Biodiversity And Conservation

Option (D) is correct because conservation of biodiversity is important for all organisms. Biodiversity includes animal species, plant species, genes, ecosystems and landscapes. Conservation of biodiversity is important for all organisms to maintain stable ecosystems.

Option (A) is not correct because conservation of biodiversity is not important for only animals as it includes plant species, microorganisms, genes, ecosystem such as coral reefs, forests, deserts etc. Ecosystem will not be stable if conservation of biodiversity is important for only animals.

Option (B) is not correct because biodiversity conservation is the practice of protecting and preserving the wealth and variety of plant species, animal species, microorganism, ecosystem etc.

Option (C) is not correct because biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.

Option (D) is correct because threatened species are those which are suffering from the danger of extinction. Giant Panda, Leatherback turtles and Pacific walrus are some of the examples of threatened species who are facing the danger of extinction.

Option (A) is not correct because lions and tigers are not threatened species. They are endangered species.

Option (B) is not correct because threatened species are not abundant in number but their number is increasing day by day.

Option (C) is not correct because threatened species does not mean that it threats other. Threatened species does not harm or do something unpleasant.

Option (D) is correct because national parks and sanctuaries are established for the purpose of conservation. National park and sanctuaries provide a specific place where animals are kept in captivity in order to preserve the species.

Option (A) is not correct because recreation activities are done for enjoyment, pleasure and fun but natural parks and sanctuaries are not established for the purpose of recreation. It is mainly established for protecting the wild animal and conserving the natural world.

Option (B) is not correct because hunting of animals causes loss of wild life animals.

Option (C) is not correct because national parks and sanctuaries are mainly built for wildlife animals not for pets.

Option (A) is correct because biodiversity is richer in tropical regions. Tropical forest ecosystems cover less than 10 percent of earth’s surface, and contain about 90% of the world’s species.

Option (B) is not correct because polar region experience ice age type events where glaciers have covered the land. This region is not rich in biodiversity because it has more ecological obstacles.

Option (C) is not correct because temperate regions are extensively altered by human activities which have dramatic impacts on biological diversity.

Option (D) is not correct because biological diversity in the world’s oceans was unclear. It is now known to play a vital role in maintaining the functionality and productivity of ecosystems.

Option (C) is correct because the ‘Earth Summit’ was held in Brazil. It was held at Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. It is a large international meeting in which the Government of India along with 155 other nations discussed ways of protecting the environment and preserving the Earth’s biodiversity.

Option (A) is not correct because UK is a national charity that provides expert policy analysis and advice on air quality, land quality, waste and noise.

Option (B) is not correct because United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Cancun, Mexico.

Option (D) is not correct because China participated in Earth Summit

(i) Biodiversity refers to variety and variability of life on Earth. It is also known as biological diversity. It is the combination of two words Bio and diversity. Bio means life and diversity means variety. It includes microorganism, plants, animals and ecosystem such as coral reefs, forests, deserts etc. The term biodiversity is popularised by the sociobiologist Edward Wilson. It is not distributed evenly on Earth. It is richer in tropical regions. It is very important for maintaining balance of the ecosystem. Greater biodiversity in ecosystems leads to greater stability.

(ii) The different levels of biodiversity are:

*Genetic diversity: It refers to the variation of genes within species. It is essential for a healthy breeding of population of species. For example, India has more than 50,000 genetically different strains of rice and 1000 varieties of mango.

*Species diversity: It refers to the variety of species. For example, the Western Ghats have greater amphibian species diversity than the Eastern Ghats.

*Ecosystem diversity: It refers to the variety of habitats, natural communities and ecological processes in the biosphere. For example, deserts, wetlands, forest, grasslands etc.

(iii) Hotspots are the areas rich in species diversity. It is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened with humans. It is important ecosystem in the world and habitat of endemic species. Initially 25 biodiversity hotspots were identified but subsequently nine more have been added to the list. Total numbers of biodiversity hotspots in the world are 34. India hosts 4 biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats, the Himalayas, the Indo-Burma region and the Sundaland.

