Endangered plants and their conservation: National Parks, Wild Life Sanctuaries, Biosphere Reserves and Green Belt
Endangered plants:- Any species that is at risk of extinction because of a sudden rapid decrease in its population or a loss of its critical habitat.
Some Endangered Plant Species in India:-
i. Malabar Lily (Chlorophytum malabaricum)
ii. Musli (Chlorophytum tuberosum)
iii. Malappuram (Pterospermum reticulatum)
iv. Jeemikanda (Ceropegia odorata)
v. Ebony tree (Diospyros celibica)
vi. Bird's foot (Lotus corniculatus)
vii. Assam catkin (Amentotaxus assamica)
Conservation of Endangered plants:-
Indian Forest Conservation Act. (1980):-
> The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 (FCA, 1980) is an act by the Parliament of India which ensures conservation of forest and its resources.
> It was enacted by the Parliament of India in order to control the ongoing deforestation of the forests of India. It came into force on October 25, 1980 containing five sections.
> Amid news reports mentioning future amendments to the FCA 1980 by the Environment Ministry, the act and its provisions become important from the current affairs perspective.
Objectives:- The aim of the Forest is to preserve the forest ecosystem of India by fulfilling the following objectives:
i. Protect the forest along with its flora, fauna and other diverse ecological components while preserving the integrity and territory of the forests.
ii. Arrest the loss of forest biodiversity
iii. Prevent forest lands being converted into agricultural, grazing or for any other commercial purposes and intentions.
Salient Features:- The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 come with the following features:
i. The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take decisions first without permission from the central government.
ii. The Forest Conservation Act gives complete authority to the Central government to carry out the objectives of the act.
iii. The Act levies penalties in case of violations of the provisions of FCA.
iv. The Forest Conservation Act will have an advisory committee which will help the Central government with regard to forest conservation.
National Parks:- National Parks are the areas that are set by the government to conserve the natural environment.
> A national park has more restrictions as compared to a wildlife sanctuary.
> National parks can be declared by the State government by Notification. No alteration of the boundaries of a national park shall be made except on a resolution passed by the State Legislature.
> The main objective of a national park is to protect the natural environment of the area and biodiversity conservation.
> The landscape, fauna, and flora are present in their natural state in national parks.
> Their boundaries are fixed and defined.
> Here, no human activity is allowed.
> Grazing of livestock and private tenurial rights are not permitted here.
> Species mentioned in the Schedules of the Wildlife Act are not allowed to be hunted or captured.
> No person shall destroy, remove, or exploit any wildlife from a National Park or destroy or damage the habitat of any wild animal or deprive any wild animal of its habitat within a national park.
> They cannot be downgraded to the status of a ‘sanctuary’.
> Examples:- Bandipur National Park in Karnataka; Hemis National Park in Jammu & Kashmir; Kaziranga National Park in Assam. See more on List of National Parks in India.
Wild Life Sanctuaries:- Sanctuary is a place of refuge where injured, abandoned, and abused wildlife is allowed to live in peace in their natural environment without any human intervention.
> They are naturally-occurring areas where endangered species are protected from poaching, hunting, and predation.
> Here, animals are not bred for commercial exploitation.
> The species are protected from any sort of disturbance.
> Animals are not allowed to be captured or killed inside the sanctuaries.
> A wildlife sanctuary is declared by the State government by a Notification. Boundaries can be altered by a Resolution of the State Legislature.
> Human activities such as timber harvesting, collecting minor forest products, and private ownership rights are permitted as long as they do not interfere with the animals’ well-being. Limited human activity is permitted.
> They are open to the general public. But people are not allowed unescorted. There are restrictions as to who can enter and/or reside within the limits of the sanctuary. Only public servants (and his/her family), persons who own immovable property inside, etc. are allowed. People using the highways which pass through sanctuaries are also allowed inside.
> Boundaries of sanctuaries are not generally fixed and defined.
> Biologists and researchers are permitted inside so that they can study the area and its inhabitants.
> The Chief Wildlife Warden (who is the authority to control, manage and maintain all sanctuaries) may grant permission to persons for entry or residence in the sanctuary for the study of wildlife, scientific research, photography, the transaction of any lawful business with persons residing inside, and tourism.
> Sanctuaries can be upgraded to the status of a ‘National Park’.
> Examples:- Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary (Rann of Kutch, Gujarat); Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu (oldest bird sanctuary in India); Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka).
Biosphere Reserves:- It is an international designation by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large areas of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination of both.
> Biosphere Reserves tries to balance economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.
> Biosphere Reserves are thus special environments for both people and nature and are living examples of how human beings and nature can co-exist while respecting each other’s needs.
