The Energy and Resources Institute Creating Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future

The natural balance that once existed in the web of life from the smallest of insects and microbes to the mighty tigers and elephants has been disturbed significantly and the gamut of species that walk the Earth today are substantially different in their numbers from what they used to be. It was some of these rather shocking facts that led the renowned American biologist, Edward O.Wilson, to coin the word 'biodiversity' in the '80s in a popular science book by the same title. The word, having grown into a huge global research consortium since, has attracted enormous attention - and yet, perhaps, not quite enough. Defined as the variability among living organisms from terrestrial, marine, and aquatic ecosystems alike, 'biodiversity' encompasses the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems - with variation at the level of molecules, genes, external form, organisms, species and ecosystems.

The importance of maintaining the diversity of life forms on the planet, is underscored heavily in the context of today's world by the fact that its loss can exacerbate climate change significantly, by changing the planet's longtime natural ecological chain, eventually resulting in a rise in emissions. Groups of well-known conservation biologists world-over have been voicing concern that the ecology of the planet has changed more rapidly and extensively in the past 50 years than in any other comparable period of time in human history, at an increasing decibel level and have even predicted the potential for mass extinction of several animal and plant species.

Much of the world's biodiversity is concentrated in the forests of the developing countries, in the tropical regions. India, for example, is classified as a mega-diverse country with ten bio-geographic zones, four hotspots and over 89,000 animal and 46,000 plant species.

Biodiversity and the management of natural resources have evolved into key areas of interest at TERI, by way of research, policy and ground-level action.

Taken together, these initiatives highlight the undoubted necessity of conservation - after all, variety is the mainstay of life.