Conserving and safeguarding the entire ecosystem ensures the preservation of biodiversity at all levels, illustrating the principle of "saving the entire forest to protect the tiger." This approach is known as in situ (on-site) conservation. However, in certain cases where a particular animal or plant species is at risk of extinction and requires immediate intervention, ex situ (off-site) conservation becomes the preferred method. In situ conservation involves protecting the natural habitat and the various organisms that inhabit it, ensuring the continuity of their ecological processes. By preserving the ecosystem as a whole, we indirectly safeguard the survival of individual species, such as the tiger in the forest example. On the other hand, ex situ conservation focuses on taking endangered or threatened species out of their natural environment and placing them in specialised facilities, such as botanical gardens, zoos, or seed banks. This approach is essential when the species faces imminent extinction and requires immediate and dedicated efforts for its survival. These off-site facilities provide a controlled environment where proper care and breeding programs can be implemented to enhance the species' chances of survival and eventual reintroduction into the wild if possible.
Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Sacred groves are a form of in situ conservation of biodiversity.
Reason (R): In many cultures, tracts of forest were set aside, and all the trees and wildlife within were venerated and given total protection.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Assertion (A): Sacred groves are a form of in situ conservation of biodiversity. — True. A is about the type of conservation that sacred groves represent. NCERT describes them under in situ conservation, along with biosphere reserves, national parks and sanctuaries.
Reason (R): In many cultures, tracts of forest were set aside, and all the trees and wildlife within were venerated and given total protection. — True. R is about what a sacred grove is. It comes from India’s religious and cultural traditions of protecting nature; such groves are found in Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Why R explains A? In situ conservation means protecting a whole ecosystem in its natural place. A sacred grove is just that: a tract of forest set aside where all the trees and wildlife are protected where they grow and live, without being taken anywhere else. So R gives the reason why sacred groves count as in situ conservation. R is the correct explanation of A.
NCERT Extract:
How do we Conserve Biodiversity? – “… India has also a history of religious and cultural traditions that emphasised protection of nature. In many cultures, tracts of forest were set aside, and all the trees and wildlife within were venerated and given total protection. Such sacred groves are found in Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan, Western Ghat regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra and the Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar areas of Madhya Pradesh.”
How do we Conserve Biodiversity? – “When we conserve and protect the whole ecosystem, its biodiversity at all levels is protected - we save the entire forest to save the tiger. This approach is called in situ (on site) conservation.”