm was sighted
only twice in this region in the last 70 years
Out of the worlds recorded flora, 30% are endemic to India, of which 35,000 are in
the Himalayas

Western Ghats: It extends along a 17,000 Km2 strip of forests in Maharashtra,

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala

Has 40% of the total endemic plant species

62% amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic to Western Ghats

The major centers of diversity are Agastyamalai Hills and Silent Valley
Reported that only 6.8% of the original forests are existing today while the rest
has been deforested or degraded

THREATS
TO
BIODIVERSITY

Extinction is the most irreversible and tragic of all environmental

calamities. With each plant and animal species that disappears, a
precious part of creation is callously erased

Michael Soule, 2004

As our numbers climb, we expand agricultural conversion, import

invasive species, hunt more species, degradate habitat,
and lose habitat, pollute water and air, impact climate etc.

fragment

Extinction or elimination of a species is a natural process of evolution

The process of extinction has become particularly fast in the recent years
of human civilization

One of the estimates by the noted ecologist, E.O. Wilson puts the figure
of extinction at 10,000 species per year or 27 per day!

If the present trend continues we would lose 1/3rd to 2/3rd of our current
biodiversity by the middle of twenty first century

THREATS
1. LOSS OF HABITAT
2. POACHING
3. MAN-WILDLIFE CINFLICT

LOSS OF HABITAT
Destruction and loss of natural habitat-- the single
largest cause of biodiversity loss

Natural forests and grasslands were the natural homes

of thousands of species which perished due to loss of
their natural habitat

Billions of hectares of forests and grasslands have been

cleared to convert into agriculture lands, pastures,
settlement areas or development projects

Sometimes the loss of habitat occurs in instalments -- habitat

fragmentation-- The separation of an ecosystem into small pieces
of land is called
The smaller the parcel of land, the fewer species it can support

If a habitat is destroyed or disrupted, the native species might

have to relocate or they will die
Destruction of habitat - such as the clearing of tropical
rainforests, has a direct impact on global biodiversity
Disruption of habitat - the declining population of one species
can affect an entire ecosystem

There has been a rapid disappearance of tropical forests in our

country also, at a rate of about 0.6% per year

With the current rate of loss of forest habitat, it is estimated that

20-25% of the global flora would be lost within a few years

Marine biodiversity is also under serious threat due to large scale

destruction due to human intervention

POACHING
Poaching----Illegal trade of wildlife products by killing prohibited
endangered animals

Despite international ban on trade in products from endangered species,

smuggling of wildlife items like furs, hides, horns, tusks, live specimens
and herbal products worth millions of dollars per year continues

The developing nations in Asia, Latin America and Africa are the richest
source of biodiversity and have enormous wealth of wildlife

The rich countries in Europe and North America and some

affluent countries in Asia like Japan, Taiwan and Hong
Kong are the major importers of the wild life products or
wild life itself.
The cost of elephant tusks can go upto $ 100 per kg
The leopard fur coat is sold at $ 100,000 in Japan
Bird catchers can fetch upto $ 10,000 for rare hyacinth
macaw, a beautiful coloured bird, from Brazil

Sciencemuseum.org

MAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS
In Sambalpur, Orissa 195 humans were killed in the last 5 years by
elephants. In retaliation the villagers killed 98 elephants and badly injured
30 elephants.
Several instances of killing of elephants in the border regions of KoteChamarajanagar belt in Mysore have been reported
Cause: massive damage done by the elephants to the farmers cotton and
sugarcane crops
Villagers electrocute the elephants and sometimes hide explosives in the
sugarcane fields, which explode as the elephants intrude into their fields
14 persons were killed by leopards---Sanjay Gandhi National Park,
Mumbai and created a panic among the local residents

Causes of Man-animal conflicts

Dwindling habitats of tigers, elephants, rhinos and bears due to shrinking
forest cover compels them to move outside the forest and attack the field
or sometimes even humans

Earlier there used to be wild-life corridors through which the wild animals
used to migrate seasonally in groups to other areas.

Due to development of human settlements in these corridors, the path of

wildlife has been disrupted and the animals attack the settlements

Remedial Measures to Curb the Conflict

Adequate crop compensation and cattle compensation scheme must be started,
along with substantial cash compensation for loss of human life.

Cropping pattern should be changed near the forest borders and adequate fodder,
fruit and water should be made available for the elephants within forest zones.

