Why Biodiversity Conservation is Important

Abhipedia IAS Environment & Ecology BIODIVERSITY-3. Pritam Sharma Abhimanu IAS ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 1

Abhipedia IAS BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION- WHY SHOULD WE CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY? Although there are endless reasons for the conservation of biodiversity, yet the most reliable justification for the same is the enormous benefits that will accrue to the humankind from conserving biodiversity. We may broadly classify the reasons for conserving biodiversity under some of the following heads: 1. Aesthetic reasons: Who will deny the fact that we all humans derive immense pleasure from natural environments and the presence of other living organisms. This can be hard to measure objectively but is undeniably true as shown by the numerous local, national and international organisations that exist worldwide to promote wildlife and countryside conservation. Indeed, our appreciation of nature permeates art, design, literature and music etc.. ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 2

Abhipedia IAS 2. Narrow utilitarian reasons: The narrowly utilitarian arguments for conserving biodiversity are obvious; humans derive countless direct economic benefits from nature food (cereals, pulses, fruits), firewood, fibre, construction material, industrial products (tannins, lubricants, dyes, resins, perfumes) and products of medicinal importance. More than 25 per cent of the drugs currently sold in the market worldwide and derived from plants and 25,000 species of plants contribute to the traditional medicines used by native people around the world. Nobody knows how many more medicinally useful plants there are in tropical rain forest waiting to be explored. One thing is sure that the nations endowed with rich biodiversity can expect to reap enormous benefits.

Abhipedia IAS 3. Broadly utilitarian reasons: The broadly utilitarian argument says that biodiversity plays a major role in many ecosystem services that nature provides. The fast-dwindling Amazon forest is estimated to produce, through photosynthesis, 20 per cent of the total oxygen in the earth s atmosphere. Can we put an economic value on this service by nature? You can get some idea by finding out how much your neighborhood hospital spends on a cylinder of oxygen. Pollination (without which plants cannot give us fruits or seeds) is another service, ecosystems provide through pollinators such as bees, bumblebees, birds and bats. What will be the costs of accomplishing pollination without help from natural pollinators? Moreover, we can make a beneficial use of many predators in biological pest control. The list is endless when it comes to ecosystem services ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 4

Abhipedia IAS 4. Ethical reasons: The people are not all wrong who argue that the nature does not exist simply for humans so as to give them a license to transform and modify it as they please for their own purposes. The so called political persuasion of deep ecology seeks to promote this very rational argument. Accordingly they assert that all living species have a right to co-exist with us on this planet and we have no right to cause the extinction or to diminish the quality of life of any organism. Sometimes the concept of custodianship is linked with this argument which obligates us to pass on to future generations all the diversity of life and the quality of environment that we ourselves inherited. In short, the ethical argument for conserving biodiversity relates to what we owe to millions of plant, animal and microbe species with whom we share this planet. We have a moral duty to care for their well-being

Abhipedia IAS CONSERVATION STRATEGIES Conservationists suggest two main methods or strategies for the conservation of biodiversity referred to as: 1. In- situ conservation: This approach to conservation is also called as on- site conservation meaning conserving an organism in its home or habitat itself. For example, you conserve the forest to conserve the tiger. The conservation of so called biodiversity hotspots about which we have already discussed in detail is one of the strategies of in-situ conservation. In India, ecologically unique and biodiversity-rich regions are legally protected as biosphere reserve, national parks and sanctuaries. India has presently, there are 18 notified biosphere reserves in India. Similarly,

Abhipedia IAS there are 103 national parks and around 544 wildlife sanctuaries in India at present. Interestingly, India has also a history of religious and cultural traditions that emphasized protection of nature. In many cultures, tracts of forests were set aside, and all the trees and wildlife within were venerated and given total protection. Such tracts of conserved forets are known as sacred groves. These are found in Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan, Western Ghat regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra and the Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar areas of Madhya Pradesh. In Meghalaya, the sacred groves are the last refuges for a large number of rare and threatened plant species MPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 7

Abhipedia IAS 2. Ex-situ conservation: In this approach, threatened animals and plants are taken out from their natural habitat and placed in special setting where they can be protected and given special care. Zoological parks, botanical gardens and wildlife safari parks serve this purpose. There are many animals that have become extinct in the wild but continue to be maintained in zoological parks. In recent years ex situ conservation has advanced beyond keeping threatened species in enclosures. Now gametes of threatened species can be preserved in viable and fertile condition for long periods using cryopreservation techniques, eggs can be fertilized in vitro and plants can be propagated using tissue culture methods. Seeds of different genetic strains of commercially important plants can be kept for long periods in seed banks. ..

