 Okay, good morning everyone. Many of you know what is difference between environment and ecology. Environment is the one, whatever surrounds us, how we are interacting, how that in turn interact on you is about the environment. Ecology is the one, what we study about the ecosystem, what exists there, what is happening there. And what is ecosystem? Interaction. Interaction of biotic and abiotic. So environment is related to nature, right? Functional component of the ecosystem. What about this? This is environment like office environment, conference environment. So environment can be anything, our surrounding. And ecosystem also can be industrial ecosystem, office ecosystem, okay. But here we are going to discuss more about natural ecosystem, okay. So yesterday Dr. Nikhil told about Gaia's theory. Anybody remembers what is Gaia's theory? Can anyone say? Gaia's theory, he told that earth behaves as if it has purpose to support lights. The conditions on earth are designed in a such a way that as if it is nurturing lights, okay. You know on any other planet there is no life, okay. Why there is a life on earth? Because of suitable conditions like air, water, temperature, CO2, greenhouse gases also play very important role. What will happen if there are no greenhouse gases on the earth? Ice, so there will be no life, right? Right, yeah. So all these are basic things. So I don't think that I need to explain all these things to you. How lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere is interlinked with each other. We all know. Biosphere forms all together, lithosphere. What is lithosphere? Yeah, hydrosphere, water atmosphere, they are all the three together and living beings together is biosphere, yeah. So what is the environment surrounding natural or manmade ecosystems? Biotic and abiotic factors and their interaction. What is biotic? Living things, abiotic, non-living things. The study of the interaction between organisms and their environment and also among organisms, okay. This is a very interesting study. This is derived from a Greek word, yeah, yeah. You know that, so I am just skipping, yeah. And you know different types of ecosystems? Why there are different types of ecosystems? Activities are different. Different, not activities, but it is mainly because of different geographical features like topography, altitude, hills, mountain, whether it is on plains, it is river or lake or it is nearby, coast or whether temperature, salinity, rainfall, yeah, different kinds of rainfall. So abiotic components create specific condition that support a specific community of plants or animals which is adapted to that particular condition. That is why we have got different ecosystems, different abiotic condition which support life, which is adapted to that particular condition. So this is a very incredible learning experience. It shows how everything is one, oneness of nature, yeah, even including human being, how everything is linked with each other, how everything is one, one universe. Is there anything to do with, tiger has to do with grass? Tiger eats grass? No. Then? Indirectly controls the grass. Yeah, because of food chain, you know about food chain, how DDT spread on a lake can end danger, local bird population, any idea? Fire magnet, yeah, but how exactly, can you tell me, one by one, yeah, DDT, okay, but how it will end danger, the local bird population, very good sir, what's your name? Ja, can you please explain it loudly? It was found out that it was basically affecting the thickness of the eggshell and premature breaking of the eggshells were happening. So basically embryo was dying, thereby reducing the population of birds. Right, right, because DDT was not directly causing death of birds, but what was happening? Eggshells were becoming thinner and thinner and embryo was affecting, that is why slowly that bird population was getting endangered. You understand what is endangered, rare, extinct, yeah. So ecology is such an interesting study, we can understand that, if there is a disturbance in single component of the chain, the entire chain gets disturbed. Have you heard about Dodo story in Mauritius? Yeah. Okay, so I will not repeat it, okay, I will just tell you that Calvarius major was a dominant plant in Mauritius and suddenly because of some reason, Dodo bird population was reducing and finally it got extinct. But after that, even this plant became rare, can you explain why it became rare? How it was interlinked with Dodo? Somebody told, they know, somebody know, yeah. Usually birds are known for dispersion of seeds, right? Germination of the seed was basically after passing through the, it was perfect after passing through the gut of the Dodo bird. So it was not happening because entire Dodo population was eaten up by the Portuguese. So it resulted in the final extinction of two species, Dodo as well as Calvarius major. Yeah. Could you understand what he said? Anybody else? Yeah. No, anybody from here, what he said? Can you repeat? You understood? Yeah. The mission of the seed required that it has to be passed through the gut of the bird and that was not happening, that passing through the gut made the seed more viable for germination. Yeah. That was important. Was having very thick coating, okay? So when Dodo used to eat that seed and when it used to go in its gut, that because of that enzymes, that seed used to get broken and that used to facilitate germination process. See, all these things we cannot even think. So I just wanted to tell you that how everything is interlinked, how everything is related to each other and if you think, if you do any slight disturbance to any one component of that ecosystem, entire ecosystem gets affected. This is all simple things you know. You can tell your students, especially engineering students to draw a food chain in different ecosystems. Yeah. This is very simple but if you go to different ecosystem level and try to understand food chain, then it becomes little interesting and more complicated. Our