The
term 'biodiversity' encompassses the variety of life on Earth. It is defined as
the variability among living organisms and the eccological complexes of which
they are part, including diversity within and between species and ecosystems.
Biodiversity manifests at species genetic and ecosystem levels. Biodiversity
has direct consumptive value in food, agriculture, medicine, industry etc. It
also has aesthetic and recreational value.
India is one of the 12
mega-biodiversity countries of the world. From about 70% of the total
geographical area surveyed so far, 46,000 plant species and 81,000 animal
species representing about 7% of the worlds flora and 6.5% of the world's fauna
respectively have been described. Out
of the total twelve biodiversity hot spots in the world, India has two, one is
the north east region and other the western ghats.
Plant biodiversity as a
national and global resources is extremely valuable but is poorly understood,
inadequately documented and often wasted .
The preservation of biodiversity is both a matter of investment and
insurance to a) sustain and improve agricultural, forestry and fisheries
production, b) act as a buffer against harmful environmental changes , c)
provide raw materials for scientific and industrial innovations, and d) safe
guard transferring biological richness to future generations.
Biodiversity the world over is in peril because the
habitats are threatened due to such development programmes as creation of
reservoirs, mining, forest clearing laying of transport and communication
networks etc. It is estimated that in
the world wide perspective slightly over 1000 animal species and sub-species
are threatened with an extinction rate of one per year, while 20,000 flowering
plants are thought to be at risk.
Conservation Measures
Biospheres:
Areas rich in biodiversity
and encompassing unique and representative ecosystems are identified and
designated as Biosphere Reserves. The goal is to facilitate conservation of representative
landscape and India's immense
biological diversity as described above. Till date 12 Biosphere Reserves have
been set up the last one being set up on 7.2.2000 at Kanchanjanga hills and Sikkim.
Project Tiger
As per the recommendations
of a special task-force of the Indian Board of Wildlife, Project Tiger was
launched in 1973 with the following
objectives:-
·
To
ensure maintenance of available population of tiger in India for scientific,
economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological value.
·
To
preserve, for all times, the areas of such biological importance as a national
heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people.
At present, there are 25 Tiger Reserves spreading
over in 14 states and covering an area of about 33,875 sq. kms. Area. The population of tigers is estimated
through tiger census conducted once in 4 to 6 years. The last such census was conducted in 1997 .
The wild life Act provided
for setting up National parks and sanctuaries for wild life. The basic idea in trying to encourage wild
life .is that human welfare is initially linked with it. The Government of India has pledged for all
out efforts to conserve which not only seeks to protect and preserve what
remains of wild fauna and flora but also seeks to augment this priceless
national heritage.
Multipronged pressures on forests come from population, , cattle grazing, fuel and
fodder collection, industry and forest fires, etc. The remaining good forest cover is, therefore, estimated to be
just 11% against the desirable 33% of the total land area as per the National
Forest Policy. Up to the late
seventies, forest land was a prime target for diversion for resettlement,
agriculture and industrialization, and this trend was contained only by
the Forest (
Conservation ) Act, 1980.
A two pronged strategy to increase forest cover
essentially comprises of
·
Improve
canopy cover in the forest land; and
·
Undertake
afforestation in non-forest and degraded lands preferably contiguous to forest
blocks.
Realising
the role of forests in controlling soil erosion, moderation of floods,
recharging of ground aquifers, as habitat for wildlife, conservation of
bio-diversity and gene pool, etc., programmes were launched as early as the
Second Five Year Plan for extensive Watershed Management followed later by
establishment of a Protected Areas Network, under the Wildlife (Protection)
Act, 1972, comprising of Biosphere Reserves, National Parks and Sanctuaries- both
terrestrial and aquatic. This Network
in 1999 comprised of 12 Biosphere Reserves, 89 National Parks, 504 Sanctuaries,
along with such dedicated conservation programmes as Project Tiger, Crocodile
Rehabilitation and Project Elephant.
The Central Zoo Authority caters to the ex-situ conservation of wildlife
through 275 zoos, deer parks, safari parks and
aquaria, etc. India is a also signatory to several International
Conventions like CITES,
International Whaling Convention (IWC);
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), World Heritage Convention (WHC), etc.
India has recently taken the lead in the formation of the Global Tiger Forum.
AGRO BIODIVERSITY
The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources
(NBGR) established in 1976 as an institution under Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) emerged as an important organization dealing with
various establishments of plant genetic resources. The organization is entrusted with the vital responsibility of
germ plasm, exchange with appropriate quarantine measures, survey exploration,
their organization, planning and coordination, comprising evaluation,
documentation and conservation of diverse plant genetic resources. The National Gene Bank has also been established
within the complex. Within the new trade related intellectual property
rights (TRIPS) within World Trade
Organisation related agreements, documentation of our genetic resources is very
important. Similarly, the documentation of fish genetic resources is the
responsibility of National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resource, Lucknow also an
institution under ICAR. Similarly, the
National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources located at Karnal maintains the
germ plasm of Indian Cattle and Buffalo breeds. This organization is also an
institution of ICAR umbrella.
LIST OF TABLES
Flora
3.1.1
Number and Status of Plant Species in India
3.1.2
Rare
and Threatened Species (Vascular Plants)
3.1.3
Reference
Collections of Flora
3.1.4
Conservation
Measures
3.1.5
Names
of Biosphere Reserves in India setup upto March, 2000
3.1.6
Status
of Ex-Situ Conservation (Base Collection) of Orthodox Seeds at 200C
3.1.7
Status
of In-Vitro Conservation
3.1.8
Status
of Cryopreservation of Seed Germplasm
3.1.9
Status
of Cryopreservation of Pollen
3.2.4(a) State-wise area
under forest by Ownership as on 31-3-96
3.2.4(b) Forest area by Composition as on 31-3-96
3.2.5
Cumulative
Area of Forest plantations by all Agencies in the State/UT’s from 1951 to 1999
3.2.6(a) Comparative
Situation of Forest Cover in India
3.2.6(b) Change in Forest
cover of the North Eastern Region during 1990s
3.2.7
Forests
Products of India
3.2.8
State-wise
Production of Forest Produce
3.2.9
Estimates
of growing stock in India based on the forest cover area and inventory results
3.2.10 Estimates of wastelands in
India
3.2.11
Estimates of Non-forest
Wastelands in India
3.2.12 Diversion of forest land for non forest use since the enforcement of Forest Conservation Act, 1980
3.2.13
State-wise showing the
Physical & Financial Achievements of the Ongoing Externally Aided Forestry Projects
3.2.14 Area under Joint Forest
Management
3.2.15
Forest Cover in Mining Areas
by States
3.3.1
India’s
major Biogeographic Habitats
3.3.2
Estimated
number of Species
3.3.3
Rare
and Threatened Species ( vertebrates)
3.3.4
Endemic
and Threatened Species
3.3.5
National
Parks and Wild Life Sanctuaries of India
3.3.6
All
India Tiger population
3.3.7
List
of Project Tiger Areas in India
3.3.8
Population
of Tigers in Tiger Reserves
3.3.9
Seizure
of Wildlife Articles
3.3.10 India’s Livestock Population
3.3.11 Livestock Population as per
1992 Census
3.3.12 Fish production
3.3.13 State-wise Fish Production
1997-98 to 1998-99
3.3.14 Inland Fishery Water
Resources of India, 1995
3.3.15
Marine Fishery Resources of
India