What are Ecological Services

Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-
being.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment defined four categories of ecosystem services that
contribute to human well-being, each underpinned by biodiversity.

These are Provisioning services; Regulating services; Supporting services,

and Cultural services, and are defined as follows.

Provisioning Services are ecosystem services that describe the material or energy
outputs from ecosystems. They include food, water, and other resources.

Food ▹ Ecosystems provide the conditions for growing food. Food comes principally from
managed agroecosystems but marine and freshwater systems or forests also provide food for
human consumption. Wild foods from forests are often underestimated.

Raw materials ▹ Ecosystems provide a great diversity of materials for construction and fuel
including wood, biofuels, and plant oils that are directly derived from wild and cultivated
plant species.
Freshwater ▹ Ecosystems play a vital role in the global hydrological cycle, as they regulate
the flow and purification of water. Vegetation and forests influence the quantity of water
available locally.
Medicinal resources ▹ Ecosystems and biodiversity provide many plants used as traditional
medicines as well as providing the raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. All
ecosystems are a potential source of medicinal resources.

Regulating Services are the services that ecosystems provide by acting as regulators
eg. regulating the quality of air and soil or by providing flood and disease control.

Local climate and air quality ▹ Trees provide shade whilst forests influence rainfall and
water availability both locally and regionally. Trees or other plants also play an important
role in regulating air quality by removing pollutants from the atmosphere.

Carbon sequestration and storage ▹ Ecosystems regulate the global climate by storing and
sequestering greenhouse gases. As trees and plants grow, they remove carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere and effectively lock it away in their tissues. In this way, forest ecosystems are
carbon stores. Biodiversity also plays an important role by improving the capacity of
ecosystems to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Moderation of extreme events ▹ Extreme weather events or natural hazards include floods,
storms, tsunamis, avalanches, and landslides. Ecosystems and living organisms create buffers
against natural disasters, thereby preventing possible damage. For example, wetlands can
soak up flood water whilst trees can stabilize slopes. Coral reefs and mangroves help protect
coastlines from storm damage.
Waste-water treatment ▹ Ecosystems such as wetlands filter both human and animal waste
and act as a natural buffer to the surrounding environment. Through the biological activity of
microorganisms in the soil, most waste is broken down. Thereby pathogens (disease-causing
microbes) are eliminated, and the level of nutrients and pollution is reduced.
Erosion prevention and maintenance of soil fertility ▹ Soil erosion is a key factor in the
process of land degradation and desertification. Vegetation cover provides a vital regulating
service by preventing soil erosion. Soil fertility is essential for plant growth and agriculture
and well functioning ecosystems supply the soil with nutrients required to support plant
growth.
Pollination ▹ Insects and wind pollinate plants and trees which is essential for the
development of fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Animal pollination is an ecosystem service
mainly provided by insects but also by some birds and bats. Some 87 out of the 115 leading
global food crops depend upon animal pollination including important cash crops such as
cocoa and coffee (Klein et al. 2007).
Biological control ▹ Ecosystems are important for regulating pests and vector-borne diseases
that attack plants, animals, and people. Ecosystems regulate pests and diseases through the
activities of predators and parasites. Birds, bats, flies, wasps, frogs, and fungi all act as
natural controls.

Habitat or Supporting Services underpin almost all other services. Ecosystems

provide living spaces for plants or animals; they also maintain a diversity of different breeds
of plants and animals.

Habitats for species ▹ Habitats provide everything that an individual plant or animal needs
to survive: food; water; and shelter. Each ecosystem provides different habitats that can be
essential for a species’ lifecycle. Migratory species including birds, fish, mammals, and
insects all depend upon different ecosystems during their movements.

Maintenance of genetic diversity ▹ Genetic diversity is the variety of genes between and
within species populations. Genetic diversity distinguishes different breeds or races from
each other thus providing the basis for locally well-adapted cultivars and a gene pool for
further developing commercial crops and livestock. Some habitats have an exceptionally high
number of species which makes them more genetically diverse than others and are known as
‘biodiversity hotspots’.

Cultural Services include the non-material benefits people obtain from contact with
ecosystems. They ́include aesthetic, spiritual and psychological benefits.

Recreation and mental and physical health ▹ Walking and playing sports in green space is
not only a good form of physical exercise but also lets people relax. The role that green space
plays in maintaining mental and physical health is increasingly being recognized, despite
difficulties of measurement.

