Tag: animal- the base of our life

Biodiversity, a contraction of "biological diversity," generally refers to the variety and variability of life on the Earth. One of the most widely used definitions defines it in terms of the variability within species, between species and between ecosystems. It is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems.  

The different variety of life forms is known as biodiversity which includes plants, animals and microorganisms where they interact with each other and maintain the ecosystem. Thus, the correct answer is option D.

The Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in 1992. Earth summit at Rio, Brazil, promoted 'Convention on Biological Diversity' (CBD), which was signed by 152 nations. Its recommendations came into effect on 29th Dec. 1993. India became a party to this 'Convention on Biological Diversity' in May 1994.

The local species pool is known as alpha diversity. It is also the diversity present within the community. Beta diversity is the diversity present between the communities. The diversity present in the ranges of communities is known as Gamma diversity.

The variety and variability of living organisms (both plants and animals) are known as biodiversity. The variation measured by biodiversity is at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Species richness and evenness are major factors determining biodiversity. Tropics have the highest biodiversity.

An Act of the Parliament of India for the preservation of biological diversity in India was passed in 2002 known as the Biodiversity Act of India. This act provides methods for the sharing of benefits in an equitable manner arising out of the use of traditional biological resources and its knowledge. The function of this act includes: Regulation of acts prohibited under the Act, Advise the Government on the conservation of biodiversity, etc. Any offense under this Act is non-bailable and cognizable.

A mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula is known as the Western Ghats. The area has over 7,402 species of flowering plants, 1,814 species of non-flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species, 179 amphibian species, 6,000 insects species, and 290 freshwater fish species. Many undiscovered species also exist. Around 325 globally threatened species also occur here. And this makes clear that the Western Ghats are the most biodiversity-rich zone in India. It is also known as 'Cradle of speciation'.

The Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro, also known as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), was held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. It resulted in the Convention on Biodiversity, a multilateral treaty. Three major goals were addressed in this convention which included: conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the genetic resources. India became a party to this convention in 1994.