ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

CHAPTER 1: Biodiversity
A. Short Answer Question :
Q.1. Define Biodiversity?
Ans. According to the World Resources institute, Biodiversity is the variety of the world’s organisms, including their
genetic diversity and the assemblage they form.
Q.2. What is consumptive value of biodiversity?
Ans. Direct utilization of timber, food, fuel wood, fodder, etc. , by local communities is known as consumptive value
of biodiversity.
Q.3. What are ‘cultivars’?
Ans. Cultivars are new crop or plant variety that has been produced in cultivation by selective breeding.
Q.4. Give the aesthetic value of biodiversity in short?
Ans. The appreciation of the presence of biodiversity for its inherent value and beauty and the contribution it makes
to our knowledge is the aesthetic value of biodiversity.
Q.5. What do you understand by ethical and moral values of biodiversity?
Ans. Ethical and moral values of biodiversity is based on the principle of ‘live and let others live’.
Every species has its moral right to exist on earth. Every human culture, religion and society has its own
ethical values. There are several culture, moral and ethical values which are associated with the conservation of
biodiversity.

B. Long Answer Question :

Q.1. Discuss the concept of biodiversity?
Ans. Biodiversity is a completely new term- a short form of biological diversity. This concept was originated around
1980 and was mainly used for the number of animals and plants species present in a given area. Nowadays the term
is ‘biodiversity’ is vastly used as the large variety of flora and fauna of planet on Earth.
Biodiversity or biological diversity is that part of nature which accommodates the difference in genes
among various species whether it is a region in the country or the world as a whole. It also includes types of
ecosystem, both terrestrial and aquatic, within a defined area.
From time immemorial, man’s needs have been supported by the great variety of life on Earth. A support
system has been built due to this diversity of living creatures which has been utilized by each civilization for its
growth and development. Those who use this gift of nature carefully and sustainably survived and those who
overused or misused it, perished.
Q.2. “It is a globally known fact that the loss of biodiversity contributes to global climatic changes.”
Justify and explain the statement.
Ans. The diversity of living organisms,, which is present in the wilderness as well as in our crops and livestock, plays
a major role in the ‘human development’. It has become obvious thus that the preservation of biological resources
is essential for the well being and the long term survival of mankind. The preservation of biodiversity is therefore
integral to any strategy that aims at improving the quality of human life.
It is a globally known fact that the loss of biodiversity contributes to global climatic changes. The loss of forest
covers, coupled with increasing release of carbon dioxide and other gases through industrialization, contributes to
the green house effect. Global warming results in the melting of ice caps. This in turn causes rise in the sea level,
which will eventually submerge the low-lying areas in the world. Other major atmospheric changes are leading to
increased temperatures, serious droughts and unexpected floods.
Q.3. Describe the productive value of biodiversity.
Ans. Productive value of biodiversity mean a material is derived from nature and this material is made into a
product which in-turn is sold both in national and international markets. This category of productive use value
comprises of material goods. For example, to the pharmacist, biological diversity is the material from which new
drugs can be identified from plants and animals. To the industrialists, biodiversity is a rich storehouse from which to
develop new products.
Q.4. Explain the types of biodiversity?
Ans. Biodiversity deals with the degree of nature’s variety in the biosphere. This variety can be observed at three
levels-
-Species diversity; it refers to the group of similar individuals that can usually breed among themselves and
produce fertile offsprings.
-Genetic diversity; it is the diversity in the number and types of genes within a species.
-Ecosystem diversity; landscapes life forest, grasslands, desert, mountains produce ecosystem diversity.