(iv) Animals are important to humans in many ways:

*Animals are part of the food chain and keep ecosystems in balance.

*Animals have made human life much easier by providing us with food, medicine, clothing etc.

*Animals help to bring out the nutrients from the cycle while others help in decomposition, carbon, and nitrogen cycle.

*Animals like horses, ox, buffalo etc are used for transportation.

*Animals provide milk which is the essential in human lives.

*Fishing, rearing of hens and pigs in farms provide employment for the humans.

(v) Exotic species are species of plants and animals that are not the natural inhabitants of the local habitat, but are introduced into the system. It is also known as alien species, invasive species and non-indigenous species. Examples of exotic species are brown rat, house sparrow, carrot grass, Lantana and water hyacinth. It causes damage to the environment, human economy and human health. Some of the exotic species leads to extinction of indigenous species. It can change the food web in an ecosystem by destroying or replacing native food sources.

(i) Biodiversity play a very important role in the shaping of nature at genetic, species and ecological levels. It has contributed in the development of human culture. It boosts ecosystem productivity where each species have an important role to play. A larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops. Greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms. There are mainly three roles of biodiversity.

*Ecological role of biodiversity: All species or organisms provide some kind of function to an ecosystem. They extract its needs from the ecosystem and at the same time contribute something useful for other organisms. Ecosystem helps in stabilization and moderation of the climate. Ecosystem with greater variety has more chance of stability.

*Economic role of biodiversity: Biodiversity is an important resource for daily life. Some of the important economic commodities provided by biodiversity are food crops, livestock, fish, medicinal resources etc. Pollinators, including bees and butterflies, provide significant environmental and economic benefits to agricultural and natural ecosystems, adding diversity and productivity to food crops.

*Scientific role of biodiversity: Biodiversity plays an important role in scientific studies as it helps us to understand, how the life evolved on the earth. It also helps in understanding the role of each species in sustaining ecosystems. The level of biodiversity is good indicator of the state of our relationships with other living species.

(ii) Biodiversity is the term popularised by the sociobiologist Edward Wilson. Biodiversity is also known as biological diversity. It refers to variety and variability of life on Earth. It includes microorganism, plants, animals and ecosystems such as coral reefs, forests, deserts. It is a measure of variation at the genetic, species and ecosystem level.

The factors that are responsible for the loss of biodiversity are:

*Hunting: It is one of the factors responsible for loss of biodiversity. Wild animals are hunted

For commercial utilization of their products such as hides and skin, tusk, fur, meat and decoration purposes.

*Pollution: It is a major threat to biodiversity. It is one of the difficult problems to overcome. It alters the natural habitat. Insecticides, pesticides, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, acid rain, ozone depletion and global warming affect adversely the plant and animal species.

*Habitat loss and fragmentation: A habitat is the place where a plant or animal naturally lives. The factors responsible for habitat loss are deforestation, fire and urbanization.

*Natural calamities: Natural calamities, such as floods, draught, forest fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruption etc destroy the biodiversity of different regions.

*Introduction of exotic species: Introduction of exotic species has caused widespread damage to natural biotic community in several parts of the world.

Steps needed to conserve biodiversity are:

*Endangered species should be preserved.

*Animals habitat should be protected and safeguarded where they feed, breed, rest and nurse their young ones.

*Proper planning and management should be done to prevent extinction.

*Preservation of varieties of plants, trees and animals.

A national park in Bihar is Valmiki National park. Sanctuaries in Bihar are:

*Bhimbandh Wild Life Sanctuary

*Gautam Budha Wild Life Sanctuary

*Kaimur Wild Life Sanctuary

*Nagi Dam Wild Life Sanctuary

*Udaipur Wild Life Sanctuary

There is no biosphere reserve in Bihar.