Why is biodiversity important?

Maintain Natural System

It provides the natural units through which materials and energy flow, giving ecosystems and biomes their functional properties Very different kinds of biodiversity are needed to provide resilience when unusual surprises occur volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts, major fires, disease outbreaks, etc.

Direct economic benefits

Providing selected crops or animals Provide Wood, dyes and Fibers Providing new pharmaceutical compounds

Indirect economic benefits

Pollination Decomposition of organic material Nutrient transfers in soil Regulate Climate
Ecosystem services

Scientific value
Providing models for many devices used by humans (Velcro to Jet engines)

Recreational and Aesthetic Value

Ecotourism- tourist attraction (Tourist visit a place in order to observe wild species or unique ecological sites) Sit in a forest and listen to the birds, Watch a spider weave its complex web, observe a fish feeding. They all activities are magnificent and fascinating The Tulsi has been placed at our doorsteps for centuries Hiking Hunting Fishing Photography

Options or insurance value

Providing opportunities for survival in changing environments

Hotspots (emergency room) of Biodiversity

A biodiversity hotspot is a region with a high level of endemic species Criteria for determining hotspots: 1. Regions that have at least 1,500 species of vascular plants that are endemic (found only in that area) 2. Regions that have lost at least 70 percent of their original habitat Hotspots are spread all over the world, the majority are forest areas and most are located in the tropics Conservation International identifies 25 such hotspots in tropical and temperate regions around the globe. They covers 2.3 percent of Earth's land surface but are home to at least 150,000 endemic plant species (50 percent of the world's total number of plant species) and nearly 12,000 terrestrial vertebrates (42 percent of the world's total number of terrestrial vertebrates) About 10 percent of the original area of world biodiversity hotspots is currently protected as parks or reserves.

Hotspots in the World

Hotspot regions in India

Himalayas - This majestic range of mountains is the home of a diverse range of flora and fauna. Eastern Himalayas is one of the two biodiversity hotspots in India.

Chilika - This wetland area is protected under the Ramsar convention.

Sunder bans - The largest mangrove forest in India.

Western Ghats - One of the two biodiversity hotspots in India.

Thar desert - The climate and vegetation in this area is a contrast to the Himalayan region.

There are two hotspots present in India

The Eastern Himalayas

The whole of Eastern Himalayas, there are an estimated 9000 plant species, with 3500 (i.e. 39%) of them being endemic. In Indias sector of the area, there occur some 5800 plant species, roughly 2000 (i.e. 36%) of them being endemic

At least 55 flowering plants endemic to this area are recognized as rare, for example, the pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana)
The area has long been recognized as a rich centre of primitive flowering plants

The area is also rich in wild relatives of plants of economic significance, e.g. rice, banana, citrus, ginger, chilli, jute and sugarcane. The region is regarded as the centre of origin and diversification of five palms of commercial importance namely, coconut, arecanut, palmyra palm, sugar palm and wild date palm.
The taxol plant Taxus wallichiana is sparsely distributed in the region and has come under red data category due to its over exploitation for extraction of a drug effectively used against cancer.

As regards faunal diversity, 63% of the genera of land mammals in India are know from this area. During the last four decades, two new mammals have been discovered from the region: Golden Langur from Assam Bhutan region, and Namdapha flying squirrel from Arunachal Pradesh indicating the species richness of the region The area is also a rich centre of avian diversity more than 60% of the Indian birds are recorded in the North East. The region also has two endemic genera of lizards, and 35 endemic reptilian species, including two turtle. The western Ghats The Western Ghats region is considered as one of the most important biogeographic zones of India, as it is one of the richest centres of endemism About 1500 endemic species of dicotyledonous plants are reported from the Western Ghats. 245 species of orchids are found here, of which 112 species are endemic to the region

 As regards the fauna, as many as 315 species of vertebrates are endemic, these include 12 species of mammals, 13 species of birds, 89 species of reptiles, 87 species of amphibians and 104 species of fish The extent of endemism is high in amphibian and reptiles. There occur 117 species of amphibians in the region, of which 89 species (i.e. 76%) are endemic. Of the 165 species of reptiles found in Western Ghats, 88 species are endemic Rare fauna of the region includes: Lion Tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Nilgiri Tahr, Flying Squirrel, and Malabar Gray Hornbill

The Malabar Tree Nymph

Renethera imschortians (Red Vanda) Lion Tailed Macaque

Biodiversity at Global, National and Local levels

South Nations: Bio-rich Northern Nation: Low level of Biodiversity

World ranking of mega-biodiversity countries

India as a mega diversity nation

Among the biologically rich nations, India stand among the top 10 or 15 countries for its great variety of plant animals, many of which are not found elsewhere. India has 45,000 plant species, of which most are angiosperms (15th rank in the world). These include especially high species diversity of ferns (1022 species) and orchids (1082 species). India has 50,000 known species of insects, including 13,000 butterflies and moths.

Comparative statement of recorded number of animal species in India & the World
Taxa Protista Mollusca Arthropoda Other Invertebrates Protochordata Pisces Amphibia Reptilia Aves Mamalia Species 2577 5070 68389 8329 119 2546 209 456 1232 390 World 31259 66535 987949 87121 2106 21723 5150 5817 9026 4629 Percentage of India to the world 8.24 7.62 6.9 9.56 5.65 11.72 4.06 7.84 13.66 8.42 15 5 8 8
th th th th

Indias world Ranking

Apart from the high biodiversity of Indian wild plants and animals there is also a great diversity of cultivated crops and breeds of domestic livestock The traditional cultivars included 30,000 to 50,000 varieties of rice and a number of cereals, vegetables and fruit The highest diversity of cultivars is concentrated in the high rainfall areas of the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Northern Himalayas and the North-Eastern hills.

Gene-banks have collected over 34,000 cereals and 22,000 pulses grown in India
India has 27 indigenous breeds of cattle, 40 breeds of sheep, 22 breeds of goats and 8 breeds of buffaloes.