Top 10 Simple Steps to Reduce Global Warming

1.    Action: Recycle (paper, plastic, metal, glass)
Carbon dioxide reduction: 2400 lbs of carbon dioxide/year by recycling half of all household-generated waste

2.    Action: Wash clothes in warm/cold water (not hot)
Carbon dioxide reduction: 100 pounds of carbon dioxide/year

3.    Action: Don't overheat or overcool rooms
Carbon dioxide reduction: 200 lbs of carbon dioxide/year per household for every 2-degree reduction

4.    Action: Turn water heater down to 120 degrees
Carbon dioxide reduction: 200 lbs of carbon dioxide/year for every 20-degree reduction

5.    Action: Buy CFL light bulbs
Carbon dioxide reduction: 500 lbs of carbon dioxide/year for replacing home's most-used lights

6.    Action: Insulate walls and ceilings
Carbon dioxide reduction: 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide/year

7.    Action: Use your most fuel-efficient car for short trips, less fuel-efficient car only when needed
Carbon dioxide reduction: 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide/year by shifting 3,000 miles from a car that gets 24 mpg

8.    Action: Replace old appliances with energy-efficient models
Carbon dioxide reduction: 600 lbs of carbon dioxide/year by replacing old a/c unit with Energy Star

9.    Action: Only run the dishwasher when full, don't use heat to dry dishes
Carbon dioxide reduction: 100 lbs of carbon dioxide/year

10.  Action: Caulk and weather strip around doors and windows to plug air leaks
Carbon dioxide reduction: 650 lbs of carbon dioxide/year

organic farming

Globally, there has been significant sensitization during the last ten years towards environmental preservation and assuring of food quality. Organic farming is being promoted as an ideal alternative which not only addresses the environmental, food safety and sustainability concerns, but also has arguable the potential to feed the world.

Organic agriculture perspective under Indian conditions

Organic farming denotes a holistic system of farming which optimizes productivity in a sustainable manner through creation of interdependent agri-eco systems where annual crop plants (e.g. wheat), perennial trees (e.g. horticulture) and animals (including fishes where relevant) are integrated on a given field or property.

With the increasing demand/markets for organic products, the certification and regulation of the organic sector came into being and thrived. However, organic agriculture should not be fully equated with certified organic farming or labeled organic, which is basically a third-party assurance for commercial and marketing mechanism. Organic farming is an agriculture that takes into account and employs knowledge, skills and understanding of naturally occurring processes to maintain and enhance soil fertility and control insect-pests and diseases; while the certified organic farming is essentially the same but there is an addition of checks and balances for monitoring the entire process.

About 74% farmers in India are small and marginal farmers. Organic agriculture is most relevant to them. In this farming system approach a piece of land is used optimally and to its fullest potential to produce a range of nutritious and healthy food as well as other required commodities in a manner which can healthily feed a small family, and maintain soil health and productivity by agricultural practices based on principles of organic farming. Pests (both insects and diseases) are also controlled and managed by the selection of crop mixes and using biological control measures.

Emergence of organic agriculture in India

From the state of an unknown opportunity in agriculture in the beginning to being talked about a viable alternative tool to address some of the ills of Indian agriculture, organic agriculture has made a credible performance during the past ten years in India. It is the combined effect of farmers’ efforts, NGOs work, Govt interventions and market forces that Indian organic agriculture has reached a stage where it can swiftly move to occupy a prominent space in Indian agriculture.

As a consequence, with less than 42,000 ha under certified organic farming during 2003-04, the organic agriculture has grown almost 30 fold during the last 5 years!! By March 2009 India has brought more than 9.2 million ha area under organic certification process. Out of this cultivated area accounts for 1.2 million ha while remaining 8.0 million ha is wild harvest collection area.

Bio- diversity conservation

Conservation

Conservation is the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and natural resources such as forests and water. Through the conservation of biodiversity the survival of many species and habitats which are threatened due to human activities can be ensured. Other reasons for conserving biodiversity include securing valuable Natural Resources for future generations and protecting the well being of eco-system functions. Other services provided from biodiversity by following this link: Services for Biodiversity page

In-situ and ex-situ conservation

Conservation can broadly be divided into two types:

In-situ: Conservation of habitats, species and ecosystems where they naturally occur. This is in-situ conservation and the natural processes and interaction are conserved as well as the elements of biodiversity.

