Explain the levels of biological biodiversity

 Genetic diversity, Species diversity and Ecosystem diversity.

 Ecosystem diversity is the variety of habitats, the communities found in a geographic

location, the beneficial services they provide, and the processes that support the ecosystem

 Ecosystems are most resilient to environmental changes when there are a variety of
different species, known as species richness; and a healthy population size of each species,
known as species evenness.

 Genetic diversity is the biological variation that occurs within species. It makes it possible for
species to adapt when the environment changes. Genetic diversity is particularly important
under rapid environmental change

What is a biogeographic zone

 Biogeographic region, area of animal and plant distribution having similar or shared
characteristics throughout.

Explain any 5 biogeographic zones in India

 . Western Ghats: The Western Ghats account for 4% of the total geographical area. The
Western Ghats zone is one of the world's 25 biodiversity 'hotspots' and one of India's major
tropical evergreen forested regions, with enormous plant diversity. The Western Ghats run
along the west coast of peninsular India from the Tapti river in the north to Kanyakumari in
the south, passing through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
and Kerala.
 The Deccan Plateau is India's largest biogeographic region, accounting for 42% of the total
geographical area. It is a semi-arid region located in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats.
 ISLANDS-This zone, which accounts for 0.3% of India's total geographical area, is one of the
three tropical moist evergreen forest zones. The islands are home to unique flora and fauna.
These islands are high endemism hotspots, with some of India's finest evergreen forests and
a diverse range of corals
 DESERT REGION The extremely arid region west of the Aravalli hill range, which includes
both Gujarat's salty desert and Rajasthan's sand desert
 COASTAL REGIONS: The coastal region accounts for 2.5 percent of total geographical area,
and its sandy beaches, mangroves, mud flats, coral reefs, and marine angiosperm pastures
make it India's wealth and health zone.

India is a mega biodiversity zone . Provide reasons to support the statement

 India is recognized as a mega-biodiversity nation due to its diverse range of ecosystems,

climates, and topography.
 Endemism: India has a high level of endemism, meaning it hosts a significant number of
species that are found exclusively within its borders. Many of these endemic species are
distributed across various biodiversity hotspots, such as the Western Ghats, Eastern
Himalayas, and the Indo-Burma region.
 Biodiversity Hotspots: The Western Ghats, located along the western coast of India, is one
of the world's biodiversity hotspots. It is home to numerous endemic plant and animal
species. The Eastern Himalayas, covering parts of northeastern India, is another hotspot with
diverse ecosystems and a high level of endemism.
  Endangered Species: India faces significant challenges related to habitat loss, pollution,
climate change, and poaching, leading to the endangerment of several species. Some iconic
and endangered species in India include the Bengal tiger, Asiatic Lion, One horned
rhinoceros, snow leopard, Blackbuck, Lion tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, Indian Bison ( Gaur)
etc.
 Plant Diversity: India is rich in plant diversity, with a vast array of flowering plants, trees, and
medicinal herbs. Endangered plant species include the Pitcher plant, and various orchids.
 Conservation efforts: India has established a network of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries,
and conservation reserves to protect its diverse flora and fauna. Various conservation
programs and initiatives are in place to address the threats faced by endangered species and
their habitats.

Differentiate endangered and endemic species

 Animals or plants are considered to be endangered if there

are only a few members of their species left in the wild, and if
they are not properly protected, they will eventually become
extinct. Endemism refers to the fact that a particular plant or
animal species can only be found in a specific region of the
planet.
Differentiate in situ and ex situ conservation of biodiversity

 In-situ Conservation: refers to the conservation of biodiversity within its natural habitat. It
involves the protection and management of ecosystems, wildlife reserves, and natural
landscapes.
 . Ex-situ Conservation: Ex-situ conservation involves the conservation of biodiversity outside
its natural habitat. This is typically done in controlled environments such as zoos, botanical
gardens, seed banks, and captive breeding programs

Give the meaning of habitat loss , poaching, man -wildlife conflict

 Conversion of natural habitats into agricultural land, urban areas, and infrastructure
development leads to the loss of critical ecosystems. – habitat loss
 Poaching of wildlife is a significant and illegal threat to many species around the world. It
involves the unlawful hunting, capturing, killing, or trading of wild animals and plants, often
driven by various motives, including economic gain, cultural practices, and the illegal wildlife
trade.
 Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) refers to the negative interactions
between humans and wild animals, with undesirable consequences both for people and
their resources on the one hand, and wildlife and their habitats on the other. HWC,
caused by competition for natural resources between human and wildlife, influences
human food security and the well-being of both humans and other animals.

What is pollution explain its types

 the introduction of substances (or energy) that cause adverse changes in the environment
and living entities
 Air Pollution-refers to the release of harmful contaminants (chemicals, toxic gases,
particulates, biological molecules, etc.) into the earth’s atmosphere.
  Water Pollution-to occur when toxic pollutants and particulate matter are introduced into
water bodies such as lakes, rivers and seas. These contaminants are generally introduced by
human activities like improper sewage treatment and oil spills. However, even natural
processes such as eutrophication can cause water pollution.

 Soil Pollution-refers to the degradation of land due to the presence of chemicals or other
man-made substances in the soil.
 Noise Pollution- Noise pollution refers to the excessive amount of noise in the surrounding
that disrupts the natural balance.

