Module 2: Biodiversity

Name of Sanctuary

What is meant by in situ and ex situ conservation of biodiversity? Give examples

IN-SITU CONSERVATION
In-situ conservation involves protection of flora and fauna within its natural habitat. The natural
habitats or ecosystems under in-situ conservation are called "protected areas".
1.

Biosphere reserves 2. National parks 3.Wildlife sanctuaries 4. Gene sanctuaries

Biosphere reserves cover large areas (>5000 sq.km.) They are normally used to protect species
for
a
long
time. The
roles
of
biosphere
reserves are
listed
below:
1.
2.
3.

Tiger, Elephant, Leopard

Water birds
Water birds
Wild ass, wolf, nilgai, chinkara
Tiger, Leopard
Birds
Black buck
Rhinoceros, Elephant, Tiger

Disadvantages of in-situ conservation

1.
A large surface area of earth is required to preserve biodiversity
2.
Maintenance is not proper due to shortage of staff and pollution

State
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka
U.P
Meghalaya
Assam
West Bengal
Orissa

EX-SITU CONSERVATION
Ex-situ conservation involves protection of flora and fauna outside their natural habitats. This
type of conservation is mainly done for conservation of crop varieties and wild relatives of crops.
Important centers of ex-situ conservation:

A national park is an area dedicated for the conservation of wildlife along with its environment.
It covers an area ranging from 100 to 500 sq.km. One or more national parks may exist within a
biosphere reserve.

Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Gujarat
Gujarat
Bihar
Rajasthan
Punjab
W. Bengal

Major Wildlife

Advantages of in-situ conservation

1.
It is cheap and convenient
2.
Species get adjusted to natural disasters like drought, floods, forest fires etc.

Long-term survival of evolving ecosystem

Protect endangered species
Protect maximum number of species and communities
Name of Biosphere
Gulf of Mannar
Nilgiri
Nanda Devi
Nokrek
Mannas
Sunder bans
Great Nicobars and Similipal

Mudamalai Wildlife Sanctuary

Vedanthangal Wildlife Sanctuary
Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary
Wild Ass Sanctuary
Hazaribagh Sanctuary
Ghana Bird Sanctuary
Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary

State

1. Botanical gardens 2.Seed banks 3.Microbial culture collections 4. Tissue and cell cultures
5. Museums and 6. Zoological gardens

A national park is used for enjoyment through tourism, without affecting the
environment.

Methods of ex-situ conservation

It is used to protect, propagate and develop wildlife.

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NPBGR) It is located in New Delhi and uses the

Grazing domestic animals inside national parks is prohibited

Name of National Park

Kaziranga
Gir National Park
Bandipur
Dachigam
Corbett
Kanha
Ranthambore
Sariska
Periyar

State
Assam
Gujarat
Karnataka
J&K
U.P
M.P
Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Kerala

Cryopreservation Technique to preserve agricultural and horticultural crops. Cryopreservation

Important Wildlife

technique involves using liquid nitrogen at -196 C. Varieties of rice, turnip, radish, tomato,
onion, carrot, chilli, tobacco have been successfully preserved for years using this technique.

One horned Rhino

Indian Lion
Elephant
Hangul
Tiger
Tiger
Tiger
Tiger
Tiger, Elephant

National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NPAGR) It is located in Karnal, Haryana and
preserves the semen of domesticated bovine animals.
National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture Repository (NFPTCR) In this facility, conservation of
varieties of crop plants or trees is done using tissue culture. This facility has been created within

Wildlife sanctuary is an area that is reserved for the conservation of animals only.

the NPBGR.

1.

It protects animals only

2.

