Biodiversity Conservation

Introduction

Let us begin with a very basic idea: why do we even conserve biodiversity?

Think of biodiversity as the software that runs the hardware of the planet 😊.
If species disappear, ecosystems collapse like a computer that loses essential files.
So, biodiversity conservation is not emotional charity — it is ecological necessity.

Why is Biodiversity Conservation Important?

When we conserve biodiversity, several things happen automatically:

1. Ecological diversity is preserved — forests, wetlands, grasslands, deserts all continue to function.
2. Genetic diversity is maintained — allowing species to adapt, evolve, and survive diseases, climate changes, etc.
3. Food chains remain intact — no species is isolated; everything is connected.
4. Ecosystem services (like pollination, soil formation, climate regulation) continue.
5. Sustainable utilisation of resources becomes possible without destroying the resource base.

So, conservation is not a luxury; it is survival logic.

Two Approaches of Conservation

To conserve biodiversity, we have two broad approaches:

1. In-situ Conservation (On-site)

Protecting plants and animals in their natural habitat.

Logic:
If you save the ecosystem, you save everything inside it.
Example: Save the entire forest → tiger automatically survives.

2. Ex-situ Conservation (Off-site)

When a species is so threatened that it needs emergency protection outside its natural habitat.
Example: Zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks.

In-situ Conservation in India

India follows multiple legal categories to conserve ecosystems in their natural form:

• Biosphere Reserves
• National Parks
• Wildlife Sanctuaries
• Reserved Forests
• Protected Forests
• Nature Reserves

Each of these offers a different degree of protection.

Let us understand them one-by-one.

Reserved Forests vs. Protected Forests

Both are declared under the Indian Forest Act, 1927.

Reserved Forests

• Enjoy highest protection among forests (not counting sanctuaries/parks).
• Default rule: Everything is prohibited unless specifically permitted.
• Activities like hunting, grazing, firewood collection are banned, unless the government explicitly allows.

Protected Forests

• Default rule: Activities are allowed unless specifically prohibited.
• Local communities may have certain rights such as grazing or forest produce collection.

Hierarchy of Protection (in increasing order):
National Parks > Wildlife Sanctuaries > Reserved Forests > Protected Forests

Wildlife Sanctuaries (Wildlife Refuges)

Purpose: Protect endangered species in their natural habitat.

Key points:

• Declared by state government notification, under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• People may have some regulated rights — grazing, firewood collection, etc., mainly for tribals.
• Managed by the Chief Wildlife Warden.
• Settlements inside are discouraged and often relocated.
• A sanctuary can later be upgraded to a National Park.

Tiger Reserves

• Protection level: Same as Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• Special monitoring by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• Operate under the famous core–buffer strategy.
• Created under Project Tiger.

National Parks

You can think of a national park as a stricter version of a sanctuary.

Main differences from a Sanctuary:

1. Rights of local people

• No rights allowed inside a National Park.
• In sanctuaries, certain traditional rights may continue.

2. Grazing

• Absolutely prohibited in National Parks.
• In sanctuaries, the Chief Wildlife Warden may regulate it.

3. Boundary definition

• Clearly demarcated in National Parks.
• Sanctuary boundaries are not always precisely fixed.

4. Change of boundary

• State government must take recommendation of National Board of Wildlife to alter boundaries.

5. Supreme Court (2022)

• No mining allowed in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Biosphere Reserves

Think of a Biosphere Reserve as a large living laboratory.
They aim to balance conservation + development + community participation.

Key points:

• Cover large landscapes: terrestrial, marine or coastal.
• Recognised under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
• Contain one or more National Parks or Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• Though internationally recognised, administration remains with the Indian government.
• Legal status of land does not change after UNESCO designation.

Who identifies them in India?

• Indian National MAB Committee (IN-MAB) — under MoEF.
• State government prepares the Management Action Plan.

UNESCO’s Criteria

1. Must have a protected core area.
2. Must support viable populations across trophic levels.
3. Must involve local communities in management.

Seville Strategy (1995)

This was a major reform in biosphere reserve philosophy. It added:

• Social
• Cultural
• Spiritual
• Economic needs of communities

Meaning: Conservation should not exclude people but should work with them.

Core–Buffer Strategy

This is the backbone of biosphere reserves and tiger reserves.

Core Area

• Strictly protected.
• No human activity allowed.
• Usually overlaps with a national park or sanctuary.

Buffer Zone

• Controlled human activity allowed (research, training, limited recreation).

Transition Area

• Sustainable livelihood activities allowed — tourism, agriculture, forestry, etc.

This makes conservation scientifically strong + socially acceptable.

Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs)

ESZs act as protective shields around National Parks and Sanctuaries.

Purpose:

• Reduce human–animal conflict.
• Minimise ecological damage.
• Act as a transition zone around protected area.

Declaration

• Notified by MoEF.
• Based on Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986.

Typical extent

• Earlier guideline: up to 10 km around protected areas.
• Supreme Court (2022): Minimum 1 km mandatory ESZ around every PA.

Important Note

• The term “Eco-Sensitive Zone” is not mentioned in the EP Act.
• The government uses its power to regulate industries and processes to declare ESZs.

Activities in ESZs

Prohibited:

• Commercial mining
• Sawmills
• Polluting industries
• Major hydropower
• Tourism activities like hot-air balloons
• Discharge of effluents

Regulated:

• Felling trees
• Changing cropping systems
• Using water resources commercially
• Hotels/resorts

Allowed:

• Agriculture
• Horticulture
• Rainwater harvesting
• Organic farming
• Renewable energy

Example:

• Bhagirathi ESZ (4179.59 sq km from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi).

