GIS@development November 2002: "Map atlas on biodiversity characterization"

One of the national level study in India focuses on biodiversity characterization at landscape level. This is a multiinstitutional programme on bioprospectiong of biological wealth jointly supported by Department of Space and Department of Biotechnology (Anon, 2002a, 2002b, 2002c). The main thrust of the study includes integrating spatial data like land use and land cover data, disturbance regimes and biological richness maps with non-spatial data like taxonomic and genetic information and creating landscape level information linked with comprehensive plant species data base. Judicious natural resource management is the need of the hour. Advances in remote sensing satellite sensors allow assessment and monitoring vegetation cover and its related attributes. Geomatics allows building of comprehensive data base on various parameters which govern spatial distribution of biodiversity. The study has been carried out following standardized methodology manual and customized package Bio-CAP. The utilization of landscape principles coupled with remote sensing and geographical information system were used to characterize fragmentation, disturbance regimes and biodiversity. Since this data set is in geographic information system it can always be enriched and improved upon. The spatial data have also been linked with the species database of Botanical Survey of India-Red Data Book and field sample data laid down in the different strata of vegetation. Attempts have also been made to overlay Botanical Survey of India-Red Data Book-species locations (as indicated habitats) on the maps generated in the present study. It is sincerely expected that the data set generated will be used framing immediate priorities of biodiversity conservation in these regions. Thus the team produced a map atlas which is first of it kind in India.

Biodiversity is generally the greatest in the oldest ecosystems. It changes across environmental gradients like, latitude, altitude, depth, aridity etc. The habitat definitions in the form of vegetation cover types will allow ‘what to look and where?’. The disturbance regimes assessed across the landscape will allow focusing on the ecosystems, which are under ‘stress’. Hence, if the field survey indicates that the region is an important habitat for a species for bioprospecting, the ‘stress’ factor needs to be removed/reduced. Biological Richness Indices (BR) asserts the areas, which should be treated on priority in decision making and at management level for conservation of biodiversity. The ‘Gap Analysis’ carried out on these maps will guide management and decision making for bioprospecting. All plant species have basic requirements for its ecological optima (in particular habitat within the range of tolerance and requirement). Habitat identification and economic importance of the species can be useful inputs for bioprospecting. Biologically rich (BR) areas are those habitats, where landscape ecological conditions are favorable for natural speciation and evolutionary process. These areas can be expected to be in an equilibrium, where species can occur, grow and evolve in natural conditions.

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