Amruta e-learning lab has developed some small animations I just wanted to share with you. So these kind of things you can use to make it more interesting. See, this is like just for your understanding and to make it more interesting, I thought instead of just telling the normal that grass and then deer and tiger, I wanted to show that how complex food chain can be in different kinds of ecosystems. You can see this topic is such a topic that really it cannot be taught in classroom. You have to identify ecosystems nearby your areas, you have to take them there and also you can give them assignments to study food chain in ecosystem nearby your area. See, these I already explained that different ecosystems have a different food chain. So you can also give them assignment to do like if you are nearby like or you can also give them assignment please draw food chain in different ecosystems. So they also know different components in different ecosystems. They also know types of ecosystem. Usually what we used to do, yeah. On what basis the key species are identified like tiger or elephant. I mean that entire food web, you have shown some of the... Suppose if you think that if you, if tiger population is disappearing, if it is going to affect the entire ecosystem because if tiger is not there, deer's population will not be there and then grass will increase. So based on the dominant species and important species, these species are identified. Dominant species. Dominant and critical, like critical for that ecosystem. How to identify which one is critical? I mean, there are a number of species are there like tiger, hyena, jackal. So I mean, if tiger is not there, then deer's population get affected would be more. But that will be after the tiger population is not there. But when the... So dominant species will determine the factor, right? I mean that was... If there are very few hyenas, even if they go, tigers are there. But that is after the, I mean the result is announced. Then we come to know that if hyena is not there, I mean there is the population is not get affected. But when everything is there and we have to identify which one is the key species. That's what I'm telling you. Suppose there are three hyenas, okay? And there are 50 tigers and two leopards. If three hyenas have disappeared, it may not have that much impact. If two leopards have disappeared, also will not have that much impact on the ecosystem because tiger will take care. But suppose if 50 tigers have disappeared, definitely there will be some impact. So that is based on numbers? Yeah, there are different factors. There is not only one factor. Or based on how much they are consuming. For example, tigers are killing five deer per day, for example. And then hyena only two or that's all, only number. Just to add on that, the food chain that is built that we identify as a pyramid is. And we are talking about the interrelationship between the species there, existing at each trophic level. Each one is present depending on how much energy it can derive from the lower level. So if any species even at the top level disappears, that means it's going to create an imbalance in the next level that is below it. That next level is going to have its effect on the next level. So that way it's going to have a problem. Yeah, that energy level as well as the cycling of the nutrients. So everything is interdependent. So that's how because if you take tiger, the disappearance of tiger is going to have an effect on the grass itself. So that you have to link downwards. Right. In simple, I would say just one word, keystone species defines the characteristics of the ecosystem. That's what he's telling. Based on that, only who identify keystone species. Right, right, right. That's what I told, there are different factors. As far as I know, keystone species are species whose role cannot be played by any other organism in that ecosystem. Right, right, right. That role cannot be played by any other organism. Correct. So it is as complex as this ecosystem and ecology, right? Yesterday I already explained, when I was talking about oneness of nature, the species, one species, which species I mentioned? Homo sapiens, humans, human being. What they think? Since they have got slightly extra developed brain, they think that everything is for me and for my development, for my pleasure, and they start dominating the entire ecosystem. But what is the right thing? Right thing is we are also very much part of or component of ecosystem. I have already explained to everything that how nature is great and how supreme and how we are just a part of nature. So these are the simple things, but for engineering students or just to revise, you may give this idea that what is organism? That is the individual. Spaces is group of similar organism. Spaces, any doubt in this? Spaces population, population is one particular population in city, grows in city, communities, different types of population in one park or in forest. What is difference between population and community? Spaces, organism and spaces, you understand. Different populations. I am organism, this is spaces, yeah. What is difference between community and population? Population of one species. One species. Communities is populations of different rights. Community ecosystem, interaction of various communities among themselves and with environment. So you can give this activity just to make it more clear. We all have already studied this, how producers produce food and then how it is transferred, energy transfers from herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and decompose. Here I just want to stress one point. Just imagine that there are no decomposers in this ecosystem. What will happen? Yeah. The place for their existence. Yeah. That's the happening. No recirculation of nutrients. The cycle will not get completed. Yeah. Sir, you will get stored in consumers in cycles. So finally, what will happen? Waste will not happen. These are the cleaners of the