5. Biodiversity conservation in drylands

Transcript

Hi Friends, in this lecture we will be studying about biodiversity conservation in drylands, an overview. And we will be studying, what is biodiversity, how it is important for the drylands, and how and why we have to conserve the biodiversity. Biodiversity is the origin of all species of crops and the variety within them. This is nothing but the origin of all species of crops and the diversities within the crops species is what biodiversity means. The maintenance of this biodiversity is essential for the sustainable production of food and other agricultural products, and the benefits these provide to humanity, including food security, nutrition and livelihoods. We have to maintain the biodiversity because it is essential for the sustainable production of the crops and the nutritional security.

Coming to the biodiversity, whenever the term biodiversity is coined, it for almost all the people, it is only concerned to genetic material. So let us see what is biodiversity in terms of generic. Biodiversity in plant genetic materials is one of the most basic resources needed for survival. It’s a source of rich variety of food, fodder, medicines, manure and other raw materials used in providing man’s basic needs. It has also been the source of breeding material for new crop varieties all over the world. In the plant genetic materials, biodiversity is one of the basic needs, is one of the basic resources. No doubt in that but at the same time, it is a rich source of variety, food, fodder, medicines, manure and other raw materials used in providing man’s basic needs. It has also been the source of breeding material for new crop varieties all over the world.

If there was no biodiversity, the new varieties wouldn’t have been developed. Because diversity of characters is available among the biodiversity of species. So it is an important breeding materials for the breeders to develop new varieties. Now biodiversity not only means diverse species but also the relationships among the plants, animals, microorganisms, soil and water which give rise to ecological and cultural diversity. Now biodiversity is a breeding material, no doubt, but at the same time it is the relationships among the plants, animals, microorganisms and the microclimate that is surrounding the crop.

Genetic diversity is not mere breeding material, but a product of interaction between the inherited traits, and the environment, a result of co-evolution. When you come to the genetic diversity. It is not only the breeding materials. It has been evolved with the interaction between the inherited traits and also the environment. It is, is also a result of co-evolution. So in this figure you can see the importance of biodiversity. It is required for the fuel, fiber, food, animals, crops, trees, insects and microorganisms, so as to provide the food. So it is required for almost all the organisms on this earth. Then comes the factor, what is the importance of biodiversity. As I have already told you that

• provides internal inputs or nutrients and pest control agents on the farm. For a farmer biodiversity is also an important factor, which provides nutrients, then pest agents on his farm only. So biodiversity is also one of the important factor from the farmer’s point of view.
• The crop combination adopted by the farmers consider factors like space, time and labor management. Whatever the type of cropping patterns, cropping systems adopted by the farmers, they will all look consider the factors like space, time and labor management, which are also important factors of biodiversity.
• Then multiple cropping system follows the multiple principal of optimizing the use of water, soil and nutrients. Now in case of multiple cropping system, the many different crops are raised at a time instead of single crop using the soil-water-nutrient at a time. Many crop species which are being adopted in the multiple cropping system uses the soil plant nutrients at a time. That means to say that several crops, multiple crops uses the natural resources, which are also being the factors of biodiversity at a time.
• Then fourth one is, nutrition and food securities are imperative. Because of the biodiversity, we can evolve nutritious varieties and cause for nutrition security as well as food security.

Then comes the factor, why this biodiversity has to be conserved. What its uses? What are its uses? Why it has to be conserved?

• To maintain the essential ecological process and life support system. It is required to maintain the ecological balance, ecological system in the farm, on the cropland, and also the life support system. So biodiversity is essential for ecological processes to occur in the croplands.
• To preserve the genetic diversity. This is very important as far as agriculture is concerned, and crop production is concerned. Because we have to preserve the genetic diversity for the variety of characters, which are being used in evolving the new varieties and also germplasm conservation.
• To ensure that utilization of species and ecosystems is sustainable. Biodiversity has to be conserved for the purpose, that we have to sustainably ensure that utilization of species and ecosystems in the environment. For that also biodiversity has to be conserved.

Reasons for biodiversity erosion. Now the biodiversity is being eroded continuously. What are all the reasons for the biodiversity erosion. Displacement of multi-cropping system by monoculture, leading to a loss of diversity in food crops. Earlier times the farmers were cultivating multiple cropping systems, where variety of crops are being grown at a time, and also with a diversity of factors. With the highly economical crops, the farmers are being shifted from multiple cropping to mono cropping. So when this mono cropping is being practiced, there is a single factor diversity, and there will be no crop diversity involved. So this is also one of the factors for the erosion of biodiversity.

The farmer’s varieties being replaced by commercially evolved new varieties. So this is so when the farmers in the traditional farming communities, the farmers are preserving their own varieties, their own traditional varieties. But nowadays these being replaced by the commercially evolved new varieties. And it is also being considered as one of the factors for eroding of biodiversity. And the third and last one is pressure to bring large tracts of land under watersheds in the dryland areas for cultivation of hybrid varieties. Now watershed concept is being very much utilized for the profitable production of crops in drylands. But in these watersheds also, there is a lot of pressure to utilize the high yielding varieties. And this is also being one of the factors of the erosion of biodiversity.

So the biodiversity importance we have understood. And we have also understood also why it has to be conserved. Then what has to be done for the conservation of the biodiversity

• Identify valuable dryland varieties of the crops. Because dryland varieties are the factors, dryland varieties which consist many useful characters, which are being used for the development of other varieties. So identify the valuable dryland varieties of the crops.
• Then second thing is multiply them among the farmer cooperators. Not only identifying the varieties of the dryland farmers. So these varieties have to be multiplied among the farmer cooperatives. That means multiplication of the varieties using farmer representatives.
• Then third one characterize these varieties using farmer’s participatory research. So whenever a variety has been developed, it has to be characterized, it has to be evaluated. In the process of evaluation, the farmer has to be included. That’s what is called as farmer participatory research. So when we involve farmers in the farmer’s participatory research. So the biodiversible cultivars can be conserved.
• Then promote in-situ conservation factors on the small farms through the encouragement of diversified cropping systems. So among the dryland conservation practices, in-situ moisture conservation practices are very much important. So we have to follow in-situ moisture conservation practices with the multiple cropping system, so as to conserve the biodiversity.
• Then combine the reintroduction of indigenous varieties with improved and ecologically sound soil, water and nutrient management, to further improve the productivity of these local varieties. Now the indigenous varieties or the local varieties are the treasure of characters, are the treasure of useful characters, that can be used to breed an improved variety. So these indigenous or the local varieties have to be conserved in along with following sound soil, water and nutrient management system. So in this way the biodiversity can be conserved.

So in a conclusion.

• Food security by maintaining diversity of the food crops. So by maintaining the diversity of the food crops, we can achieve the food security.
• The second thing is that conservation of biodiversity in drylands is necessary to create a sustainable farming environment. So the biodiversity is being eroded, which is a principal factor in the drylands. Then in the drylands, the conservation of drylands is necessary to create a sustainable farming environment. That means the farming practices can be sustained over a long period of life.
• Then third one is very important. The richest diversity of annual food crops in India can be found amongst its dryland farms. I told you already that dryland is a rich diversity of the crops, is a rich treasure of diversity of crops. When the richest diversity of annual food crops in India can be found amongst its dryland farms.

So in a way the dryland farmers are indeed the best curators of such germplasm. That means the dryland farmers are the best custodians of conservation of such germplasm. So in this way dryland farms are considered as a source of maintaining biodiversity.

Thank You.