"Great civilisations are not murdered. Instead, they take their own lives".
The great variety of life on earth has provided for the needs of human beings over thousand years. This diversity of living creatures forms a support system used by each civilization for it's growth and development. Those who have used this bounty of nature carefully and in a sustainable manner have survived whereas those who have misused it have harshly suffered the impact of the same. The"great civilization (the human race) has exploited nature over centuries in every way possible leading to their own collapse and deep historical impacts on the same.
This article will update you about everything that you should about India's deteriorating biodiversity. Keep Reading!
WHAT IS THE EVOLUTION AND GENESIS OF BIODIVERSITY?
The origins of life on Earth some three and a half billion years ago are obscure. Life was probably initiated as a product of organic reactions in earth's primordial seas. Once life took hold on the planet ,it began to gradually diversify. Unicellular unspecialised forms gradually evolved into complex multicelullar plants and animals. Evolution thus came into being, humans appeared on the scene. During the recent past however, extinctions caused by the activities of modern human have begun to take place at a faster rate. The earth is now loosing species faster than ever before.
WHAT FUTURE IS BEING PREDICTED?
According to the late great scientist and physicist Stephan Hawking the prediction of 6th mass extinction has been stated as climate change and global warming which is nothing but the loss of fauna, fauna and collapsing of the ecosystem. Around one million species will be wiped out from the face of earth, including us. There's a good chance society could collapse as soon as 2050 if serious mitigation actions aren't taken in the next decade. So where does this all leave us? Its worthwhile to look into the worst-case scenarios, and even to highlight and emphasize them. But its important to accurately represent current situation for our Nation!
INDIA IN TERMS OF BIODIVERSITY
Among the bio-rich nations, India was on the top list of 10 or 15 countries for it's great variety of plants and animals. It was known to have
- 50,000 species of insects including 13,000 butterflies and moths
- 45,000 species of plants most of them were angiosperms (15th in the world)
- 18% of Indian plants were only endemic to the country and were found nowhere else
- 62% unique amphibian species
- 27 indigenous breeds of cattle : 40 breeds of sheep, 22 breeds of goats and 8 breeds of buffaloes .
WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF BIODIVERSITY IN OUR NATION?
We had begun to overuse or misuse most of the natural ecosystem. Due to this unsustainable use of resources, once productive forests have turned into deserts and wastelands all over the world. In recent centuries, human activities have accelerated the extinction of species. Today the extinction rate is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the natural rate before human intervention. More than 700 species of vertebrates, invertebrates and vascular plants have become extinct since AD 1600. Untold numbers probably became extinct without ever being identified or described.
IMPACT ON SOCIETY
Biodiversity and Human well being go hand in hand. Since there is biodiversity crisis, the web of life is threatened as well as disturbed. Our health and the environment are crucially at stake.
1. THE BIGGEST IMPACT BY LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY HAS BEEN CLIMATE CHANGE.
- While many view the effects of global warming to be more substantial but the increased volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing, agriculture, and other human activities, are believed to be the primary sources. The level of temperature has increased so much that now it has become a live and death matter if not curbed .The earth is boiling hot, Climate change is having devastating impact on the lives of children in poorer countries like India and Bangladesh — whose childhoods are being washed away.
- Studies over the last two decades have demonstrated that more biologically diverse ecosystems are more productive. As a result, there has been growing concern that the very high rates of modern extinctions — due to habitat loss, over harvesting and other human-caused environmental changes — could reduce natures ability to provide goods and services like food, clean water and a stable climate.
2. DEGRADED AIR QUALITY
All forms of pollution haven posing serious issues for the society. For example air pollution is occurring and affecting health of living organisms, damaging plants. Many air pollutants may cause or aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, some are known carcinogens; and some can cause damage to vegetation and, in turn, produce a range of ecological effects.
3. OZONE DEPLETION
The destruction of ozone layer is causing skin cancer and cataracts. It also causes damage to certain crops and plankton ,thus affecting natural food chains and food webs. This decrease in vegetation leads to an increase in carbon dioxide.
4. DEFORESTATION
Half of the world's trees have been clearly destroyed by humans for their own personal benefits. Whilst tropical forests cover only around 6% of the earth's surface now. They are an essential part of the global ecosystem and biosphere.
IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT
1. HABITAT LOSS
The current destruction of the remaining large areas of wilderness habitats, especially in the diverse tropical forests and coral reefs, is the most palpable threat worldwide to biodiversity. Scientists have estimated that human activities are likely to eliminate appropriately 10 million species in the next few years.
2. HUMAN -WILDLIFE CONFLICTS
The loss of species occurs due to the destruction of natural ecosystems, either for conversion to agriculture or industry, or by over extraction of their resources, or through pollution of air, water, and soil.
3. OVER -EXPLOITATION
The ever increasing human population pressing on the fringes of our PAs degrades forests ecosystems, and the not-so-subtle daily encroachments gradually decrease the buffer zones and the forested areas.
THE TIME IS THE PAST WHEN HUMANKIND THOUGHT IT COULD SELFISHLY DRAW ON EXHAUSTIBLE RESOURCES. WE KNOW NOW THE WORLD IS NOT COMMODITY.
We have a long way in terms of our evolution but in that process humans forgot what they took from nature. Ultimately destroying every natural resource. The world's forests are shared stolen treasure that we must put back for our children's future!
WHEN WE WILL HEAL THE EARTH ,WE WILL HEAL OURSELVES .
Parul Yadav is an English literature student at Gargi college, Delhi University. She believes in creative writing being the most powerful and persuasive tool for this era. The motive is clear - Write to ignite!
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