environment, decomposers. No, I am asking that if there are no decomposers, what will happen? Madam, entire earth will become a dumping yard. Okay, only that will happen? Entire earth will become dumping ground? No, it will remain as it is for a long time. No production at all. No production. So what will happen? It will not happen. Very good. Give him a big hand. What's your name? Prabhanshu? Shobhitpur Indore. There will not be any life because it will be a waste dump and most important thing, what will stop? It stops the... Nucleus cycling will stop, that it will not go back to the soil. Soil will not be productive, right? There will not be, you were also right, but he went one step ahead. Light cannot be stopped. Yeah. Okay, as you said, predation also is important. Already we studied because tiger, every year it needs 3000 kg of deer. Any community or any forest status is determined by its prey base. How much prey is available for predator? If prey base is low, that forest is considered as not a healthy forest. That is the indicator of forest. There are different kinds of relations in community. Competition, competition for limited resources. Then competition is within spaces and between spaces. Allolopathy, have you heard of this? Plants release certain kinds of chemicals to avoid other plants' existence nearby them. That is called allolopathy. Also some corals, they release some kind of toxins to inhibit growth of other coral. Symbiosis, everybody knows. Symbiosis, these three concepts, you know, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism. These things are also happening among our human beings. Sometimes, what is mutualism? Both benefit. I am just joking. Here one benefits and one is not suffering but not getting benefited. Here one is benefiting, getting benefited and other is suffering. These concepts are clear. What is ecological niche? Any idea about what is ecological niche? Yeah? Right. Each and every one of us, we are having our own habit, you know. Myself, I can decide some of the food habits and all. And yourself, we are having the different food habits. So each one of us, we are having our own niche. That is, each and every organism, it has its own niche. It is not only habitat, it is an entire thing. It is a very diverse thing. It is, niche is your habitat. How much area you require to get food, your food and for feeding, breeding for animals, I am talking, niche is their habitat. It is a basic functional unit. Unit, right. And there is something called niche bread. Some animals, they have got specialized in niche. They can only survive in some particular habitat. But some... Endemic. No, no, endemic is different. Endemic is that particular region they are available. But in that region, there can be different ecosystems. Here I am telling, suppose Flamingo or any mudskipper, it is found only in mangroves. Nilgiritha. Yeah. Nilgiritha is found in only sholas, sholas. So it is adapted to that particular habitat. So its niche is very small. Its niche bread is small. Mudskipper's niche is only mangrove forest. And that Nilgiritha's niche is only shola forest. But if you see elephant, it is found in many other areas. So its niche bread is broad. Even tiger is found in many areas. Any idea about what is ecological succession? Yeah? Development of new... The development of gradual process of change in the composition of function of communities. I have got a very beautiful animation on this. But if time permits, I will show that how the community changes from barren land to grassland to forest ecosystem and when it is a complex forest. At the same time, how pond ecosystem, like from pond, how it becomes like a marshy land and then terrestrial land and complex forest. What is the ultimate thing of community? Climax community. And it is more diverse and more resilient against disturbance. Why? It is adapted to local climate over a period of time and at the same time it is more diverse. What is connection or relation between diversity and stability or resilience? What is connection? Yeah, but why? The control over the other species, there is a control. Anybody? Sustainability. Sustainability is... Why there is... Suppose if there is a monoculture plantation of ecliptus or teak and there is a diverse forest. We say that diverse forest is more stable, complex forest where there are diverse varieties of plants and animals and everything is more stable. Why? Commercialization. Commercialization? Even forest, they can cut all the plants. Very good. Give him a big hand. What is your name? Varun Shankar. Varun Shankar. See, if there is a sudden change in climate, all species may not be able to survive. So, at least one species can survive. Suppose if there is a sudden pest attack, what will happen? Hybelia puria comes, entire teak population will go. Eucalyptus population can affect. But if there are different varieties, like there is a terminalia, there is a mango, there is a cesium, there is lagerstromia, what will happen? If mango goes, sygium will survive. Teak plantation, teak will survive. Some not plantation, teak plant will survive. So, as I told that, you can ask your student to observe, changing their nearby locality. How like wetland or any pond previously, what was there, how it is, you know, getting converted. But it cannot happen within 8 days or 1 month. It takes time. Nutrient cycling, you all are aware about this. Carbon, oxygen, cycling, phosphorus, you can give them assignment, how energy is transferred from one tropic level to another tropic level from producer, producer is plants. Herbior, carnior and then top predator. Biomagnification also, we have got small animation. Would you like to see or shall we, you know this concept? You want to see? You know types of ecosystem, but all types of ecosystem you are aware of? Loudly. Natural and man-made, other than that? Types of ecosystem, terrestrial? Aquatic, freshwater, marine water, Lothic, lentic, yeah, permanent. In terrestrial forest, again we have evergreen