Download Bio-diversity Issues..

Bio-Diversity
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Learning Objective
Participants will be exposed to
INTOSAI guidelines and experience
and SAI India’s experience on audit
of Bio-diversity.
Issues at Project/Programme Implementation level at Urban Local
Bodies
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Bio-diversity
Refer to all aspects of variability in the living
world, including diversity within and between
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individuals,
populations,
species,
communities, and
ecosystems.
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plants,
animals and
micro-organisms,
their genes, and
the systems they inhabit.
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Scope of Bio-Diversity
Bio-Diversity is a complex subject
area. It has a variety of aspects to it or
ways of describing it.
– Ecosystems
– Genetics
– Species
– Habitat
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Ecosystems
• close relationship between the subject of
ecosystems and biological diversity.
• Some groupings for ecosystems are as follows:
– Marine and coastal ecosystems (mangroves, coral
reefs, sea grasses, deep sea)
– Inland water ecosystems (rivers, lakes, swamps)
– Forest ecosystems (tropical rainforests, boreal forest)
– Dryland ecosystems (deserts, grasslands)
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Components of an ecosystem
• Biotic – Plants and animals;
• Abiotic – water, air, nutrients and solar
energy;
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Why environmental concerns?
• Ecosystems are dynamic in nature;
• Can respond to limited changing
conditions;
• Stress beyond the tolerance limits can be
fatal for the biosphere;
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Genetics.
Genetics refer to the
– chromosomes,
– genes, and
– DNA which will determine the uniqueness of each
individual and species.
• expressions of genetic diversity–
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Colors,
flavors,
size or
disease resistance
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Species
• Species are defined as members of a group of organisms
that reproduce amongst themselves.
• Grouped according to different kingdoms of living
organisms.
• Only about 1.75 million species have been identified; there
are many other species that are unknown to us and
• Scientists estimated they range from 3 to 100 million.
– Plants,
– Animals,
– Insects
– Bacteria,
– Protoctista (algae, protozoa)
– Fungi and more.
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Habitats
Habitats refer to the areas in which
living organisms live and survive in an
ecologically balanced environment
– Terestrial
– Freshwater
– Marine
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Terrestrial Habitats
Most of our planet is covered by
oceans. Only 30 % is land
surface.
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Forest
• total area of land covered with forest in the year 2000
was 3,866.1 million hectares. One third of the world’s
land area
• 95% is natural forest and 5% is planted forest.
• Forests are critically important for maintaining
biological diversity. Estimated to contain half of the
world’s total biological diversity, natural forests have
the highest species diversity and endemism of any
ecosystem type.
• There are three major types of forests classed
according to latitude:
• tropical,
• temperate,
• boreal forests (taiga).
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Grasslands
• Once, the grasslands occupied 40% of the land
area, but today most of it is under cultivation.
• high rates of evaporation, periodic severe
droughts
• Some examples of grasslands are
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the prairies of North America,
the pusztas of Hungary,
the South African veld,
the South American pampas,
the steppes of Europe, and
the savanna of the east Africa.
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Desert
• Deserts are defined by geographers as land where
evaporation exceeds rainfall.
• occupy about one fifth of the land surface of the
earth and are largely confined to a worldwide belt
between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn.
• Some major examples of world desert are the
Sahara and Namib Desert in Africa, and Thal
Desert in India.
• Habitat for species which can survive the intense
heat and arid conditions have adapted through
natural processes.
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Tundra
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Tundra is the coldest of all habitats.
Two types of tundra: arctic and alpine.
The arctic tundra is located in the northern
hemisphere, encircling the North Pole and
extending south to the coniferous forests of the
taiga.
The alpine tundra is located on mountains
throughout the high altitude where trees cannot
grow.
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Freshwater Habitats
• the diverse communities found in lakes, rivers
and wetlands, are quite limited covering only
about 1% of the Earth’s surface.
• Highly diverse and contain a disproportiantely
large number of the world’s species.
• The majority of the world’s population lives near
and depends on freshwater environments as a
source of water, food, and employment.
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Marine
• The marine – or ocean - environment occupies 70% of
the earth surface.
• It is in some places nearly 7 kilometers deep.
• The average depth is around 4000 meters. The volume
of surface area lit by the sun is small in comparison of
the total volume of water involved. This and the dilute
solution of nutrients, limits production.