Ex-situ: The conservation of elements of biodiversity out of the context of their natural habitats is referred to as ex-situ conservation. Zoos, botanical gardens and seed banks are all example of ex-situ conservation.

In-situ conservation is not always possible as habitats may have been degraded and there may be competition for land which means species need to be removed from the area to save them.

Which areas to conserve?

Hotspots of biodiversity

A popular approach for selecting priority areas has been to select hotspots of diversity. Since it is not possible to conserve all biodiversity due to lack of resources and the need to use land for human activities, areas are prioritised to those which are most in need of conservation. ‘Hotspot’ a term used to define regions of high conservation priority combining high richness, high endemism and high threat. For more information on hotspots visit: www.biodiversityhotspots.org

Threatened Species

Over the last 200 years many species have become extinct and the extinction rate is on the increase due to the influence of human activity. The status of species has been assessed on a global scale by the World Conservation Union. Taxa that are facing a high risk of global extinction are catalogued and highlighted in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Red list database and guidelines on the application of IUCN Red List criteria at sub-national or regional levels can be accessed by following the links below:
Red list database: www.redlist.org
Guidelines for use: www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/redlists/regionalguidelines.htm

Threatened Habitats

Habitat destruction comes in many forms from clear felling of forests to simple changes in farming practices that change the overall surrounding habitat. If a habitat is degraded or disappears a species may also become threatened. The UK is in danger of losing diverse habitats ranging from lowland calcareous grassland to mudflats and wet woodland. The UK BAP has specific Habitat Action Plans in place in order to try and mange and conserve these precious places. Many of these areas lie within SSSIs which are designated prioritised areas of conservation.

Flagship and keystone species

Conservation efforts are often focused on a single species. This is usually for two reasons.
1) Some species are key to the functioning of a habitat and their loss would lead to greater than average change in other species populations or ecosystem processes. These are known as keystone species.
2) Humans will find the idea of conserving one species more appealing than conserving others. For example it would be easier to persuade people that it is necessary to conserve tigers that it is to persuade people to conserve the Zayante band-winged grasshopper. Using a flagship species such as a tiger will attract more resources for conservation which can be used to conserve areas of habitat.

Complementarity

Complementarity is a method used to select areas for conservation. These methods are used to find areas that in sum total have the highest representation of diversity. For example using complementarity methods, areas could be selected that would contain the most species between them but not necessarily be the most species rich areas individually and take into account pressures of development.

Distinguishing higher from lower priority areas for urgent conservation is the purpose of such area-selection methods. However, an acceptance of priorities must recognise that this idea also implies that some areas will be given lower priority. This is not to say that they have no conservation values rather that in relation to agreed goals the actions are not as urgent.

Where identities of species or other biodiversity indicators (see the measuring biodiversity page) are known, complementarity methods can be applied

Integrating conservation and development

Conservation can not be conducted in isolation from humans and for conservation to be successful and sustainable there needs to be local community involvement. In the UK most biodiversity is found in countryside which is farmed. It is therefore necessary to integrate conservation into farming practices. In other areas of the world livelihood and development priorities of local communities must be taken into account if the conservation measures are to be sustainable.

Community-Based Natural Resource Management is a process through which grass roots institutions are involved in the decision making and have rights to manage and control their environment. CBNRM Net (Community-Based Natural Resource Management Network) is a website that provides useful networking tools so that people can exchange experiences, manage relevant knowledge, and support learning across countries and cultures and in this way achieve better results. IIED have set up a Biodiversity and Livelihoods Group which aims through sustainable management of biodiversity to improve the livelihoods of the poor. BLG researches, analyses and implements new projects and strategies around the world.

Conserving Biodiversity

India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries in the world. The country is divided into 10 biogeographic regions. The diverse physical features and climatic situations have formed ecological habitats like forests, grasslands, wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems and desert ecosystems, which harbour and sustain immense biodiversity. Biogeographically, India is situated at the tri-junction of three realms - Afro-tropical, Indo-Malayan and Paleo-Arctic realms, and therefore, has characteristic elements from each of them. This assemblage of three distinct realms makes the country rich and unique in biological diversity. 

Approximately 65 per cent of the total geographical area has been surveyed so far. Based on this, over 46,000 species of plants and 81,000 species of animals have been described by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) established in 1890 and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) established in 1916, respectively. This list is being constantly upgraded, specially in lower plants and invertebrate animals. The Forest Survey of India established in 1981 assess the forest cover with a view to develop an accurate database for planning and monitoring purposes.

