Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Adding to the grim scenario of extinctions is the fact that more than 15,500 species world-wide are facing the threat of extinction. From a study of the history of life on earth through fossil records, we learn that large-scale loss of species like the one we are currently witnessing have also happened earlier, even before humans appeared on the scene. During the long period (> 3 billion years) since the origin and diversification of life on earth there were five episodes of mass extinction of species. How is the 'Sixth Extinction' presently in progress different from the previous episodes? The difference is in the rates; the current species extinction rates are estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times faster than in the pre-human times and our activities are responsible for the faster rates. Ecologists warn that if the present trends continue, nearly half of all the species on earth might be wiped out within the next 100 years.
Match List-I with List-II:
| List-I | List-II |
| (A) Biodiversity hotspots | (I) Species confined to a region and not found anywhere else |
| (B) Sacred groves | (II) Tracts of forest in which all the trees and wildlife were venerated and given total protection |
| (C) Endemism | (III) Regions identified by conservationists for maximum protection on a global basis |
| (D) Biosphere reserves, national parks and sanctuaries | (IV) Ecologically unique and biodiversity-rich regions legally protected in India |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV
Three of these items are ways of protecting living things in their natural habitat (in situ conservation). The fourth, endemism, is one of the two features used to pick out a hotspot. The match turns on who gives the protection and at what level.
(A) Biodiversity hotspots — this matches (III) Regions identified by conservationists for maximum protection on a global basis. Since resources cannot save every species, conservationists chose these species-rich regions for global protection.
(B) Sacred groves — this matches (II) Tracts of forest in which all the trees and wildlife were venerated and given total protection. They come from religious and cultural traditions, not from law. In Meghalaya they are the last refuges for many rare and threatened plants.
(C) Endemism — this matches (I) Species confined to a region and not found anywhere else. A high degree of endemism is one of the two features of a hotspot.
(D) Biosphere reserves, national parks and sanctuaries — this matches (IV) Ecologically unique and biodiversity-rich regions legally protected in India. Here the protection is given by law, and it is at the level of the country.
NCERT Extract:
How do we conserve Biodiversity? – “… On a global basis, this problem has been addressed by eminent conservationists. They identified for maximum protection certain ‘biodiversity hotspots’ regions with very high levels of species richness and high degree of endemism (that is, species confined to that region and not found anywhere else).”
How do we conserve Biodiversity? – “In India, ecologically unique and biodiversity-rich regions are legally protected as biosphere reserves, national parks and sanctuaries. India now has 14 biosphere reserves, 90 national parks and 448 wildlife sanctuaries. 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.”