Painting, play competitions mark International Biodiversity Day

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 21

An International Biodiversity Day was organised at Pushpa Gujral Science City here today.

Dr Onkar Singh, Zoologist from Punjabi University, Patiala, said, “We are losing almost 50 species per day all over the globe due to various activities like forest fire, deforestation, all types of pollution, loss of habitat, scarcity of food, poaching, loss of reproductive efficacy due to rise of temperature, loss of reproductive efficacy due to infestation of pollutants in the ovaries of the organisms, etc. With the loss of one species, 20 more species are affected with that because they are dependent on that species.”

Further, he said rapidly rising greenhouse gas concentrations are driving earth ecosystems toward conditions not seen for millions of years, with an associated risk of fundamental and irreversible ecological transformation. “Changes in biological functions caused by anthropogenic climate change go far beyond death, extinctions and habitat loss. The reproductive system of some organisms is temperature dependent, in some reptiles Y-chromosome which is liable to produce males is absent and their sex is entirely temperature dependent. Where there is a more temperature then all males are produced and then temperature is low all females are produced, he said.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Rajesh Grover, Director, Science City, said that biodiversity is fundamental to the existence of life on earth and the importance of it cannot be underestimated. Referring to recent Forest fires in the hills of Uttarakhand which has caused significant loss and damage to valuable natural resources, Dr. Grover said, “The major reason of these forest fires is attributed to the loss of biodiversity in the region and dominance of chir pine which now covered a significant forest area (about16 per cent) in the state encroaching mixed species area every year due to its hardy nature. The chir pine itself is highly resistant to fire due to thick bark but the fallen dry needles are highly inflammable.”

He further added that in recent years, mass migration of villagers from the state has also checked the local utilization of the needles, leaving more fuel for forest fires. The regular burning of forests has wiped out communities of insects, birds, amphibians and reptiles, besides, of course, most mammals. He further added that due to the damage that has been caused, and the value that biodiversity has to humans, adoption of various security and conservation measures on this earth to curb the menace of global warming is essential.

Painting and science-play competition were also organised on this occasion for the students. More than 300 students from all over Punjab participated in these competitions.