Wild life corridors should be provided for mass migration of big animals during
unfavorable periods

Causes of species extinction

Primary causes spell likeHIPPO:

Habitat alteration/loss
Invasive species
Pollution
Population growth
Overexploitation

HIPPO: Invasive species

Accidental or intentional introduction of exotic
species to new areas

In todays globalizing world, invasive species

have become perhaps the secondthreat to native biota

worst

Some Invasive Species

Mosquito fish

Gypsy moth

Zebra mussel

European starling
Kudzu
Asian longhorned beetle

Indian mongoose

Caulerpa algae
Rosy wolfsnail

Cheatgrass
Cane toad
Bullfrog

Brown tree snake

HIPPO: Pollution
Air and water pollution; agricultural runoff,
industrial chemicals, etc.
Pollution causes widespread harm, but not
like the threat pose by other elements of
HIPPO.

Pollution - Biological Magnification

Biological magnification is
the increasing concentration
of

toxic

substances

in

organisms as trophic levels

increase in a food chain or
food web.

Pesticides - DDT

HIPPO: Population growth

Human population growth ---magnifies effects of the
other elements of HIPPO:
More people-----more habitat change, more invasive
species, more pollution, more overexploitation.

Some other causes of species extinction

In most cases, extinctions occur because of a combination of factors

a complex combination of:

Chemical contamination

Disease transmission

Habitat loss

Ozone depletion and UV penetrance

Climate change

Synergistic interaction of these factors

ENDANGERED SPECIES OF INDIA

IUCN publishes the Red Data Book that includes the list of endangered
species of plants and animals
The red data symbolizes the warning signal for those species which are
endangered and if not protected are likely to become extinct in near
future.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources

In India, nearly 450 plant species have been identified in the categories of
endangered, threatened or rare

About 150 mammals and 150 birds species are estimated to be threatened
while an unknown number insect species are endangered

Few species of endangered reptiles, birds, mammals and plants

Reptiles : Gharial, green sea turtle, tortoise, python
Birds : Great Indian bustard, Peacock, Pelican, Great Indian Hornbill, Siberian
White Crane
Carnivorous Mammals : Indian wolf, red fox, Sloth bear, red panda, tiger, leopard,
striped hyena, Indian lion, golden cat, desert cat, dugong
Primates : Hoolock gibbon, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Capped monkey,
golden monkey
Plants : A large number of species of orchids, Rhododendrons, medicinal plants

Extinct:

when a species is not seen in the wild for 50 years at a stretch e.g.

Dodo, passenger pigeon

Endangered: when the number of a species has been reduced to a critical level
or whose habitats have been drastically reduced and if not protected and
conserved, it is in immediate danger of extinction

Vulnerable: When the population of a species is facing continuous decline due

to overexploitation or habitat destruction. Such a species is still abundant, but
under a serious threat may go to endangered category if causal factors remains
unchecked

Rare: Species which are not endangered or vulnerable at present, but are at a risk
are categorized as rare species

Extinct

Passenger pigeon

Dodo

Endangered

Spotted owl

Tortoise

The Great Indian

Bustard

Black rhinoceros

Dugong

Green sea turtle

Tiger

Red panda

Snow leopard

ENDEMIC SPECIES OF INDIA

India has two biodiversity hot spots and possesses a large
number of endemic species
Out of about 47,000 plants, 7000 are endemic
About 62% endemic flora, restricted mainly to Himalayas,
Khasi Hills and Western Ghats
Some endemic flora include orchids and species like
Sapria himalayana, Uvaria lurida, etc

Out of a total of 81,000 species of animals in our country , a large number is

endemic

The western ghats are particularly rich in amphibians (frogs, toads etc.) and
reptiles (lizards, crocodiles etc.)

About 62% amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic to Western Ghats

CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY

A number of measures are being taken world wide to conserve biodiversity -plants and wildlife

Two approaches of biodiversity conservation

In situ(within habitat):
Conservation of species in their natural habitat
E.g. Biosphere Reserves, National Parks, Sanctuaries, Reserve Forests
Ex situ(outside habitats):
Conserving species in isolation of their natural habitat
E.g. gene banks, seed banks, zoos, botanical gardens, culture collections

In Situ Conservation
In our country
Major Biosphere reserves-7
National Parks-80
Wild-life sanctuaries-420
Botanical gardens-120
Total area: 4% of the geographic area
The Biosphere Reserves: conserve some representative ecosystems as a whole
for long-term in situ conservation

BIOSPHERE RESERVES OF INDIA

National Park
An area dedicated for the conservation of wildlife along with its
environment
Also meant for enjoyment through tourism but without impairing the
environment
Activities like--grazing of domestic animals, all private rights and forestry
activities are prohibited within a National Park
Each National Park aims at conservation of some particular species of
wildlife along with others.

