Biodiversity is the amalgamation of terms ‘Biological’ and ‘Diversity’. It represents the richness of different forms of life found on the planet Earth, which is very important to the survival of human beings. Reflecting on the current challenge of climate change and rampant industrialization, it is important to consider how ongoing phenomena such as pollination, seed dispersal, water purification, and balance of different forms of plant and animal life are crucial for a prosperous future. In this article, we will showcase Biodiversity and its various aspects.

What is Biodiversity?

“Biodiversity is the number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region. It refers to the varieties of plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form”.

Source: NCERT

The term biodiversity was given by Edward Wilson. Biodiversity is a combination of two words ‘bio’ and ‘diversity‘.

Types of Biodiversity

There are three important types of biodiversity. They are as follows:

1. Genetic Diversity

Genetic diversity includes a large number of genetically diverse individuals of a species. Genetic biodiversity helps a species to survive and adapt to the changing environment. It is also involved in the genetic evolution of a specified species to sustain in the changing environment.

2. Species Diversity

Species diversity refers to the variety of different types of species found in a particular area. It is biodiversity at the most basic level. Species biodiversity includes all the species of different life forms such as plants, animals, and microorganisms who sustain to live in the surrounding environment.

3. Ecological Diversity

Ecological diversity refers to the diversity of ecosystems throughout our planet.

Importance of Biodiversity

1. Biodiversity is all about the variety of living forms and the different types of ecosystems on this earth that helps in sustaining life.
2. Biodiversity plays a significant role in the survival of humankind, and it also prevents adverse conditions in this ecosystem.
3. Biodiversity helps in evolve different forms of species among themselves to be compatible with the changing environment.

4. Biodiversity has its own ecological and economic importance. While it plays an important role in keeping balance in the environment and the living forms, it also helps to get resources like water, food, coal, fossil fuel, medicine, etc., that help mankind grow, live, and develop. It also helps in the decomposition of waste and prevents natural disasters.

5. It plays a significant role in distinguishing different types of species to adapt and evolve according to the changing ecosystem and geographical structure.

6. Biodiversity has helped mankind to evolve and make life easy-going. Humans have done many inventions to sustain their lives to match the environment’s changes. It has also helped humans evolve themselves to prove their existence on earth.

Loss of Biodiversity

As economies of nations grow and fertile/jungle lands are re-purposed for industrial and residential purposes, the fine balance of the ecosystem is wavering day by day. With the growing human population and rampant usage of natural resources, thousands of animal, plant, and insect species go extinct. The effects of such changes are felt during natural disasters, increasing pollution levels, and scarcity of water. All of this has led to an imbalance in the biodiversity.

Why Should We Conserve Biodiversity?

Biodiversity should be conserved to prevent the extinction of various species including, animals and plants, from the ecosystem. If we do not conserve biodiversity, it may lead to an unstable ecosystem. There are many reasons why we should conserve biodiversity. These reasons are categorized as follows:

Narrow Utilitarian– A major part of the human requirements is fulfilled by plants and animals. Humans’ benefits from biodiversity are food, fats, oils, timber, medicines, etc.

Broadly Utilitarian– Biodiversity plays a significant role in ecosystem services like providing oxygen, pollination, controlling flood and erosion, biological pest control, etc.

Ethical Utilitarian– Human beings share the ecosystem with many species of plants and microorganisms. All life forms have the right to exist on earth as every species has an intrinsic value. So, it is our moral and ethical responsibility to preserve all forms of life.

Conservation of Biodiversity

Biodiversity influences on every hierarchical level:  genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecological diversity. Conservation of biodiversity is all about protection, upliftment, and scientific biodiversity management. There are mainly two types of conservation In-situ conservation and Ex-situ conservation.

In-situ Conservation (onsite)

In-situ conservation is the conservation of species in their natural habitat. In this, the original ecosystem is not disturbed. It can be of different types: National park, Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserve.

National Park- These are areas maintained by the government and reserved for the betterment of wildlife. Cultivation, grazing, forestry, habitat, human activities are not allowed. Some important national parks in India are Jim Corbett National Park (First in India, Uttarakhand), Kaziranga National Park (Assam), Bandipur National Park (Karnataka), etc.

Sanctuary- These are areas only meant for wild animals. Other activities like collection of forest products, cultivation, timber, tilling of land, etc are allowed. Some important wildlife sanctuaries are Ghana Bird Sanctuary (Rajasthan), Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala), Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu), etc.

Biosphere Reserves-These is multipurpose protected areas meant to preserve genetic diversity, protect wild populations, and restore the traditional lifestyle of tribals.

1. Core Zone – They are the innermost, undisturbed, legally protected areas. Human activity is not allowed.
2. Buffer Zone – It is the area that surrounds the core zone. Limited human activities are allowed.

