What is Biodiversity Project

8/14/2019 What is Biodiversity Project

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What is biodiversity?Oh, the beauty of a forest! The pleasure of walking through it,

enjoying the smells of the flowers and the wild; watching the insectsflitting about and listening to the birds chirp - how we all love it and wish

to return to it again and again. It is this biodiversity that we have toprotect and take care of in order to enjoy the joy of it all. But what isbiodiversity?

Biodiversity is the variety and differences among living organisms from allsources, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and theecological complexes of which they are a part. This includes genetic diversity withinand between species and ofecosystems. Thus, in essence, biodiversity representsall life. India is one of the mega biodiversity centres in the world and has two of theworld's 18 biodiversity hotspots located in the Western Ghats and in the EasternHimalayas (Myers 1999). The forest cover in these areas is very dense and diverseand of pristine beauty, and incredible biodiversity.

According to an MoEF Report (1996), the country is estimated to have over45,000 plant species and 81,000 animal species representing 7% of the worlds floraand 6.5% of its fauna. The 1999 figures are 49,219 plant species representing12.5% and 81,251 animal species representing 6.6%.

The sacred groves of India are some of the areas in the country where therichness of biodiversity has been well preserved. The Thar desert and the Himalayasare two regions rich in biodiversity in India. There are 89 national parks and 504wildlife sanctuaries in the country, the Chilika Lake being one of them. This lake isalso an important wetland area. Learn more through map on biodiversity in India.

Over the last century, a great deal of damage has been done to thebiodiversity existing on the earth. Increasing human population, increasing

consumption levels, and decreasing efficiency of use of our resources are some ofthe causes that have led to overexploitation and manipulation of ecosystems.Tradein wildlife, such as rhino horn, has led to the extinction of species. Consequences ofbiodiversity loss can be great as any disturbance to one species gives rise toimbalance in others. In this the exotic species have a role to play.

To prevent such loss, the Government of India is setting up biospherereserves in different parts of the country. These are multipurpose protected areas topreserve the genetic diversity in different ecosystems. Till 1999, ten biospherereserves had been set up, namely Nilgiri, Nandadevi, Nakrek, Great Nicobar, Gulf ofMannar, Manas, Sunderbans, Similipal, and Dibru Saikhowa. A number of NGOs arebeing involved in the programme to create awareness. But legal protection isprovided only to national parks and sanctuaries, which cover about 4.5% of Indias

land area.

Definitions The most straightforward definition is "variation of life at all levels of

biological organization".[3] A second definition holds that biodiversity is a measure ofthe relative diversity among organisms present in different ecosystems. "Diversity"in this definition includes diversity within a species and among species, andcomparative diversity among ecosystems.
http://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/genetic.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/species.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/ecosys.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/western.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/eastern.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/eastern.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/forest.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/sacred.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/thar.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/himalay.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/chilika.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wetland.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/maps/biodivin.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wildlife.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wildlife.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/exotic.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/sunder.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/genetic.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/genetic.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/species.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/species.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/species.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/ecosys.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/ecosys.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/ecosys.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/western.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/western.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/western.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/eastern.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/eastern.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/eastern.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/eastern.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/eastern.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/eastern.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/forest.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/forest.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/forest.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/sacred.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/sacred.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/sacred.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/thar.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/thar.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/thar.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/himalay.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/himalay.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/himalay.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/chilika.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/chilika.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/chilika.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wetland.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wetland.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wetland.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/maps/biodivin.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/maps/biodivin.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/maps/biodivin.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wildlife.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wildlife.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wildlife.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wildlife.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wildlife.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/wildlife.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/exotic.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/exotic.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/exotic.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/sunder.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/sunder.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/sunder.htmhttp://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/life/genetic.htm


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A third definition that is often used by ecologists is the "totality of genes,species, and ecosystems of a region". An advantage of this definition is that itseems to describe most circumstances and present a unified view of the traditionalthree levels at which biodiversity has been identified:

NEED OF BIODIVERSITY

Biological diversity is important because of the way relationships between

species and habitats combine to provide yet more variation in the living

world. Any human activity that diminishes this 'bio - diversity' could therefore

impoverish our own quality of life, reduce the resources available to us and

ultimately jeopardise the survival of our descendants.

