Biodiversity Of Coastal Karnataka

B I O D I V E R S I T Y B I O D I V E R S I T Y

with special reference towith special reference to

COASTAL KARNATAKACOASTAL KARNATAKA

Dr. M. Jayakara BhandaryDr. M. Jayakara Bhandary

Selection Grade Lecturer in BotanySelection Grade Lecturer in Botany

G. A. S. College, KarwarG. A. S. College, Karwar

Email:jaikarb@yahoo.comEmail:jaikarb@yahoo.com

© Jayakara Bhandary

TOTAL WEALTH OF LIFE

ON EARTH……

PLANTS+ANIMALS+MICROORGANISMS.

GENES – GENETIC DIVERSITY

SPECIES – SPECIES DIVERSITY

ECOSYSTEMS - ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY

ENCASHING DIVERSITY…..

FUTURE POWERFUL TECHNOLOGIES GENE BASED.

BIOTECHNOLOGICAL WORLD – BIODIVERSITY IS BASE

DEVELOPED COUNTRIES TECHNOLOGY + ECONOMY.

WANT EASY, CHEAP ACCESS TO BIODIVERSITY

RESOURCES AND RELATED KNOWLEDGE CONCENTRATED IN TROPICAL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES RIGHTS + RETURNS.

THE BIODIVERSITY DIVIDE…

INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS…..

CONVENTION ON BIODIVERSITY (CBD) – 1992

More than 170 signatories

Objectives: Biodiversity conservation, Sustainable

exploitation & Equitable sharing of profits.

2002 December – Biodiversity Act of India

SOVEREIGN RIGHTTS OVER BIODIVERSITY ESTABLISHED

Biodiversity management responsibilities -

National B.D. Authority – National Authority

State B. D. Boards – at State levels &

Local B. D. Management committees – at Local body levels

BIODIVERSITY LOSS….

•20% in next 30 years?

•50% by end of 21st

century ?

REASONS…..

•Natural extinction

•Habitat destruction

•Overexploitation …..

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

WHY SHOULD WE WORRY ?

MATERIAL RESOURCES

(Food, medicine, material needs…)

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

(Climate, Water , soil….)

ETHICS, AESTHETICS

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

Traditional

varieties, Wild

species ….. –

Ecosystem

people’s

survival

base© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

MEDICINAL PLANTS….

Akanayaka

Sarpagandha

Nela nelli

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

ESTIMATESESTIMATES……..

GLOBAL

APPROXIMATION -

80 – 120 LAKH SPECIES

DISCOVERED &

DESCRIBED SO FAR –

16 LAKH ONLY

INDIA

2.2% LAND AREA

7.5% SPECIES

(1.2 LAKH SPECIES)

ONE OF THE 12 MEGADIVERSITY ONE OF THE 12 MEGADIVERSITY

NATIONSNATIONS

SPECIES DIVERSITY….

GROUP GLOBAL

DIVERSITY

INDIA ENDEMI

CS

Prokaryotes

Fungi

Algae

Angiosperms

Insects

Molluscs

Fishes

Amphibia

Reptiles

Birds

Mammals

4,800

69,000

26,900

2,50,000

8,00,000

50,000

23,000

4,200

6,300

9,000

4,000

850

23,000

2,500

17,500

60,000

5,050

2,500

204

446

1,250

372

-

-

-

5,750

-

-

-

110

187

70

44

30% of Plants (5725 Species ?)

• 400 higher vertebrates, 44 mammals

• 70 Birds, 187 reptiles, 110 amphibia …..

RICH in ENDEMIC SPECIES

Species restricted only to narrow regions

Eastern Himalaya & The Western GhatsTreasures of Endemics under serious threats

TWO among the 25 GLOBAL HOTSPOTS

INDIAN CENTRES OF ENDEMISM…

GROUP Eastern

Himalaya

Western

Ghats

Andaman &

Nicobar

Islands

Angiosperms

Reptiles

Amphibia

Mammals

3,500

20

25

-

1, 720

91

84

7

144

23

2

-

The Western Ghats

1700 plants, 84 amphibia, 16 birds, 7 mammals –

Found nowhere else!

© Jayakara Bhandary

ANASHI - DANDELI

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

Sharavathy Valley….

KARNATAKA…

Diverse Ecosystems

(Forests, Grasslands, wetlands,

Mangroves, agri fields, etc.)

…Biologically Rich

22,000 species ?

4,500 plants, 500 birds,

800 fishes, 160 reptiles,

160 mammals, 70 amphibians …

© Jayakara Bhandary

SACRED GROVES –TRADITIONAL

CONSERVATION SITES

MANGROVES-

HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE,

FRAGILE ECOSYSTEM

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

ESTUARIES-Highly productive ecosystems

Aghanashini…..

Shell fish – 5 crores

Shell mining-5000 tonnes

Lowland rice – 3.5 crores14 rivers…

© Jayakara Bhandary

•ECOLOGICALLY

UNIQUE PLANTS

• SHORE PROTECTION

• BREEDING GROUND

FOR FISHERY RESOURCES

• NUTRITION

• LOCAL NEEDS

Aerial roots of mangroves

Mangrove trees fringing the river bank

MANGROVES

Estuarine/Mangrove Flora

Acrstichum aureum, Avicennia spp.

