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GS Paper: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation

  • India’s next conservation challenge lies beyond protected areas

    Why in the News

    An argument is being made that India’s conservation model, centered on isolated protected areas, is no longer sufficient. As development corridors fragment habitats, the next challenge is protecting connectivity through ecological corridors and area-based measures outside formal parks, in line with global biodiversity commitments.

    What is Protected-Area-Only Conservation Model?

    1. The Protected-Area-Only (PA-only) model is a traditional conservation strategy focused on creating and managing geographically defined zones such as national parks and nature reserves where human activity is strictly limited or prohibited to preserve biodiversity.
    2. Key elements include strict legal boundaries, top-down enforcement, and the exclusion of everyday resource extraction.

    Core Characteristics

    1. Spatial segregation: Separates nature preservation zones from human-dominated landscapes like farms or cities.
    2. Strict regulation: Limits or bans resource use, hunting, grazing, and permanent human settlement inside borders.
    3. Top-down control: Relies heavily on government oversight, rangers, and legal penalties to prevent habitat damage

    What are Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs)?

    1. Meaning: Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) are areas outside formal protected areas that still deliver long-term biodiversity conservation.
    2. Difference from protected areas: They are not designated national parks or sanctuaries, but community lands, corridors or managed areas that sustain species.
    3. Global basis: OECMs are recognised under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as a route to expand effective conservation area.

    Why is the protected-area-only model insufficient?

    1. Habitat fragmentation: Infrastructure such as the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor cuts through and isolates wildlife habitats.
    2. Island effect: Isolated parks trap populations, reducing genetic exchange and long-term viability.
    3. Corridor need: Landscapes such as Pench-Seoni show that connectivity between reserves is as vital as the reserves themselves.

    What must the new approach include?

    1. Ecological corridors: Legally recognised corridors linking protected areas would let species move and populations mix.
    2. National Conservation Estate: A wider conservation estate would bring corridors and OECMs into a coherent framework.
    3. CBD alignment: Meeting India’s biodiversity-area commitments under the CBD requires counting effective conservation beyond parks.

    Conclusion

    Conservation confined to isolated protected areas cannot survive large-scale habitat fragmentation. The central need is connectivity, through ecological corridors, OECMs and a National Conservation Estate. Aligning this with CBD commitments is how India can protect biodiversity beyond park boundaries.

    Back2Basics

    Landscape-Based Conservation

    Definition:
    Landscape-based conservation is an integrated approach that conserves biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecological connectivity across entire landscapes, including Protected Areas, forests, farmlands, rivers, wildlife corridors, and human settlements, while balancing conservation with sustainable livelihoods.

    Key Features

    1. Conserves entire ecosystems, not just isolated Protected Areas.
    2. Maintains ecological connectivity through wildlife corridors.
    3. Integrates local communities into conservation.
    4. Promotes sustainable land-use in agriculture, forestry, and infrastructure.
    5. Improves climate resilience by enabling species movement and adaptation.

    Why is it needed?

    1. Wildlife frequently moves outside Protected Areas.
    2. Prevents habitat fragmentation.
    3. Addresses climate change by allowing range shifts.
    4. Balances conservation with development and livelihoods.

    Examples

    1. Western Ghats Landscape: Eco-Sensitive Areas and corridor-based conservation.
    2. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve: Connects Mudumalai, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Wayanad, and Sathyamangalam.
    3. Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Landscape: Critical elephant and rhino corridor.
    4. Terai Arc Landscape (India-Nepal): Cross-border conservation for tigers, elephants, and rhinos.

    Global Recognition

    1. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022): Encourages conservation through Protected Areas + Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs).
    2. IUCN: Promotes connectivity conservation and integrated landscape management.

    PYQ Relevance

    [UPSC 2014] With reference to ‘Global Environment Facility’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

    (a) It serves as financial mechanism for ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ and ‘United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’. (b) It undertakes scientific research on environmental issues at global level. (c) It is an agency under OECD to facilitate the transfer of technology and funds to underdeveloped countries with specific aim to protect their environment. (d) Both (a) and (b).

    Answer: (a)”

  • India confirmed as a global lepidoptera hotspot

    Why in the News?

    A Zoological Survey of India catalogue, published in the journal Zootaxa, records 13,703 species of butterflies and moths in India, about 8.25% of the world total. The finding reinforces India’s standing among the world’s megadiverse nations and provides a baseline for insect conservation.

    What does the catalogue record?

    1. Total species: India hosts 13,703 lepidoptera species, comprising 1,417 butterflies and 12,286 moths.
    2. Global share: This is about 8.25% of all butterfly and moth species worldwide.
    3. Source: The catalogue was compiled by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and published in the taxonomic journal Zootaxa.

    Why is this significant?

    1. Megadiverse status: The count reinforces India’s position as one of the world’s megadiverse countries.
    2. Baseline data: A comprehensive species list provides a baseline against which future losses or discoveries can be measured.
    3. Ecological role: Butterflies and moths are pollinators and prey species, so their diversity signals ecosystem health.

    What is Lepidoptera?

    1. It is the order of butterflies, a large biological order that includes insects such as moths, and skippers.
    2. With about 180,000 species worldwide, it is the second largest order in the insect kingdom after the beetles (Coleoptera).

    Why does lepidoptera diversity matter for conservation?

    1. Pollination service: Many butterfly and moth species pollinate wild and cultivated plants.
    2. Food web link: They sustain populations of birds, spiders and wasps that feed on them.
    3. Indicator species: Their sensitivity to habitat change makes them useful indicators of environmental stress.

    Conclusion

    The ZSI catalogue documents India’s exceptional lepidoptera diversity and its megadiverse status. The species baseline is a foundation for tracking ecosystem health. Butterflies and moths matter because they anchor pollination and food webs across habitats.

    Back2Basics:

    Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)

    1. Establishment: Founded in 1916 as the premier taxonomic research organisation for animal life in India.
    2. Ministry: Functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
    3. Headquarters: Kolkata.
    4. Mandate: Survey, exploration and documentation of India’s faunal diversity.

    PYQ Relevance

    [2017] Due to some reasons, if there is a huge fall in the population of species of butterflies, what could be its likely consequence/consequences?

    1. Pollination of some plants could be adversely affected. 2. There could be a drastic increase in the fungal infections of some cultivated plants. 3. It could lead to a fall in the population of some species of wasps, spiders and birds.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Answer: (c)