We should seek to conserve biodiversity because:

it confers direct benefits as natural processes protect our planet

it provides the raw material of food, clothing and medicines

it enhances our quality of life, by adding variety to our surroundings

it helps shape our culture and inspires our poets, painters, writers and

composers

it is heritage we should not deny to the next generation

it is affected enomously by what we do.

PROJECT SCOPE- Biodiversity in Grain and Graze (BiGG)Alan House

The erosion of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is a global phenomenon. Two

approaches have been proposed to deal with this issue the practise of wildlife-friendlyfarming, where critical components of biodiversity and ecological function at a landscapescale are supported within the agricultural landscape; and intensification of production onthe most productive parts of the landscape so that other land can be spared forconservation. Both approaches have benefits and disbenefits for both production andconservation.

Our project is designed to test the notion that the gradient of intensification of production,from grazed native woodlands through pastures based on native grasses to pastures ofexotic species and finally cropped areas, will result in altered communities of plants andanimals in a predictable way.

This project is designed to answer the questions: does the introduction of pasture phases in cropping rotations have biodiversity

and ecosystem services benefits? does pasture type and management (grazing, length of phase etc) influence biota? do pasture phases represent an additional habitat for wildlife that augments farmlevebiodiversity? is local landscape context important in determining patterns of richness and diversity?


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We are using a functionally important subset of biodiversity (ground active and soil/litterinvertebrates) to investigate these hypotheses. Three mixed farms (Tara, Qld; Bogabilla,NSW; Warialda, NSW) that represent contrasting environments and pasture/croppingcombinations in the Border Rivers region, were chosen for study. All comprise a mix of:remnant native woodland; pastures based on native grasslands or of native grasses butderived from open woodland or clearing; pastures based on exotic grasses; and cropping.At each farm, replicates of each land use type (remnant woodland, native pastures, sownpastures) on each farm are being sampled for ground active and canopy (forage height)invertebrates using pitfall trapping and suction sampling. Vegetation composition andstructure is also recorded. Invertebrates are sorted to Order level, with selected groups

(ants initially, spiders and beetles subsequently) to species where possible.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

At the ecosystem level, biodiversity provides the conditions and drives theprocesses that sustain the global economy and our very survival as a

species. The benefits and services provided by ecosystems include:

>> Generation of soils and maintenance of soil quality

The activities of microbial and animal species including bacteria, algae,

fungi, mites, millipedes and worms condition soils, break down organic

matter, and release essential nutrients to plants. These processes play a key

role in the cycling of such crucial elements as nitrogen, carbon and

phosphorous between the living and non-living parts of the biosphere.

>> Maintenance of air quality

Plant species purify the air and regulate the composition of the atmosphere,

recycling vital oxygen and filtering harmful particles resulting from industrial

activities.

>> Maintenance of water quality

Wetland ecosystems (swamps, marshes, etc.) absorb and recycle essential

nutrients, treat sewage, and cleanse wastes. In estuaries, molluscs remove

nutrients from the water, helping to prevent nutrient over-enrichment and its

attendant problems, such as eutrophication arising from fertilizer run-off.Trees and forest soils purify water as it flows through forest ecosystems. In

preventing soils from being washed away, forests also prevent the harmful

siltation of rivers and reservoirs that may arise from erosion and landslides.


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>> Pest control

Around 99 per cent of potential crop pests are controlled by a variety of

other organisms, including insects, birds and fungi. These natural pesticides

are in many ways superior to their artificial equivalents, since pests can often

develop resistance to chemical controls.

>> Detoxification and decomposition of wastes

Some 130 billion metric tons of organic waste is processed every year by

earths decomposing organisms. Many industrial wastes, including

detergents, oils, acids and paper, are also detoxified and decomposed by the

activities of living things. In soils, the end product of these processes a

range of simple inorganic chemicals is returned to plants as nutrients.

