BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENT

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BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENT
Dr. A.G. Devi Prasad MSc(Bot),
MSc(Sus.Dev), Ph.D, PGDEP P.G. Department of
Environmental Science University of
Mysore Mysore-570006 e-mail- agdprasad_at_yahoo.com
Mobile [phone]
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Natural Resources
Indestructible ---
Air
Water Destructible --- Renewable
Soil
Forest
Wildlife
Non-renewable
Minerals
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Biodiversity - Definition
The variability among living organisms from all
sources including terrestrial, marine, and other
aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes
of which they are a part this includes diversity
within species, between species and of ecosystems.
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Types of Biodiversity

• Genetic diversity - genetic variability or
  diversity within a species, i.e. between the
  individuals of a species
• Example 5,000 recorded varieties of mango
• 88,000 recorded varieties of Oryza
  sativa

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2.Species diversity - diversity between different
species Example Felis tigris
Felis domestica
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3. Ecosystem diversity diversity within a region
Grassland
Shola forest
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Facts related to Biodiversity

• Total Land Area of Earth
• 510,065,284 sq.km
• Forest Cover 38.7 m. sq.km
• (26)
• 40 of Global Forest Land is
• in South America, Africa,
• and South Asia.

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Facts related to Biodiversity contd..

• There are 5 million to 100 million
• species on earth.
• Only about 1.9 million species have been
  catalogued so far.
• There are 34 recognised Hotspots in the
  world.
• 44.4 of Global Plant species and
• 35.3 of Vertebrate species are
• present in Hotspots.

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Facts related to Biodiversity contd..
Total land area of India - 143
million.ha India occupies 2.47 of the Worlds
geographical area and has only 1 of the forest

India has 16.1 of world human population and
15.1 of cattle population
Forest Cover in India
23.57
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Facts related to Biodiversity contd..
India is sharing 12.53 of worlds
biodiversity India has 3.9 of grasslands, 2.0
of hot deserts, 4.1 m.ha of wetland
ecosystems. India is the 7th largest country in
the world and one among the 17 mega diversity
centers.
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Facts related to Biodiversity contd..

• India recorded
• 45,000 species of wild plants
• 89,000 species of wild animals
• At least 320 species of wild
• relatives of crops have been
• originated here.

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Facts related to Biodiversity contd..
In India 1,39,000 species of
plants, animals and microbes are
recorded More than 4 lakh species
are yet to be identified
There are three mega centers of
endemism and 26 micro centers of
endemism
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PLANT SPECIES IN INDIA AND WORLD
Taxa
Species
India World Bacteria
850
4000 Viruses unknown
4000 Algae
6500 40,000 Fungi
14,500
72,000 Lichens 2000
17,000 Bryophyta
2850
16,000 Pteridophyta 1100
13000 Gymnosperms
64 750 Angiosperms
17,500 250,000
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ANIMAL SPECIES IN INDIA AND WORLD
Taxa
Species
India World Insects
60,000
8,00000 Mollusca 5000
100000 Fishes
2,500
23,000 Amphibians 190
4,520 Reptiles
400 6,550 Birds
1,175
8,400 Mammals 872
4,231
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Facts related to Biodiversity contd
Karnataka 8th largest state in the
country Total Land Area of Karnataka 1,91,791
sq.km Karnatakas Forest Cover 20.2 Coastal
area- 5425 sq.km Dominated by mangrove forest
(60 sq.km)
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Facts related to Biodiversity contd
Karnataka

• home of sandal wood and rose wood
• supports 25 of Indias elephant population
• supports 10 of Indias tiger population
• harbours about 4758 floral
• species with 1600 endemics
• 60 of Western Ghats are
• located in Karnataka

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Hotspots

• 1. Endemism-
• (0.5 or 1500 species of the worlds 3
• Lakh Plant species as endemics should
• be present)
• 2. Degree of Threat
• Hotspots of India Four
• 1. Western Ghats
• 2. Eastern Himalayas
• 3. Indo-Burma region
• 4. Sundaland (Indonesia, Malaysia, parts
• of India especially Nicobar Islands)

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Endemism
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique
to a place. In other words, species native to a
particular geographical area.

• Significance
• Biogeography of the area
• Evidence of center of speciation
• Evidence of center of extinction
• How species could have
• become adapted
• and evolved

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IUCN categories
Extinct
A species not definitely located in the wild and
never sighted even once in the last 50 years
Threatened Species The term is used in
conservation
context for species which are in
one of the categories
Endangered
Vulnerable Rare
Indeterminate RED DATA BOOK
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Why Biodiversity is important?

• Provides food, fodder, fruit, fuel, timber,
  medicine
• 1.Commercial value
• Oil, Fertilizers etc. extracted
  from species
• of plants and animals.
• 2.Biological value
• Pollination
• Soil formation
• Nutrient enrichment
• -

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3.Recreational Value Can not be
measured in terms of money.
4. Aesthetic Value Art,
Poetry, Literature. 5.Scientific Value
Gene Pool, Evolution, Human Welfare,
etc,.
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Value of a Tree

• A tree that lives for 50 years generates
• Rs. 5.3 lakhs worth of oxygen
• Facilitates Rs. 6.4 lakhs worth of soil erosion
  control
• Creates Rs. 10.5 lakhs worth of air pollution
  control
• Provides Rs. 5.3 lakhs
• worth of shelter for birds
• and animals

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.Value of a Tree

• Recycles Rs. 6.4 lakhs worth of fertility
• Besides provide flower, fruits and timber
• When a tree is fell it is something worth more
  than Rs. 33. 9 lakhs.

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Threats to Biodiversity

• Deforestation and overgrazing
• 2. Habitat destruction and fragmentation of the
  
• area.