It allows operations such as harvesting of timber, collection of forest products, private

ownership rights and forestry operations, provided it does not affect animals adversely
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GM Crops: Genetically modified crops (GMCs, GM crops, or biotech crops) are plants used in
agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering techniques.
Advantages of GM Crops
1. Virus Tolerance
2. Herbicide Tolerance
3. Drought resistance
4. Yield increase
5. Nutrient Enhancement
6. Insect resistance
Disadvantages of GM crops
1. Allergenicity
2. Possibility of gene transfer or contamination

Describe about the various values of biodiversity

Value of biodiversity is classified into:
a. Direct values and
b. Indirect values
Direct value of biodiversity:
Biodiversity has direct consumptive use in
i. Agriculture
ii. Medicine and
iii. Industry.
Two types of direct values are
i. Consumptive use value and
ii. Productive use value
Consumptive use value is placed on natures products that are consumed directly, without
passing through a market or they are harvested and consumed directly.
Ex: Firewood, Food and Meat (from hunting in the wild)
Productive use value refers to products that are commercially harvested and sold in a market.
Ex: Timber, Fish, Honey, Mushroom, Fruits, Meat

3. Regulatory problems
4. Super Weeds

Indirect value of biodiversity:

The indirect effects of biodiversity are intangible and difficult to quantify. These are described
below:
i.Social and cultural value: Few plants and animals are considered sacred and
worshipped in India. Ex: Tulsi, Peepal, Cow, Snake, etc. Wild life in the forest is given
cultural value. Ex: Tiger is the national animal, Peacock is the national bird and Lotus is
the national flower.
ii.Ethical value: In order to conserve biodiversity, this ethical value is laid down saying,
All life forms must be preserved. This value is linked to human existence as
biodiversity is directly related to the survival of the human race. Moreover, all species
have a moral right to exist.
iii.Aesthetic value: This value is indicated by the pleasure we experience when we see a
beautiful landscape. These landscapes also provide ample opportunities for recreational
activity like bird watching, photography, etc. It promotes eco-tourism and generates
revenue from zoological parks, botanical gardens, national parks, etc.
Ex: Ecotourism, etc.
iv.Option value: Option values are the unexplored or unknown potentials of biodiversity.
Ex: Medicinal plants and herbs play a very important growth in the economic.
v. Environment service value: The most important benefit of biodiversity is maintenance
of environment services including:
a.Carbon dioxide fixation through photosynthesis
b.Maintenance of essential nutrient (C, H, O, P, S) cycles
c.Maintaining water cycle and recharging ground water

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Levels of Biodiversity

Major Factors Responsible for Loss/Reduction in Biodiversity

Four kinds of biodiversity are essential to preserve ecological systems and functions:

1. Overexploitation of natural resources and destruction of ecosystems for meeting the

human requirements of food, shelter, and comfort.
2. Environmental pollutants like pesticides, heavy metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, acid
rain, global warming etc.
3. Eutrophication leding to promotion of growth of some specific species suppressing others
4. Natural causes like earthquakes, floods, droughts, forest fires, epidemics
5. Hunting for pleasure and poaching for commercial purpose of certain animal species like,
elephants, snakes, crocodile, etc.

a. Genetic diversity
b. Species diversity
c. Ecosystem diversity
d. Landscape diversity
a. Genetic diversity (diversity of genes within a species)
Genetic diversity is all the different genes contained in all individual plants, animals, fungi,
and microorganisms.
It occurs within a species as well as between species, which are slightly differing from one
another, either in shape, size, product etc.
These differences are due to slight variations in their genetic organization.
This diversity in the genetic makeup of a species is referred to as genetic diversity.
Examples: Rice varieties, teak wood varieties
b. Species diversity (diversity among species in an ecosystem)
Species diversity is all the differences within and between populations of species, as well as
between different species.
The biotic component in an ecosystem may be composed of large number of species, which
interact with each other and with the abiotic component of the environment.

India- The Mega Diversity Nation

India ranks 10th among the plant, 11th in terms of number of endemic species and 6 th
place in the centers of diversity and origin of agricultural crops among twelve-mega
diversity countries in the world.
The following 12 countries, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Colombia, Ecuador, US,
Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
These countries have the worlds selected few rich floral land and faunal Zones.
Group-wise species Distribution
Animals

No. of species
World

Examples: plant species, animal species

The common metrics used to measure species-level biodiversity, encompassing attention to
species richness or species evenness:
Species richness - the least sophisticated of the indices available.
Simpson index: (also known as Species diversity index) is one of a number of diversity
indices, used to measure of diversity
Shannon-Wiener index: The number of individuals in species

C. Ecosystem diversity (diversity at a higher level of organization, the ecosystem)

Ecosystem diversity is all the different habitats, biological communities, and ecological
processes, as well as variation within individual ecosystems.
Examples: River ecosystem-includes fish, insects, and various plants.