Tourism ▹ Ecosystems and biodiversity play an important role in many kinds of tourism
which in turn provides considerable economic benefits and is a vital source of income for
many countries. In 2008 global earnings from tourism summed up to US$ 944 billion.
Cultural and eco-tourism can also educate people about the importance of biological
diversity.
Aesthetic appreciation and inspiration for culture, art, and design ▹ Language,
knowledge, and the natural environment have been intimately related throughout human
history. Biodiversity, ecosystems and natural landscapes have been the source of inspiration
for much of our art, culture and increasingly for science.
Spiritual experience and sense of place ▹ In many parts of the world natural features such
as specific forests, caves or mountains are considered sacred or have a religious meaning.
Nature is a common element of all major religions and traditional knowledge, and associated
customs are important for creating a sense of belonging.

IUCN threat categories

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, also called IUCN Red List, one of the most well-
known objective assessment systems for classifying the status of plants, animals, and other
organisms threatened with extinction. The International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) unveiled this assessment system in 1994. It contains explicit criteria and
categories to classify the conservation status of individual species on the basis of
their probability of extinction.

The IUCN system uses a set of five quantitative criteria to assess the extinction risk of a
given species. In general, these criteria consider:

1. The rate of population decline

2. The geographic range
3. Whether the species already possesses a small population size
4. Whether the species is very small or lives in a restricted area
5. Whether the results of a quantitative analysis indicate a high probability of extinction
in the wild.

After a given species has been thoroughly evaluated, it is placed into one of several
categories. (The details of each have been condensed to highlight two or three of the
category’s most salient points below.) In addition, three of the categories (CR, EN, and
VU) are contained within the broader notion of “threatened.” The IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species recognizes several categories of species status:

Critically Endangered Species

Critically Endangered (Cr) is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN for wild
species. Critically endangered species means a species numbers have decreased, or will
decrease by 80% within three generations. It is therefore considered to be facing an extremely
high risk of extinction in the wild.

Endangered (EN) species

Endangered (EN) species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct
because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation
parameters. Also it could mean that due to deforestation there may be a lack of food and/or
water. It is therefore considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Vulnerable (VU) species

Vulnerable (VU) species is a species which has been categorised by the IUCN as likely to
become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction
improve. It is therefore considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

1. Extinct (EX), a designation applied to species in which the last individual has died or
where systematic and time-appropriate surveys have been unable to log even a single
individual
2. Extinct in the Wild (EW), a category containing those species whose members survive
only in captivity or as artificially supported populations far outside their historical
geographic range
3. Critically Endangered (CR), a category containing those species that possess an
extremely high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 80 to more
than 90 percent over the previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population
size of fewer than 50 individuals, or other factors
4. Endangered (EN), a designation applied to species that possess a very high risk of
extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 50 to more than 70 percent over
the previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer than 250
individuals, or other factors
5. Vulnerable (VU), a category containing those species that possess a very high risk of
extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 30 to more than 50 percent over
the previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer than
1,000 individuals, or other factors
6. Near Threatened (NT), a designation applied to species that are close to becoming
threatened or may meet the criteria for threatened status in the near future
7. Least Concern (LC), a category containing species that are pervasive and abundant
after careful assessment
8. Data Deficient (DD), a condition applied to species in which the amount of available
data related to its risk of extinction is lacking in some way. Consequently, a complete
assessment cannot be performed. Thus, unlike the other categories in this list, this
category does not describe the conservation status of a species
9. Not Evaluated (NE), a category used to include any of the nearly 1.9 million species
described by science but not assessed by the IUCN

All else being equal, a species experiencing an 90 percent decline over 10 years (or
three generations), for example, would be classified as critically endangered.
Likewise, another species undergoing a 50 percent decline over the same period
would be classified as endangered, and one experiencing a 30 percent reduction
over the same time frame would be considered vulnerable. It is important to
understand, however, that a species cannot be classified by using
one criterion alone; it is essential for the scientist doing the assessment to consider
all five criteria when determining the status of the species.

Red Data Book

What is Red Data Book?

The Red Data Book is a public document that is created for recording endangered and rare species of
plants, animals, fungi as well as some local subspecies that are present in a particular region.
The Red Data Book helps us in providing complete information for research, studies and also for
monitoring the programs on rare and endangered species and their habitats.
This book is mainly created to identify and protect those species which are on the verge of extinction.