Criteria for Designation of Biosphere Reserve:-
i. A site must contain a protected and minimally disturbed core area of value of nature conservation.
ii. The core area must be a bio-geographical unit and should be large enough to sustain a viable populations representing all trophic levels.
iii. The involvement of local communities and use of their knowledge in biodiversity preservation.
iv. Area's potential for preservation of traditional tribal or rural modes of living for harmonious use of the environment.
Three Main Zones of Biosphere Reserve:-
i. Core Areas:-
- It is the most protected area of a biosphere reserve. It may contain endemic plants and animals.
- They conserve the wild relatives of economic species and also represent important genetic reservoirs having exceptional scientific interest.
- A core zone is a protected region, like a National Park or Sanctuary/protected/regulated mostly under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is kept free from human interference.
ii. Buffer Zone:-
- The buffer zone surrounds the core zone, and its activities are managed in this area in ways that help in the protection of the core zone in its natural condition.
- It includes restoration, limited tourism, fishing, grazing, etc., which are permitted to reduce its effect on the core zone.
- Research and educational activities are to be encouraged.
iii. Transition Zone:-
- It is the outermost part of the biosphere reserve. It is the zone of cooperation where human ventures and conservation are done in harmony.
- It includes settlements, croplands, managed forests and areas for intensive recreation and other economic uses characteristics of the region.
Functions of Biosphere Reserve:-
i. Conservation:-
- Managing Biosphere Reserve’s genetic resources, endemic species, ecosystems, and landscapes.
- It may prevent man-animal conflict eg., death of tiger Avni who was shot dead when she turned man-eater
- Along with the wildlife, culture and customs of tribals are also protected
ii. Development:- Promoting economic and human growth that is sustainable on a sociocultural and ecological level. It seeks to strengthen the three pillars of sustainable development: social, economic and protection of the environment.
iii. Logistic support:- Promoting research activities, environmental education, training and monitoring in the context of local, national and international conservation and sustainable development.
Biosphere Reserves in India:- There are 18 biosphere reserves in India:
i. Cold Desert, Himachal Pradesh
ii. Nanda Devi, Uttrakhand
iii. Khangchendzonga, Sikkim
iv. Dehang-Debang, Arunachal Pradesh
v. Manas, Assam
vi. Dibru-Saikhowa, Assam
vii. Nokrek, Meghalaya
viii. Panna, Madhya Pradesh
ix. Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh
x. Achanakmar-Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh
xi. Kachchh, Gujarat (Largest Area)
xii. Similipal, Odisha
xiii. Sundarban, West Bengal
xiv. Seshachalam, Andhra Pradesh
xv. Agasthyamala, Karnataka-Tamil Nadu-Kerala
xvi. Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu-Kerala (First to be Included)
xvii. Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu
xviii. Great Nicobar, Andaman & Nicobar Island
Green Belt:-
Objectives:-
> The purpose of a green belt around the plant site is to capture the fugitive emissions emanating from Plant operations, attenuate the noise generated and improve the aesthetics.
> Environmental protection has been considered as an important domain for industrial and other developmental activities in India. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has taken several policy initiatives and promoted integration of environmental concerns in developmental projects.
> One such initiative is the notification on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of developmental projects issued in 1994 and further revised notification in year 2006 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 EIA Guidance Manual for building, construction, townships and
area development projects proactively talks about the importance of greenbelts in such projects.
> Greenbelt in India refers to a buffer zone created beyond which industrial activity may not be carried on. This concept has developed through a long line of cases and today, greenbelts are present not only for the purpose of protecting sensitive areas to maintain ecological balance, but are also be found in urban areas so as to act as a sink for the harmful gases released by vehicles and industries operating in the city area.
> In this regard, comprehensive Guidelines for Developing Greenbelts have been compiled by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Action Plan:-
> As per the stipulations of MoEF&CC, greenbelt is to be provided all along the boundary by planting tall, evergreen trees and the total green area including landscaping area will be about 40% of the project area.
> There are block plantations within the project site.
> Typical industrial greenbelt on all sides of the plant site with 5 to 10 m width patches and strips of greenbelt with a spacing of 2m x 3 m (1500 trees per Ha).
> About 600 trees will be grown in the space available. Since there shall be two rows of trees, they get
direct light at least from one side and the branches can expand. Hence, potentially large trees with wide canopy are chosen instead of the less branched and straight growing trees.
> Soil is good and suitable for plant growth but water supply is critical during the dry season. Special care shall be taken to water them at least once in 7 to 10 days during the dry period. A list of plants suitable for greenbelt and to the local agro climatic conditions.
> A suggested list of multipurpose trees proposed to be planted in the greenbelt is given in Table:
