Context:
The world’s most bio-diverse areas are threatened by extractive industries, says report.
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs):
- Sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity, including ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity.
- Crucial for conservation efforts due to their outstanding ecological integrity
Key Biodiversity Area Partnership – an ambitious partnership of 13 global conservation organizations
- Identification – Using globally standardized criteria and thresholds developed by organizations like BirdLife International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- Qualify as global KBAs if they meet one or more of 11 criteria, clustered into 5 higher-level categories –
- Threatened biodiversity; Geographically restricted biodiversity; Ecological integrity, Biological processes, and Irreplaceability.
- Important Criteria –
- Species Richness – Authorities are more likely to designate areas with a wide variety of plant and animal species as KBAs.
- Endemism – Endemic species, indicating ecological uniqueness, occur exclusively in a specific region.
- Threatened Species – Areas that harbour a significant number of threatened or endangered species, that require urgent conservation
- Habitat Integrity – The ecological integrity and health of habitats within an area are crucial considerations.
- Ecological Significance – Areas with exceptional ecological importance, such as critical breeding grounds for migratory species or unique ecosystems
- Globally, there are 16,356 identified KBAs worldwide, hosting 13,762 trigger species.
- India has several KBAs, including biodiversity hotspots like the Western Ghats, Sundarbans, and the Eastern Himalayas.
Key Findings of the study:
- 518 KBAs (or 18% of KBAs by area) in pantropics are under active and potential oil and gas concessions.
- Oil and gas blocks overlap with 14% of KBAs and 12% of Indigenous Territories by area in Amazon.
- Over 180 million hectares of high-integrity forests are either undergoing or have planned fossil fuel extraction projects across pantropics.
Source: Down To Earth
Previous Year Question
With reference to an organisation known as ‘BirdLife International’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. It is a Global Partnership of Conservation Organisations.
2. The concept of ‘biodiversity hotspots’ originated from this organisation.
3. It identifies the sites known/referred to as ‘Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas’.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2015 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Statement 2 is incorrect. The concept of ‘biodiversity hotspots’ originated from Conservation International.