Brief History of the Red Data Book

The name of this book has its origins in Russia, it was originally known as the Red Data
Book of the Russian Federation or the RDBRF. The book was based on research conducted
between 1961 and 1964 by biologists in Russia. Hence, it is also called the Russian Red Data
Book.
Currently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature maintains the Red Data Book.
IUCN is the world’s most detailed inventory centre of the global conservation status of
biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was
founded in 1948 with an aim to maintain a complete record of every species that ever lived.
The Red Data Book contains the complete list of threatened species. The main aim behind
this documentation is to provide complete information for research and analysis of different
species.
The Red Data Book contains colour-coded information sheets, which are arranged according
to the extinction risk of many species and subspecies.

 Black represents species that are confirmed to be extinct.

 Red represents species that are endangered
 Amber for those species whose status is considered to be vulnerable
 White is assigned for species that are rare
 Green for species that were formerly endangered, but their numbers have started to
recover
 Grey coloured for the species that are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or rare but
sufficient information is not available to be properly classified.
In a nutshell, the Red Data Book indexes species as:

 Threatened
 Not threatened
 Unknown
Furthermore, The Red Data Book also has information as to why a species has become
extinct along with the population trends and the extent of its range (distribution).

Advantages of the Red Data Book

 It helps in identifying all animals, birds and other species about their conservation
status.
 It is used to evaluate the population of a particular species.
 The data available in this book can be used to evaluate the taxa at the global level.
 With the help of this book, we can estimate the risk of taxa becoming globally extinct.
 Provides a framework or guidelines for implementing protective measures for
endangered species.

Disadvantages of the Red Data Book

 The information available in the Red Data Book is incomplete. Many species, both
extinct and extant are not updated in this book.
 The source of the book’s data has been speculated and has been mired in controversy.
 This book maintains the complete record of all animals, plants, other species but it has
no information about the microbes.

Red Data Book of India

Red Data Book of India includes the conservation status of animals
and plants which are endemic to the Indian subcontinent. The data for this book
is provided through surveys which are conducted by the Zoological Survey of
India and the Botanical Survey of India under the guidance of the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
 National Biodiversity Act, 2002

The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 is an Act enacted by the Parliament of India for the
preservation of biological diversity in India, and provides mechanism for equitable sharing of
benefits arising out of the use of traditional biological resources and knowledge. The Act was
enacted to meet the obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
because India is a party of the convention

The Act was enacted to meet the obligations under Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), to which India is a part in 2002.

Biodiversity and Biological Resource

Biodiversity has been defined under Section 2(b) of the Act as "the variability among living
organisms from all sources and the ecological complexes of which they are part, and includes
diversity within species or between species and of eco-systems". The Act also defines,
Biological resources as "plants, animals and micro-organisms or parts thereof, their genetic
material and by-products (excluding value added products) with actual or potential use or
value, but does not include human genetic material.

National Biodiversity Authority and State Biodiversity Boards

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is a statutory autonomous body, headquartered
in Chennai, under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India established
in 2003 to implement the provisions under the Act. State Biodiversity Boards (SBB) has been
created in 29 States along with 31,574 Biological management committees (for each local
body) across India.

Functions

 Regulation of acts prohibited under the Act

 Advise the Government on the conservation of biodiversity
 Advise the Government on selection of biological heritage sites
 Take appropriate steps to oppose the grant of intellectual property rights in foreign
countries, arising from the use of biological resources or associated traditional
knowledge.

Regulations
A foreigner, non-resident Indian, as defined in the clause (30) of section 2 of The Income-tax
Act, 1961, or a foreign company or body corporate need to take permission from the NBA
before obtaining any biological resources or associated knowledge from India for research,
survey, commercial utilisation. Indian citizens or body corporates need to take permission
from the concerned State Biodiversity Board.
Result of research using biological resources from India cannot be transferred to a non-citizen
or a foreign company without the permission of NBA. However, no such permission is
needed for publication of the research in a journal or seminar, or in case of a collaborative
research made by institutions approved by Central Government
No person should apply for patent or other form of intellectual property protection based on
the research arising out of biological resources without the permission of the NBA. The NBA
while granting such permission may make an order for benefit sharing or royalty based on
utilisation of such protection.

Penalties
If a person, violates the regulatory provisions he/she will be "punishable with imprisonment
for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees
and where the damage caused exceeds ten lakh rupees, fine may commensurate {be in
proportion} with the damage caused, or with both.
Any offence under this Act is non-bailable and is cognizable.

