Dr. Salamma S

Lecturer In Botany

NSPR GDC(W), Hindupur

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Protected areas in the world There are about 105,000 sites covering 19

million sq km.

Biodiversity can be conserved through different approaches

Species-based approaches

Flagship or umbrella species (African elephant, tiger, giant panda)

Ecosystem based approaches

In situ

Ex situ methods

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In situ conservation or on site conservation refers to situations where the living material is maintained in its natural habitat.

In situ conservation presents an advantage of allowing more possibilities of conserving a large range of genetic diversity.

Conservation through natural protected areas comes under this category.

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Bio-sphere reserves, National parksWild life sanctuariesSacred grovesReserve forests- protected by Forest Dept.Ramsar sites SPA’s –wetland conservation

What are Biosphere reserves, National parks, Wild Life Sanctuaries ?

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Category V Landscape/Seascape Conservation and

Recreation.

Category VI Sustainable Use of Natural Ecosystems.

India’s protected areas are under IUCN categories I-V.

1. Nature Reserves, Wilderness Areas, and National Parks (categories I and II)

2. Areas Managed for Sustainable Use and Unclassified Areas (category VI and ‘other’)

3. Natural Monuments, Species Management Areas, and Protected Landscapes and Seascapes (categories III, IV, and V)

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Eco regions at risk

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BIOSPHERE RESERVES

The programme of Biosphere Reserve was initiated under the 'Man & Biosphere' (MAB) programme of UNESCO in 1971.

The purpose of the formation of the biosphere reserve is to conserve all forms of life, along with its support systems, in their totality in situ

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Each biosphere reserve represents one of the world's important ecosystems.

They are designated by UNESCO fulfill the following:

Help conserve biodiversity Demonstrate sustainable development; Build the local capacity of people and

organizations to deal with human and environmental issues.

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Core AreaThe Core Area is the most protected

area of a Reserve (such as a park or

wildlife area).

It should contain a representative

selection of the most valuable habitats

for conservation.

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Name of BR Area

covered

Covered areas

Agasthyamalai 1828 Km2 Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney

Wildlife Sanctuaries and their

adjoining areas in Kerala

Nilagiri 5520 Km2

Sunderbans 9630 Km2 Part of delta of Ganga and

Brahamaputra river system(WB)

Kachch 12454 Parts of Kachch, Rajkot,

Surendranagar and Patan district

of Gujarat

The buffer zoneThe buffer zone is an area of great natural

interest and outstanding natural beauty.

It can be used for rational ecological

activities such as: environmental

education, leisure activities, ecological

tourism, hiking (rock, mountain climbing)

and research.

Transition zoneA zone of co-operation, where people live

and work. 14

The reserve encompasses 5,520 km² in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

It forms an almost complete ring around the Nilgiri Plateau

The Mudumalai WL Sanctuary and National Park Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Mukurthi and Silent Valley National Parks are protected areas within this reserve.

The reserve covers tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests.

Rainfall ranges from 500 mm to 7000 mm per year.

The habitat types include montane rain forest, semi-evergreen moist forest, thorn forest and scrub, montane grassland, and high-elevation Shola forests.

Fauna Fauna includes over 100 species of mammals, 350

species of birds, 80 species of reptiles; 316 species of butterflies Rare animals include the tiger, Asian Elephant, and Nilgiri Tahr.

Flora The reserve has very rich plant diversity. Of 3300

species, 1232 are endemic. 175 species of orchids are found here.

Seshachalam BR SBR is declared as the 16th biosphere reserve of India

(2010) covering Sri Venkateswara National Park and Sri

Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuary.

SBR covers Seshachalam hill ranges, formerly known

as Tirupati-Kadapa hills are one of the major

landscapes of Eastern Ghats of AP. These ranges

extended to an area of 1758 sq. km . The Seshachalam

biosphere reserve is located in two districts of

Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor and

Kadapa.

The altitude of SBR varies from 168 to 1187m above

MSL. The highest hill peak is Tellaralla penta (1187m)

and most of the other hill peaks are above 900m MSL. 19

SBR comprises world famous sacred shrines

collectively called as Tirumala hills are the abode of

Lord Venkateswara or Balaji.

Talakona is the highest waterfall (270 ft tall) in the

state.

The annual rainfall varies between 569-1230.

About 1500 wild and naturalized species of vascular

plants including over 500 with medicinal and Non-

Timber Forest Produce value.

The forests of the SBR be broadly categorized into

three types: dry deciduous mixed type with patches

of moist deciduous forests and scrub (Champion

and Seth, 1968). Dry deciduous forests dominate in

the study area. 20

National parks

A national park is a relatively large area

with legal protection whereon one or

several ecosystems

Parks represent a natural landscape of

great beauty where the visitors are

allowed to enter under special

conditions.

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A national park is designated to conserve a specific wild animal species like Tiger, Lion or Rhino along with other wildlife.

Usually most of the national parks comprise an area of 100-1000 Sq. Km and boundaries are circumscribed by legislation.

Except buffer zone there is no biotic interference and tourism is permissible.

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There is only one national park in

Andhra Pradesh- Sri Venkateswara

National Park of Tirumala hills.

It is extended to 35,000 hectares and

aimed to conserve endangered species

Slender Loris, Golden Gecko etc.