Aegiceros corniculatum, Acanthus ilicifolius

Bruguiera spp. Cerbera odollum

Excoecaria agallocha, Kandelia candel

Lumnitzera racemosa, Sonneratia spp.

Rhizophora spp. , Clerodendrum inerme

Calophyllum inophyllum, Derris spp.

Thespesia populnea, Pandanus spp.

Vitex negundo

Mangrove diversity…..

Aegiceras corniculatum

Lumnitzera racemosa

Excoecaria agallocha

Acrostichum aureum

(Mangrove fern)

© Jayakara Bhandary

©Jayak

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dary

Bruguiera gymnorrhiza

© Jayakara Bhandary

©Jayak

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dary

© Jayakara Bhandary

Mangrove associatesMangrove associates

Dolichandrone spathaceae

Caesalpina crista

Derris spp.

Clerodendrum sp.

Premna sp.

Pongamia sp.

Cyperus sp.

Canavalia sp.

Dalbergia sp.

©Jayak

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dary

© Jayakara Bhandary

Prawns – 80 spp.

Crabs/Lobsters – 15 spp.

Bivalves – 20 spp.

Cephalopods – 8 spp.

Gastropods – 15 spp. Sea cucumbers – 12 sp.

Fin fish – 200 spp. Sharks – 60 spp.

Skates – 10 spp. Rays – 20 spp.

Estuarine/marine

fauna……

Scillago sp.

(Kane)

©Jayak

ara

Bh

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THREATSTHREATS…………Deforestation /

Private ownership

Sand/Shell mining

Prawn Farming /

Ghazni conversion

Tourism activities

© Jayakara Bhandary

Syzygium caryophyllatum, Sapium insigne

Carissa congesta, Catunaregam spinosa

Ixora coccinea, Tabernaemontana heyneana

Terminalia paniculata, Hemidesmus indicus,

Elephantopus scaber, Ziziphus spp.

Calycopteris floribunda,

Jasminum malabaricum ………

Scrub forest

species…..

REPTILES…..

Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Hook nosed sea snake (Enhydrina sohistosa)

Sea snakes (Laticauda colubrine, Hydrophis sp.)

Water monitor (Varanus salvator)

Common monitor (Veranus benghalensis)

Estuarine crocodile (Crocodilus porosus)

Ipomea pes-caprae –

sand binder

Calophyllum

inophyllum- honne

Important coastal

plants….

© Jayakara Bhandary

Exotic weed

invasion….

Ipomoea carnea

from S. AmericaEichornia crassipes

Birds: 135 spp.

Cormorants – 3spp.

Herons/Egrets – 12 spp.

Storks – 6 spp.

Ducks – 8spp.

Eagles/Kites – 7spp.

Rails/Coots – 10 spp.

Jacana/Stilts/Crab plovers – 10spp.

Plovers – 10 spp.

Sandpipers/Curlews – 30spp.

Gulls/Terns – 20 spp.

Kingfishers/Passerins – 20spp.

Olive ridley turtle – breeding in the

coast of Karnataka – Threatened!

UNIQUE

ECOSYSTEMS,

PLANTS,

ANIMALS……

MYRISTICA SWAMPS…only habitats for

Myristica fatua, Gymnacranthera canarica, &

Semicarpus kathalekanensis (New species)

©Jayak

ara

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dary

Semecarpus anacardiumRestricted to the

Myristica swamps

of Uttara Kannada

Only 250 plants allover

the world

© Jayakara Bhandary

Paracautleya bhatii – new species

from Manipal, Udupi District.

ISACHNE WENDLANDII – NEW GRASS

Nyctibatrachus hussaini

New frog from KUDREMUKH

Ornithoctonus gadgilli

New spider species

Parabatasio sharavatiensis – new fish from Sharavathi river

ISLANDS, BEACHES, SAND DUNES

‘Reserpine’ from Rauvolfia serpentina.

Pattambi rice – Gene to Brown plant hopper.

…..Worth several crores.

Indian resource. No share in economic returns!

PAST……

FUTURE …. May not be the same.

PBR’s – essential for local monitoring

By Local BD management commitees.

Network of PBR’s - National Picture.

(Computerised ?)

LOCAL BODIES, LOCAL EXPERTISE,

LOCAL PEOPLE…. – MAJOR ROLES IN

PBR PREPARATION.

AWARENESS……. BASIS TO ACT.

PEOPLE’S BIODIVERSITY REGISTERS

Biodiversity records

at Panchayath

levels prepared with

local’s participation

List of species,, status, changes,

Benefits, Traditional Knowledge,

conservation needs, Local

aspirations, participatory

mapping………

Some Medicinal species

commonly found in sacred

groves of Coastal

Karnataka………

Some Endemic species found in SG’s of Coastal

Karnataka….

Flower watchingas a hobby………?

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

© Jayakara Bhandary

When the last tree is cut

When the last river is dry

When the last fish is caught

Then we realise that

Money just can’t be eaten