A. In-situ Biodiversity Conservation

In-situ conservation means the conservation of species within their natural habitats, this way of conserving biodiversity is the most appropriate method for biodiversity conservation. In this strategy you have to find out the area with high biodiversity means the area in which number of plants and animals are present

Examples of In-Situ Conservation Include

1. Biosphere Reserve

  • Biosphere reserves are areas comprising terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. Each reserve promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.
  • Biosphere reserves are ‘Science for Sustainability support sites’- special places for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity.
  • The Indian government has established 18 Biosphere Reserves in India, which protect larger areas of natural habitat and often include one or more National Parks and Reserves, along buffer zones that are open to some economic uses. Protection is granted not only to the flora and fauna of the protected region, but also to the human communities who inhabit these regions, and their ways of life. Animals are protected and saved here.
  • There are 686 biosphere reserves in 122 countries, including 20 transboundary sites. They are distributed as follows:
    • 79 sites in 28 countries in Africa
    • 33 sites in 12 countries in the Arab States
    • 152 sites in 24 countries in Asia and the Pacific
    • 292 sites in 37 countries in Europe and North America
    • 130 sites in 21 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Presently, there are 18 notified biosphere reserves in India
  • Indian Biosphere Reserves in UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme (MAB)-
  1. Nilgiri (2000)
  2. Gulf of Mannar (2001)
  3. Sunderbans (2001)
  4. Nanda Devi (2004)
  5. Nokrek (2009)
  6. Pachmarhi (2009)
  7. Simlipal (2009)
  8. Achanakmar-Amarkantak (2012)
  9. Great Nicobar (2013)
  10. Agasthyamala (2016)
  11. Khangchendzonga (2018)

2. National Parks

  • An area, whether within a sanctuary or not, can be notified by the state government to be constituted as a National Park, by reason of its ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, or zoological association or importance, needed to for the purpose of protecting & propagating or developing wildlife therein or its environment. No human activity is permitted inside the national park except for the ones permitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state under the conditions given in CHAPTER IV, Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972.
  • There are 104 existing National Parks in India covering an area of 40,501 km2, which is 1.23% of the geographical area of the country.
  • Madhya Pradesh has highest number of National Parks (10) followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands (9).

3. Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Any area other than area comprised with any reserve forest or the territorial waters can be notified by the State Government to constitute as a sanctuary if such area is of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance, for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife or its environment. Some restricted human activities are allowed inside the Sanctuary area details of which are given in CHAPTER IV, WPA 1972.
  • There are 551 existing wildlife sanctuaries in India covering an area of 119,775 km2, which is 3.64% of the geographical area of the country. Andaman and Nicobar Islands has got highest number of Wildlife Sanctuaries (96).

Related Content