Genetic diversity
Variation within a species — such as the many traditional varieties of mango or rice — that helps life adapt to disease and change.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity Conservation
Biodiversity is the variety of life — and the web of relationships that connects it. Trees sit at the heart of that web, supporting countless other species.
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized and cropped)
What it means
What Is Biodiversity?
Species diversity
The variety of plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms living in a place.
Ecosystem diversity
The variety of habitats: forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, mangroves, coasts and more.
India's natural heritage
India's Biodiversity
India is recognised as one of the world's megadiverse countries. It includes parts of four global biodiversity hotspots — the Himalaya, the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland (through the Nicobar Islands).
Its ecosystems range from alpine meadows and evergreen forests to deserts, grasslands, wetlands, mangroves and coral reefs. Much of this richness is also found close to home — in village groves, farm boundaries, school campuses, ponds and city parks.
The Indian peafowl, India's national bird, and colourful species such as the Indian roller are familiar in many farmland and semi-open landscapes.
Trees as habitat
Trees as Habitat
A single large native tree can support an extraordinary variety of life. Native fig trees, for instance, depend on tiny specialised fig wasps for pollination — and feed many birds and mammals in return.
Birds
Feed on fruit, nectar and insects; nest in branches and hollows.
Insects & pollinators
Bees, butterflies, beetles and moths depend on leaves, flowers and bark.
Bats
Many bats feed on fruit and nectar, helping to disperse seeds and pollinate flowers.
Fungi & decomposers
Recycle fallen leaves and dead wood into nutrients for new growth.
Plants on trees
Orchids, ferns, mosses and lichens grow on branches and bark.
Soil life
Roots partner with soil fungi and organisms that keep soil fertile.
Threats
Threats to Biodiversity
Global scientific assessments identify five major direct drivers of nature's decline:
- 1Changes in land and sea use, such as clearing and fragmenting habitats
- 2Direct exploitation of plants and animals
- 3Climate change
- 4Pollution of air, water and soil
- 5Invasive alien species
Native vs invasive
Native and Invasive Species
Native plants have long-standing relationships with local wildlife, so they usually support far more life than introduced ornamental species.
Some introduced species become invasive, spreading aggressively and crowding out native vegetation. In parts of western India, Prosopis juliflora has spread widely across drylands and grasslands, while the ornamental shrub Lantana camara has invaded many Indian forests.
What you can do
What You Can Do
- Plant a mix of native trees, shrubs and flowering plants
- Leave some leaf litter and natural corners in gardens and campuses
- Reduce chemical pesticide use
- Keep a shallow, clean water bowl for birds in hot months
- Protect ponds, grasslands and groves — not only trees
- Observe and record the wildlife around you
Youth for Nature
ProposedOpportunities for young people to explore nature, observe local biodiversity and volunteer — with guardian consent and supervision for anyone under 18.
Planned activities
- Guided nature walks and bird or tree observation
- Youth volunteering at plantation and tree-care activities
- Skill-building in documentation, photography and outreach
What we will report
- Young volunteers participating, with guardian consent recorded
- Observations and activities documented by participants
Help protect local biodiversity
Join nature walks, help record local wildlife and support planting that gives birds, insects and other species a home.