Conservation Reserves

• Declared on government-owned land, often located between protected areas.
• Purpose: create wildlife corridors.
• Declared in consultation with local communities.

Community Reserves

• Declared on private or community lands.
• When individuals/communities voluntarily conserve wildlife.
• Do not affect rights of residents.

Protected Areas under the Wildlife Protection Act

• National Parks
• Wildlife Sanctuaries
• Conservation Reserves
• Community Reserves

Sacred Groves

These are the oldest form of conservation in India — protected not by law but by culture.

• Forest patches protected due to religious beliefs.
• No one cuts trees or hunts animals inside.
• Found in:
  – Khasi & Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya)
  – Aravallis (Rajasthan)
  – Western Ghats (Karnataka & Maharashtra)
  – Chanda & Bastar (Chhattisgarh)

Sacred groves show that traditional societies practiced conservation long before modern laws existed.

Summary

Category	Law	Who Declares?	Rights of People	Allowed Activities	Key Feature	Protection Level
National Park	WLPA 1972	State Govt. (with NBWL for boundary change)	No rights allowed	Grazing & mining prohibited	Strictest protected area	Very High
Wildlife Sanctuary	WLPA 1972	State Govt.	Some traditional rights may continue	Regulated by Chief Wildlife Warden	Species protection	High
Tiger Reserve	WLPA (Project Tiger)	NTCA + State Govt.	Same as NP/WLS (core strict; buffer regulated)	Research, eco-development in buffer	Core–buffer model	Very High (Core)
Biosphere Reserve	UNESCO MAB (concept)	IN-MAB + State Govt.	Depends on zone	Core strict; buffer regulated; transition allowed	Conservation + development	Moderate–High
Reserved Forest	Indian Forest Act 1927	State Govt.	Very limited; mostly prohibited	Only if Govt. permits	Highest forest category	Medium–High
Protected Forest	Indian Forest Act 1927	State Govt.	Broad rights of locals	Most activities allowed unless banned	Flexible protection	Medium
Eco-Sensitive Zone	EP Act 1986	MoEFCC	Rights continue	Some activities banned; others regulated	1 km mandatory buffer (SC 2022)	Regulatory Zone
Conservation Reserve	WLPA 1972	State Govt.	Rights protected	Limited use	Wildlife corridor (Govt land)	Low–Medium
Community Reserve	WLPA 1972	Community + State Govt.	All rights continue	Voluntary conservation	Private/community land	Low–Medium
Sacred Groves	Customary	Communities	Full traditional rights	Extraction traditionally avoided	Culture-based protection	High (Social), Low (Legal)

Hierarchy of Protection (Highest → Lower)

National Parks ≈ Core of Tiger Reserves > Wildlife Sanctuaries > Reserved Forests > Protected Forests > CR/CmR > ESZ (regulatory) > Sacred Groves (customary)

Ex-situ Conservation

After understanding in-situ conservation, the next approach is ex-situ conservation.

Here the logic changes slightly:
When a species becomes too vulnerable, and its natural habitat cannot ensure survival, we must create an artificial but safe environment for protection.

Think of it as shifting a critically ill patient from a normal ward (natural habitat) to the ICU (ex-situ facility) 😊.

What is Ex-situ Conservation?

It means taking threatened plants or animals out of their natural habitats
and protecting them in controlled, specialised settings.

Common institutions used for ex-situ conservation include:

• Zoological Parks (Zoos)
• Botanical Gardens
• Wildlife Safari Parks
• Seed Banks / Gene Banks

Here, conditions like temperature, humidity, diet, and disease protection can be carefully regulated.

Why Ex-situ Conservation Became Necessary

Some species have reached such critical levels that their natural ecosystems can no longer guarantee survival.
In such cases, ex-situ institutions serve as:

• Rescue centres
• Breeding centres
• Educational centres
• Genetic diversity repositories

This ensures species survive even if they disappear from the wild.

Transformation of Zoos — From Entertainment to Conservation

Earlier, zoos were established primarily for public entertainment.
Visitors came to “see” animals.

But over the years, zoos have evolved into:

• Centres of captive breeding
• Wildlife research hubs
• Awareness and education centres

They now hold many species that are extinct in the wild but survive within zoo populations.

For example, several species of deer, big cats, birds, and reptiles exist only because of zoo-based conservation programs.

Advanced Ex-situ Techniques

Ex-situ conservation is no longer limited to keeping animals in cages or plants in gardens.
Modern biotechnology has expanded its scope dramatically.

1. Cryopreservation

A method where gametes (sperms and eggs) of threatened species are preserved at extremely low temperatures—often in liquid nitrogen.

Benefits:

• Stays viable and fertile for long periods
• Acts as a backup genetic library for future breeding programs

2. In vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

Eggs can be fertilised in laboratory conditions.

This helps in:

• Increasing population numbers
• Supporting species with low breeding success

3. Tissue Culture

Plants can be produced in large numbers from small tissue samples.

Useful for:

• Rare plants
• Commercially important species
• Restoring degraded habitats

Seed Banks

Seed banks are among the most cost-effective and long-term methods of conserving plant diversity.

Purpose:

• Preserve seeds of different genetic strains
• Especially for crops and plants of commercial and ecological value
• Maintain diversity for future breeding, research, and disaster recovery

India’s Most Important Facility: National Gene Bank (ICAR–NBPGR, Delhi)

• Managed by the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR)
• Conserves unique accessions (distinct samples of plant genetic material)
• Stores them as base collections
• Seeds are preserved for decades under controlled conditions
• Acts as India’s long-term biological insurance

This ensures that even if certain crop varieties disappear from fields, their genetic material remains safe for future generations.