MAJOR THREATS TO

BIODIVERSITIES & LAWS IN

INDIA TO CURB THEM

PRESENTED BY:
Kaushal Soni
LLB (3 years)
4th Semester
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY ?

Biodiversity, also called biological diversity, the variety of life found in a place
on Earth or, often, the total variety of life on Earth. A common measure of this
variety, called species richness , is the count of species in an area.
Biodiversity refers to all the different kinds of living organisms within a given area.
Biodiversity includes plants, animals, fungi, and other living things.

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY :
All species are interconnected. They depend on one another. Forests provide
homes for animals. Animals eat plants. The plants need healthy soil to grow.
Fungi help decompose organisms to fertilize the soil. Bees and other insects
carry pollen from one plant to another, which enables the plants to reproduce.
With less biodiversity, these connections weaken and sometimes break,
harming all the species in the ecosystem. Ecosystems with a lot of biodiversity
are generally stronger and more resistant to disaster than those with fewer
species.
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY:

Bio-diversity loss has always existed as a natural process but threats to biodiversity
arise when the rate of extinction exceeds the rate of speciation.
Biodiversity loss is primarily related with human interactions with natural
resources.
In early phases of life, humans remained as one component of ecosystem but, very
recently, humans have become a factor of ecosystem and started reshaping the
biodiversity. Humans have drastically disturbed the natural rate of extinction of
species and speciation. Factors that cause loss of biodiversity have exceeded the
factors that cause gains in biodiversity.
Rate of speciation has been adversely affected
due to which many species have disappeared
from the earth and many are facing varying
degrees of threat of extinction.
ISSUES THREATENING THE BIODIVERSITY :

DEFORESTATION
& HABITAT LOSS

CLIMATE
CHANGE OVER
EXPOITATION
FACTORS

POLLUTION INVASIVE
SPECIES
1. CLIMATE CHANGE
The world is heating up. The increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, in the Earth’s
atmosphere are causing the planet’s climate system to retain more energy. The average temperature of the
Earth's surface increased by an estimated 0.7°C since the beginning of the 20th century and, according to the
most recent projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, could rise by 1.6–4.3°C
compared to a 1850–1900 baseline by 2100.

EFFECTS IN BIODIVERSITY DUE TO CLIMATE CHAANGES ARE:

•Temperature spikes
•Coral bleaching
•Increases in extreme events
•Changes in rainfall
•Increased co2 and plant growth
•Sea-level rise

2. DEFORESTATION & HABITAT LOSS

Deforestation not only hurts different climates around the world, it also poses a big threat to the plants and
animals that live within the forest. Deforestation affects biodiversity in a number of ways. Deforestation can
also occur as a result of natural disasters or accidental fires. When trees are removed or destroyed en
masse, the species living in that forest lose their natural habitats, and some are not able to survive the
change. When animals or plants die as a result of deforestation, the biodiversity of that area decreases.
EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION & HABITAT LOSS :
•Increased CO2 Level
•Increase in temperature
•Rehabilitiation of wildlife
•Loss in Ecological balance
•Extinction of wildlife species
3. OVER EXPLOITATION
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of
diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource. The term applies
to natural resources such as: wild medicinal plants, grazing pastures, game animals, fish stocks, forests,
and water aquifers.
EFFECTS OF OVER EXPLOITATION ARE :
•Ecosystem degradation
•Endangered species
•Cascade effects

4. INVASIVE SPECIES
An invasive species can be any kind of living organism—an amphibian , plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or
even an organism’s seeds or eggs—that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. They can harm the
environment, the economy, or even human health. Species that grow and reproduce quickly, and spread
aggressively, with potential to cause harm, are given the label “invasive.”
EFFECTS DUE TO INVASIVE SPECIES ARE :
•Loss to habitat species
•Change in ecolo0gical balance

5. POLLUTION
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution
can take the form of chemical substances or energy , such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of
pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed
as point source or nonpoint source pollution. In 2015, pollution killed 9 million people in the world.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR WILDLIFE
CONSERVATION IN INDIA
Many people are under the impression that India does not have strong wildlife conservation laws. On the
contrary, we have some of the most stringent legislations to protect wildlife and habitats. It is imperative that
all conservationists familiarize themselves with these laws, so that they can contribute effectively. It is also vital
to understand which institutions control land in India before any conservation interventions can be attempted
in any landscape. The legal status of the land must first be ascertained so that one can engage with the correct
authorities or agencies.
The Government of India has introduced various types of legislation in response to the growing destruction of
wildlife and forests. These are:
1. THE WILDLIFE (PROTECTION) ACT, 1972 (LAST AMENDED IN 2006)
The Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA), 1972 is an important statute that provides a powerful legal framework
for:
• Prohibition of hunting
• Protection and management of wildlife habitats
• Establishment of protected areas
• Regulation and control of trade in parts and products derived from wildlife
• Management of zoos.
The WLPA provides for several categories of Protected Areas/Reserves:
• National Parks
• Wildlife Sanctuaries
• Tiger Reserves
• Conservation Reserves
• Community Reserves
2. THE INDIAN FOREST ACT (1927) AND FOREST ACTS OF STATE
GOVERNMENTS

