BIODIVERSITY LOSS AND ITS CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT EFFORTS

Biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants, animals, microorganisms , the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form. It refers to genetic variation, ecosystem variation, species variation (number of species) within an area, biome or planet. Relative to the range of habitats, biotic communities and ecological processes in the biosphere, biodiversity is vital in a number of ways including promoting the aesthetic value of the natural environment, contribution to our material well-being through utilitarian values by providing food, fodder, fuel, timber and medicine. Biodiversity is the life support system. Organisms depend on it for the air to breathe, the food to eat, and the water to drink. Wetlands filter pollutants from water, trees and plants reduce global warming by absorbing carbon, and bacteria and fungi break down organic material and fertilize the soil. It has been empirically shown that native species richness is linked to the health of ecosystems, as is the quality of life for humans. The ecosystem services of biodiversity is maintained through formation and protection of soil, conservation and purification of water, maintaining hydrological cycles, regulation of biochemical cycles, absorption and breakdown of pollutants and waste materials through decomposition, determination and regulation of the natural world climate. Despite the benefits from biodiversity, today's threats to species and ecosystems are increasing day by day with alarming rate and virtually all of them are caused by human mismanagement of biological resources often stimulated by imprudent economic policies, pollution and faulty institutions in-addition to climate change. To ensure intra and intergenerational equity, it is important to conserve biodiversity. Some of the existing measures of biodiversity conservation include; reforestation, zoological gardens, botanical gardens, national parks, biosphere reserves, germplasm banks and adoption of breeding techniques, tissue culture techniques, social forestry to minimize stress on the exploitation of forest resources.

Anu Books, 2022

Biodiversity mainly indicates variability among organism and abundance and their living environment. In which include land, reservoir and ecological complexity. Ecosystem is a complex interaction between organisms, microorganisms and their communities and abiotic environmental elements. Biodiversity conservation is the policy process of maintaining the species, genetic and ecosystem Biodiversity of different biological communities under natural conditions so as to ensure the supply of biological needs of human beings as well as to maintain biological diversity and biodiversity. The problem of biodiversity loss, there is a need to take effective steps for the conservation of biodiversity in time. Along with the supply of various human needs like food, medicine, various industrial products, there are a need to maintain the natural balance of biodiversity for environmental sustainability. In this context, the policy of conservation of biodiversity is being adopted at the national and global level.

2021

The global population is expanding day by day, the increase in food demand by the growing population poses serious environmental challenges. To satisfy the increasing food supply, a shift in conventional agriculture was observed that lead to expanded agricultural land uses with reduced wildlife and biodiversity. Deterioration of agricultural land has caused overexploitation of forest land by converting natural habitats into managed systems. Life has originated billions of years ago. Since then, there is a continual extinction of over 90% of the species due to various factors such as increased human population, unsustainable resource consumption, habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation, alien species invasion, pollution, monoculture practices, climate change, loss of forest cover etc. Food, fodder, fuel, medicines, wood, crop plants are some of the natural resources received from the environment. Biodiversity also provides an ecosystem, social, and spiritual services to mankind. W...

International Research Journal on Advanced Science Hub

The surroundings in which we live comprises of numerous life forms such as birds, fishes, plants and trees. In simple terms, it is the variability and variety of living organisms together with ecological facilities in which they exist. Over the years, the biodiversity has been facing rapid depletion as a result of habitat loss, excessive exploitation of resources, climatic changes, diseases, pollution, poaching of animals etc. In order to correct this scenario, vital steps for biodiversity conservation have to be taken by public in general along with the government and social organizations. Thus, biodiversity conservation has become a major issue in present times. The term biodiversity was coined as a contraction of biological diversity in 1985. Biodiversity may be defined as the variety and variability of living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they exist. In other words, biodiversity is the occurrence of different types of ecosystems, different species of organisms with the whole range of their variants and genes adapted to different climates, environments along with their interactions and processes. Loss of biodiversity occurs when either the habitat essential for the survival of a species is destroyed, or particular species are destroyed. The former is more common as habitat destruction is a fallout of development. The latter reason is encountered when particular species are exploited for economical gain or hunted for sport or food. Extinction of species may also be due to environmental factors like ecological substitutions, biological factors and pathological causes which can be caused by nature or man. Conservation of biodiversity is protection, upliftment and scientific management of biodiversity so as to maintain it at its threshold level and derive sustainable benefits for the present and future generation.

2018

Ecological science originated from the observations of 18 th and 19 th century naturalists. These naturalists participated in exploratory voyages of the Americas, Asia, Africa, and isolated island groups. The journeys, which typically involved travel through several latitudes, enabled naturalists such as Alexander von Humboldt, Charles Darwin, and Alfred Wallace to observe the relationships between climate and plant forms, between latitude and species richness, and the effects of isolation on island biotas. In addition to recording their observations in extensive journals, naturalists also collected samples of regional flora and fauna for transport back to museums. The collections greatly increased the number of scientifically described species. Some of the most basic observations and questions considered by these early naturalists are still explored and debated today. At present, biologists lack consensus regarding estimates of global species richness and mechanisms underlying biodiversity patterns. If these issues were simply subjects of academic debate, only specialists would find them interesting, but this is not the case. There is considerable public debate regarding the estimates and causes of biodiversity loss and the value of biodiversity. As an ecologist studying the structure of island communities, I have been particularly intrigued the subject of biodiversity. As a Christian ecologist, I continually reflect upon issues related to biodiversity origins, values, and stewardship through the lens of my faith. Biodiversity-Definitions and Estimates Biodiversity, a now familiar term, was coined less than 20 years ago at the National Forum on BioDiversity sponsored by National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution (Wilson 1997). Although most have a general idea of what biodiversity means, the eminent biologist E.O Wilson (1997) defines it as "all hereditarily based variation at all levels of organization, from the genes within a single local population or species, to the species composing all or part of a local community, and finally to the communities themselves that compose the living parts of the multifarious ecosystems of the world." Environmental scientists and ecologists typically subdivide to biodiversity into three types: Genetic diversity-referring to the amount of genetic variation observed within a population or a species, Species richness-referring to the number of species occupying a defined region, Functional diversity-referring to the number of roles played by species in a community. These scales of biodiversity are nested and interactive. High levels of genetic diversity within a population result in greater variation among members of that population. This increased variation in form and function may contribute to a population's or species' ability to withstand environmental change, whether that change is an abnormally cool August, a newly formulated pesticide, or the introduction of a pathogen such as the West Nile virus. High levels of genetic diversity also increase the chances of population or species survival by counteracting the impacts of inbreeding depression. Higher levels of species richness in a community typically result in greater functional diversity and stability within that community. When most of us think of biodiversity, we consider species richness, and the following discussion focuses on this level of biological diversity. The biological definition of species is somewhat problematic, but can be thought of as groups of organisms that can interbreed and