Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability (April 2015) 3(1): 71-72

MEETING REPORT

Biodiversity: Current perspective#

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Jay Shankar Singh

Biodiversity is a broad term covering the wide diversity

of biological individuals, from gene to ecosystem. The
biological diversity and ecosystem services are the major
driving force for the sustainability of life on this Earth. It
also contributes significantly in the development of a nation
due to the commercial value of the biological products.
However, the climate change and anthropogenic activities
have been considered as major threats responsible for the
loss of global biodiversity. It is very crucial to understand
the present biodiversity status, impact of biodiversity losses
on ecosystem functioning and its conservation measures. As
this is one of the major emerging concerns, it necessitates
the scientific communities to create awareness regarding the
conservation of biodiversity in maintaining the
environmental sustainability. Considering the importance of
biodiversity and its conservation, an international
symposium entitled Biodiversity: Status, Utilization and
Impact of Challenging Climatic Conditions was held
recently.
In the gathering about 35 invited lead speakers, 10
international and 350 national delegates participated. The
symposium was chaired by the chief guest Professor S. B.
Nimse, Vice-Chancellor, University of Lucknow who is also
the immediate past President of Indian Science Congress
Association.
The theme of the symposium was introduced by
Professor R. C. Sobti, Vice-Chancellor of BB Ambedkar
(Central) University. He has made invaluable contributions
in providing unique and dedicated transparent leadership
towards advancement and development of the university.
After his immediate joining, he donated sufficient money
and encouraged the university fraternity to conduct and
organise national and international conferences/symposia
every year in sufficient number. In this gathering, he
highlighted on the topic Contemporary Issues in

Biodiversity. He emphasised that every organisms,

including human, is very closely associated and dependent
on the biodiversity. He also suggested that the conservation
of biodiversity on priority bases a noteworthy duty of human
beings. According to him some basic aspects of biodiversity
like phylogeny, structure and functions, importance and
impact of biodiversity loss on human well-being, bio-assets
conservation and management and some contemporary
issues related to theme may also need to be debated upon
and addressed in the present scenario. He was honoured by
life-time achievement award of Indian Academy of
Environmental Sciences (IAES), Hardwar.
During the event, professor Veena Sharma, Department
of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali University,
Banasthali, was honoured for her research achievements on
protective role of saponin (isolated from Morina oleifera)
to attenuate the hepatic toxicity in mice. The efforts related
to public health risk management programme of professor
Hamida Khanum, Parasitology Branch, Department of
Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka and the efforts of
improvement of livestock management technology and
characterisation of cattle and buffalo diversity by Dr. Monika
Sodhi, National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources,
Karnal, Harayana were honoured.
It has been reported that microbial diversity could be
an important factor for the sustainability of agriculture and
environment (Singh, 2011, 2014, 2015). The role of
microbial biodiversity and their products in the sustainable
development of a nation was emphasized by Professor Prince
Sharma, Department of Microbiology, Punjab University,
Chandigarh. According to him the microbial enzymes such
as laccases, xylanases, amylases and lipases are contributing
significantly as industrial enzymes. He suggested that
extreme environment like the hot springs could be unique
ecosystems harbouring the diverse type of extremophiles.

A report on an international symposium on Biodiversity: Status, Utilization and Impact of Challenging Climatic Conditions held during 30-31
October 2014 at BB Ambedkar (Central) University, Lucknow 226025, in association with the Indian Academy of Environmental Science, Hardwar,
Uttaranchal
Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Microbiology, BB Ambedkar (Central) University, Lucknow 226025, Uttar Pradesh, India
Email id: jayshankar_1@yahoo.co.in

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72

Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability (April 2015) 3(1): 71-72

The thermo-stable enzymes (thermo-stable amylase),

obtained from the novel recombinant strain of Bacillus can
be appropriate for industrial use. Finally he suggested that
artificial ecosystems such as activated sludge (paper and pulp
mills) can harbour complex microbial diversity and could
be ideal sources for the isolation of enzymes lacasses having
novel properties applicable to industries.
The technical session on issues related to plant
biodiversity and conservation was chaired by Dr. G. K.
Kulkarni, Department of Zoology, BAMU, Aurangabad.
Professor P. Bhattacharya delivered a very interesting talk
on Challenges of urban biodiversity and green space
management in developing countries. The innovative
developmental practices via vital ecosystem services
contributing in sink phenomenon were discussed. The
concept of green city is emerging very fast, which also
reflects key parameters of sustainable city. In most
developing countries, urbanisation has become a
synonymous to development, and the problem of
unsustainable urban growth trend is now phenomenal. This
urban sustainability challenge may continue to grow in the
future, as countries emphasise on urban based and high
growth models of development. Recent research indicated
that human beings are facing profound changes in
environmental conditions such as flooding, drought, rising
sea levels due to multi-causal and complex phenomenon of
climate change. Such environmental, social and biological
drivers have led to cascading effects on human life in urban
areas, directly affecting the livelihoods, health and social
inequalities. Such changes in environmental situation and
increased climatic vulnerability in the urban context have
now raised an important query as to why modern urbanisation
fails to follow a sustainable trajectory. Professor
Bhattacharya also highlighted that government in developing
economy must formulate effective policy guidelines in such
a manner that that cities inspire and support the promoters
of green urban infrastructure for enhancing both green and
water space like lake, etc. Considering all these issues, it is
also suggested that every new or emerging city of developing
countries must evolve with appropriate plan to implement
urban green space, including Biodiversity Park for creating
ecological corridor. The greening of city space can help
restore vital balance in the degraded ecosystem and can also
contribute to climate change mitigation. We need to learn

from these initiatives and also contribute to explore ways in

which development and conservation can go hand in hand.
Professor B.D. Joshi, founder and president of IAES,
Hardwar emphasised the importance of scared ecosystems
for the conservation and protection of biodiversity. He
detailed that communities around the world traditionally
protect natural sites that are dedicated to ancestral spirits.
He pointed out that such sites cover a wide variety of habitats
and are often located in biodiversity rich regions.
Furthermore, he discussed that natural scared sites are
maintained through traditional methods of community-based
conservation that do not require governmental involvement.
Incorporating these ecosystems into conservation networks
could enhance the effectiveness of protected areas by
covering a wider variety of natural habitats and by harnessing
the support of local people. Finally, he suggested that
extensive investigations on the ecology and fundamental
socioeconomic mechanisms of natural scared ecosystems are
required to fully reveal their potential for biodiversity
conservation.
Dr. Kamal Jaiswal (convener of symposium), Head,
Department of Applied Animal Science, BB Ambedkar
University delivered the vote of thanks. He emphasised that
the theme of this symposium has a great importance in the
present context, since biodiversity encompasses the variety
of all species on the earth.
In conclusion, this international symposium was a
successful gathering of research experts and academicians
from different disciplines. The exchange of knowledge,
experiences, innovative thoughts and opinions during the
meeting will provide a new direction(s) and appreciative of
all the key issues related to the current status of biodiversity.
It is suggested that taking care of, maintaining and
preserving/conserving the global biodiversity is a
fundamental duty of each and every person living on this
planet.
References
Singh JS (2011). Methanotrophs: the potential biological sink to
mitigate the global methane load. Curr. Sci., 100: 2930.
Singh JS (2014). Cyanobacteria: A vital bio-agent in eco-restoration
of degraded lands and sustainable agriculture. Climate Change
Environ. Sustain., 2: 133137.
Singh JS (2015). Microbes: The chief ecological engineers in
reinstating equilibrium in degraded ecosystems. Agric. Ecosyst.
Environ. 203: 8082.