Tag: environmental conservation and biodiversity

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.

Indo-Burma is a biodiversity hotspot. Ecological hot spots are large areas of Earth's land surface which have high concentrations of plant endemism and also experience high rates of habitat loss. In India, 4 ecological hot spots are presently identified. The Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the Indo-Burma region and the Sundaland constitute the 4 biodiversity hotspots in our country. One of the major features of these places is the presence of numerous endemic species.

In agroecosystems, biodiversity performs a variety of ecological services beyond the production of food, including recycling of nutrients, regulation of microclimate and local hydrological processes, suppressions of undesirable organisms and detoxification of noxious chemicals.

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life. It is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. India is a mega diverse nation, housing around 10% of world's species. India also has a rich cultural heritage going back thousands of years. Much of Indian biodiversity is intricately related to the socio-cultual practices of the land. Unfortunately, due to population explosion, climate change and implementation of environmental policies, several species are facing the threat of extinction. Not only does this affect the food chain, but also the livelihood and the culture of millions of Indians, who depend on local biodiversity. Thus, the correct answer is option D.

Biodiversity is the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species in their natural environments, which is the aim of conservationists concerned about the indiscriminate destruction of rainforests and other habitats. Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life. It is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. This can refer to genetic variation, ecosystem variation, or species variation (number of species) within an area, biome, or planet. 

Biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth. It is the variety within and between all species of plants, animals and micro-organisms and the ecosystems within which they live and interact. Thus, the correct answer is option A.