Biodiversity
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
BIO DIVERSITY BIODIVERSITY Our responsibility is to species, not to specimens; to communities, not to individuals -Sara Stein 167 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003 BIODIVERSITY Current Status Problems Causal factors Impacts Hotspots Action Plan 168 BIO DIVERSITY CURRENT STATUS Indegenous cattle breed The state of Karnataka is a part of the highly biodiversity rich regions of India. The state is endowed with great diversity of climate, topography and soils. It spans the seacoast with rich aquatic biodiversity and mangrove swamps at the mouths of estuaries. It harbours verdant tropical evergreen forests, paddy fields and coconut and arecanut orchards on the narrow coast flanked by the hills of Western Ghats. It bears deciduous woods, scrub Kilari bull Amruthmahal bull jungles, fields of sugarcane, cotton, groundnut, ragi and jowar in the Deccan plateau. The different environmental regimes support their own characteristic set of vegetation and animals. Karnataka supports 10% of total tiger population and 25% of elephant population of the country. The state has around 4500 species of flowering plants, 600 species of birds, 160 species of mammals, 160 Deomi bull Hallikar bull species of reptiles (turtles, snakes, lizards and crocodiles), 70 species of frogs, and 800 species of fish. These figures give a good account of the floral and faunal diversity of Biodiversity is under constant pressure in all the major the state. ecosystems of Karnataka, i.e. in coastal and marine tracts, streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, protected areas as The wealth of diversity of domesticated plants and animals well as forests outside protected areas, agro-ecosystems, in farms also holds much promise. The hill chain of and in urban ecosystems. This has been caused by four Western Ghats is known to have greater diversity of wild major factors, namely, relatives of cultivated plants than any other region of comparable size in the world. The aquatic biodiversity in • Un-sustainable harvests of living resources, Karnataka is very rich and harbors many endemic species. • Habitat destruction and fragmentation, • Impacts of pollutants, and PROBLEMS • Competition with colonizing, often exotic, invasive species. Unsustainable harvests of natural resources have been a key factor for degradation of biodiversity. Vegetation in the forest areas have been under constant threat because of the unsustainable exploitation in the form of illicit felling, firewood and fodder collection etc. Unsustainable use of medicinal plants and non timber forest produces to some extent have affected the regeneration capacity of a few species such as Rouwolfia serpentina (Sarpagandha) and Gloriosa superba. Kali river winding through Dandeli wildlife sanctuary 169 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003 Initiatives of the State Government The state has initiated a number of biodiversity conservation measures in the past. Karnataka has declared around 16% of the total forest area under protected area network. Similarly, some of the aquatic hot spots of biodiversity have also been declared as sanctuaries. Due to the intensive conservation measures there has been appreciable increase in the wildlife population in the state of Karnataka over the years. To cite a few examples, the tiger population has increased gradually over the years, due to Project Tiger conservation strategy. From a population of 100 in 1973 to 402 in 2002, the significant rise in tiger population, which is a flag ship species, reflects the overall improvement in the habitat. Similarly the elephant and other herbivore populations also have over the years shown an increasing trend. The State of Forest Report 2001, published by Forest Survey of India (FSI) has shown that the forest cover in the state has increased to 19.29 percent in 2001 from 16.92 percent in 1999. This is largely due to reduction in fire and grazing damage to the forest owing to intensive conservation and protection measures. The increase in the canopy density signifies increase in biodiversity value of the forest. Further the forest department has documented the biodiversity wealth of forests in Uttara Kannada and Shimoga circles by establishing biodiversity monitoring plots in Western Ghat forests in collaboration with the French institute of Pondicherry by assessing the tree biodiversity, endemism, threat status and conservation value in different types of vegetation. The state also has implemented the World Bank assisted eco-development project in Nagarhole National Park by addressing lively hood issues of the forest dwelling communities living in and around the National Park to reduce the anthropogenic pressure on the National park. The rehabilitation programs have been implemented in and around National Parks to make forest dependent communities self sufficient by introducing alternative sources of income. For effective protection, anti poaching squads and anti smuggling camps have been established. Due to ban on green felling imposed by the State Government as conservation measure, the state has been able to protect vast tracks of forests from degradation. Further the regeneration efforts made by forest department over the years have also contributed immensely in increasing the forest cover and biodiversity. The forest department has changed its strategy from monoculture to mixed plantation. The Non timber forest produce harvests have been regulated keeping in view conservation of the threatened species to prevent the declining population. Machilus macarantha (Gulmavu) and Halmaddi are such examples. The state has constituted more than 3700 JFPM (Joint Forest Planning and Management) Committees for involving people in management and protection of forest. LAMP societies have been exempted from paying royalty in order to help tribals dwelling close to forest areas. The state is rich in medicinal plant resources. It is roughly estimated that around 4000 species of medicinal value with more than 15000 formulations are found in Karnataka. The state has constituted the Karnataka Medicinal Plant Authority to promote medicinal plant conservation and development in the state. The largest component of harvest from forest is by way indicate that there is not much cause of alarm in so far as of removal of biomass in the form of fuel for domestic their biodiversity status is concerned. use by the adjoining villagers and fodder grazed and browsed by the cattle population of the villages. Fish landings from in-shore waters have remained largely Increasing human and cattle population has put stagnant or actually declined over the last decade even tremendous pressure on the forests, impacting their as the number of mechanized fishing crafts has been regenerative capacity. Legal harvests from the forests going up. The composition of the catch has been have been minimal owing to a number of conservative changing, with choice species such as sharks, kingfish, policy measures such as banning of clear felling of forest pomphret, mackerel and prawns decreasing in size and and felling of green trees, stopping of concessions to abundance and being replaced by less preferred species wood-based industries, etc. Illegal harvest of timber, such as Squilla. Aquatic fauna of riverbanks and streams limited to teak, rosewood, sandalwood and a few other have been affected due to the various anthropogenic hardwood species, is a matter of concern. Cases of pressures. poaching of elephants and other wild animals, though on decline, need to be controlled. However, owing to rigid Habitat destruction and fragmentation has plagued some conservation measures, there has been increase in of the ecosystems in the state. Naval exercises have number of wild animals. The mortality figures of wild reportedly seriously affected off-shore islands like Netrani animals, including those of deaths due to poaching, and Anjadiv that are rich in coral beds, algae etc and form 170 BIO DIVERSITY Biological Diversity Act, 2003 The Biological Diversity Act, which came into force in February 2003, aims to promote conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits of India’s biodiversity resources. It provides for establishment of a National Biodiversity Authority at national level, State Biodiversity Boards at state level and Biodiversity Management Committees at the level of Panchayats and Municipalities. The National Biodiversity Authority shall play a regulatory role with regard to access to biological resources by foreign citizens and grant of intellectual property rights. It shall play an advisory role in matters relating to the conservation, sustainable use and equitable distribution of biological resources. As per the provisions of the Act, the state has set up the State Biodiversity Board, with the Hon’ble Minister for Information, Ecology & Environment as chairperson, five ex-officio members and five non-official members. The State Biodiversity Boards is to advice the state government on matters relating to conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components etc. It shall also regulate access of Indian citizens to any biological resources. The Act provides for constiution of Biodiversity Management Committees that are to be constituted in each local body for the purpose of promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity and chronicling of knowledge relating to biological diversity.The Act also envisages setting up of a local biodiversity fund, at every area notified by State Government, where any institution of self-government