Biodiversity

Introduction

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity – Biological Diversity

Biodiversity can be defined simply as the

variety of life and natural processes.

CBD defined biodiversity as the variability

among living organisms from all sources,

including terrestrial, marine and other

aquatic ecosystems and the ecological

complexes of which they are a part. This

includes diversity within species, between

species and ecosystems (Article 2).

BiodiversityGENETIC DIVERSITY

Nucleotides

GENES

Chromosomes

Individuals – Populations

Sub species Habitats

SPECIES ECOSYSTEMS

Genera Landscape

Families Bioregions

Phyla Biomes

Kingdoms

SPECIES DIVERSITY ECOSYSTEM

DIVERSITY

BIODIVERSITY LEVELS

Why Sri Lanka is called as a

biodiversity hotspot in the world?

Sri Lanka is among the 25 Biodiversity Hotspots in the world

Sub Class

Magnoliidae 8 8 100 38 18 47.4

Hamamelidae 11 2 18.2 24 4 16.7

Caryophyllidae 3 3 100 14 12 85.7

Dilleniidae 13 10 76.9 78 34 43.6

Rosidae 18 17 94.4 112 57 50.9

Asteridae 11 10 90.9 47 30 63.8

Alismatidae 4 4 100 16 7 43.8

Arecidae 4 3 75 5 4 80

Commelinidae 7 6 85.7 16 8 50

Zingiberidae 2 2 100 8 5 62.5

Liliidae 2 2 100 19 10 52.6

83 67 80.7 377 189 50.1

No of

Families in

Sri Lanka

%No of

Orders in

the world

No of

Orders in

Sri Lanka

% No of

Families in

the world

Source: DSA Wijesundara

FAMILY GENERA SPECIES ENDEMICS

%

ENDEMICS

Poaceae 136 330 26 7.9

Fabaceae 100 308 8 2.6

Rubiaceae 60 181 104 57.5

Cyperaceae 23 176 15 8.5

Orchidaceae 68 169 73 43.2

Euphorbiaceae 44 154 48 31.2

Asteraceae 60 133 25 18.8

Acanthaceae 29 104 48 46.2

Flowering Plant families in Sri Lanka with Largest number of species (source: DSA Wijesundara)

Table 2: The Global Hotspots and the Number of Endemic Species.

Region

Number of plants

Cape Region (South Africa) 6,000

Upland Western Amazonia 5,000

Madagascar 4,900

Philippines 3,700

Borneo (North) 3,500

Eastern Himalaya (India) 3,500

SW Australia 2,830

Western Ecuador 2,500

Colombian Chico 2,500

Peninsular Malaysia 2,400

California Floristic Province 2,140

Western Ghats (India) 1,600

Central Chile 1,450

New Caledonia 535

Eastern ARC Mts (Tanzania) 535

SW Sri Lanka 500

SW Coted Tvorie 200

Total 49,995

Country Original wildlife

habitat (km2)

Amount

remaining

(km2)

Habitat loss

%

Hong Kong 1,066 32 97

Bangladesh 1,142,777 68,567 94

Sri Lanka 64,700 10,999 83

India 3,017,009 615,095 80

Vietnam 232,116 66,423 80

Philippines 308,211 64,724 79

Kampuchea 180,879 43,411 76

Pakistan 165,900 39,816 76

Thailand 507,267 130,039 74

Burma 774,817 225,981 71

Laos 236,746 68,656 71

Taiwan 36,961 10,719 71

China 423,066 164,996 61

Japan 320 138 57

Nepal 117,075 53,855 54

Indonesia 1,446,433 746,861 49

Malaysia 356,254 210,190 41

Bhutan 34,500 22,770 34

Brunei 5,764 4,381 24

PRESENT STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY

PRESENT STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY

PRESENT STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY

3.37%

12.56%

49.70%

34.58%

25.42%

9.56%

62.94%

2.08%

0%

50%

100%

Very Good Good Moderate Poor

Area Sites

PRESENT STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY

Wetland benefits and beneficiaries

Flood

control 66%

Waste

treatment 23%Carbon

sink 0.11%

Lagoon

fishing 2.75%

Domestic

water 0.52%

Agriculture

4.17%

Recreation

0.73%

Marsh fishing

0.86%Firewood

1.10%

Resource

use 10%

$7.8 million/year

$2,500/ha

• 3,000 households living on marsh fringes

• 12,000 lagoon fisherfolk

• 150 industries

• 25,000 semi-urban dwellers

1. Human assets

▪ Food security: Over 7,000 species of plants are used for food, although we rely heavily on only 12 major food crops

• Health: disease resistance

• Health: 75-80% of world’s population uses plant medicines in part or entirely (WHO)

– Some highly commercialised –synthetic and cultivated (Aspirin, Digitalin, Quinine, Atropine)

– Some commercialised but still (mostly) based on wild plants, e.g. Prunusafricana bark

• (Education: traditional knowledge)

2. Physical assets

• Wild harvested fibres –pita (Aechmea magdalenae), Mexico, comparable to silk in terms of brightness, refinement and strength, used for fishing nets and specialised leather embroidery

▪ Timber for construction and household implements

▪ Over 1 billion people live in bamboo houses

▪ Fuelwood and charcoal are principal domestic fuel for many rural and urban poor in the developing world

▪ Grasses, rattans, bamboos for basketry

▪ Cultivated fibres – cotton, coir, sisal, flax, hemp, jute

3. Social (& cultural) assets

• Plants used in social ceremonies

– Kava (South Pacific)

• Traditional beverages

– Palm wine, mezcal

• Spiritual uses

– Incense sticks

– Sacred forests

• Cultural heritage

– Maasai cohort ceremonies

• Landscapes with aesthetic and recreational importance

4. Natural assets

• Supporting ecosystem services– Nutrient cycling– Primary production– Pollination - global

economic value of pollination services performed by insects has been valued at $217 billion per year (Gallai et al. 2009).