Abhipedia IAS RARE AND ENDANGERED SPECIES DESERVING CONSERVATION It is estimated that given by the current rate of extinction, one species is lost everyday. In order to check this rapid rate of extinction mainly on account of human activity, the IUCN is in the business of publishing detailed list of species which are at the risk of extinction in a series known as the RED DATA BOOKS. It identifies four categories of risks: 1. RARE: Are species with small populations either restricted geographically with localized habitats or with widely scattered individuals. These species are at the risk of becoming more rare, but they are not in immediate danger of extinction. 2. VULNERABLE: THESE are species under threat of or actually declining in number or these are the species which have been seriously depleted in the past and have not yet recovered. ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 9

Abhipedia IAS 3. Endangered: Are the species with low population numbers that are in considerable danger of becoming extinct. 4. Extinct: Are the species which cannot be found in areas they recently inhabited nor to be found in other likely habitats. The Red Data Books for vertebrates list all known species in these four categories. This is impossible for plants since it is estimated that over 10% of all known plants, up to 60,000 species, are either rare or in danger of genetic erosion or extinction in the next 30 to 40 years. We can help to prevent the extinction of these species by various measures such as protecting and restoring habitats, reducing the use of pesticides and the strategies the we discussed above like botanical gardens, restricting trade ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 10

Abhipedia IAS GLOBAL EFFORTS AT CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY The Earth Summit- 1992 or CBD : As biodiversity knows no political boundaries and its conservation is therefore a collective responsibility of all nations. In the backdrop of this realization, the historic Convention on Biological Diversity, ( The Earth Summit ) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It called upon all nations to take appropriate measures for conservation of biodiversity and sustainable utilization of its benefits. According to this Convention, Biodiversity comprises of plants animal species,, micro-organisms, Crop varieties & livestocks. Biodiversity is required to be utilized sustainably based on equitable sharing of benefits of biological resources. According to this convention, biological resources are no longer freely available. They can only be utilized by taking prior consent of the providing country and also on the basis of mutually agreed benefit sharing mechanism. ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 11

Abhipedia IAS The CBD acted as the framework convention for a number of separate protocols related to biodiversity conservation such as: Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nagoya Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization.

Abhipedia IAS CARTAGENA PROTOCOL-MAIN HIGHLIGHTS In January 2000, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a supplementary agreement to the Convention known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. It establishes an advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure for ensuring that countries are provided with the information necessary to make informed decisions before agreeing to the import of such organisms into their territory. The Protocol also establishes a Biosafety Clearing-House to facilitate the exchange of information on living modified organisms and to assist countries in the implementation of the Protocol. It entered into force from 2003. ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 13

Abhipedia IAS NAGOYA PROTOCOL The Nagoya Protocol on ABS ( Access and benefit sharing of genetic resources) was adopted by the 10th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP10) to the Convent ion on Biological Diversity in November 2010. The Nagoya Protocol is intended to create greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources by establishing more predictable conditions for access to genetic resources. The Nagoya Protocol creates incentives to conserve and sustainably use genetic resources, and therefore enhances the contribution of biodiversity to development and human well-being. The Nagoya Protocol also covers traditional knowledge (TK) associated with genetic resources that are covered by the CBD and the benefits arising from its utilization .

Abhipedia IAS THE BIODIVERSITY ACT-2002- INDIA'S RESPONSE The Parliament of India enacted the Biodiversity act, 2002 to provide for the conservation of biodivesity and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources. The main intent of this legislation was to protect India s rich biodiversity and associated knowledge against their use by foreign individuals and organizations without sharing the benefits arising out of such use, and to check biopiracy. The Act provides for setting up of a National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in local bodies. All foreign nationals or organizations would require prior approval of NBA for obtaining biological resources and associated knowledge for any use. Indian individuals /entities shall also require approval of NBA for transferring results of research with respect to any biological resources to foreign nationals/organizations . ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 15

Abhipedia IAS Thank You ABHIMANU IAS : COMPLETE GENERAL STUDIES PRE CUM MAINS COURSE CALL 7347432666, MAIL AT INFO@ ABHIMANU.COM.. 16