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National Parks: Best covered States are:

Sikkim 25.14%

Goa 2.89%

Arunachal Pradesh 2.74%

Himachal Pradesh 2.57%

Assam 2.51%

Some states have no National Parks viz.

Punjab, Tripura, Delhi.

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Sanctuaries are accorded a lesser level of

protection and are designated to conserve

specific plant or animal species

Mostly they are extended to about 100 to

1000 Sq. Km. and without any legalized

boundaries.

Certain types of rights and activities like

livestock grazing and collection of forest

produce may be permitted.

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The famous wild life sanctuaries are

Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple in Mysore district, Karnataka;

Simlipal in Mayurbhanj district, Orissa; Mt. Abu in Sirohi district, Rajasthan; Mudumalai in Nilgiris district,

Tamilnadu.

In Andhra Pradesh there are 13 sanctuaries which include Gundla Brahmeswaram (Nallamalais) and Sri Venkateswara (Tirumala hills) wild life sanctuaries.

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Sacred groves are community-based repositories of biodiversity.

They usually represent a clump of trees associated with other forms of life and with perennial water sources, afford protection on the basis of religious practice or faith.

The groves are good examples of in situ conservation sites for many threatened and endemic species.

The sacred groves varies in size, extends over a fraction of hectare to a square kilometer.

The groves are dedicated to deity God, Goddess and local communities fear of any damage to life which would infuriate the deity, who could in turn curse the concerned. 28

Sacred groves are well known from Western

Ghats and North-East India.

The groves are called by different local names

in India: sarnas in Bihar and Orissa; Jogmaya in

Rajasthan; devarakadus or Pavitravana in

Karnataka; Ayyappa kavu, Amman kavu, in

Kerala; Kona in Andhra Pradesh.

The significant sacred grove in India is

Mawphlang in Meghalaya.

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Over 100 major groves are there in Andhra

Pradesh including Tirumala hills (Chittoor

district) and Mahanandi (Kurnool district).

The great Banyan, Thimmamma Marrimanu

(Ficus benghalensis) located in Anantapur

district, the world’s largest tree with a spread

of 2.1 hectare is a sacred grove.

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EX SITU CONSERVATION

• Off-site conservation. • Conserving species in isolation of their

natural habitat

Rescue threatening germplasm.

Produce material for conservation biology

research.

Bulk up germplasm for storage in various forms

Supply material to remove or reduce pressure

from wild collecting.

Grow those species with recalcitrant seeds that

cannot be maintained in a seed banks.

Display material for conservation education.

Produce material for reintroduction, habitat

restoration and management.

Botanical gardens

Seed banks

Gene banks

Aquaria

Nurseries

Zoo-parks

Botanic gardens are important centers for conserving endemic, endangered, eeconomically important, species that are needed for the restoration of an ecosystem, Keystone species, Taxonomically isolated species.

Estimated to be around 1600 botanical gardens throughout the world about 800 are significant.

World famous- New York Botanical Garden at New York (USA), Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London (UK), Berlin Botanic Garden (Germany), Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.

In India : Indian Botanic gardens at Howrah, National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) at Lucknow, and Tropical Botanic Garden at Trivandrum and Government Botanic Garden at Udagamandalam are Some of the famous gardens.

These gardens are conserving both indigenous and exotic rare tree species, orchids, ferns and a large variety of ornamental species.

E.g. Welwitschia mirabilis –NBRI

Zoological parks owned by the government and other agencies are protecting a wide variety of rare and endangered animal species in different parts of the country.

There are more than 800 zoos around the world with about 3,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, snakes, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, tiger, lion, leopard and primates are being protected in these zoo’s.

Jawaharlal Nehru Zoological Park at Hyderabad, Zoo Park at Mysore and Trivandrum are good examples.

Spix's Macaw

(Cyanopsitta spixii)

Native to central Brazil,

presumed extinct in

wild in 2000

Golden Frog (Atelopus zeteki)

Native to Panama, extinct in wild in 2007

Survivors of last known population captured for

captive breeding

A gene bank is a collection of propagating materials that are checked for viability and then stored under conditions that retain viability for longer periods.

These are the centers of preserving seed, pollen, tissues, genetic material or whole plants or animals.

These were aimed to preserve traditional plant and animal varieties. Gene banks are usually associated with forest and agricultural institutes.

1,400 seed banks around the world

In gene banks collections are regularly checked.

Seed conservation is most efficient method of genetic conservation.

Seed storage in gene banks is of two types.

Base collections in which seeds of 5-6 percent moisture content are sealed and stored between -10 to -20°C.

Active collection in which seeds are dried to 7-9% moisture content, sealed and stored in slightly above 0°C

The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

at New Delhi, the National Bureau of Animal

Genetic Resources at Karnal, and National Bureau

of Fish Genetic Resources at Allahabad are

conserving valuable genetic resources in gene

banks.

NBPGR is presently holding over 4 lakh

accessions of seed material.

For seed preservation, domestic freezers maintained at –

10oC to –20oC will be used.

For genomic DNA banks, cryo-preservation methods (in

liquid nitrogen at –1700C) are usually employed.

Conservation is prime

responsibility for better future !!!!