(IGP) IAS Pre: GS - Environment - Ecology : Ecology and Eco System

Ecology and Ecosystem

India is the first country that has made constitutional provisions for protection and improvement of the environment. In the Directive Principles of State Policy, of the Constitution, Article 48-A of Chapter IV enjoins the state to make endeavor for protection and improvement of the environment and for safe-guarding the forest and wild life of the Country. In Article 51A(g) of the Constitution, one of the fundamental duties of every citizen of India is to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for living creatures.

Ecology is derived from the word “Eco”. It certainty isn’t a new word. In Greek “oikos”, it means the home, the place where we live. Ecology is the science to study how all living creatures interact within our home - our environment on this fascinating, complex Spaceship Earth.

In ecology, an ecosystem is a naturally occurring assemblage of organisms (Plant, animal and other living organisms—also referred to as a biotic community or biosensors) living together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a unit of sorts

The term “ecosystem” first appeared in a 1935 publication by the British ecologist Arthur Tansely. However, the term had been coined already in 1930 by Tansley’s colleague Roy Clap-ham.

India’s major strength in in-situ conservation lies in its impressive Protected Area (PA) network, which currently comprises 661 PAs which includes ninety nine National Parks and five hundred fifteen Wildlife Sanctuaries, forty three Conservation Reserves and four Community Reserves established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, (WPA), 1972] covering approximately 4.80 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. India also has special flagship programmer for the conservation of tiger and elephant. India’s PAs grew by 15 per cent since the adoption of the Programme of Work on PAs in 2002. The top five states in terms of PA coverage are Gujarat, Maharasthra, Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The PA network coves about 24.2 per cent of the forest area of the country, mainly with relatively larger populations of target species and associated ecological components. Under this Scheme, 100 per cent grant is provided for identified items of non-recurring expenditure. Also, 50 per cent assistance is provided in respect of recurring items of expenditure. For areas located in mountainous, coastal, deserts and with indentified endangered species, 100 per cent financial support is provided for both recurring and non-recurring items of work. An amount of Rs.80.00 crore was allocated during the year 2009-10 under the Scheme. A total of nine extensive surveys were undertaken during this year viz. Gulf of Mannar, Sunderbans, Nokrek (Biosphere Reserve), Kumbhalgarh, Dalma, Radhanagiri, Kanyakumari (Wildlife Sanctuary),

Conservation Reserves

Conservation Reserves

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park and Keibul Lamjao (National Park)

Status Survey of Endangered Species Status survey on the six species were undertaken viz., Swamp Deer, Mouse Deer, Goral, Chinkara, Desert Cat, Gangetic Dolphin, Blackbuck and Four horned antelope.

© UPSCPORTAL.COM