ECO DAMAGE

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