Conservation: It is simply the way of caring, and saving the species, inhabits on earth from dangers.
The landscape of Pakistan: Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world to have every kind of geological structure. The geography of Pakistan is a blend of landscapes. You'll find plains, deserts, forests, hills, and plateaus. There are coastal areas along the Arabian Sea and mountains of the Karakoram Range in the northern part of Pakistan.
This diversity contains diversified habitats and landscapes supporting a rich biodiversity of fauna and flora (animals and plants respectively). Arid and semi-arid regions covering almost 80% of the total land area of the country possess a significant portion of country's biodiversity.
Reasons for endangered species: During the last two-three decades, a number of animal and plant species have become threatened or endangered mainly due to overexploitation and loss of natural habitat.
Major threats to biodiversity: Factors like deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, salinity, and waterlogging are posing major threats to the remaining biodiversity of the country. The continuing loss of forest habitat, with its associated fauna and flora, will have serious implications for the nation's other natural and agricultural ecosystems. To overcome all these problems biodiversity should be paid attention to in order to save the organisms from being endangered.
Biologists warned that the global ecosystem would be collapsed if biodiversity continues to be reduced at the same rate. Therefore, it is mandatory to conserve life on earth in order to make nature stable.
Some of the key points are highlighted below:
Biological resource: Humans should conserve biodiversity because of its benefits. For example, services and biological resources are essential to life on Earth.
Ecosystem productivity: Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species can easily survive in its habitat if one will not conserve biodiversity, the food chain and ecosystem will be imbalanced.
Improved soil: With more plants, trees, and animals, the soil improved and became stronger - less prone to erosion, drought, and flooding.
The article from 2009“Biodiversity in Pakistan Key issues”, identified some of the primary challenges to implementing a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) are:
Lack of awareness of environmental issues on the part of decision-makers and civil society.
Weak governance (slow decision-making processes, inability to conceptualize policy, and lack of distinction between public and private interests).
Weak capacity of government departments (lack of individual capacity and incentives for performance).
Lack of funding.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported that 75 percent of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost, 75 percent of the world's fisheries are over-exploited, and one-third of coral reefs are threatened with extinction. Man is the factor, which is directly involved in the destruction of biodiversity. The table below shows some of the human intervention in the loss of biodiversity:
Climate changes are not the only pressure on our environments.
Habitat loss and degradation, pollution, overexploitation, and invasive species also play significant roles in biodiversity decline. These pressures are because of human invading activity.
Deforestation: The cutting down of trees for the conversion of forest into non-forest land is known as Deforestation.
Significance of forests:
Production of oxygen: Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen.
Habitat: They provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world's most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and billions of people rely on its benefits. Forests offer food, fresh air, clothing, medicine and shelter.
Maintenance of climate: Forests play a critical role in reducing climate change because they act as a carbon sink soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns. But man is destroying this natural beauty by cutting them down for his sake and comfort.
Deforestation is done deliberately due to:
Mining
Paper making
Urbanization
Timber, for making roads
Agriculture Expansion
Livestock breeding.
Deforestation has following effects on ecosystem:
Loss of biodiversity: Deforestation result with the great loss in Biodiversity.
Global warming: Increase in the concentration of green house gases (carbon dioxide, Methane, water vapour, Nitrous oxide etc.) which leads to Global warming, temperature will be high that causes glaciers melting which is the reason of raising sea level and causes flood.
Loss of habitat: It is also the reason of habitat loss of wild life.
Soil erosion: Soil erosion, low rainfall due to no transpiration are also the result of Deforestation.
Due to human activities such as entertainment or food, animals are becoming endangered (at risk of extinction in future) or some have gone extinct (surety of not finding the last individual of that species in ecosystem). Some of the endangered species are mentioned below:
Long Billed Vulture
Green Sea Turtle
Snow leopard
Marco polo Sheep
European Otter
Baluchistan Forest Dormouse
Indus river dolphin
Asian black bear
Sindh Ibex (Markhor)