The main objective of the Indian Forest Act (1927) was to secure exclusive state control over forests to meet the
demand for timber. Most of these untitled lands had traditionally belonged to the forest dwelling communities.
The Act defined state ownership, regulated its use, and appropriated the power to substitute or extinguish
customary rights. The Act facilitates three categories of forests, namely :
• Reserved forests
• Village forests
• Protected forests

3. THE FOREST CONSERVATION ACT (1980)

In order to check rapid deforestation due to forestlands being released by state governments for agriculture,
industry and other development projects (allowed under the Indian Forest Act) the federal government enacted
the Forest Conservation Act in 1980 with an amendment in 1988. The Act made the prior approval of the federal
government necessary for de-reservation of reserved forests, logging and for use of forestland for non- forest
purposes.
This powerful legislation has, to a large extent, curtailed the indiscriminate logging and release of forestland for
non-forestry purposes by state governments. While the federal government imposed such strict restrictions, it did
not simultaneously evolve a mechanism to compensate state governments for loss of timber logging revenues.
This anomaly coupled with increasing pressure for land due to a burgeoning population has generated
considerable resentment within state governments resulting in growing pressure to dilute the restrictive
provisions of the Act. The Supreme Court of India has currently imposed a complete ban on the release of
forestland for non-forestry activities without the prior approval of the federal government.
4. THE ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT (1986)
The Environment Protection Act is an important legislation that provides for coordination of activities of the
various regulatory agencies, creation of authorities with adequate powers for environmental protection, regulation
of the discharge of environmental pollutants, handling of hazardous substances, etc. The Act provided an
opportunity to extend legal protection to non-forest habitats (‘Ecologically Sensitive Areas’) such as grasslands,
wetlands and coastal zones.

5. THE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ACT (2002)

India is a party to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The provisions of the Biological
Diversity Act are in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions in any other law relating to forests or
wildlife.

6. NATIONAL WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (2002-2016)

It replaces the earlier Plan adopted in 1983 and was introduced in response to the need for a change in priorities
given the increased commercial use of natural resources, continued growth of human and livestock populations,
and changes in consumption patterns.
The Plan most closely represents an actual policy on protection of wildlife. It focuses on strengthening and
enhancing the protected area network, on the conservation of Endangered wildlife and their habitats, on
controlling trade in wildlife products and on research, education, and training.
The Plan endorses two new protected area categories: “conservation reserves,” referring to corridors connecting
protected areas, and “community reserves”, which will allow greater participation of local communities in
protected area management through traditional or cultural conservation practices. These new categories of
protected areas are likely to bring in corridor areas under protection. The Plan contains various recommendations
to address the needs of local communities living outside protected areas and outlines the need for voluntary
relocation and rehabilitation of villages within protected areas. The Plan recognizes the need to reduce human-
wildlife conflict and emphasizes the establishment of effective compensation mechanisms. It includes the
restoration of degraded habitats outside protected areas as a key objective.
7. NATIONAL FOREST POLICY (1998)

The National Forest Policy, 1988, (NFP) is primarily concerned with the sustainable use and conservation of
forests, and further strengthens the Forest Conservation Act (1980). It marked a significant departure from
earlier forest policies, which gave primacy to meeting government interests and industrial requirements for forest
products at the expense of local subsistence requirements. The NFP prioritizes the maintenance of ecological
balance through the conservation of biological diversity, soil and water management, increase of tree cover,
efficient use of forest produce, substitution of wood, and ensuring peoples’ involvement in achieving these
objectives. It also includes meeting the natural resource requirements of rural communities as a major objective.
The NFP legitimizes the customary rights and concessions of communities living in and around forests, stating
that the domestic requirements of the rural poor should take precedence over industrial and commercial
demands for forest products.

As can be seen from this article, India has a strong set of laws, Acts and policies for the
protection of forests and wildlife. It is for citizens to study these carefully and apply
them appropriately while conducting conservation advocacy campaigns
THANK YOU