Biodiversity and Conservation: India’s Panoramic View
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4.4 Pollution
All types of pollution whether air, water or land act as hazards towards conservation of
biodiversity. Central, state and regional boards a have been involved in programme
implementation of missions like Namami Gange. The initiatives taken up by the
water quality monitoring programme has brought about positive changes across the
country-Chilika Lake (Odisha), Loktak lake (Manipur), Mangroves (Sunderbans)
and Aravali Park (Delhi) to name a few. The use of pesticides for agriculture has
been under supervision to reduce their intake as well as promote the soil quality.
Under NMSA (National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture) there has been an
escalated usage of biofertilizers as compared to the chemical fertilizers. Moreover,
the practise of organic farming has witnessed an escalating trend from 1.2 million
hectares in 2014 to 1.46 million hectares in 2016 respectively. In addition, the Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan and the green highways policy has strengthened India’s efforts to
curb pollution and promote biodiversity conservation. The industrial superpowers in
India like Tata Steel, Tata Power, Aditya Birla Group have a Biodiversity Policy in
partnership with IUCN Leaders for Nature (LFN) as an encouraging platform for
companies in the private sector to perform their business operations woven around
concerns of biodiversity.
4.5 Dwindling Traditional Knowledge
India’s traditional knowledge is an asset to its biodiversity conservation and plays a
vital role in bioprospecting. The ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homoeopathy) has developed a digital library on traditional
knowledge (TKDL) with nearly 3 lakh pharmaceuticals using natural raw material.
Furthermore, at the local level several organizations are working under the ministry
of MOEFCC to promote documentation of the valuable traditional knowledge for
future generations.
4.6 Alien Invasive Species
A total of 169 alien species have been reported in varied ecosystems of India as
represented in Fig. 4. Effective strategies like allowance of growth of competitive
indigenous species and native grasses which can rule out the alien species, and
planning by teams of biologists, researchers, hydrologists and other experts in the
field have helped in management of these species and restoration of ecosystems. TFRI
(Tropical Forest Research Institute) has been working extensively in eradication of
invasive species like Lantana camara. Moreover, prevention of plants and pests
321
4.4 Pollution
All types of pollution whether air, water or land act as hazards towards conservation of
biodiversity. Central, state and regional boards a have been involved in programme
implementation of missions like Namami Gange. The initiatives taken up by the
water quality monitoring programme has brought about positive changes across the
country-Chilika Lake (Odisha), Loktak lake (Manipur), Mangroves (Sunderbans)
and Aravali Park (Delhi) to name a few. The use of pesticides for agriculture has
been under supervision to reduce their intake as well as promote the soil quality.
Under NMSA (National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture) there has been an
escalated usage of biofertilizers as compared to the chemical fertilizers. Moreover,
the practise of organic farming has witnessed an escalating trend from 1.2 million
hectares in 2014 to 1.46 million hectares in 2016 respectively. In addition, the Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan and the green highways policy has strengthened India’s efforts to
curb pollution and promote biodiversity conservation. The industrial superpowers in
India like Tata Steel, Tata Power, Aditya Birla Group have a Biodiversity Policy in
partnership with IUCN Leaders for Nature (LFN) as an encouraging platform for
companies in the private sector to perform their business operations woven around
concerns of biodiversity.
4.5 Dwindling Traditional Knowledge
India’s traditional knowledge is an asset to its biodiversity conservation and plays a
vital role in bioprospecting. The ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homoeopathy) has developed a digital library on traditional
knowledge (TKDL) with nearly 3 lakh pharmaceuticals using natural raw material.
Furthermore, at the local level several organizations are working under the ministry
of MOEFCC to promote documentation of the valuable traditional knowledge for
future generations.
4.6 Alien Invasive Species
A total of 169 alien species have been reported in varied ecosystems of India as
represented in Fig. 4. Effective strategies like allowance of growth of competitive
indigenous species and native grasses which can rule out the alien species, and
planning by teams of biologists, researchers, hydrologists and other experts in the
field have helped in management of these species and restoration of ecosystems. TFRI
(Tropical Forest Research Institute) has been working extensively in eradication of
invasive species like Lantana camara. Moreover, prevention of plants and pests