Conservation of Indian Biodiversity

The cheetah was once found in India but is now extinct. Many extinctions have occurred due to rapid growth, industrialization, climate change, and other reasons. To prevent further extinctions, environmentalists recommend conservation methods. Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth. It is important to preserve biodiversity for economic, indirect, and ethical reasons. If we don't conserve biodiversity, human existence may be threatened. India has a National Biodiversity Conservation Policy aligned with IUCN targets. Conserving biodiversity is crucial for the planet's health. Once, the cheetah was prominently seen on the grasslands of India, but now, it is an extinct animal. Many such extinctions have been recorded by the Wildlife Institute of India and the Forest Department. It has been observed that with rapid growth and industrialization, climate change and some other natural reasons, extinctions have become the new normal. Unfortunately, to limit any more extinctions of biodiversity, environmentalists recommend various ex-situ and in-situ biodiversity conservation methods. What is biodiversity? The word bio means life and diversity means variety. So, in simple terms, biodiversity means the variety of life that exists on the planet earth. The term biodiversity was given by Edward Wilson. What are the reasons to preserve biodiversity? Narrow utilitarian. It is concerned with direct economic benefits from nature for food, fiber, construction material, industrial products of medical importance, etc. and the list goes on and on. Then we have broad utilitarian reasons. Those are concentrated with indirect benefits from nature like photosynthesis, pollination of oxygen, etc. And the most important reason, of course, is the ethical reason. It is our moral duty to care for the well-being of the biodiversity and we need to pass on our biological legacy in good order to future generations. What will happen if we stop conserving biodiversity? Life cannot exist in individuality and is related to other organisms and the surrounding environment. If we stop the process of conserving the biodiversity we have, the very existence of humans may come into danger. But we are glad as India has a National Biodiversity Conservation Policy that aligns its conservation targets vis-a-vis targets set by IUCN. So you can look what that organization body is all about. Most importantly, remember, conserving biodiversity is crucial for our planet's health and resilience. Let us continue to protect and cherish our natural heritage. Signing off, Anand from Amrita Vishwa Vidya Peetham. Thank you.