Biodiversity: The Hottest Issue of Present Day

N Munal Meitei *

Source: http://www.cbd.int/idb/2011/

Everything comes from biodiversity-from the food we eat to the air we breathe. But issues arise threatening this vital part of nature. Threats on endangered species, depleted watersheds, denuded forests, receding wetlands, melting of ice, Ozone layer depletion and other harmful effects of human activities are just some of these many issues. To keep these risks at bay, people are encouraged to be concerned about the environment. Biodiversity means the variety 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,

In short, Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or the entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Greater biodiversity implies greater health. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are normally rich whereas Polar Regions support fewer species.

Rainforests are the best example of Biodiversity on the planet, and typically possess a great deal of species diversity. Biodiversity is everywhere around us: in the genetic variation, the variety of species and all the different interactions between these species that constitute ecosystems. Mankind depends on these species, as the human being, indeed, is a species too.

Biodiversity supplies us in basic human needs such as food and clean water, but also helps us, for example, dealing with our organic waste. These are just some examples of the ecosystem functions that we can get for free from our natural environment. If we want to preserve these free services, we must protect the biodiversity we have still got left, foster it and give it the space it needs to endure climate change and related environmental threats. 2011 is the International Year of Forests and the theme for this year's International Day of Biodiversity (IDB) is the "Forest biodiversity".

The term Biological diversity was first used by wildlife scientist and conservationist Raymond F Dasmann in 1968 in his book, "A Different Kind of Country", advocating conservation. The term's contracted form Biodiversity was first coined by WG Rosen in 1985 while planning the 1986 National Forum on Biological Diversity.

The year 2010 was not only been internationally promoted as the International Year of Biodiversity, it was also the year of the Countdown 2010 target, the promise to halt the tremendous pace of Biodiversity loss. It has been argued that the present rate of extinction is sufficient to eliminate most species on the planet Earth within 100 years. Biodiversity's impact on human health is a major International issue. United Nations designated 2011-2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. However, the biodiversity loss at the present rate of one species per twenty seconds is yet to be halted...

Why do we need to protect Biodiversity?

Environmental: Biodiversity is fundamental for the way ecosystems provide us with various services. Services like fresh water, clean air, food and shelter are just a few things on which humans depend for a healthy living. Healthy ecosystems also give us bigger services such as protection from floods and disease control.

Ecosystem 'goods' include food, medicinal plants, construction materials, tourism and recreation, and wild genes for domestic plants and animals. The number and abundance of a particular species are also important for the ecosystem services to be delivered. Often we have realised the importance of these ecosystem services when it was too late. The way the resilience of our nature and our society is maintained will to a large extent be determined by how we manage the maintenance of ecosystem functions and their distribution.

Ethical: We have a huge responsibility of protecting and not compromising biodiversity. We have to make sure that by meeting the needs of the present we do not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs from the ecosystem services.

Emotional: Biodiversity helps support our mental and physical well-being. It also offers solace and research has proved that greener towns and cities have increased social cohesion and lower crime. This was proved by Dr Frances Kao and Bill Sillivan of the University of Illinois in their long years of research. A green environment in the neighbourhood also encourages the individual to exercise more regularly.

Economical: Without biodiversity we would not be able to sustain our economy. Unfortunately, for many the relationship between the two is not recognized enough and it is often underestimated. The ecosystem, if left in a healthy condition, can protect us from many threats that can have a direct impact on our economy. For India, where 54% of our cultivation depends on monsoon and just for an abrupt change in the monsoon pattern, may cause a change in our GDP upto 5%. The financial cost resulting from this damage usually far outweighs any initial short-term financial gains obtained by the few individuals, who damaged the environment itself. —to be contd

What is happening to Global Biodiversity?

Almost all of earth's ecosystems have been extensively affected by the impact of man and this damage to our ecosystems does not seem to be slowing down. Biodiversity is being lost at a rate of 1000 times faster than normal. Climate change, the destruction of entire ecosystems for development, invasive species, pesticides and intensive agriculture are some of the threats having already a huge toll on biodiversity. The rate of extinction of species is one of the worst since the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Changes in Biodiversity have been more rapid in the past 50 years than at any other time since humans, Holocene period have been around.

The degradation of biodiversity has also led to increased poverty of some social groups while other groups/countries have been benefited financially. Some actions have been taken to conserve biodiversity and indeed there have been success stories, like the Natura 2000 sites. In the absence of action taken by NGOs, communities, some Governments and others, biodiversity would be worse off today. However more positive work needs to be done until we reach a point where biodiversity loss is halted and restored.

According to the Zoological Society of London, one-fifth of the earth's vertebrates are facing extinction now. About 40 per cent of the 41,677 species assessed using the IUCN Red list criteria, ie 17,291 of the species are now listed as threatened with extinction. Out of 5,490 mammals, 79 are extinct or extinct in the wild, with 188 critically endangered, 499 endangered and 505 vulnerable.

