Dwindling Biodiversity and its consequence: An Indian perspective

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Biodiversity has become a frequently used catchword. Generally speaking, this diversification in the natural world gives us a variety of things to eat and enjoy. Various types of foodgrains, fruits and vegetables are part of divergent life forms. The permutation and combination of genetic materials have given rise to various genera and species. They add colour, variety and aesthetics to our life besides giving us food and fresh air necessary for survival.

The reported loss of 90% biodiversity (Financial Express: 8-June-212) under four Biodiversity hotspots is alarming and is a cause of serious concern. The fast vanishing green cover, habitat destruction and insidious industrial expansion are but few causes of massive destruction and extinction which leads to colossal loss of valuable protoplasm and gene pool. It widely affects the globe and in turn, life of human beings.  

Photo by Author

Photo by Author

Biodiversity has become a frequently used catchword. Generally speaking, this diversification in the natural world gives us a variety of things to eat and enjoy. Various types of foodgrains, fruits and vegetables are part of divergent life forms. The permutation and combination of genetic materials have given rise to various genera and species. They add colour, variety and aesthetics to our life besides giving us food and fresh air necessary for survival. India is a country blessed with numerous and divergent life forms is evident from the fact that it houses over 45000 species of plants and 91000 species of animals (India/IUCN). Primarily tropical, India has varied and contrasty topography and environment. On one hand, it has large areas of the hot/cold desert and large flat alluvial plains in the northern part of the country, there is a southern plateau and western ghat in the south and south-west. Whereas the Thar desert of Rajasthan has sizzling hot sand dunes where summer temperature hovers around 45 to 50 degrees Celsius, the Ladakh region on the other hand experiences the winter temperature as low as -15 degrees Celsius. Varied climatic conditions, topography, biomes, wetlands, marshlands and mangroves are the cause of such divergent life forms. 

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Sun, the eternal source of energy, fuels the vigour to run lives. The abiotic and biotic factors combine to form an ecosystem, a linchpin of all activities. It consequently forms a vital but complex food web among all life forms - flora and fauna - which trap energy to circulate in the system. Disturbance in the balance and/or disruption in cycles leads to the situation the world is in. The onus is conveniently put onto the faulty development and priorities that led to the present or impending catastrophe. A beaten argument that undue human intervention in the natural cycle causes havoc is usually put forth.  

The argument of undue human intervention is convincing and explains most of the catastrophic occurrences well. We have numerous incidences of natural fury translated into disasters, especially in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. The one that is harrowingly itched in our minds is the flash flood and widespread destruction in the Kedarnath area of Uttarakhand in 2013. In addition to it, tormenting incidences of cloudbursts and incessant rains have become frequent in the Himalayan region causing rampant loss of life and property; the latest in the series was in May this year. However, lessons are yet to be learnt. Encouraging tourism and the creation of artificial amenities has led to a surge in tourist activities. It severely damages the ecosystem due to frequent human activities, heavy transport operations, and luxury creation. 

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Is it the only cause of the loss of biodiversity? To a maximum extent, yes. The development and economic well being of human society are justified but the fact that overexploitation of natural resources is creating imbalances can also not be overlooked. The artificial and lopsided development causes unabated human traffic and widespread habitat destruction leading to exposure of wild animals to human settlements and ultimately to "Man-Animal Conflict". This conflict causes loss of valuable loss of livestock, sometimes humans. The series of events encourage poaching and/or the illegal killing of wild animals. However, it is not the only cause. Extinction and organic evolution are also responsible. 

Since the emergence of the earth as a planet, it took billions of years to reach its current position. Many life forms emerged and later vanished in oblivion. Huge trees, bogs, morass and gargantuan animals had been the usual life forms of the aeon. They roamed freely, proliferated and died their natural death. Suddenly, because of still unsure causes, they vanished and petrified to divulge their existence millions of years thereafter by scientists. Life travelled through phases. The animal and plant world evolved organically in a phased manner. From unicellular to multicellular, from incipient all-in-one to complex organisms and from them to highly evolved human race - all are the outcome of organic evolution. 

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The evolutionary process of the past, however, has been gradual and organic. It replaced a particular species only when the new one was adapted to the changed condition. The current pace of change is not gradual but drastic. It does not give time to evolve a new life form to suit the change creating a sort of vacuum. It is proving harmful for the smooth transition from one to another more advanced life form. The species are fast vanishing. The reported extinction of 25 species is a glaring example.  It is the era of Holocene extinction, dangerous not only to the biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem but for the overall existence of the most beautiful planet in the universe that possesses water and life - the earth. The drastic change shocks the delicate eco-balance. This needs to be taken care of. The policymakers and experts should moot out a congenial way out for sustainable development vis a vis environmental protection. 

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