Ecology and Environment

ABC looks upon one ecosystem as a planet in itself. Humans as well as every other organism are dependent on their environment. The Ecosystem with it every living and non-living components from plants to microbes to man are linked together in a complex and interdependent web, resulting in their proliferation and ultimately effects even their survival. Any change in the environment, even in a remote part of the planet affects living things and their environment elsewhere. Thus Ecosystem along with its biotic and abiotic components is an integral part of this environment. An ever expanding population, alarming level of pollution, massive land degradation, large scale deforestation and a number of other anthropogenic causes lead to an overall degradation of environment. The ABC therefore aims to conserve the environment we survive in.

Aquatic biodiversity includes a variety of life form and ecosystems in the freshwater, brackish water and marine environment. Human societies have since long been depending on the aquatic biodiversity for food, medicine and other uses including commercial and industrial nature. The economic value of aquatic biodiversity is immense and extensive. But in the recent times factors like over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution boom, habitat alteration and destruction, introduction of alien species etc., have caused overwhelmingly impacts and threats to aquatic biodiversity. There is a necessity to put in place appropriate conservation strategies and actions to safeguard the aquatic biodiversity for the benefit of the present, as well as, future generations. The conservation oriented scientific pursuit and technology backed interventions would only address the pressing problems in protecting aquatic biodiversity and its sustainable use and conservation.

Terrestrial biodiversity is the variety of life forms on the land surface of the Earth and High biodiversity is often used as an indicator of ecosystem health and has direct links to human health. Climate change affects terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems through both gradual and sudden changes in response to the average climate such as increased temperatures, decreased rainfall, and extreme events like increased hot days, fire, frequency and severity of cyclones, heat waves and intensified wet seasons. All species have an ‘optimum climate’ in which they survive and thrive. At the extremes of a species’ climate tolerance, growth and reproduction may be reduced compared to populations growing at optimal conditions. The success of a species may also rely on the interacting species. Association for Biodiversity Conservation (ABC) aims to collate knowledge, co-ordinate expertise and synthesise these inputs into recommendations and frameworks to guide the way for India to adapt to global climate change.