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3. Poaching and hunting for flesh, fur, skin,
horn, naiI and recreation. 4. Forest fires
including smoking in the woods. 5.
Over-exploitation of the resources.
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6. Natural calamities like floods, high wind
velocities, earthquakes, etc.,. 7. Pollution of
various kinds and release of toxic substances.
8.Soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients.
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9.Population pressure and unequal
distribution of the resources 10. Agricultural
expansion 11.Spreading urbanization and
establishment of industries. 12.Constructio
n of hydro-electric power projects
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• 13. Climatic changes like depletion of ozone,
• global warming, increased concentration
• of carbon dioxide, etc,
• . Mining activities and quarrying.
• 15. Lack of awareness.

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ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF REDUCTION IN
BIODIVERSITY
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Global Warming

• Causes for global climate change

• Change in green house gases
• concentration.
• Variation in solar radiation .
• Deviations in the earths
• orbit.

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Why should we be concerned about Global Warming?
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What is global warming?

• Global warming refers to the gradual increase in
  the average temperature in the atmosphere

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What is global warming?

• Increase in concentration of greenhouse gases in
  the atmosphere
• The heat loss from the Earth to the Space is
  slowed down

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What is global warming?

• Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide,
  chlorofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous oxides,
  ozone, water vapour, etc
• An enhancement of the greenhouse effect leads to
  global warming

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• Facts
• Since 1988, nine of the hottest years in more
  than a
• century have been recorded
• July 1998 was the hottest month world over
• In 1998 India had the hottest period in 50
  years in
• which nearly 3000 people died
• 2010 is the hottest year of the
• century(4th Dec.2010,
• Deccan Herald)

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What is greenhouse effect?

• Most of the incoming solar radiation is in the
  visible part of the spectrum
• Most visible light passes through the atmosphere
  without being absorbed
• The earth radiates heat back out towards space
  when warmed up
• Much of the radiation does not escape into
  space
• Most is trapped by certain
• gases in the atmosphere,
• carbon dioxide and particular
• water vapour

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What are the sources of greenhouse gases?

• Greenhouse gases are generated by varies human
  activities, because of
• burning of fossil fuels
• deforestation
• extensive rearing of livestock
• extensive use of cooling agents, blowing agents,
  insulating and packaging materials, aerosol
  sprays and solvents

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What are the effects of global warming?

• Thermal expansion of the oceans, melting of
  glacial ice
• Flooding
• Low-lying cities would be submerged
• Global climate would be affected due to the
  removal of rainforests
• Distribution of the climatic regions and ocean
  currents would be changed
• Increase in frequency and severity of weather
  extremes
• Increase in temperature of marine
• Biodiversity
• Alter disease pattern, thus, increase the spread
  of epidemics
• Pests could become more active and grow faster
• Shrinking timber yields

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Ice on
Kilimanjaro
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)
2
10
Area (km
5
0
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
2020
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
2020
Year
Year
Kilimanjaro 2000
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Melting of Glaciers and Sea Level Rise
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Current sea level rise has occurred at a mean
rate of 1.8 mm per year for the past century and
more recently at rates estimated near 2.8 to 3.1
mm per year (1993-2003) Over the last 100 years,
the global sea level has risen by about 10 to 25
cm
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Increased pollution Soil erosion and loss of
fertility Decomposition rate by microbes is
altered Nutrient cycling is altered
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Reduces gene pool - affects speciation Food
chain is altered Alteration in Hydrologic Cycle
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What can we do to solve the problems of global
warming?

• Use cleaner energy
• Smart transportation and land use
• Forestation
• Watch less TV
• Use less air conditioner
• Turn off the light when leaving the room
• Take public transport
• Use less microwave oven
• Restore a damaged environment

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What is acid rain?

• Acid rain refers to precipitation in the form of
  dilute acid solutions
• Not a single phenomenon
• The pollutants involved are sulphur dioxide,
  oxides of nitrogen, ammonia, ozone and various
  volatile organic vapours
• Acid rain typically has a pH from 4.0 to 5.4

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What are the effects of acid rain?

• Damage the buildings, statues
• Corrode marble and metals
• Causes human respiratory diseases
• Increases the acidity of soil
• Induce the release of aluminium ions from soil
  particles
• Acidify lakes

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What are the solutions to all these problems?
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GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS
Earth Summit (June,1992) ------ Rio de Janeiro
(Brazil) Attended by 130 heads of states and
delegates from 160 nations. Addressed
Climatic change Loss
of biodiversity International
cooperation in technology
development and transfer
Economic cooperation Created a
joint agenda for sustainable future known as
Agenda 21.
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Copenhagen climatic change conference (7-19
December 2009)
Attended by 115 Heads of the State and Government
Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the intergovermental
Panel on Climatic Change (IPCC) emphasized that
temperature increase to be limited between 2.0 to
2.4 ºC , global emissions must not peak before
2015 Most delegates opposed for the modification
of Kyoto Protocol which sets binding targets for
37 developed countries for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions to an average of 5 against 1990
levels over the five-year period 2008-2010.
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Developed countries do not commit themselves to
legally-binding emission reduction. Similarly,
there is no quantification of long-term global
goal for emission reduction, or specific timing
for global emissions to peak. India opposed to an
amendment to the Kyoto Protocol and slammed
efforts of rich nations to make domestic emission
reduction claims by developing nations
legally-binding and verifiable.
What next ????
!!!!!!!!.........
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Sustainable Development
Solid waste Management
Hazards mitigation
World Conservation strategy
Energy conservation
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
Environmental Laws
Pollution control
Rain water Harvesting
Water Resources
Biodiversity conservation
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THANK YOU ALL