Prof(Dr) Francis Xavier Head, CBF Research Station
Kerala Agricultural University fx@jananeethi.org
India, one of the 12 Mega diversity countries in the world has 8 % of the World’s Biodiversity • • • • •
The diversity can be attributed to: Species richness Level of endemism in taxa Variety of landforms and climate Human influenced ecosystems(agricultural and pasturelands)
* The marshes and paddy lands are filled for new constructions. * The abode of visiting/migratory birds perished * Water conservation areas are being converted. Micro-ecosystems play an important role in sustainable biological existence.
The leading cause of vertebrate and bird decline is human destruction of old growth forests, wetlands, Sacred groves, and other rich habitats. Environmental degradation has set in leading to gradual shrinking of opportunities. --
As in clay mining due to lack of raw material and imposing constraints on resource use.
-This has a serious negative impact on related development process.
Decline in the floral structure, Insect population, & vertebrate population affected the visiting birds. Ecologically; what happens around a habitat is as important to its denizens as what happens inside it. They often suffer from “edge effect,” the negative influences of an edge on a habitat’s interior.
Visiting birds in Kole wetlands 1993
2005
> or <
Little cormorants
390
1581
>1191
Cattle egret
112
1399
>1287
Lesser whislitng Ducks
5350
2937
2413<
Moorhen- Gallinula chloropus
268
8
260<
Pheasant tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus
82
19
63<
Red wattled Lapwing. V Indicus
30
64
>34
Wood sandpiper Tringa Glareola
579
463
116<
Little stint C minuta
200
535
>335
Whiskered Tern. Childonias hybri
10000
4407
5593<
Garganey. Anas querquedula
7887
1485
6402<
Gull billed terns
5200
0
5200<
Little egret. Egretta garzetta
2770
1976
1580<
Pond herons .Ardeola gray
1406
1190
>216
Cotton Teal
897
49
848<
Intermediate egrets Egretta Intermedia
606
464
142<
Little ringed plover
724
157
567<
Percentage decrease in indicator species of birds 100 90 80
1Lessr w hislitng Ducks 2Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 3Pheasant tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
4Wood sandpiper Tringa Glareola 5Whiskered Tern Childonias hybri 6Garganey Anas querquedula 1 7Gull billed terns 8Little egret Egretta garzetta 9Cotton Teal
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
10Interm ediate egrots Egretta Interm edia 11Little ringed plover
Birds are players in a natural symphony that also embraces crustaceans, fish, amphibians, and much other wildlife. Visiting and migratory birds naturally face many perils, The bird populations visiting wet lands and thriving in paddy lands have drastically depleted in 10 years time.
Harvested marine resources Food fishes of commercial values 2.7 million tones in 2000
Role of mangroves and coral reefs in ecosystem services Offshore life protection they provide during hurricanes and storms
' Corporations
- almost all from the developed world - claim ownership of, free ride on, or otherwise take unfair advantage of, the genetic resources; indigenous traditional knowledge and technologies of developing countries
DEVELOPMENT RIDDLE BREAK AN EGG TO EAT
OR
KEEP AN EGG TO HATCH