BIODIVERSITY

Concept

Biodiversity is essential for human survival and economic well being. It plays prominent role in modulating in ecosystem function, stability and resilience.  Biodiversity refers to the totality of genes, species and ecosystems of a region. The term ‘biological diversity’ was first defined as including two related concepts, genetic diversity (the amount of genetic variability within species) and ecological diversity (the number of species in a community of organisms) by Norse and McManus (1980). The term biodiversity was coined by Walter Rosen for the National Forum organized by the National Research Council under the title ‘Biodiversity’ (Wilson 1988).

Definition

Variability 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.

                                               (United Nations Environment Programme 1992)
Value of Biodiversity

Human derive many direct and indirect benefits from the living world. The uses of the biodiversity have been described below:

(a) Direct Values:

·                   Consumptive use values

It refers to value of natural products consumed directly, without passing through market, e.g. hunting, firewood.

·                   Productive use values

It is the value of commercially harvested products.

     This type of value of biodiversity is basically economic Value. These include:

·         Source of Food: Biodiversity is the source of food (grains, fat, oils, fibres, etc.),

·   Drugs and medicines: Biodiversity is a rich source of substances with therapeutic purposes.

·         Industrial products: Industrial products like timber, oil, lubricants, food flavours, industrial enzymes, cosmetics, perfumes, fragrances, dyes, paper, waxes, rubber, latexes, resins, poisons, cork are obtained from plants. Wool, silk, fur, leather, lubricants, waxes are derived from animals. Biodiversity provides feed for livestock. It also provides biomass and biofuels as source of energy.

(b) Indirect Values:

Non-consumptive use value is the value provided by biological resources without being consumed. These values include:

·    Recreational: Sport, tourism and other recreations (Parks, sanctuary, biosphere reserve, safari, bird watching, angling)

·    Religious: Many of the plants and animals are considered sacred e.g. Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), Ficus religiosa (Pipal), Prosopis cinererie (Khejri).

·     Ethical: All species have an ethical values associated with them as all species have an inherent right to co-exist.

·         Aesthetic: Value of beauty borne by nature

·         Emotive: emotional attachment with plants and animals

·         Ecological: Ecosystem services