Here is an essay on ‘Biodiversity Conservation’ for class 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Biodiversity Conservation’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on Biodiversity Conservation
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Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Introduction to Biodiversity Conservation
- Essay on the Need for Biodiversity Conservation
- Essay on the Biodiversity Conservation and Food Security
- Essay on the Fund for Biodiversity Conservation
- Essay on the Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation
Essay # 1. Introduction to Biodiversity Conservation:
Considering the immense values of biodiversity and subsequent rapid loss of the same, during past couple of decades, enormous conservation efforts were made for restoring the biodiversity of various habitats.
The detailed objective and management strategies are given in Table 6.7:
Various kinds of on site (in-situ) and off-site (ex-situ) protection strategies were already taken up as a part of global biodiversity conservation programme. Most of the developed and developing countries have already taken up such conservation programme as a national priority task. In many cases, IUCN supports these programme and periodically monitor them.
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Essay # 2. Need for Biodiversity Conservation:
There is an enormous variety of plants and animals on earth, and the high degree of species richness in tropical forests and coral reefs is a marvel. But in environments that are relatively species poor-such as the ocean bottom—hundreds of kinds of micro-organisms, plants and animals flourish.
This tremendous prodigality of nature has astonished and delighted humans and is ultimately the source of their sustenance.
Yet in using plants and animals for food and clothing, for building houses and for medicine, humans are endangering this immense richness of species. The current rate of loss of species diversity and the reduction in the genetic variety of crops and wild species could seriously affect human welfare.
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Essay # 3. Biodiversity Conservation
and Food Security:
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In a recent estimate it was speculated that over 25 per cent of the world’s plant species-might be lost by the year 2025, if the current rate of plant genetic erosion continues. Preserving these germ pool is an integral part of food security. It is evident that preservation of wide range of germ pool is an integral part of breeding programme.
If we are unable to combat the problems of genetic erosion, it may lead to losing sources of resistance to pests, diseases and climatic stress and, finally, leading to crop failure in future. It is well-known that out of over 20,000 edible species only a few dozen of plants are domesticated and now feed most of the people.
These pillar crops include cereals like rice, wheat, barley, maize, millet, sorghum; root crops like cassava, potato; handful of legumes like bean, peanuts, soya bean; fruits like banana, mango, jackfruits and other species like coconut, sugarcane etc.
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Identically, in forestry, out of 50,000 tree species only about a dozen of species were cultivated for commercial purpose. The noteworthy species among them were sal, teak, eucalyptus, subabul, akasmoni, and poplars etc.
With respect to animals, the world has over 3,500 species of mammals, 9,000 species of birds and considerable numbers of insects and other animals. But almost all meat, milk, eggs and other animal products today come from just five categories of animals viz., catties, pigs, goats, sheep and poultry birds.
Some of the major crop failures viz., wheat failure in Eastern India, in 1943, cassava mealy bug attack in Zaire in 1973; black sigotaka attack on banana plantation of Fiji in 1920; leaf blight fungus attack on rubber plantation of South America in 1950s, have been experienced as long ranging consequences.
Thus agricultural scientists and professional forester require a special attention on this subject for appropriate mitigatory plan formulation. Many wild relatives of present day cultivated crops have unique gene pool that could be used for saving the crop failures from insect pest attack or even from natural calamities like drought and flood hazards.
The noteworthy examples are:
Ireland’s potato blights resistance source was found in a wild potato growing in Mexico. Wild rice varieties of Silent Valley (Kerala) is shown to carry disease resistance genes.
Central America’s banana industry was saved from devastating Panama disease from a banana plant collected in a botanic garden in Saigon that carried the resistance gene. Chinese large-leafed spinach provided the resistance genes for blight and with genes saving the US spinach crop.
Considering their importance in 1983, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) made a convention on International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources which stressed that genetic resources were a common heritage. This convention felt that local farmers were grossly ignored for their credits of preserving traditional crop varieties, many of which proved to be useful in breeding programmes in recent years.