• Regulating ES– Flood regulation– Water purification

• But also– Pests and diseases

5. Financial assets: Income

generation• 150 non-timber forest products (NTFPs) of major

significance in international trade – essential oils, medicinal plants, gum arabic, rattans, bamboos, edible nuts, oils, mushrooms, various fibres, etc.

• Involve millions of harvesters, producers, processors, traders – many in remote areas and many women

▪ Rattan furniture industry employs 1.2million people in Asia

▪ Cameroon, indigenous fruit are primary source of income for 11% of households and important complement for others

▪ Range from low value ‘generalist’ products to high-value ‘specialist’ products

Present Status of Biodiversity

in Sri Lanka

Rich Ecosystem

and Habitat

DiversityHigh species

richness of plants

and animals

Rich Genetic

diversity of plant

and animal species Rich cultural

diversity

• Forest and related ecosystems

• Inland wetland ecosystems

• Coastal and marine ecosystems

• Agricultural ecosystems

Rich Ecosystem and

Habitat Diversity

Ecosystem diversity

1. Forest and related ecosystems

➢ Lowland rain forest

➢ Montane forest

➢ Sub montane forest

➢ Dry monsoon forest

➢ Savannah

➢ Riverine vegetation

➢ Grass lands

Ecosystem diversity

2. Inland wetland ecosystem

➢ Flood plain

➢ Swamp

➢ Villu

➢ Streams and rivers

➢ Reservoirs and ponds

Ecosystem diversity

3. Coastal and marine ecosystem

➢ Mangroves

➢ Salt marshes

➢ Sand dunes and beaches

➢ Sea grass beds

➢ Lagoons and estuaries

➢ Coral reefs

Ecosystem diversity

4. Agricultural ecosystems

➢ Paddy fields

➢ Horticultural farms

➢ Plantation forestry

➢ Homegardens

➢ Crop plantation

Species

Diversity

Flowering plants of Sri Lanka

GENERA SPECIES ENDEMICS %ENDEMICS

1369 3771 926 28.3

High species richness of plants and

animals

Sub Class

Magnoliidae 8 8 100 38 18 47.4

Hamamelidae 11 2 18.2 24 4 16.7

Caryophyllidae 3 3 100 14 12 85.7

Dilleniidae 13 10 76.9 78 34 43.6

Rosidae 18 17 94.4 112 57 50.9

Asteridae 11 10 90.9 47 30 63.8

Alismatidae 4 4 100 16 7 43.8

Arecidae 4 3 75 5 4 80

Commelinidae 7 6 85.7 16 8 50

Zingiberidae 2 2 100 8 5 62.5

Liliidae 2 2 100 19 10 52.6

83 67 80.7 377 189 50.1

No of

Families in

Sri Lanka

%No of

Orders in

the world

No of

Orders in

Sri Lanka

% No of

Families in

the world

Sri Lanka is Unique (Source: DSA Wijesundara)

Rich Genetic diversity of plant and

animal species

Improvement of cultivated

plants largely depends on the

extent ofgenetic variability

available within the species or

in the related wild species and

genera.

Wild species carrying

desirable genes

Wild Species Useful Trait

Oryza perennis Tolerance to flooding and acidity

O. nivara Resistance to grassy stunt & blast

O. officinalis Resistance to BPH

O. australiensis Resistance to BPH and drought

O. coarctata Tolerance to salinity

The wild germplasm is a rich source for genes of agronomic

importance.

Rich cultural diversity

• Spiritual

• Aesthetic

• Recreational &

educational value

Cultural Services

Present Status of

Biodiversity

No. of endemic species among trees, shrubs and herbs among Sri Lanka’s flowering plants in different climate types

2 1 2

Trees Shrubs Herbs

Interm. zone

only

15 15 9

Trees Shrubs Herbs

9 13 12

Trees Shrubs Herbs

6 3 4

Trees Shrubs Herbs

Lowland wet,

interm. & dry

zones

Dry zone only

46 32 51

0

40

80

120

160

Trees Shrubs Herbs

Intermediate &

dry zone only

Wet zone forest is important to conserve 89%

of Sri Lanka’s endemic species

156

82 88

0

40

80

120

160

Trees Shrubs

Herbs

72 84

128

0

40

80

120

160

Trees Shrubs Herbs

No

. o

f en

dem

ic s

pecie

s

Common

to

montane &

lowland

wet zones

Montane

zone only

Lowland

wet zone

only

34

%

39%

16%

11 %89 %

Sri Lanka’s super-rich biodiversity eclipses that of large

islands

such as

Madagascar, Borneo &

New Guineaon a proportionate

basis(Endemic sp/unit land area)

Wet Zone Forests

Wet Zone Forests

Floristic Regions of Sri Lanka

Lower and Upper Montane floristic regions 06,09,11,12,13,14 15

Distribution of Endemic Angiosperm species in Sri Lanka

Taken from Red List of Sri Lanka - MOE 2012