Some important National parks in India

Name of National Park

State

Important Wildlife

Kaziranga

Assam

One horned Rhino

Gir National Park

Gujarat

Indian Lion

Dachigam

J&K

Hangul

Bandipur

Karnataka

Elephant

Periyar

Kerala

Elephant, Tiger

Kanha

M.P.

Tiger

Corbett

U.P.

Tiger

Dudwa

U.P.

Tiger

Ranthambore

Rajasthan

Tiger

Sariska

Rajasthan

Tiger

Wildlife sanctuaries

Protected areas where killing, hunting, shooting or capturing of

prohibited except under the control of highest authority

wildlife is

Some Important Wildlife Sanctuaries of India

Name of Sanctuary

State

Major Wild Life

Ghana Bird Sanctuary

Rajasthan

300 species of birds

Hazaribagh Sanctuary

Bihar Tiger

Leopard

Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary

Haryana

Migratory birds

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary

Gujarat

Water birds

Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary

Punjab

Black buck

Mudamalai Wildlife Sanctuary

T amil Nadu

Tiger, elephant, Leopard

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

Tamil Nadu

Water birds

Jaldapara Wild Life Sanctuary

W. Bengal

Rhinoceros, elephant, Tiger

Wild Ass Sanctuary

Gujarat

Wild ass, wolf, nilgai, chinkara

One gene sanctuary for Citrus plants (Lemon

family) and one for pitcher plant (an insect eating
plant) in Northeast India

Ex situ Conservation
Outside its natural habitat by controlled situation
Mainly done for conservation of crop varieties, the wild relatives of crops and
all the local varieties
Main objective: conserving the total genetic variability of the crop species for
future crop improvement or afforestation programmes
There is expertise to multiply the species under artificially managed conditions
Breeding programs for rare plants and animals (however more expensive than
managing a Protected Area)

For all type crocodile species e.g. Madras Crocodile Bank Trust has grown from
10 to 8,035 crocodiles
Breeding of the very rare pygmy hog in Gauhati zoo
Other way of preserving a plant is by preserving its germ plasm in a gene bank
(but this is even more expensive)
Estimated about 30,000 varieties of rice grown in India till 50 years back
Now new varieties are being cultivated, derived from the germplasm of the
original types

Gene bank collections: more than 34,000 cereals and

22,000 pulses

Important gene bank/seed bank facilities in India

1.

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi: agricultural

and horticultural crops and their wild relatives are preserved by cryopreservation of seeds by using liquid nitrogen at low as -196C.

2. National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR)

preserves the semen of domesticated

Karnal, Haryana:

bovine animals

3. National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture Repository

conservation of varieties of crop

plants/trees by tissue culture

(NFPTCR):

Breeding Programs
Project Tiger: launched by Govt. Of India in 1973
Initially 9 tiger reserves with area of 16339 sq km
By 2001, 27 tiger reserves with area of 37761 sq km
By 1972, tiger no 268, in 9 tiger reserves
By 1997, tiger no around 1500 in 23 tiger reserves

Project Elephant: launched in 1992 for long-term survival

of elephants in North, North-eastern and south india.
Implemented in 12 states
Crocodile

Conservation:

Breeding

and

conservation

program was initiated in 1975 to protect the remaining

population (since their skin is used to make leather items)

Olive Ridley Turtles (Odisha): Gahirmatha and other sites

in Odisha coast

CASE STUDY
Beej Bachao Andolan (Save the Seeds Movement)
This movement began in the Himalayan foothills
collected the seeds of diverse crops in Garhwal
hundreds of local rice varieties, rajma, pulses, millets, vegetables, spices and
herbs conserved
supported by local womens groups who felt these varieties were better than
those provided by the green revolution
In contrast, men who were interested in cash returns in a short time found it
difficult to appreciate the benefits of growing indigenous varieties