Plants

India

No. of species
World

India

Mammals

4,231

372

Bacteria

4,000

850

Birds

12,450

1,200

Virus

4,500

Unknown

Reptiles

6,300

435

Algae

40,000

2500

Amphibians

4,184

181

Fungi

72,000

23000

Fishes

23,000

2,000

Angiosperms

25,0000 17500

Insects

8,00,000 60,000

Gymnosperms

750

64

Molluscs

1,00,000 5,000

Invertebrates

87,121

8,329

d. Landscape/Functional diversity
Landscape diversity involves not only the spatial arrangement of habitats across a large
area but also includes the flux of energy, nutrients, disturbance, and organisms across the area.

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Biodiversity at Regional or local level (or) Measurement of Biodiversity

Biodiversity at regional level is better understood by species richness in to four types, based
upon their spatial distribution as discussed below;

Point diversity or richness refers to the number of species that can be found at a single
point in a given space.
Alpha diversity refers to diversity within a particular area, community or ecosystem, and
is measured by counting the number of taxa within the ecosystem (usually species)
Beta diversity is species diversity between ecosystems; this involves comparing the
number of taxa that are unique to each of the ecosystems.
Gamma diversity is a measure of the overall diversity for different ecosystems within a
region.

1. Eastern Himalayas: Geographically these areas comprise Nepal, Bhutan, and neighboring
states of Northern India. There are 35,000 plant species found in the Himalayas, of which 30%
are endemic. The Eastern Himalayas are rich in wild plants of economic value.
Examples: Rice, banana, citrus, chilli, jute, and sugarcane
The taxol yielding plant is also sparsely distributed in the regions
(a) 63% mammals are from Eastern Himalayas, and
(b) 60% of the Indian Birds are from North East
(c) Huge wealth of fungi, insects, mammals, birds have been found in this region

Definition: The hot spots are the geographic areas, which possess the high endemic species.

2. Western Ghats: The area comprises Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and has
40% of the total endemic plant species, 62% amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic in
Western Ghats. It is reported that only 7% of the original forests are existing today while the rest
has been deforested or degraded.

Criteria for recognizing hot spots

Some common plants: Ternstroemia japonica, Rhododendron and Hypericum

Hot-Spots of Biodiversity

1. Richness of the endemic species is the primary criterion for recognizing hot spots.

Some common animals: Blue bird, lizard hawk

2. Hot spots should have a significant percentage of specialized species.

Extinct, Endangered, Vulnerable and Rare species of India

3. Site is under threat.

1. Extinct species: Species that are no longer known to exist in the wild.

4. Should contain gene pools of potentially useful plants.

Area of hot spot
The term hot spot was introduced by Myers (1988).
There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level out of which two are present in
India, namely 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 designated as a hotspot when it contains at least
0.5% of the plant species as endemics.
About 40% of terrestrial plants and 25% of vertebrate species are endemic and found in the
hotspots.

Examples: Dodo, Passenger pigeon

2. Endangered or Threatened species: Species is said to be endangered, when its
number has been reduced to a critical level.
Examples: Peacock, Tiger, Cheetah, Tortoise
3. Vulnerable species: Species is said to be vulnerable, if its population is facing continuous
decline due to overexploitation or habitat destruction.
4. Rare species: Species is said to be rare, when it is localized with in restricted area

Threats to Biodiversity

Two of which are found in India

1. Eastern Himalayas : Indo-Burma region
2. Western Ghats
: Sri Lanka region

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.
Except few cases like spreading of disease, process of extinction is human caused.
Some of the major causes and issues related to threats to biodiversity are:
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1. Habitat destruction or loss

2. Poaching of wildlife
3. Man-wildlife conflicts

Remedial Measures
1. Illegal hunting and trade of animals and animal products should be stopped immediately.
2. We should not purchase fur coat, purse or bag or items made of crocodile skin or any
other animal skin.
3. Bio-diversity laws should be strengthened.

