Biodiversity

Conserving animals and plants in their natural habitats is known as in-situ conservation. The established natural habitats are:
� National parks and sanctuaries
� Biosphere reserves
� Nature reserves
� Reserved and protected forests
� Preservation plots
� Reserved forests

The Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers 2000 edition of the hotspot map, a region must meet two strict criteria as stated in the question.

Since life began on Earth, five major mass extinctions and several minor events have led to large and sudden drop in biodiversity. The most recent, the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, occurred 65 million years ago and it resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance: This Convention, also known as the Ramsar Convention, was signed in Ramsar (Iran) in 1971 and came into force in December 1975. It provides a framework for international cooperation for the conservation of wetland habitats which have been designated to the 'List of Wetlands of International Importance'.

The Red List of 2012 was released on 19^th July 2012 at the Rio+20 Earth Summit; nearly 2,000 species were added, with 4 species to the extinct list, 2 to the rediscovered list. The IUCN assessed a total of 63,837 species which revealed 19,817 are threatened with extinction.

Eight of the Eighteen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. These include - Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu-Kerala-Karnataka), Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Nonrek (Meghalaya), Simlipal (Odisha), Sunderbans (West Bengal), Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand), Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh), and Achanakmar-Amarkantak (Chhattisgarh - MP).

The term biological diversity was first used by wildlife scientist and conservationist Raymond F. Dasmann in the 1968 lay book 'A Different Kind of Country' advocating conservation. The term was widely adopted only after more than a decade, when in the 1980s it came into common usage in science and environmental policy.
Rapid environmental changes typically cause mass extinctions. One estimate is that less than 1% of the species that have existed on Earth are extant. A variation of this estimate pegs the percentage of extant species to 2%.

Generally, there is an increase in biodiversity from the Poles to the tropics. Thus, localities at lower latitudes have more species than localities at higher latitudes. This is often referred to as the latitudinal gradient in species diversity.

Bandipur National Park, established in 1973 as a tiger reserve under 'Project Tiger', is a national park located in the South Indian state of Karnataka. Together with the adjoining Nagarhole National Park (643 km² (248 sq mi)), Mudumalai National Park (320 km² (120 sq mi)) and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (344 km² (133 sq mi)), it is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve totaling 2,183 km² (843 sq mi) making it the largest protected area in southern India.

Dachigam National Park is located 22 kilometers from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. It covers an area of 141 square kilometers. The name of the park literally stands for ten villages which could be in memory of the ten villages that were relocated for its formation.
The park has been a protected area since 1910, first under the care of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir and later under the observation of the concerned government authorities. It was initially created to ensure clean drinking water supply for the city of Srinagar. It was finally upgraded and declared a National Park in the year 1981.

Article 48a of the Indian Constitution, inserted in the year 1949, deals with protection and improvement of the environment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife. 

Sundarbans, located in West Bengal, is famous for tigers.
Kaziranga, located in Assam, boasts of rhinoceros.
Rajaji National Park, located in Uttarakhand, is a conservation site for tigers.
Keoladeo Ghana, situated in Rajasthan, has a rich population of the Great Indian Bustard. 

The Red Data Book is the state document established for documenting rare and endangered species of animals, plants and fungi, as well as some local sub-species that exist within the territory of the state or country. This book provides central information for studies and monitoring programmes on rare and endangered species and their habits.

Biosphere reserves are another category of protected areas. Under this, a large area is declared as a biosphere reserve where wildlife is protected, but local communities are allowed to continue to live and pursue traditional activities within the reserve. The Indian government has established 18 biosphere reserves of India, (categories roughly corresponding to IUCN category V protected areas), which protect larger areas of natural habitat (than a National Park or Animal Sanctuary), and often include one or more National Parks and preserves, along buffer zones that are open to some economic uses.