In this multi-part series Miguel Brazanga, who resides in Goa and is involved in a number of volunteer activities with various groups and organizations, shares some of his knowledge of Goa's little known biodiversity. The following is posted with his permission in connection with GOA SUDHAROP's "YEAR OF THE GOAN VOLUNTEER SPIRIT".
1. Introduction: Agricultural biodiversity includes the variety and variability of crop plants, non-crop plants, animals, fish, mollusks [snails, bivalves, etc] and micro-organisms [bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, yeasts, etc] used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture. It includes the cultivars, varieties and breeds of different species used for food, fodder, fiber, fuel, medicine, construction, furniture, etc. It also includes the diversity of non-harvested species that support production (e.g. soil micro-organisms, predators, parasites, pollinators ,etc ) and those in the wider environment whose role in the agro-ecosystems (agricultural, pastoral, forest and aquatic) is not yet understood, as well as the diversity of the agro-ecosystems themselves. It is in this context that we will examine the situation of agricultural biodiversity in Goa, the twenty-fifth state of the Indian Union and the hotspot of plant, animal and microbial [specially yeasts] introduction by the monarchs of various kingdoms in India, the Arab spice traders as well as the administrators, priests [specially the Jesuits] and other visitors during the 451 years of Portuguese colonial rule [1510 to 1961 A.D.]. Biodiversity has an impact on our food chain as well as the very existence of life on this planet due to possible climate change. Today, its importance cannot be overstated or exaggerated. 2. Definitions Biodiversity Biodiversity found on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct biological species, the product of four billion years of evolution, but the word “Biodiversity” itself was coined as a contraction of "biological diversity" in 1985. [Source: http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/biodiversity/?gclid] A broad definition of biodiversity is designed to include not only living organisms and their complex interactions, but also interactions with the non-living (abiotic) aspects of their environment. The term biodiversity is best defined as “the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it.” [Source: http://cnx.org/content/m12151/latest/ , Gaston, K.J. (1996). “What is biodiversity?” In K.J. Gaston (Ed.), Biodiversity: a biology of numbers and difference. (pp. 1-9). Oxford, U.K.: Blackwell Science Ltd.] The most widely accepted definition for biodiversity is contained within the Convention on Biological Diversity: ‘Biological diversity’ means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, among other things, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.’ In simple words, Biodiversity consists of the bacteria in your stomach, the algae in a pond, the spiders in your house, the genes that are the code to create a human, a small patch of grassland, the mosaic of habitats on an island, the Amazon rain forest. In short, biodiversity is the variety of life on earth, at all levels, from genes, through to individual organisms to species to vast and expansive habitats and the links and interactions between all of these. [Source: http://www.businessandbiodiversity.org/what_is_biodiversity.html] Almost every country in the world in 2002 agreed to a "significant reduction" in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, but scientists say extinctions are gathering pace. In April, 2009, Environment ministers from major rich and developing nations sealed a deal to try to slow the rate of species loss around the world but failed to make a breakthrough in climate change negotiations. At the end of the meeting on the island of Sicily, the G-8 and developing nations signed a charter to extend the deal on biodiversity loss. Delegates said the Syracuse Charter indicated a link between climate change and species extinction and emphasized the economic value of biodiversity, particularly in developing countries. By some calculations, extinction rates are higher than their natural pace due to human influence. Three species disappear every hour, according to U.N. figures. [Source: http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/news/viewdetail/g8_biodiversity_deal.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=biodiversity&utm_campaign=Allianz%20Knowledge%20-%20Climate%20Impacts] To be continued .......
