Threats to biodiversity and Endangered species By: Deeksha Agrawal

1. Threats to Biodiversity
and Endangered animals

2. Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life. This can refer to
genetic variation, ecosystem variation or species variation
within an area, biome, or planet. It simply refers to the
variety of life forms.
The term Biological diversity was first used by wildlife
scientist Raymond F. Dasmann in 1968 .

3. Importance of Biodiversity
• Ecological Stability: Each species performs a particular
functions within an ecosystem. They can capture and store
energy, help to cycle water and nutrients throughout the
ecosystem and thus maintain ecological stability.
• Economic benefits to humans: For all human
beings, biodiversity is first a resource for daily life. Some of
the important economic commodities that biodiversity
supplies to humankind are food, Medication, industry,
tourism and recreation.

5. Threats to Biodiversity
Natural Threats
Anthropogenic
Threats
• Natural Threats
Threats that occur
naturally in
nature.
• Anthropogenic
Threats
Threats that are
caused due to
human activities.

6. Natural Threats
There are four natural threats to biodiversity:
• Narrow geographical Area
• Low population
• Low Breeding rate
• Natural disasters

7. Anthropogenic Threats

8. • Habitat Destruction
Destruction and loss of habitat is the largest cause of biodiversity loss. Severe
damage has been caused to wetlands considering them to be useless
ecosystems

9. • Habitat Fragmentation
Sometimes loss of habitat is in installments so that the habitat is divided into
small and scattered patches and there are many wildlife species such as bears
and wild cats that require large territories to subsist.

10. • Global Climate change
Climate change has seen many claims about potential to affect biodiversity.
Increasing atmospheric Carbon dioxide affect plant morpholgy and is acidifying oceans
and temperature affects species range.
Dr. Lee Hannah said “We need to limit climate change or we wind up with a lot of
species in trouble possibly extinct .”

11. • Pollution
All forms of pollution pose a serious threat to biodiversity, but in particular
nutrient loading, primarily of nitrogen and phosphorus, is a major cause of
biodiversity loss. In addition, nitrogen compounds can lead to
eutrophication of ecosystems. And it is seen that nitrogen deposition results
in loss of species richness.

12. • Over Exploitation
Overexploitation means harvesting species from the wild at rates faster than natural
populations can recover. This occurs in form of overfishing and overhunting.
Currently, about a third of the world's endangered vertebrates are threatened by
overexploitation.
Two birds that were victims of overhunting are passenger pigeons and great auks.

13. • Invasive Species
Almost half of the species in the U.S that are at risk of extinction are because of the
effects of introduced species alone or because of their impacts combined with other
processes. Invasive species threaten biodiversity by causing disease, acting as
predators or parasites, acting as competitors, altering habitat, and hybridizing with
local species.

14. • Poaching
It is illegal trade of wildlife products by killing prohibited endangered animals.
The trading of such wildlife products is highly profit making for poachers as
they are paid in large numbers for smuggling elephant tusks, leopard fur
coat, bones etc.

15. • Genetic Pollution
It is the term in which the genetic information is transferred to the organisms where it
is not needed or where it never existed before. This flow of genetic information is
undesired and cannot be controlled.
There are few possibilities If genetically modified
organisms are bred with non genetically modified:
i. GM might lead to non GM to extinction.
ii. Their genetics will be changed and they will
not be able to show their characteristics.
iii. There are chances that they may develop
resistance towards pesticides and this will
be a disaster for farmers

16. • Human overpopulation
Meanwhile, the human population has risen from 6
million 10,000 years ago to 7 BILLION in 2011. Another
8 billion humans may be added to the planet in
roughly the next 70 years. By that time, unless action
is taken, an estimated 50% of all species that existed
on our planet in 1900 will become extinct.

17. International Union for conservation of nature is an international
organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable
use of natural resources. It has published Red Data book which
maintains a collection of all the available data on the species threatened
with extinction.

18. WHAT ARE ENDANGERED SPECIES?
• Rare, endangered, or threatened plants and animals are elements of our
natural heritage that are declining rapidly or are on the verge of vanishing.
• They are plants and animals that exist in small numbers that may be lost
forever if we do not take quick action to stop their decline.
Extinctions took place long before humans, but there are two major differences:
• They are taking place over decades rather than thousands or millions of years
Human beings are currently causing the greatest mass extinction of species since
the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
• We are eliminating many biologically diverse environments (rainforests, reefs,
wetlands, estuaries) that in the past served as the evolutionary centre for the 5-10
million year recovery.

19. Facts and Statistics
There are more than 1000 endangered
species worldwide.
137 species are estimated to go extinct
each day.
More than 16,000 of the world’s
mammals, birds and plants are threatened
with extinction.
¼ of the known 5487 wild mammal
species on the planet are threatened with
extinction. That’s 1372 mammals, almost
gone from the face of the Earth.
Most species in the world, will become
extinct before they are even known to
man.

20. Asiatic
Lion

21. Bengal
Tiger

22. Red Fox

23. Red Panda

24. Python

25. Nilagiri Langur

26. Lion tailed
Macaque

27. Indian Hornbill

28. Pelican

29. Desert Cat

30. Golden
Lion
Tamarin

31. Orchids

32. Hyena

33. Green Turtle

34. Nepenthes

35. Great
Indian
Bustard

36. Ways You Can Help Endangered
Species
• Conserve Habitats
There they can live without too much interference from
humans.
IN-SITU CONSERVATION
Conserving the wildlife within the natural protected areas i.e.
National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Biosphere Reserves
EX-SITU CONSERVATION
Conserving the species outside its natural habitat in a carefully
controlled situation such as a botanical garden for plants or a
zoological park for animals, preserving germplasm in gene
banks

37. • Make Space For Our Wildlife
Build a birdfeeder and establish a birdbath for the
neighborhood birds.
Plant a tree and build a birdhouse in your backyard.
• Recycle, Reduce, And Reuse
• Plant Native Plants That Are Local To The Area
If you can, plant native plants instead of non-native or
introduced ones in your garden. Controlling these foreign
species is an important step in protecting wildlife.
• Join An Organization
There are many community groups working on conservation
activities. Join an organization in your area and start helping
today!

38. Conservation of Biodiversity
Four main strategies :
• Maintain Intact Landscapes
• Reverse Declines
• Recover Threatened Species
• Control emerging threats

39. Some Government policies
National Wildlife Action Plan
The National Wildlife Action Plan is the framework of strategy for
conservation of wildlife. The first National Wildlife Action Plan of 1983
has been revised to the new Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016).
The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for
protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India only had five designated
national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established schedules of protected plant and
animal species; hunting or harvesting these species was largely outlawed.
National Biodiversity Action Plan
Its motive is to develop strategies, plan or programmes for the conservation and sustainable
use of biological diversity or adapt plans. Integrate conservation and sustainable use of
biological diversity.

40. Conclusion
It is of utmost importance for us to develop quick and effective
ways to protect species from extinction. If we fail to conserve the
species facing extinction now , we are paving the way for easier
and faster depletion in the future. We will live in a domesticated
world lacking wild Biodiversity, and in the words of the poet and
ecologist,we would like to sum up here, ”If the human race ……..
Were to survive at the expense of many plants and animal
species , it would be no victory.”