Conservation and sustainable use of biological resources based on local knowledge systems and practices is ingrained in Indian ethos. The country has a number of alternative medicines, like Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathic systems which are predominantly based on plant based raw materials in most of their preparations and formulations. Herbal preparations for various purposes including pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes form part of the traditional biodiversity uses in India.

The strategies for conservation and sustainable utilisation of biodiversity have comprised providing special status and protection to biodiversity - rich areas by declaring them as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, ecologically fragile and sensitive areas. Other strategies include offloading pressure from reserve forests by alternative measures of fuelwood and fodder need satisfaction by afforestation of degraded areas and wastelands and creation of ex-situ conservartion facilities such as gene banks. For example, the Tura Range in Garo Hills of Meghalaya is a gene sanctuary for preserving the rich native diversity of wild citrus and musa species.

Approximately, 4.2 per cent of the total geographical area of the country has been earmarked for extensive
in-situ conservation of habitats and ecosystems. A protected area network of 85 national parks and 448 wildlife sanctuaries has been created. The results of this network have been significant in restoring viable population of large mammals such as tiger, lion, rhinoceros, crocodiles and elephants.

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) has identified 309 forest preservation plots of representative forest types for conservation of viable and representative areas of biodiversity. Out of these plots, 187 area in natural forests and 112 are in plantations, covering a total area of 8,500 hectares.

A programme "Eco-development" for in-situ conservation of biological diversity involving local communities has been initiated in recent years. The concept of ecodevelopment integrates the ecological and economic parameters for sustained conservation of ecosystems by involving the local communities with the maintenance of earmarked regions surrounding protected areas. The economic needs of the local communities are taken care under this programme through provision of alternative sources of income and a steady availability of forest and related produce.

Programmes have also been launched for scientific management and wise use of wetlands, mangroves and coral reef ecosystems. Twenty one wetlands, and mangrove areas and 4 coral reef areas have been identified for intensive conservation and management purposes. Mangroves conservation is one of the thrust areas of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Six significant wetlands of India have been declared as "Ramsar Sites" under the Ramsar Convention. Under the World Heritage Convention, five natural sites have been declared as "World Heritage Sites".

To conserve the representative ecosystems, a Biosphere Reserve Programme is being implemented. Twelve biodiversity rich areas of the country have been designated as Biosphere Reserves applying the UNESCO/MAB criteria. These reserves aim at conserving the biological diversity and genetic integrity of plants, animals and microorganisms in their totality as part of the natural ecosystems, so as to ensure that self-perpetuation and unhindered evolution of the living resources.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests constituted the National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB) in August 1992. NAEB has evolved specific schemes for promoting afforestation and management strategies which help the states in developing specific afforestation and management strategies and eco-development packages for augmenting biomass production through a participatory planning process of joint forest management and microplanning.

To complement in-situ conservation, attention has been paid to ex-situ conservation measures. According to currently available survey, central government and state governments together run and manage 33 botanical gardens. Universities have their own botanical gardens. There are 275 zoos, deer parks, safari parks and aquaria. A Central Zoo Authority was set up to secure better management of zoos. A scheme ‘Assistance to Botanical Gardens’ provides one-time assistance to botanical gardens to strengthen and institute measures for ex-situ conservation of threatened and endangered species in their respective regions.

Formal policies and programmes for conservation and sustainable utilisation of biodiversity resources dates back to several decades. The concept of environmental protection is enshrined in the Indian constitution in articles 48a and 51a(g).

Major central acts relevant to biodiversity include Forest Act, 1927, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The various central Acts are supported by a number of state laws and statutes concerning forests and other natural resources. The policies and strategies directly relevant to biodiversity include National Forest Policy amended in 1988, National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement for Environment and Sustainable Development, National Agricultural Policy, National Land Use Policy, National Fisheries Policy, National Policy and Action Strategy on Biodiversity, National Wildlife Action Plan and Environmental Action Plan.

India is a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The main objectives of this convention are; conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources.

The main implementation measures for the CBD are through national strategies, legislation, and administrative instruments to be developed in accordance with the country’s conditions and capabilities.

Adopting a consultative process with the stakeholders, a national policy and action strategy on biological diversity has been drawn up as a macro-level statement of strategies. This plan aims at consolidating the on-going efforts of conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, identifying gaps in various sectors and providing a policy and programme regime to ensure attainment of the three objectives of the CBD. This famework document provides the basis for developing detailed action at micro and regional levels.