Manipulation Zone (Transition Zone) is the outermost area where various human activities like settlements, cropping, recreation, forestry, and other economic uses occur without hampering ecology.

Some biosphere reserves in India are Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve, etc.

Biodiversity Hotspot: Norman Myers first coined the term biodiversity hotspot. There are two criteria for a region to qualify as a hotspot:

1. The region must contain endemic species.
2. It should contain 30% of its original natural vegetation.

Biodiversity hotspot areas are rich in endemic and rare species and are highly threatened. India is rich in biodiversity. There are four main biodiversity hotspots present in India. They are 1. The Himalayas, 2. Indo- Burma region, 3. The Western Ghats and 4. Sundaland (includes a group of islands).

Ex- situ Conservation (Offsite)

Ex-situ conservation is the conservation of species away from their natural habitat by creating favourable conditions. Botanical Gardens, Zoological Gardens, Gene Banks, Seed Banks, Cryopreservation, etc. are means of Ex-situ Conservation.

Botanical Gardens	Conservation of plants is done.
Zoological Gardens or Zoos	Conservation of animals is done.
Gene Banks	Stocks of viable seeds live growing plants, tissue culture, and frozen germplasm is maintained.
Cryopreservation	Preservation of embryos, animal cells and tissues, gametes, and other biological samples in an extremely cold temperature at \( – {196^0}{\rm{C}}\) (liquid nitrogen) is done.

Ex-situ conservation is the conservation of species away from their natural habitat by creating favourable conditions. Botanical Gardens, Zoological Gardens, Gene Banks, Seed Banks, Cryopreservation, etc. are means of Ex-situ Conservation.

Values of Biodiversity

We can showcase the Value of Diversity in three categories:

1. Environmental Value

Environmental benefits of biodiversity are healthy ecosystems that provide pure air, pure water, oxygen, growth of plants, evolution in species, and many more. It also helps in maintaining balance within the ecosystem.

2. Social Value

Social values of biodiversity mean getting benefits that are used by the society that helps in the growth and existence of their livelihood. Some of the benefits are getting employment and developing of the rural population due to the available resources in the ecosystem.

3. Economic Value

Economical values of biodiversity are the benefits that we get to grow our economy. There are two types of economical values: direct value and indirect value. Examples of direct economic value are timber crop, fish, water, etc., and examples of indirect economic values are sunset, rain, etc. Biodiversity also plays an important role in the development of society.

Interesting Facts about Biodiversity

1. Maximum biodiversity is found in the tropical Amazon Rainforest of South America.
2. Water hyacinth and Lantana Camara are some of the exotic species of plants.
3. Dodo and Irish deer are extinct animals.
4. Asiatic lion, Red Panda and Royal Bengal Tiger are some endangered species.

Related Topics to Study

1. Biodiversity Hotspot 2. Conservation of Biodiversity 3. Importance of Biodiversity 4. Loss of Biodiversity

Biodiversity – Summary

Biodiversity is a very important part of human life. The loss in biodiversity may cause a severe impact on our ecosystem. And, soon, if we do not take any steps to preserve our biodiversity, the survival of human beings will be under threat. Considering this, it is our moral duty and ethical responsibility to conserve biodiversity and our environment.

For sustainable biodiversity, we should take measures that help save wildlife, forests, water resources, and habitats of different species to avoid imbalance in the ecosystem. There is a great saying, “What we sow, is what we reap”. A healthy ecosystem is a key to healthy humankind.

FAQs on Biodiversity

Q.1. What is Red Data Book?
Ans: The Red Data Book is a catalogue of taxa in which a complete list of threatened species is present. Red Data Book provides important information for research and analysis. The list contains nine categories of species: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, and Extinct.

Q.2. What is biodiversity?
Ans: Biodiversity is a collection of multiple ecosystems that comprise all kinds of living forms and the geographical location where they grow, live, and evolve.

Q.3. What are the 3 types of biodiversity?
Ans: The three types of biodiversity are genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecological diversity.

Q.4. Who defined biodiversity?
Ans: The term biodiversity was defined by sociobiologist, Edward Wilson.

Q.5. Why is biodiversity important?
Ans: Biodiversity plays a significant role in the survival of humankind and it also prevents adverse conditions in the ecosystem. Biodiversity has helped mankind to evolve and make his life easy-going.

Q.6. What are 5 benefits of biodiversity?
Ans: The 5 benefits of biodiversity are as follows:

1. It increases the productivity of the ecosystem.
2. It protects freshwater resources.
3. It controls pollution, flood, and soil erosion.
4. It provides food resources.
5. It helps in climate stability.

Q.7. Write the full form of IUCN.
Ans: The full form of IUCN is the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.