Saturday 21 April 2012

Status and trends of biodiversity in India- 22ND APRIL EARTH DAY

Overview

India is one of the 17 “megadiverse” countries and is composed of a diversity of ecological habitats like forests, grasslands, wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems, and desert ecosystems. Almost 70% of the country has been surveyed and around 45,000 plant species (including fungi and lower plants) and 89,492 animal species have been described, including 59,353 insect species, 2,546 fish species, 240 amphibian species, 460 reptile species, 1,232 bird species and 397 mammal species. Endemism of Indian biodiversity is significant with 4950 species of flowering plants, 16,214 insects, 110 amphibians, 214 reptiles, 69 birds and 38 mammals endemic to the country. One of the major causes for the loss of biodiversity in India is the expansion of agriculture in previously wild areas. Other impacts include: unplanned development, opening of roads, overgrazing, fire, pollution, introduction and spread of exotics, excessive siltation, dredging and reclamation of water bodies, mining and industrialization. In this century, the Indian cheetah, Lesser Indian rhino, Pink-headed duck, Forest owlet and the Himalayan mountain quail are reported to have become extinct and several other species (39 mammals, 72 birds and 1,336 plants) are identified vulnerable or endangered.

Number and Extent of Protected Areas

The network of protected areas presently covers 4.74% of the country’s total land area and includes 94 national parks and 501 wildlife sanctuaries. Of these, 100 cover both terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and 31 are marine protected areas. There are also 14 Biosphere Reserves and several Reserved Forests, which are part of the most strictly protected forests outside the protected areas. India also has areas declared as a part of the International Bird Area Network. 14000 sacred groves have been documented.

Percentage of Forest Cover

As per the latest report of the Forest Survey of India (2003), forests cover 23.68% of India’s total geographic area, which includes 3.04% of the tree cover. Area under grasslands is about 3.9% and deserts cover about 2%. It is estimated that India has about 4.1 million ha of wetlands (excluding paddy fields and mangroves). The marine ecosystem in India covers 2.1 million sq. km, and the total area covered by mangroves is estimated at about 6,700 sq. km.

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

The main goals identified in India’s National Policy and Macrolevel Action Strategy on Biodiversity (1999) include: i) Conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity including regeneration and rehabilitation of threatened species. ii) Securing participation of State Governments, communities, people, NGOs, industry and other stakeholders. iii) Realizing consumptive and non-consumptive values of biodiversity through research and development iv) Ensuring benefits to India as country of origin of biological resources and to local communities and people as conservers of biodiversity, creators and holders of indigenous knowledge systems, innovations and practices. v) Ensuring consideration of biodiversity concerns in other sectoral policies and programmes. Numerous and wide ranging policies, programmes and projects were initiated which directly or indirectly serve to protect, conserve and sustainably use the country’s biological resources. In the National Policy and Macrolevel Action Strategy on Biodiversity (1999), India identifies the current conservation efforts and some significant gaps in these efforts. Various action points are then enumerated including the formulation of policies for protection of wetlands and sacred groves, and the undertaking of surveys on a priority basis of islands, the Himalayan region, and marine and coastal areas. A large-scale participatory exercise has been completed for providing inputs towards preparation of a National Biodiversity Action Plan.

Initiatives in Protected Areas

The National Environmental Policy 2006 provides the basis of an innovative strategy to increase forest cover from 23% to 33% of the national territory by 2012. The country’s goal is to establish 163 national parks and 707 wildlife sanctuaries covering 5.74% of the total area of the country ensuring appropriate representation across all ecosystems. The monitoring committee of the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) periodically monitors the status of establishment and management of protected areas. Several unfragmented natural areas and habitats of threatened/endangered species have been brought within the protected area network. Although several of the marine and inland water ecosystems have been brought under the protected area network, more effort is needed to establish and effectively manage these areas

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