Amongst 6,285 of the Planet's amphibians, 1,895 are in danger of extinction, making of them the most threatened group of species known to date. Coral reefs provide food, storm protection, jobs, recreation and other income source for more than 500 million people worldwide. Yet 70% of the Coral reefs are threatened or destroyed. It is calculated that due to Habitat loss and degradation, 86% of all birds are threatened, 83% of the threatened mammals assessed and 88% of the threatened amphibians. Owing to introductions of Invasive Alien Species that establish and spread outside their normal distribution, the Biodiversity of the earth has been threatened.

Some of the most threatening invasive species include cats and rats, green crabs, zebra mussels, the African tulip tree and the brown tree snake. Over-exploitation of natural resources such as Resource extraction, hunting, and fishing for food, pets, and medicine are also the causes for threatening the Biodiversity. Illegal trade in Wild life products which is the third largest crime after Weaponry and Drugs is also a challenge to the Biodiversity.

Pollution and diseases also can not be ignored, for example, excessive fertilizer use leads to excessive levels of nutrients in soil and water. CFC and other halocarbons also enhance the ozone layer depletion. Deforestation is a significant cause of climate change, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions every year. It also threatens the world's biodiversity and imperils the 60 million indigenous people who are entirely dependent upon forests.

The abundance of species has declined by 40% between 1970 and 2000. Species present in rivers, lakes and marshlands have declined by 50%. In the North Atlantic, fish have declined by 66% in. the last 50 years. Since 2000, 6 million hectares of primary forest at the size of the Panama country have been lost each year. This rate of lost of world's primary Forests is about the size of a football ground per minute. In the Caribbean region, hard coral cover has declined from 50% to 10% in the last three decapes.

35% of mangroves have been lost in just 20 years. Biodiversity is essential to global food Security and nutrition and also serves as a safety-net to poor households during times of crisis. Increased diversity of genes within species eg as represented by livestock breeds or strains of plants, reduces risk from diseases and increases potential to adapt to changing climates.

More than 70,000 plant species are used in traditional and modern medicine. The value of global ecosystem services is estimated at $16-$64 trillion.

Why was last year 2010, the deadline?

When it comes to policy and the implementatibn of policy, specific targets are essential for a successful story. In 2002, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the 6th Conference of Parties held in Johannesburg took the decision to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on earth.

Their aim was to ensure that all governments and members of civil society, at every levet take the necessary actions to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010. But the goal has been extended upto 2020. Thus the United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity with the aim of increasing understanding of the vital role that biodiversity plays in sustaining life on Earth.

The Indian subcontinent is a region of moderate to very high biodiversity including two of the global hotspots of vascular plant endemism: the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas. It has also had a long cultural history of biological conservation, going back almost 2,500 years in recorded history. Since independence in 1947, and particularly since 1970, India has been one of the international leaders in setting aside land for biodiversity conservation. But the question arises—will India succeed in Biodiversity conservation by just creating 96 National Parks, 510 wildlife Sanctuaries, 28 Tiger Reserves and 25 Elephant Reserves. The area covered under protected area network accounts for around only 5% of the total geographical area of the country.

The rich biodiversity in India has given shape to variety of cultural and ethnic diversity which includes over 550 tribal communities of 227 ethnic groups spread over 5,000 forest villages. The country have 19 wet lands of important, the Ramsar sites, including the Loktak lake though it is included under Montreux record since 1993. We also have 19 Biosphere Reserves under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) covering an area of 65,000 sq. km.

India owns 7.8% of the recorded species of biodiversity reserved in the planet, though we share only 2.4% of the world's geographical area. More than 500 species of mammals, 1,220 species of birds, 1,600 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 57,000 species of insects populate this subcontinent. India harbours 60% of the world's wild tiger population, 50% of Asian elephants, 80% of the one-horned rhinoceros and the entire remaining population of the Asiatic lion.

Now for Conservation of Biodiversity, India has the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (No. 18 of 2002) providing all dos and don'ts for every Citizens to safeguard the precious but challenging biodiversity of the country. Being in the five Hot spots of the World, Manipur has also constituted the Manipur Biodiversity Rules, 2008. We have one National Park, the Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating National Park in the World with the critically endangered Sangai, the Brow Antlered Deer.

We also have one Wild life Sanctuary, the Yangoupokpi Lokchao W.S. with four other proposals. We have the endemic Siroy in the proposed Siroy National Park. We also have two ex-situ conservation centers, the Manipur Zoological Garden, Iroisemba and the Orchid preservation centre at Khongampat.

Our State has 32 ethnic tribes with different race and culture along with the various flora and Fauna in all its biogeographic forms. Therefore the peoples of Manipur, mainly the youths, should call upon our Government, private sector/and civil Societies to assist to conserve the rich but threatened Biodiversity of State in no time.