Question

Analyse the reasons for the decline in india's biodiversity due to human activities

Answer 1

Clearing forest for agricultural purposes
changing forest into nomenclature plantation 
population escalation
over use of resources

Answer 2

Biodiversity loss has always existed as a natural process but threats to biodiversity arise when the rate of extinction exceeds the rate of speciation. In India, due to human interaction with natural resources biodiversity has declined. Humans have drastically disturbed natural rate of extinction of species and speciation. Factors that cause the loss of biodiversity have exceeded the factors that cause the gains in biodiversity. These factors or reasons are as follows.
1) Escalating human population :- Escalating human population is the root cause of biodiversity loss in India. Major threat to biodiversity not only emerge from ever increasing human population but also multiplied by it. Population has increased so rapidly and at such a large scale that species are not able to keep pace with these changes.
2) Habitat destruction and fragmentation :- Habitat destruction and fragmentation are considered as prime reasons for decline in biodiversity. Although habitat may be degraded, modified or merely eliminated but it is more commonly devastated by human activities. Habitat destruction is caused mainly due to conversion of forest land into other land uses. it is estimated that after independence India has lost 4696 million hectares of forest land.
3) Overuse of natural resources :- The hunting of wild animals and harvesting of wild plants is needed for human survival. Earlier it was done in a sustainable manner but now as humans became more numerous and widespread, they started killing species faster than those species can replace themselves, either through reproduction or immigration from elsewhere.
4) Climate change :- Climate change is a significant driving force behind the decline in biodiversity in India. Due to global warming, ecosystem has been disturbed. High temperature has triggered early flowering. This could affect interaction with other species that depend on flowering plants. Sea levels are rising due to global warming.
5) Natural Calamities :- Natural calamities such as floods, cyclones, avalanches and landslides etc are also responsible for depletion of biological diversity in India. For example floods destroyed many parts of Kaziranga National Park in Assam this year and many plant species were also lost.