This led to promulgation of Article 15(1) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD):
“Recognising the sovereign rights of states over the natural resources, the authority to determine access to genetic resources rests with the national governments and is subject to national legislation.”
A conceptual connection can be made between intellectual property rights and conservation. A common application is the charging of royalties for use, meaning that genetic resources have perceived value, providing an incentive to conserve them.
In coming decades, increased agricultural output is necessary to feed the teeming millions but, at the same time, conversing biodiversity is a must. Hence both have to be made partners for sustainable development. Though no single path can be laid, various policies and practices can be devised to promote biodiversity conservation in managed landscapes and to enhance greater use of biodiversity in agriculture.
Major Conventions on Various Issues Relating to Biodiversity:
(i) Conventions on Wetlands of International Importance as Waterfowl Habitat (1971).
(ii) Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972).
(iii) Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1973).
(iv) Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (1979).
(v) United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982).
(vi) Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985).
(vii) Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987).
(viii) Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (1989).
(ix) Convention on Biological Diversity (1992).
(x) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992).
(xi) International Tropical Timber Agreement (1994).
(xii) United Nations Conventions to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/ or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (1994).
Essay # 4. Fund for Biodiversity Conservation:
India as a nation state is already investing substantial amounts of state revenue in conservation efforts. Its population is further contributing by accepting costs of conservation, whether it be through foregoing some economically more attractive development options, or tolerating crop damage by elephants.
What we propose is that these financial inputs be organized as a national biodiversity conservation fund, perhaps with contributions from international sources such as Global Environment Facility. These funds could then be rationally allocated to the various local communities spread across the nation in relation to the levels of conservation value of biological communities in their respective territories.
Over and above this, all countries could agree to levying a biodiversity conservation cess on:
(a) All products of biodiversity based enterprises, and
(b) Polluting industries responsible for depletion of biodiversity.
A portion of this cess could be used to promote conservation measures within the country. Another portion could be deposited in a Global Biodiversity Conservation Fund which may come to replace the currently functional Global Environment Facility.
The fraction of the national biodiversity conservation cess deposited in the Global Biodiversity Conservation Fund should:
(a) Increase with the per capita GNP of a country, and also
(b) Increase with the extent of a country’s dependence on use of biodiversity resources of origin outside the country.
The Global Biodiversity Conservation Fund should be used to support conservation programmes in gene-rich developing countries in particular to reward local communities for their continuing participation in conservation efforts (Fig. 6.4).
Any country’s share in grants from the Global Biodiversity Conservation Fund should be proportional to the extent of use of biodiversity resources for which it is a country of origin in the patents being worked by biodiversity enterprises throughout the world.
This would encourage all countries to promote the use of their genetic resources by biodiversity based enterprises. Industrialised countries may voluntarily forego claiming their shares of this fund in the interest of helping the developing world undertake conservation measures more vigorously.
Essay # 5. Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation:
Considering the immense values of biodiversity and subsequent rapid loss of the same, during past couple of decades, enormous conservation efforts were made for restoring the biodiversity of various habitats.
Various kinds of on site (in-situ) and off-site (ex-situ) protection strategies were already taken up as a part of global biodiversity conservation programme. Most of the developed and developing countries have already taken up such conservation programme as a national priority task. In many cases, IUCN supports these programme and periodically monitor them.
Biodiversity Problem in Agriculture: Convergence on Specialised Varieties of Species:
It is well-known that out of vast number of vascular plants only 35-45 species were domesticated and cultivated for human consumption directly. Such domesticated species were cultivated through modern agriculture for higher yield over the years.
Due to monoculture of several species, biodiversity’s of both plants and animals are gradually shrinking with time. Even the cultivated old traditional varieties are now replaced by only few yielding forms. This is a very important problem of modern agriculture visa-vis progressive civilization.