• All of the seas are interconnected by currents,
dominated by waves, influenced by tides, and
characterized by saline waters.
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Environmental Issues
• Cross sectoral in nature
• Green, Brown and Blue issues
• Importance of production and consumption
pattern
• Local Issues
• Global Issues
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Green Issues
• Conservation and management of natural
recourses;
• Biodiversity-genetic, species, eco-systems;
• Bringing 1/3 of land under forest cover;
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Brown Issues
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Industrial pollution;
Urban waste management;
Air and noise pollution;
Prevention versus end of pipe approachEOP
• EOP means correcting the damage at the
end—by washing, purifying etc.
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Contd…
• SOP Start of the pipe solution
• Instead of correction at the, introduce
innovated methods to the process so that
the damage is minimised or mitigated.
• The environmental damage is foreseen and
necessary precautions taken at the
beginning itself so that the end product is
devoid of damage.
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Blue Issues
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Limited Freshwater resources;
Competing demand by various segments;
Marine and coastal pollution;
Contamination of water-water borne diseases
Discharge of effluents in the water- drinking
water problems, problems for irrigation
• Land decay
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Emerging Environmental Issues
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Climate Change
Depletion of Stratospheric Ozone
Electronic wastes
Bio-medical wastes
Solid waste management
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Contd..
• Due to climate change fauna/flora get affected–
some die, some perish and some get extinct
• Ozone depletion--- animals and human beings get
affected due to ultra violet rays of the sun
• Waste management is posing problems and due
to hazardous waste and its effect the living
organizations including plants get damaged and
may pose the threat of exstinction
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Discussion Question
Why is it important to protect BioDiversity?
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Importance of Bio-Diversity
• Protecting biological diversity is in our self interest.
• Biological resources are the pillars upon which we
build civilization.
• Nature’s product supports such diverse industries as
agriculture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, pulp and
paper, horticulture, construction and waste treatment.
• The loss of biological diversity threatens our food
supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism,
and sources of wood, medicines, and energy.
• It also interferes with essential ecological functions.
Our need for conservation of nature was once ignored
and often considered unimportant.
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Importance of Bio-Diversity
(continued)
• cures to illnesses or for infusions of tough genes
from wild plants to save our crops from pest
outbreaks.
• provide various ‘ecological services’ that would be
extremely costly or impossible to replace.
• These natural services such as pest control
performed by various creatures feeding on one
another,
• pollination performed by insects and birds going
about their everyday business,
• or flood protection provided by wetlands.
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Discussion
What goods and services provided by
ecosystems or bio-diversity
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Goods and services provided by
ecosystems or bio-diversity
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foods, fuel and fibre
shelter and building material
purification of water
detoxification and decomposition of wastes
stabilization and moderation of the earth’s climate
moderation of floods, droughts, temperatures extremes
and the forces of wind generation and
renewal of soil fertility, including nutrients cycling
Pollination of crop of plants, including many crops
Control of pests and diseases
Maintenance of genetic resources as key inputs to crops variety
and livestock breeds, medicines, and other products
• Cultural and aesthetic benefits
• Ability to adapt to change
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Discussion
What are the main issues related
to bio-diversity?
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Species extinction
Loss of species is a natural process,
but the rate of extinction has
accelerated dramatically as a result of
human activity
Extinction raises specific concern
because of its irreversibility
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Urbanisation has dramatically increased
the rate
Deforestation is one of the leading
causes
Habitat loss is identified as a main threat
to 85% of all species described in the
Red List
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2. Invasive species
”alien” or ”exotic” species: occurs in an
area outside its historically known
natural range as a result of intentional
or accidental dispersal by human
activities
”invasive alian species”: established in
the new environment, threatening
native biodiversity
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Zebra mussel
King Crab
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Global climate change
• Our planet is warming faster than at any time
in the past 10,000 years
• This greenhouse effect is driven by gasses like
CO2,methane, ozone, CFCs etc. which have
reached their highest level for more than
400,000 years
• There is a need to reduce emissions of CO2
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Coral bleaching
Climate change is the primary threat to coral
reefs on the global scale: many coral reefs are
dying in a phenomenon called coral bleaching
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Over-exploitation
• World population more than 6 billion people
• Life on Earth is increasingly being altered by humans
• Old ways of harvesting are being replaced by intensive
technologies often without controls to prevent overharvesting
• Unsustainable use: ”the use of natural resources in a way
and at a rate that lead to the loss of biodiveristy”
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Towards Solution
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Reduction in the use of fossil fuel
Shift to renewable resources
Energy efficiency and conservation
Sustainable consumption and production
patterns
• Conservation and management of natural
resources
• Energy and environmental audits
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Pollution
• One of the most difficult problems to
overcome
• Do not recognize international boundaries
• Atmospheric pollutants drift with
prevailing air currents and are deposited
far from their original source
• An international effort is required to deal
with these threats
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“What are some means of
protecting biodiversity?”
