Biodiversity conservation

Introduction

The proper management of natural resources to preserve ecological balance and diversity is referred to as Biodiversity conservation.

It entails making wise use of natural resources to meet the current generation’s needs while leaving enough for future generations known as sustainable use of resources.

Biodiversity conservation is critical for preventing the extinction of species, saving species from extinction, and protecting ecosystems from damage and deterioration.

It ensures the protection, preservation, and management of natural habitats and various ecosystems so that they are healthy and functional

Biodiversity Conservation Methods  

There are 2 methods of Biodiversity Conservation – In-Situ Conservation and Ex-Situ Conservation

Reserved and Protected Forests

• Reserved forests are protected forests that are owned by the government
• A reserved forest is a forest that is protected, having a natural habitat for the flora and fauna
• In a protected forest all poaching, hunting, grazing, and other such activities are forbidden
• The first reserved forest of India was the Satpura National Park
• Attappadi Reserve Forest in Kerala and Palani Hills Forest Conservation Area in Tamil Nadu are some examples of reserved forests in India. 

Protected Forests

The protected forest can be defined as the land that is notified under the Indian Forest Act

A protected forest is a reserved forest whose property rights rest with the government as declared by Sec 29 of the Indian Forest Act 1927

Protected Forests are often turned into wildlife sanctuaries. 

National Parks

• According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a national park is 

•  A relatively large area where one or more ecosystems have not been altered by human exploitation and occupation
• Where plant and animal species, geomorphologic sites, and habitats are of special scientific, educational, and recreational interest,
• or where a natural landscape of great beauty exists

• The Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) of 1972 empowered the state government to establish national parks
• India has 104 national parks covering 40501.13 square kilometers or 1.23 percent of the country’s total land area
• Corbett National Park, Kanha National Park, Simlipal National Park, Gir National Park, and Kaziranga National Park are a few well-known National Parks.

Wildlife Sanctuaries

•  Wildlife Sanctuaries are certain areas that are designated by the state government State governments under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972
• They are areas that are deemed to be of sufficient ecological and natural importance
• A wildlife sanctuary’s main goal is to protect wildlife
• All poaching, killing, and hunting activities are banned in a wildlife sanctuary
• It is usually a place that is established to protect endangered species
• However, its conservation is species-based, and its boundaries are not defined by state law
• There are 553 wildlife preserves in India
  
  Among the many sanctuaries are:

• Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary (founded in 1940 around an artificial lake)
•  Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (Keoladeo Ghana—the world’s second habitat visited by Siberian Cranes in winter),
• Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary,
•  Dachigam Wildlife Sanctuary.

 Biosphere Reserves

• Biosphere reserves protect the biological diversity and genetic integrity of animals, plants, and microbes as a whole
• It consists of both terrestrial and coastal ecosystems and strives to provide a path for sustainable existence
• Its objective is to protect all life forms naturally
• Biosphere reserves are typically divided into three interconnected zones to carry out biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource use tasks

• Core
• Buffer
• Transition

The Core Zone

• It is a protected natural area within the Biosphere Reserve with the least amount of human activity
• It is a legally protected ecosystem, and entry is permitted only with permission for a specific reason
• Destructive sampling for scientific purposes is strictly prohibited

The buffer zone

• It is a ring of land surrounding the core zone
• It is managed to allow additional resource management tactics, research, and educational activities
• Activities such as natural vegetation, fisheries, agriculture are allowed.

The transition zone

• It is also known as the “region of cooperation”
• It is a zone of active engagement between reserve management and communities in which activities such as settlements, crops, forestry, recreation, and other economic activities are consistent with the reserve’s conservation goals
  
   The main functions of the biosphere reserves are:  
• Conservation: Long-term conservation of representatives, landscapes, and different types of ecosystems, along with their species and genetic resources
• Development: Encourages traditional resource use and promotes culturally, socially, and ecologically sustainable economics
• Scientific research, monitoring, and education: Support conservation research, monitoring, education, and information exchange related to local, national, and global environmental and conservation issues
• Presently, there are 18 notified biosphere reserves in India
•  Out of that, twelve biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme

Tiger Reserves

• Critical ‘tiger’ habitats (CTHs), also called core areas of tiger reserves—are identified under the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA), 1972.
• Such regions are required to be kept as inviolate for tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of the Scheduled Tribes (STs) or such other forest dwellers.
• The notification of CTH is done by the state government in consultation with the expert committee established for the purpose.
• There are  Tiger Reserves in India.