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| Know More » Restoration |
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Challenge of Biodiversity conservation in India
Biodiversity and natural resources are national assets. They provide basic necessities of life to millions of people. Depletion of the natural resources means decline of economic growth, standard of living and quality of life. Ecological restoration is such an enterprise that provides mass employment, create national assets and strengthen the foundation of economic progress. Since last three decades this fact drew the attention of people from all over the world. The 'developed countries' are on the forefront, in conservation and restoration of natural resources. The concern for the environment may be driven by awareness, economic growth and technological advancement. However, such is not the case in the developing countries. The present scenario in India is that natural resources are under severe stress owing to poverty, population expansion (India supports 17 per cent of the world population on just 2.4 per cent of world land area) and lack of awareness. It is said to be a vicious circle between poverty and environment. Unless natural resources are restored poverty can't be demolished and poverty doesn't allow spending for long-term benefits. Ecological restoration is yet to gain a support and participation from people. As a matter of fact, natural resources, if managed sustainably, not only provide qualitative improvement of environment but also economic betterment of the populace that is dependent on them. But restoration is looked upon as an 'urban fad' and a potentially dangerous activity that will take away the means of the livelihood of the local people. In the present situation, where natural resources stand jeopardized by human interest, it is important to soften the use of nature by man and initiate the process of giving back; so that interdependence becomes a living reality.
Some definitions
According to the Oxford Dictionary to restore something is "to improve, repair or retouch (a thing) so as to bring it back to its original conditions."
According to Clewell (In Press) ecological restoration is an intentional activity, which initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem that was degraded or entirely destroyed, generally from human endeavor.
The Society of Ecological Restoration's (SER) current official definition of ecological restoration is as follows: "Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery and management of ecological integrity. Ecological integrity includes a critical range of variability with respect to their biodiversity, ecological processes and structures, regional and historical context, and sustainable cultural practices". Clewell (In press) modifies above definition as "Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of natural ecosystems with respect to their biodiversity, ecological processes, regional and historical context, and sustainable cultural practices".
Clewell explains the terms used in the definition for better understanding of the same.
An ecosystem consists of the biota (plants, animals, and any additional microorganisms) and the physical (or abiotic) environment that sustains this biota within a given area. The biota consists of species populations that are (presumably) organized into communities. Species populations or groups thereof play functional roles in an ecosystem, such as carbon fixation (photosynthesis), decomposition, mineral cycling, moisture regulation etc.
A natural ecosystem is one that developed largely or entirely by natural processes rather than by artifice. Biodiversity consists of the biota that exists in a specified area. The biota is organized hierarchically from the molecular level of the genome up to individual organisms, species populations, communities, ecosystem, landscapes and biosphere. By species composition is meant those indigenous species that comprise an ecosystem. Community structure can be described as the architecture of the biota with respect to the density, species populations and the size of the organisms that comprise those populations.
Ecological processes are the dynamic attributes of ecosystems, alternatively called ecosystem functions. Ecosystem functions are those processes that most directly affect metabolism, principally the sequestering and transformation of energy and nutrients. The regional and historical context refers to the relationship of the restored ecosystem to the ecosystem that previously occupied that place and that had suffered degradation. Regional context connotes that the restored ecosystem is functionally interconnected with other ecosystems in the landscape and that the restored ecosystem should be compatible with adjacent ecosystems and with the physical environment. By sustainable cultural processes is meant that the restored ecosystem can be modeled after one that is shaped in part by traditional human land usage. |
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