Higher (vascular) plants can themselves serve to remove harmful substances

from groundwater.

>> Pollination and crop production

Many flowering plants rely on the activities of various animal species bees,

butterflies, bats, birds, etc. to help them reproduce through the

transportation of pollen. More than one-third of humanitys food crops

depend on this process of natural pollination. Many animal species have

evolved to perform an additional function in plant reproduction through the

dispersal of seeds.

>> Climate stabilization

Plant tissues and other organic materials within land and ocean ecosystems

act as repositories of carbon, helping to slow the build-up of atmospheric

carbon dioxide, and thus contributing to climate stabilization. Ecosystems

also exert direct influences on regional and local weather patterns. Moisture

released into the atmosphere by rainforests, for example, causes regular

rainstorms, limiting water loss from the region and helping to control the

surface temperature. In cold climates, meanwhile, forests act as insulators

and as windbreaks, helping to mitigate the impacts of freezing temperatures.

>> Prevention and mitigation of natural disastersForests and grasslands protect landscapes against erosion, nutrient loss, and

landslides through the binding action of roots. Ecosystems bordering

regularly flooding rivers (floodplain forests and wetlands) help to absorb

excess water and thus reduce the damage caused by floods. Certain coastal

ecosystems (salt marshes, mangrove forests, etc.) prevent the erosion of

coastlines.


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OBJECT

ADDRESSING the ongoing loss of biodiversity and accelerating biodiversity

surveys requires improvements in taxonomic information management,

especially for the most numerous group - insects. Currently there are only

scattered entomological biodiversity databases available. Internet, and its

World Wide Web (WWW) protocol for distributed multimedia

hyperdocuments, provide an efficient meta-model of how information on

biological webs and taxonomies can be organised. Moreover, object-oriented

modelling provides the tools for modelling complex biological domains suchas taxonomy and biological field data realistically. We demonstrate a

combination of object-oriented databases and WWW front-ends for managing

taxonomic biodiversity information. One WWW page for each taxon, which is

dynamically connected to the taxonomic hierarchy, allows users to manage

taxonomic information efficiently. The pages and their summaries are

created on demand out of the contents of the database. We argue that a new

generation of WWW servers with special object-oriented modelling

capabilities should be created for managing taxonomic information globally

and on a distributed basis.

The total number of species on Earth has been estimated to be in the

magnitude of 10^7 [1], of which 1.7 million is known. Loss of this biological

diversity currently runs at 10^3 times of its natural pace [2], eradicating

10^4 species per year. Hence, over the next 30 years, 10^6 species are

bound to disappear even before they become known. Currently, 10^4 new

species are discovered annually; a rate which has not changed during the

past 15 years [1] despite an overall increase in scientific publishing. Insects

comprise more than a half of all the species, and also the majority of the

loss. There is obviously an urgent need to accelerate biodiversity surveys,

especially in the area of tropical entomology.Molecular biology has enjoyed such services through GenBank [3] and EMBL

Data Library [4] already since the early 1980's. Bringing GenBank databases

to a distributed structure and public access reduced the backlog of data

entries from 2 years to a few days [5], [6]. Use of on-line databases is now

the norm in molecular biology. Taxonomic databases are also succeeding for

plants. International Organization for Plant Information (IOPI) is constructing


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a world plant check-list and database [7]. Its Taxonomic Databases Working

Group has prepared a set of standards by which the different IOPI sites

operate. Another case in point is the Biodiversity Information Network

/Agenda 21 (BIN21) which is a special interest network [8] in the Internet

that aims at organising biodiversity information into a network of distributed,

public domain databases [9]. If BIN21 succeeds, it will bring the rest of

bioinformatics to the level of molecular genetics in information management.

However, there are no universally accepted data models nor publicly

available database applications, which has caused delays in this critical area

and incurred further costs to many institutions. In the following, we present

the results of our experiments aiming at an architecture and an application

suite for taxonomic biodiversity management in the Internet.

What is Biodiversity Project

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