Habitat Destruction or Habitat Loss

Human disturbances of natural habitat are the largest single cause of loss of biological
biodiversity. Habitat loss threatened a wide range of animals and plants.
Factors influencing Habitat loss
1. Habitat fragmentation: Sometimes the habitat is divided into small and scattered
patches. This phenomenon is known as habitat fragmentation. Due to this, many wild
animals and songbirds are vanishing.
2. Deforestation: the loss of habitat is mainly caused by deforestation activities. Forests
and grasslands have been cleared for conversion into agricultural lands, or settlement
areas or developmental projects.
3. Destruction of wetlands: The wetlands, estuaries and mangroves are destroyed due to
draining, filling and pollution, which causes huge biodiversity loss.
4. Raw materials: for the production of hybrid seeds, the wild plants are used as raw
materials. As a result, many plant species become extinct.
5. Production of drugs: Many pharmaceutical companies collect wild plant for the
production of drugs. Therefore, several medicinal plant species are on the verge of
extinction.
Poaching (over harvesting) of Wildlife
Poaching means killing of animals (or) commercial hunting.
It leads to loss of animal biodiversity.
1. Subsistence poaching: Killing animals for food
2.Commercial poaching: Hunting and killing animals to sell their products
Factors Influencing Poaching
1. Human Population: Increased human population led to pressure on forest resources,
which ultimately causes degradation of wildlife habitats
2. Commercial activities: Trading of endangered species such as wildlife products is highly
profit, poaching makes the poachers just hunt these prohibited wildlife and smuggle it to
other countries
Examples:
a. Male gorilla
: In Rwanda and Zaire, it is hunted for its body parts, head
b. Blue morpho butterfly : In Brazil, it is poached for making attractive trays
c. Blubber
: Used to prepare lamp oil and lubricating oils
d. Baleen
: Used to prepare combs and other similar articles
e. elephant feet
: Used to make Ashtrays
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Man-wildlife Conflicts
Man-wildlife conflicts arise, when wildlife starts causing immense damage and danger to
the man.
Under such condition, it is very difficult for the forest department to compromise the
affected villagers and to gain the villagers support for wildlife conservations.
Examples for man-wildlife conflicts
1. In Sambalpur, Orissa 195 humans were killed in the last 5 years by elephants. In
retaliation, the villagers have killed 98 elephants and badly injured 30 elephants.
2. In the border of Kote-Chamarajanagar, Mysore, several elephants was killed because of
the massive damage done by the elephants to the farmers cotton and sugarcane crops.
3. The agonized villagers sometimes hide explosives in the sugarcane fields, which explode
when the elephants enter into their field.
4. In 2004, a man-eating tiger was reported, 16 Nepalese people were killed and one 4-year
old child inside the Royal Chitwan National Park, Kathmandu.
5. A total of 14 persons were killed during 19 attacks by the leopards in Sanjay Gandhi
National Park, Mumbai.
Factors influencing Man-Wildlife conflicts
1. Human encroachment into the forest area induces a conflict between man and the
wildlife.
2. Shrinking of forest cover compels wildlife to move outside the forest and attack the fields
and humans.
3. Injured animals have a tendency to attack man. Usually the female wildlife attacks the
human if she feels that her newborn cubs are in danger.
4. Earlier, forest departments used to cultivate sugarcane paddy, coconut trees, in the
sanctuaries. When the favorites food of elephants (i.e., bamboo leaves) were not
available, they feed them to the elephants. But, now due to lack of such practices the
wild animals move out of the forest for searching food.
5. Garbage near human settlements or food crops near forest areas attracts wild animals.
6. Often the villagers put electric wiring around their crop fields. The elephants are injured,
suffer in pain, and start violence.

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Remedial measures
1. Tiger conservation project (TCP) has made provisions for making available vehicles,
tranquillizer guns, binoculars and radio sets etc. to tactfully deal with any imminent
danger
2. Adequate crop and cattle compensation schemes must be started
3. Cropping pattern should be changed near the forest borders
4. Solar powered fencing must be provided along with electric current proof trenches to
prevent the animals from entering into the fields
5. The development and constructional work in and around forest region must be stopped.

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