GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation
Source: TH
Context: Despite the importance of biodiversity that ultimately sustains all human endeavours, not enough has been done for caring and nurturing life on earth.
Biodiversity/Biological diversity:
- Meaning: The rich variety of life forms and their interconnections with each other and the environment is termed Biodiversity.
- Types: Genetic diversity (variety of genes within a species), species diversity (variety of species within a habitat or a region) and ecosystem diversity (variety of species within a habitat or a region).
- Importance of Biodiversity:
- Ecosystem services: Species perform some or the other functions (soil formation, reducing pollution) in an ecosystem.
- Provisioning services: Food, fibre, fuelwood, etc. It is biodiversity that will form the basis of a new sustainable green economy.
- Regulating services: It is biodiversity that will restore degraded lands and polluted rivers and oceans and sustain agriculture in the face of climate change.
- Supporting services: Biodiversity helps in pollination, nutrient cycling as well as recycling, GHGs reduction by sequestration.
- Social and cultural services: Biodiversity provides aesthetic, and recreational pleasure.
- Food web maintenance: Higher the diversity of an ecosystem, more complex is going to be the food webs.
- Scientific role: Biodiversity help in scientific research, education and monitoring.
- Threats:
- Impact of loss of Biodiversity: Damaged ecosystems exacerbate climate change, undermine food security and put people and communities at risk.
Efforts to reverse Biodiversity loss:
| Global | Indian |
| Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) | Biological Diversity Act, 2002, National Biodiversity Policy, National Biodiversity Action Plan |
| The observance of International Biodiversity Day (May 22) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
Theme (2023): From agreement to action: Build back biodiversity |
12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) developed under the convention process in line with the 20 global Aichi biodiversity targets. |
| Designation Biodiversity hotspots (by CI), Biosphere reserves (by UNESCO) | |
| The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) |
Way ahead:
- Civil society must play a critical role in sustaining biodiversity.
- A paradigm shift in the care of biodiversity.
- For example, the main custodian of the natural world in India is the Indian Forest Service.
- Therefore, a multifunctional landscapes approach, with the direct participation of local communities is the need of the hour.
Some best practices from India:
- The Forest Rights Act 2006: It calls for an increase in the stake of indigenous groups in ownership as well as management of biodiversity. However, the Act largely remains on paper.
- National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Wellbeing: It is a proposed mission (India’s Biodiversity Collaborative based in Bengaluru, conceptualised the idea) to have all citizens engaged in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
Conclusion: It is time to decentralise the management of biodiversity by bringing together multiple stakeholders, especially local communities, through gram sabhas and biodiversity management committees.
Insta Links:
Mains Links:
How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act,2002 helpful in the conservation of flora and fauna? (UPSC 2018)