National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

Introduction
National Parks in India can be discussed here along with the Wildlife Sanctuaries. These are
the suitable places for biodiversity conservation. Generally, National Parks and Wildlife
Sanctuaries are protected areas as declared by the Government with the primary objective to
preserve wildlife, save flora & fauna and to restore the natural ecological balance. A total of
103 National Parks and 544 Wildlife Sanctuaries are present in India. Madhya Pradesh and
Andaman & Nicobar Islands represent the maximum number of National Parks with (9 each).
The mind-blowing natural beauty across the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India
helps in attracting millions of tourists every year.

National Parks
National park represents an area that is set aside by the national government in order to
preserve the natural environment. A national park can also be set aside mainly for the purpose
of public recreation and enjoyment or due to its historical or scientific interest. Majority of
the landscapes and their plants and animals in a national park are kept in their natural state.
The national parks present in the United States and Canada tend to focus on the protection of
both land and wildlife, those in the United Kingdom focus mainly on the land, and those
present in Africa mainly exist to conserve animals. Many other countries possess large areas
that are reserved for national parks, such as Brazil, Japan, India, and Australia. The oldest
national park of India is the Corbett National Park. Sprawling in the foothills of the
Himalayas in Uttarakhand, this national park was established in 1936.
Largest National Park: Jammu & Kashmir.
 Smallest National Park: Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
List of National Parks in India
 Kaziranga National Park: located in Jorhat (Assam).
 Keoladeo National Park: located in Bharatpur (Rajasthan).
 Bandhavgarh National Park: located in Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh).
 Kanha National Park: located in Mandla ( Madhya Pradesh).
 Dudhwa National Park: located in Lakhimpur, Kheri (Uttar Pradesh).
 Corbett National Park: located in Nainital (Uttarakhand).
 Rajaji National Park: located in Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand).
 Dachigam National Park: located in Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir).
 Bandipur National Park: located in Mysore (Karnataka).
 Gir National Park: located in Junagarh (Gujarat).
 Hazaribagh National Park: located in Hazaribagh (Jharkhand).
 Silent Valley National Park: located in Palakkad, (Kerala).
 Rani Jhansi Marine National Park: located in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
 Campbell National Park: located in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
 Galathea National Park: located in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
 Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park : located in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Objectives of National Parks

 In order to preserve, to manage the area as a natural means. As seen in physiographic regions,
biotic communities, genetic resources, and unimpaired natural processes.
 It contributes to the conservation of wide-ranging species, regional ecological processes, and
different migration routes.
 To balance viable and ecologically functional populations. In the long term, to preserve the
wholeness of the ecosystem and resilience and due to this accumulation of native species at
densities is being done.
 Also for inspirational, educational, cultural, and recreational purposes, in order to manage
visitor use so that it does not cause any significant biological or ecological degradation to any
natural resources.
 To consider the needs of different people and local communities including maintenance of
the resource use. So far, these do not adversely affect the primary management objective.
 Through tourism, to contribute to the local economies.

Sanctuaries
A wildlife sanctuary mainly refers to an area in which animal habitats and their surroundings
are protected from any sort of disturbances. The capturing, killing and poaching of animals is
strictly restricted in these areas. The main objective of a sanctuary is to provide a comfortable
 living habitat to the animals. India possesses beautiful wildlife sanctuaries, including dense
forests, large rivers, high and beautiful mountains.
Largest Wildlife Sanctuary: Rann of Kutch, Gujarat.
Smallest Wildlife Sanctuary: Bor Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra.
List of Sanctuaries in India
 Chandraprabha Sanctuary: located in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh).
 Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary: located in Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan)
 Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary: located in Belgaum (Karnataka).
 Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary: located in Nellore (Andhra Pradesh).
 Mudumalai Sanctuary: located in Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu).
 Periyar Sanctuary: located in Idukki (Kerala).
 Simlipal Tiger Sanctuary: located in Mayurbhanj (Odisha).
 Gahirmatha Turtle Sanctuary: located in Kendrapara (Odisha).

Importance of Sanctuaries
 The sanctuaries provide protection to many endangered species.
 It is very important to protect the animals and birds that are present in their natural habitats as
it can be hard to relocate these species to any other place and cause disturbances to them.
 The endangered or vulnerable species can be easily monitored via the people working there.
Their reproduction rate is usually measured and maintained as they are under protection and
some of the species are generally kept for breeding in other conservation parks so the species
do not become extinct.
 This also helps researchers to do their research and the findings and it becomes beneficial for
them as they can learn about the species present there and also to improve the protective
measures.
 It provides care and rehabilitation that improves the health of the animal and ensures their full
recovery before they are released in the wild again.
 The main purpose of sanctuaries is the protection of endangered species from humans and the
predators thereby maintaining their numbers.