Prospects of Bio-diversityby Prayash Pathak (Chalise) | 13-02-2019 15:03 |
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Biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services to which human well-being is intimately linked. No feature of Earth is more complex, dynamic, and varied than the layer of living organisms that occupy its surfaces and its seas, and no feature is experiencing more dramatic change at the hands of humans than this extraordinary, singularly unique feature of Earth. Biodiversity is defined as ¡°the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.¡± The importance of this definition is that it draws attention to the many dimensions of biodiversity. It explicitly recognizes that every biota can be characterized by its taxonomic, ecological, and genetic diversity and that the way these dimensions of diversity vary over space and time is a key feature of biodiversity. Thus only a multidimensional assessment of biodiversity can provide insights into the relationship between changes in biodiversity and changes in ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services Prospects Of Biodiversity Ecosystem services, such as o Protection of water resources o Soils formation and protection o Nutrient storage and recycling o Pollution breakdown and absorption o Contribution to climate stability o Maintenance of ecosystems o Recovery from unpredictable events Biological resources, such as o Food o Medicinal resources and pharmaceutical drugs o Wood products o Ornamental plants o Breeding stocks, population reservoirs o Future resources o Diversity in genes, species and ecosystems Social benefits, such as o Research, education and monitoring o Recreation and tourism o Cultural values Main threats to our biodiversity are as given below: • Degradation, fragmentation and loss of habitat • Spreading of invasive species • Unsustainable use of natural resources • Change of Climate • Inappropriate fire regimes • Changes within aquatic environment and water flow Biodiversity Conservation Methods : In-situ biodiversity conservation In-situ conservation means the conservation of species within their natural habitats, this way of conserving biodiversity is the most appropriate method for biodiversity conservation. In this strategy you have to find out the area with high biodiversity means the area in which number of plants and animals are present. After that this high biodiversity area should be covered in the form of natural park/ sanctuary/biosphere reserve etc. In this way biodiversity can be conserve in their natural habitat from human activities Ex-Situ conservation methods Ex-situ conservation involves the conservation of biological diversity outside of their natural habitats. This involves conservation of genetic resources, as well as wild and cultivated or species, and draws on a diverse body of techniques and facilities. Ex-situ Biodiversity conservation can be done as following: • By forming Gene banks: In this store seeds, sperm & ova at extremely low temperature and humidity. • It is very helpful to save large variety of species of plants & animals in a very small space. e.g. sperm and ova banks, seed banks.
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