What is management of waste

 The term solid waste management mainly refers to the complete process of collecting,
treating and disposing of solid wastes.
 In the waste management process, the wastes are collected from different sources and are
disposed of.
 This process includes collection, transportation, treatment, analysis and disposal of waste

How do we manage waste in urban areas

 Segregation , awareness , recycling

Give the meaning of acid rain

 Acid rain is one of the consequences of air pollution. It occurs when emissions from
factories, cars or heating boilers contact with the water in the atmosphere. These emissions
contain nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide, which when mixed with water
becomes sulfurous acid, nitric acid and sulfuric acid. This process also occurs naturally
through volcanic eruptions.

Meaning of global warming and climate change

 Global warming” refers to the long-term warming of the planet. Global temperature shows a
well-documented rise since the early 20th century and most notably since the late 1970s.
 “Climate change” encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes
that are happening to our planet. These include rising sea levels, shrinking mountain
glaciers, accelerating ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic, and shifts in
flower/plant blooming times. These are all consequences of the warming, which is caused
mainly by people burning fossil fuels and putting out heattrapping gases into the air.

Explain the objectives of environment protection act of 1972

1. It was enacted with the prime motto of providing protection and improvement of the
environment and the things associated with it.
2. To take strict actions against those who harm the environment.
3. To safeguard the better environment and environmental conditions.
4. To apply the decisions made at the United Nations Conference on Human
Environment, which was held in the year 1972 in Stockholm.
 5. To enforce laws regarding the protection of the environment in the regions, which are
not included in the prevailing laws.

Montreal protocol

 The Protocol was signed in 1987 and entered into force in January 1989. The protocol gives
provisions to reduce the production and consumption of ODSs to protect the ozone layer.
 It phases down the use of ODSs in a stepwise, time-bound manner.
 It gives different timetables for developing and developed countries.
 All member parties have specific responsibilities related to the phasing out of various groups
of ozone-depleting substances, controlling ODS trade, reporting of data annually, controlling
export and import of ODs, etc.
 Developing and developed countries have equal but differentiated responsibilities.
 However, both groups of nations have time-bound, binding, and measurable commitments
under the protocol, making it effective.

Kyoto Protocol

 Kyoto Protocol is based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities,

keeping in mind the socio-economic development of the concerned countries and the
polluter pays principle. It is one of the important international environment protocols.
 The protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. 36 countries had
participated in the first commitment period. 9 countries opted for flexibility mechanisms
since their national emissions were greater than their targets. Hence these countries funded
emissions reductions in other countries.

Explain contribution of tribal community/population in the conservation of biodiversity

 ome contributions of tribal population in the conservation of biodiversity include:

 Sustainable farming practices
 Tribal people's subsistence life style, local diet habits, and dependence on rainfed irrigation
have influenced them to cultivate and conserve the traditional cultivars or land races.
 Magico-religious belief
 The tribal communities consider plants as a god and goddess habitat, leading to their
conservation in their natural habitat.
 Conservation of sacred groves
 India's ethnic people have played a vital role in preserving the biodiversity of several virgin
forests and have conserved flora and fauna in sacred groves of tribals.
 Direct relationship with their surroundings
 The direct and intimate relationship between them and their surroundings helps in
promoting the conservation of environment

Write short note on chipko movement, silent valley movement , bishnoiss of Rajasthan

 The Chipko movement (Hindi: चिपको आन्दोलन, lit. 'hugging movement') is a

forest conservation movement in India. Opposed to commercial logging and the
government's policies on deforestation, protesters in the 1970s engaged in tree
hugging, wrapping their arms around trees so that they could not be felled.
  The silent valley is located in the Palghat district of Kerala.
 It is surrounded by different hills of the State.
 The idea of a dam on the river Kunthipuzha in this hill system was conceived by the British in
1929.
 The technical feasibility survey was carried out in 1958 and the project was sanctioned by the
Planning Commission of the Government of India in 1973.
 In 1978, the movement against the project from all corners was raised from all sections of the
population.
 The movement was first initiated by the local people and was subsequently taken over by
the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP).
 Many environmental groups like the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), Bombay Natural History
Society (BNHS) and Silent Valley Action Forum participated in the campaign.
 The Khejarli massacre occurred in September 1730 in Northern India, when
363 Bishnois were killed while trying to peacefully protect a grove of Khejri trees. The
soldiers were sent by the Maharaja of Marwar, Abhai Singh to cut the trees in the village
of Khejarli to provide wood for a new palace. The killings were carried out on the orders
of his minister Giridhar Bhandari. The effort had a long term impact on environmental
advocacy, and the massacre later became known as a precursor to the 20th
century Chipko movement. Due to the sacrifice of the protesters, the ruler took back his
earlier order of felling trees.

Explain role of environmental communication and public awareness in the protection of the
environment

 Environmental communication can be used to raise awareness of the risks of climate

change by delivering engaging messages and disseminating science-based
information through various forms of communication such as art, theatre, video
making, music, photography, journalism, gaming, education, data visualization, and
the use of digital channels and tools . Additionally, new modes of knowledge
production, such as challenging the linear transfer of knowledge in scientific research,
can contribute to addressing the complexity of ecological crises like climate change .
Effective climate change communication also depends on how people perceive
common terms used to describe key climate concepts, as different terms evoke
different images and affect people's beliefs, policy support, and behavioral
intentions . Furthermore, addressing climate change risks requires additional
approaches such as carbon dioxide removal and solar radiative management, and
principles for governance can be developed based on existing documents to ensure
accurate communication and avoid greenwashing .