In-situ Conservation

In-situ conservation is the conservation of genetic resources through their protection within the natural — or human-made — ecosystem in which they naturally occur; it protects an entire ecosystem and its biodiversity at every level, rather than isolating a single threatened species, precisely because a species' long-term survival depends on the habitat around it staying intact. This makes protecting biodiversity hotspots a particular priority: although all the world's hotspots together cover less than 2% of Earth's land area, the sheer number of species they harbour is disproportionately high, so protecting them could meaningfully slow the ongoing pace of mass biodiversity loss. India delivers this protection through a formal network of Protected Areas — biogeographical areas where biological diversity, alongside natural and cultural resources, is protected, maintained and managed through legal measures, spanning national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, community reserves and biosphere reserves. The World Conservation Monitoring Centre recognises some 37,000 protected areas worldwide, and India alone contributes about 771 of them, cover …