Unit 3
BIODIVERSITY
Conservation of biodiversity
Biodiversity conservation is the scientific management at
its optimum level and derives sustainable benefit for both
the present and the future.
There are two major approaches for conservation of
biodiversity – in situ (on site) and ex situ (off site).
In situ conservation – In situ means the natural or the
original place. In situ conservation includes National
parks, Wildlife sanctuaries, Biosphere reserves, etc.
In situ conservation
• National parks – Corbett
national park in nainital
• Wildlife sanctuary – Sariska
tiger reserve, periyar
• Biosphere reserves - Nilgiri, nanda
devi, sunderbans
Objectives Features Zone
National Conservation of No person resides in the Core
Parks species of a habitat park other than public
with minimal or very servants on duty and
low intensity of persons permitted by
human activities the chief wildlife warden
Wildlife Conservation of No person resides in the Core, Buffer
Sanctuary species and habitats park other than public and
by manipulative servants on duty and Restoration
management persons permitted by
the chief wildlife warden
Biosphere Conservation of Both natural and Core,
Reserves natural resources human-influenced Buffer,
and the improvement ecosystems; substantial Restoration
of the relationship human settlement and
between humans and Transition
the environment
Core zone:- Undisturbed and legally protected
ecosystem
Buffer zone:- It surrounds the core area and it’s
dedicated to research and educational activity
Transition zone:- Outer most region where
inhabitation, agriculture, recreational activity occur.
Advantages of in situ conservation:
•Long term protection
•Better opportunity for conservation
as well as evolution
• Cheaper
Limitations of in situ conservation:
•Proper protection against
environmental pollution may not
be enough in natural types of
ecosystems
Ex situ conservation – In this technique, plant and animal
species are conserved outside their natural habitats. Ex situ
conservation is the chief mode of preservation of genetic
resources. This can be done through establishment of gene
banks, zoos, botanical gardens, culture collections, etc.
Ex situ conservation
• Gene bank
• Botanical Gardens
• Aquaria
• Tissue culture technique
• DNA technology
Advantages of ex situ conservation
• Long-term conservation
• Controlled supervision of the species survive longer and may
breed more offspring than usual
• The quality of offspring may be improved by genetic
techniques if so required.
• Breeding of hybrid species is possible.
Limitations of ex situ conservation
•Not a viable option for protection of rare species due to human
interference
• Can be adopted for only a few kinds of species
• Overprotection may result in loss of natural occurrence.
Zoogeographical regions of India
On the basis of the type of fauna found in a region, India has
been divided in several regions
•Himalayan Region- yak gural, snow leopard
•Malabar Region (south west –karnataka, kerala -monkeys, deers
(moderate climate)
•Nilgiri Region(western ghats and south India) - no. of birds,
elephants and lions.
•Northern Plains- leopards, neelgai, jackals, deer
•Desert Lands-cheetals, sambars, neelgai, lizard.
•Deccan Plateau Region(bw western ghat and eastern ghat -
varieties of animals.
13. ___________ is defined as the number of species represented in a specific
region, landscape or an ecological community.
A.Coevolution
B.Commensalism
C.Species richness
D.Population density
14. Global warming can significantly be controlled by _____________
A.Increasing solid waste
B.Reducing water wastage
C.Burning human-generated waste
D.Reducing fossil fuel consumption
15. _______ is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank
A.Species
B.Genus
C.Class
D.Order
16. Which of the following animals is now extinct?
A.Tasmanian tiger
B.Tasmanian devil
C.Pademelon
D.Quoll
13. ___________ is defined as the number of species represented in a specific
region, landscape or an ecological community.
A.Coevolution
B.Commensalism
C.Species richness
D.Population density
14. Global warming can significantly be controlled by _____________
A.Increasing solid waste
B.Reducing water wastage
C.Burning human-generated waste
D.Reducing fossil fuel consumption
15. _______ is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank
A.Species
B.Genus
C.Class
D.Order
16. Which of the following animals is now extinct?
A.Tasmanian tiger
B.Tasmanian devil
C.Pademelon
D.Quoll
