Biodiversity Conservation-Protecting Species Before They Are Gone

8Species extinction is not a pleasant phenomenon. But around 27,000 species become extinct every year. This is a big blow to the biological diversity that sustains life on Earth. If this trend of biodiversity depletion continues, one-fourth of the world’s species may be gone by the year 2050. Biodiversity conservation strategies need to focus on several factors to be really effective. ANY natural calamity—a drought, a fire, a flood or a new disease—would have a tough job wiping out everything alive. The reason? All living things are a little bit different from each other. While some will perish, there will be others who would have certain genes or characteristics that will help them survive the calamity. This variability, also known as biological diversity, is a big defence mechanism essential for the survival of nature in all its pristine glory. Biodiversity or biological diversity refers to the variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems