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Tag: Biodiversity

  • Biodiversity: Time to act

    Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. All species are interconnected. They depend on one another. Forests provide homes for animals. Animals eat plants. The plants need healthy soil to grow. Fungi help decompose organisms to fertilize the soil. Bees and other insects carry pollen from one plant to another, which enables the plants to reproduce. Nothing is useless in nature .every factor is playing an important role.

    Biodiversity is important to people in many ways. Plants, for instance, help humans by giving off oxygen. They also provide food, shade, construction material, medicines, and fiber for clothing and paper. The root system of plants helps prevent flooding. Plants, fungi, and animals such as worms keep soil fertile and water clean. As biodiversity decreases, these systems break down.

    Promoting biodiversity at schools provides students with educational hands-on opportunities to make positive environmental impacts. Hanging birdhouses, planting wildflower gardens, and expanding recycling programs can each benefit your school’s local ecosystem.

    Students can create awareness about biodiversity in their neighbourhood, societies, and their relatives. Before the rainy season, students can prepare seed balls with the help of their friends and can through them on barren land.

    Kitchen waste can be recycled in the basket and we can obtain vermicompost which can be used in the terrace garden.

    Liquid nutrients can be provided to the plants by putting banana peels, potato peels, onion peels, and discarded parts of vegetables in water overnight. Strained water can be given to potted plants. Aloe vera leaves can be cut into pieces and similarly kept overnight in water and strained water can be given to the plants. It will work as a good growth hormone.

    It will be very delightful to observe how plants flourish.

    Through these small activities, you can contribute to the conservation of biodiversity.

    Biodiversity is love. Biodiversity is life.

    Be responsible for a better world, Work to sustain biodiversity.

    Dr. Afsana Tamboli

    (The author is an Assistant Professor working at Abeda Inamdar College, Pune.)

  • Humans and Biodiversity

    Humans are part of Nature just like all other species but according to Humans (Homo sapiens), we are the most intelligent and brilliant species on this planet (even though we are not the only one). Hence according to us, we can show dominance over all the species all the time. Charles Darwin said that evolution works on the theory of survival of the fittest, It’s not the strong one or intelligent one that can survive but the ones who are responsive to change is able to survive. The fact is if you see history of geological Time scale from Paleozoic era to Cenozoic era and from Cambrian period to Quaternary period.

    Each era or period shows the dominancy of different species if we consider the Mesozoic era it is called as Age of reptiles as the diversification and dominancy of reptiles took place in that period, the Jurassic is one of the well-known periods belonging to this era. The Cenozoic era is known as the Age of Mammals again in this era humans/mammals show dominancy in the quaternary period. As we are dominant in this period it doesn’t mean we always be there on the top. Just like Amphibians and reptiles, mammals may lose their place after a certain period of time. Right now we are facing Corona-like viruses which can easily destroy thousands of individuals in a very short period. In the future might be these
    microorganisms like viruses and bacteria came over and show dominancy over all other animal groups including human beings. In the end, we need to realize that each and every species that is Biodiversity of this planet earth has its own role in nature and we have to respect them. As a human, if we are unable to protect them or conserve them at least we should not harm them for our benefit. We are continuously doing many things which are harmful to nature such as pollution and deforestation, According to us it is development but keeps one thing in mind NATURE ALWAYS WINS.

    Ms. AMRUTA DAULAT PHARANDE
    (The author is an Assistant Professor at Sathaye College, Vile-Parle (E), Mumbai)