Biodiversity loss: India has lost 90% of area under four biodiversity hotspots, 25 species extinct, finds study

A key problem that has put fires in danger is the forest fires, which have been fairly excessive because the starting of the 12 months

Biodiversity in India: Over 90% of the world underneath the biodiversity hotspots in India have been misplaced. India has 4 biodiversity hotspots and 90% of this space has been misplaced, in keeping with the Centre for Science and Atmosphere’s (CSE) new report entitled ‘State of India’s Atmosphere in Figures 2021’. As per the information compiled within the report, the Indo-Burma hotspot is the worst affected and has misplaced 95% of its vegetation space, going from 23.73 lakh sq km to 1.18 lakh sq km. One other worrying facet is that in these 4 hotspots, 25 species have additionally change into extinct.

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In India, 1,212 animal species are monitored by the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its Crimson Record, and over 12% of those species – 148 – are endangered. Among the many endangered species are 69 mammals, 23 reptiles in addition to 56 amphibians.

A key problem that has put fires in danger is the forest fires, which have been fairly excessive because the starting of the 12 months, the report mentioned. Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh are among the many 16 states which have witnessed a rise on this facet. By Could 1 this 12 months, as many as 4.33 lakh forest fires had been recorded, although the season for forest fires nonetheless had one other month remaining. To place this in perspective, 2016 was the most popular 12 months on file and India’s annual temperature that 12 months rose 0.71 levels Celsius above regular. That 12 months, the nation witnessed 5.41 lakh forest fires, the utmost recorded within the decade.

What provides to the concern is that this 12 months, the climate has been unusually heat, and final monsoon had seen 8.7% surplus rainfall leaving the climate adequately humid for forest fires to unfold.

Not solely that however 14 states or UTs within the nation have additionally registered a drop in carbon retention providers or carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration refers to the long run removing or capturing of carbon from the environment to regulate or mitigate world warming, and that is completed naturally utilizing organic, bodily and chemical processes. A decline in these providers means a decline within the capturing of carbon dioxide from the environment. Holding such providers in place is necessary to minimise the affect of human actions on the surroundings.