Biodiversity and Conservation PDF

Monika Keisham
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Biodiversity hotspots
Biodiversity hotspots
 It has been estimated that 50,000 endemic plants which
comprise 20% of global plant life, probably occur in only 18
‘hot spots’ in the world. Countries which have a relatively
large proportion of these hot spots of diversity are referred
to as ‘megadiversity nations’.
 Our globally accepted national ‘hot spots’ are in the

forests of the North-East and the Western Ghats, which
are included in the world’s most biorich areas.
 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are extremely rich in

species and many subspecies of different animals and birds
have evolved.
Biodiversity hotspots in India
 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands alone have as many as 2200
species of flowering plants and 120 species of ferns.
 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!
Endemic species
 Endemic species are plants and animals that exist only in one
geographic region.
 Species can be endemic to large or small areas of the earth: some

are endemic to a particular continent, some to part of a
continent, and others to a single island.
 Usually an area that contains endemic species is isolated in some

way, so that species have difficulty spreading to other areas, or it
has unusual environmental characteristics to which endemic
species are uniquely adapted.
Endangered species
 An endangered species is a native species that faces a
significant risk of extinction in the near future
throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
 Such species may be declining in number due to

threats such as habitat destruction, climate change, or
pressure from invasive species.
Animals
Threats to biodiversity
 Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation
 Poaching of wildlife
 Man-wildlife conflicts
 Biological invasion
 Mass extinction crisis
Habitat loss
 Habitat loss occurs when natural habitats are converted to
human uses such as cropland, urban areas, and
infrastructure development (e.g. roads, dams, powerlines).
 Examples include:
 Productive forests and grasslands have been turned into
deserts and wasteland, which have increased all over the
world.
 Mangroves have been cleared for fuelwood and prawn
farming, which has led to a decrease in the habitat essential
for breeding of marine fish.
Habitat degradation
 Habitats are degraded when their condition declines
due to factors such as pollution of air, water and soil;
invasive species; and over-utilization of natural
resources.
 Examples include:
 Purposely or accidentally introduced organisms
(Lantana, Hyacinth, Congress grass or Parthenium)
have led to the extinction of many local species.
 Habitats can also be degraded when natural process
they depend on, such as fire or flooding, are altered by
human activity.
Habitat degradation
The bleaching occurred in the year 2016 and 2017 affected a stretch of 1500
kilometers (900 miles) of the coral reef and now the scale of mortality is such
that there is nothing left for the coral reef to replenish.
Habitat fragmentation
 Habitat fragmentation occurs when large blocks of habitat
are cut into smaller pieces by development such as roads or
housing. The remaining blocks of habitat may be too small
to sustain populations of a number of species and the
fragmentation often results in barriers to species
movement.
Poaching of wildlife
Datura
Nux vomica
Rauvolfia
Conflict between
people and animals is
one of the main threats
to the continued
survival of many species
in different parts of the
world, and is also a
significant threat to
local human
populatons.
Biological invasion
 Biological invasions are a major force of change, affecting
many dimensions of life on Earth. Invasions result when
species colonize new geographic regions, which are
disjunct (isolated) from existing populations. Humans have
dramatically altered invasion dynamics, especially with the
global expansion of trade in modern times.
 Invasion is considered as the second most widespread

threat to global biodiversity next to habitat destruction.
Risk is limited not only to loss in biodiversity but
environment, economies, and humans are at loss as well.
Therefore global efforts are being made to control invasive
species as these are considered to pose significant threats
that are difficult to reverse.
• Lantana camara was introduced
in 1809 as an ornamental plant by
the British in Calcutta Botanical
Garden. It is a noxious weed, has
been expanding and now
established in many regions of the
world, including India. As it poses
major threats to ecosystem, it has
been in the focus of control
attempts.
• Till date, various control measures

have been employed to curb L.
camara infestations in India, but
none have been able to completely
curtail its invasion.
Current mass extinction crisis
 Scientists have estimated that human activities are likely to eliminate
approximately 10 million species by the year 2050.
 Much of this mega extinction spasm is related to human population

growth, industrialization and changes in land-use patterns.
 A major part of these extinctions will occur in ‘biorich’ areas such as

tropical forests, wetlands and coral reefs.
 The loss of wild habitats due to rapid human population growth and
short term economic development are major contributors to the rapid
global destruction of biodiversity.

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Monika Keisham

 Our globally accepted national ‘hot spots’ are in the

 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are extremely rich in

 Out of 135 genera of land mammals in India, 85 (63%) are found

 A major proportion of amphibian and reptile species, especially

 Coral reefs in Indian waters surround the Andaman and Nicobar

 Species can be endemic to large or small areas of the earth: some

 Usually an area that contains endemic species is isolated in some

 Such species may be declining in number due to

 Invasion is considered as the second most widespread

• Till date, various control measures

 Much of this mega extinction spasm is related to human population

 A major part of these extinctions will occur in ‘biorich’ areas such as

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