Biodiversity Protection

Introduction Biodiversity in the layman’s word comprises of various life forms within the biosphere. It contains life forms from the simple single-celled microbes to highly complex organisms. Biodiversity is the basis of the ecosystem and is important for its functioning. We depend on biodiversity for our basic needs like food, shelter, medicines etc. Biodiversity is extremely complex, dynamic and varied. It includes innumerable plants, animals, microbes, atmosphere (a mixture of various gases), geosphere (the solid part of the earth) and hydrosphere (the liquid portion on Earth). Biodiversity can broadly be divided at three levels i.e. genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. Biodiversity management is required at all these levels because by changing biodiversity, we strongly affect human well-being and the well-being of every other living creature. Existence of Biodiversity in India According to the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, the total number of