Aquatic biodiversity – threats, conservations, conventions

1. Aquatic Biodiversity –
Threats, Conservations,
Conventions
Jitendra Kumar
College of Fisheries Mangalore

2.  What is Biodiversity ?
 Why is so important ?

3.  India is one of the World’s twelve mega
diversity countries. While the country
accounts for only 2.4 percent of the land
area(32,87,263 sq.km.) of the world, it
contributes approximately eight percent of
the species to the global diversity. India
possesses a very high taxonomic, genetic
and ecosystem diversity.

4.  As per the NBFGR database, the country
possesses rich diversity of 2,358 indigenous
finfishes, which includes 877 fresh water
species, 113 brackish water species and
1,368 marine species, besides 291 exotic
species. Apart from the finfish resources, as
many as 2,934 species of crustaceans, 5,070
molluscs, 765 echinoderms, 486 sponges and
844 seaweed species also contribute to
India’s rich aquatic biodiversity.

5.  Fisheries and aquaculture have a promising
role to play in social development by
providing nutritional security for the ever-
growing Indian population and contributing to
the economic advancement of fish farmers
and fishers. India is the third largest
producer of fish in the world and the second
largest producer from aquaculture. Total fish
production in 2009-10 stood at 7.85 million
tonnes comprising of 4.87 million tonnes
from Inland and 2.98 million tonnes from
marine sector.

6.  Threats
 Exotic species introduction
 Global warming
 Dredging
 Sedimentation
 Alterations to hydrology

7.  Over exploitation or Indiscriminate fishing
 Aquaculture
 Pollution
 Destructive fishing
 Habitat destruction
 Hydraulic structures
 Tourism

8. Conservation
 The conservation of fish diversity and
aquatic resources of the country being a
daunting challenge, it requires coherent
efforts by integrating capture, culture
fisheries and environmental programmes
using the latest technological innovations
and strict enforcement mechanisms of
environmental laws.

9.  Genotoxicity studies
 In-situ conservation
 Ex-situ conservation
 Live gene banks
 Tissue banking
 Captive breeding
 Aqua ranching

10.  Biomass Conservation
 Concept of State Fish
 Translocation
 Control of Exotic fishes
 Sustainable fish harvest
 Habitat Restoration
 Mass awareness

11. S.No. State Common name Scientific name
1 Andhra Pradesh Snake head
murrel
Channa striatus
2 Kerala Karimeen Etroplus
suratensis
3 Karnataka Carnatic carp Puntius carnaticus
4 Orissa Mahanadi
mahaseer
Tor mahanadicus
5 West Bengal Hilsa Tenulosa ilisha
6 Arunachal
Pradesh
Golden mahaseer Tor putitora
7 Bihar Magur Clarias batrachus
8 Haryana Kalbasu Labeo calbasu
9 Himachal
Pradesh
Golden mahaseer Tor putitora
10 Jammu &
Kashmir
Golden mahaseer Tor putitora
11 Manipur Pengba Osteobrama
belangri
12 Mizoram Nghavang Semiplotus
modestus
13 Nagaland Chocolate
mahaseer
Neolissocheilus
hexagonolepis
14 Tripura Pabda Ompok
bimaculatus
15 Uttar Pradesh Chital Chitala chitala
16 Uttarakhand Golden mahaseer Tor putitora

12. Conventions
 Though Indian Fisheries Act of 1879(modified in
1956) is a land mark with regards to fisheries, but
has had no remarkable impact on the conservation of
fish diversity. To conserve and optimize utilization of
its bioresources, India enacted the ‘Biological
Diversity Act’(BDA) 2002. This encompasses
guidelines to address a wide range of issues related
to the utilization of bioresources and information with
in the country as well as by other countries. The
objective is to put appropriate procedures in place so
that bioresources are optimally utilized while
maintaining sovereignty over them.

13.  Government of India created a network of
Marine Protected Areas(MPAs) under
Wildlife Protection Act(1972),
Environmental Protection Act(1986) to
protect the biodiversity and preventing
exploitation of ecologically sensitive areas
and Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ)
notification(1991) for prohibiting
developmental activities and disposal of
wastes in to coastal ecosystems.

14.  Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species(CITES): this
convention operates by means of import
and export permits, designed to protect
certain threatened species from over-
exploitation. Since India became a
signatory to CITES on 18th October 1976,
it has provided data annually to the CITES
secretariat on the trade of endangered
species.

15.  World Heritage Convention(WHC):
India ratified the World Heritage
convention in 1977 and since then five
natural sites have been inscribed as areas
of ‘outstanding universal value’. These
sites are, Kaziranga National Park,
Keoladeo National Park, Manas National
Park, Sunderban National Park and Nanda
Devi National Park.

16.  Convention on Biological
Diversity(CBD): India signed this on 5th
June 1992, ratified it on 18th February
1994 and brought it into force on 19th May
1994. This convention will provide a frame
work for the sustainable management and
conservation of India’s natural resources.

17.  Ramsar(Wetlands) Convention: India
has been a contracted party to the
Ramsar Convention since 1st February
1982. India has now six sites of important
wetlands under this convention. These are
Chilka Lake(Orissa), Keoladeo National
Park(Rajasthan), Wular Lake(Jammu and
Kashmir), Harike Lake(Punjab), Loktok
Lake(Manipur) and Sambar
Lake(Rajasthsn).

18.  Increasing population and associated economic
growth resulted in ever increasing pressure on
natural habitats which would finally lead to the
loss of biological diversity. Some of the harmful
human impacts of Aquatic biodiversity stem from
ignorance, lack of understanding of the
importance of aquatic biodiversity etc.
Recognition of the scale of problem, the nature
of the underlying causes, and the limited
resources available to counteract powerful
destructive trends will definitely lead to a best
way of conserving the Biological Diversity of the
aquatic ecosystems of India.