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in situ conservation -“the conservation of
ecosystems and natural habitats and the
maintenance and recovery of viable populations
of species in their natural surroundings...”
• ex-situ conservation which is “the
conservation of components of biological
diversity outside their natural habitats” such as
Zoos for living animals and related species,
• and for the aquaria, botanical gardens for
plantations, and for preservation of species
generation, we will have the gene banks.
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What Conservation strategies can we have
to protect Bio-diversity?”
• conserving individual, endangered and rare species
such as for the animals and plants listed under the
IUCN red list.
• conserve areas containing high specie richness, or high
degree of endemism.
• identify the areas and protect endangered species
against illegal activities such as burning, cultivating,
hunting and poaching.
• focusing on critical, unique and representative
habitats and as a result may then be considered as
protected areas and defend them
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What Conservation strategies can we have
to protect Bio-diversity?” (continue)
• Increasing the public awareness about biological diversity and
ecosystem via mass media and documentary shows
• Signing of treaties or agreement and form resolution to protect
the biological diversity.
• At different international level these treaties may be bilateral or
multi lateral agreement between governments in order to
conserve the natural heritage.
• At national level the governments should impose rules and
regulation to protect and conserve the biological diversity.
• Public should be made aware about ban on trading and illegal
import and export of domestic, exotic or nearly extinct animals
and plants.
• Top of all the most effective way to conserve biological diversity
is to prevent the degradation of habitats
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Convention of Bio-Diversity
• The Earth Summit. global problems concerning environment and
development
• 1992- Rio de Janeiro
• 180 countries.
• known as the Convention on Bio- Diversity.
• the first global agreement to address all aspects of biodiversity:
genetic resources, species, and ecosystems.
• It was the first agreement on the conservation and sustainable
use of biodiversity. It was an initiative developed to ensure that
the Earth’s natural resources will be available for future
generations
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• Article 8 of the agreement provides the main set of Convention
obligations, recognizing in situ conservation as the primary
approach.
• Each party is required to establish protected areas, to conserve
biodiversity, to restore degraded ecosystems, and to promote the
recovery of threatened species.
• to control the risks posed by organisms modified by
biotechnology, to prevent the introduction of alien invasive
species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.
• Governments to develop national biodiversity strategies and
action plans
• Government to report on how it is meeting the goals.
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Conservation of Natural Resources
• Forestry-The forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, as
amended from time to time, checks the
indiscriminate diversion of forest land for
purposes unrelated to forestry.
• Wildlife-Audit scrutiny in relation to activities
for the preservation of wild life would extend to
the enforcement of the Wildlife (Protection) Act,
1972 through the offices of the Regional Deputy
Directors of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
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Contd..
• Make the Forest Act stringent and control
poaching so that the species getting extinct can
be preserved
• Afforestation can increase the forest cover and
reduce CO2
• Regulate hazardous wastes going into the water
system and there by saving flora , fauna
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Audit Approach
• C & AG’s MSO (Audit- Para 3.19.3 states that
Environment Audit would be conducted within
the broad framework of Regularity and
Performance Audit.
• Para 3.19.9 Audit should also review in depth,
from the ECPA, VFM or 3Es perspective,
specific programmes and projects, such as the
Ganga Action Plan, Taj Protection Mission etc
implemented or under implementation by the
Ministry for prevention and control of pollution.
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Contd…
• Increase the awareness among the auditors
the dangers that are being faced for
endangered species.
• During forest audit besides doing the
compliance audit and financial audit
concentrate on the environmental issues
and and comment on the biodiversity
issues explained earlier.
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Contd.
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Audit can be done for both the areas
Compliance
Financial
Over and above performance audit of an
environmental programme and any other
programme of Govt. having significant
environmental impact can be done to focus the
need for controlling the damage to the bio
diversity.
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