forest, shoalas, grasslands, moist studious forest, Friday studious forest, alpine forest. Then aquatic, you already told, river, lake, brackish water, which is the largest brackish water lake in India? Chillica, very good. You said, right? Yeah, okay. Marine, in coastal ecosystem, most important ecosystems in coastal you forgot, mangrove, yeah, and coral reefs. Okay, as I said that it is like ecosystem, it is really, really, really difficult to explain in classroom, yeah. You have to take your students outside, nearby your ecosystem, like, it can be anything, it can be forest, can be pond, lake, river, even agriculture ecosystem, anywhere you just take them out, show them, describe about how beautiful it is. One can appreciate the magnificent of a mountain, the power of the sea, the beauty of a forest and the vast expanses of the desert. And these facilities not only provide a pleasurable experience, but are intended to create a deep respect and love for nature, yeah. They are also key tool in educating people about the fragility of the environment and the need for sustainable lifestyle. So unless you take them out and just give them real experience that how beautiful they are, how magnificent they are, how amazing they are, how you feel, peace of mind, you know. We take them to different, like Silent Valley is nearby us, so I had taken them to Silent Valley National Park and they really enjoyed, then we tell them to just keep quiet and sit in silence and do deep breathing. Understand what is mean by fresh air. When they see that Kunti river flowing and pristine water and that tall forest and chirping birds, they really understand that how beautiful it is. It is really, really, really difficult to explain in classroom. How many of you take them out? Okay, so will you promise me that all of you will make some effort to take them out at least once in a whole semester? How many will do that? You know, when I had taken, I had taken during holidays. So if you miss classes, college will not, if you are really an environmental teacher and if you have passion, you can find out some time from your personal because that is going to be an enjoyable experience to you also. You can take your family along with you. If your wife or husband is telling, why are you going on Saturday or Sunday? You can take them also, you can take your children. But then this topic especially, environment topic itself, what is environment? You cannot teach them in class. In fact, we have to take many times. Even if I yesterday I told, waste dumb. Whatever industrial processes are happening, how they are impacting our water, they should go and measure, water pollution, air pollution. They should actually learn from nature and what is happening around us. Tracking, yeah, tracking sea. And whenever you are taking them to forest, you can explain very nicely that what is grassland? What is water body? What is forest? And what is the structure of forest? How from ground to canopy, different kinds of herbs, shrubs, layers, canopy layers, then from, if you take them to lake or pond, you can explain from periphery to center. What is the difference of? Visitation, weeds, animals, birds. How many of you do bird watching? Yeah. Ma'am, may I make a suggestion? If they can contact some NGO in there? Great, great. I forgot, very, very thanks for that suggestion. See, every area, there will be some active NGOs. Now Maharashtra, there is a BNHS, especially Mumbai. Then there is a Center for Environment Education. How many are, you are from Pune? Pune, there is a CE. How many of you are from Mumbai? Mumbai, nobody. Mumbai, this thing is there, BNHS is there. You can contact them, you don't have to do anything. There is a Center for Environment Education. Not Center for Environment, something is there. It is there in Gorigao, Film City. You just have to write to them. They will take care of everything. They will explain everything. Department of Forest is there. Department of Forest in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, they have their own Nature Conservation Center. Yeah. I think, the point is that some of us are, maybe we are good at our subject, but we are not very good on the field. It is not very easy to be good at the field. So, these NGOs, they have specialists, they have people who are trained, who actually can read the forest, just as beautifully as you can read the book. So, we cannot develop competence in that so easily. We can go along with them. Our students will really benefit and we will also benefit. Right, right. And in fact, I had suggested organizers to conduct nature trail to, like you know, Sanjay Gandhi National Park or around IIT campus, but because of time constraint, because see yesterday also you gave me feedback that I could not complete solutions and all. But try to understand 10 days module we are completing in five days. Plus, like I can't cover an entire syllabus we teach in 45 hours, right? Minimum 45 hours we take. And we are all, everything trying to cover in, yeah. So, yeah. Actually, it is better to have the coordination with the NGOs or the forest department or the local guys. Right. It should be helpful to get into the entire forest area. Right, right. And also it is easy to get permission. They avoid the drugs from the animals also. Animals, they will tell you how. And once you understand or you learn, then you don't have to depend on them. And actually we are near to the western guards. Right. We have such a facilities a lot in our region. Right, right, right. Similarly, it will be available. In Tamil Nadu there are so many NGOs also, like I know some of them, like Coimbatore, there is a Coimbatore Nature Club, Eco Club is there. You are from Coimbatore? I'm from Coimbatore PhD College of Technology. Okay, great. Actually, one more thing, we have a club called Nature Club in our college. Okay. We organize such events every month, two times. Okay, great, great, great. Yeah. The Tamil Nadu city, Ramaswamy. Right, right, right. So they are conducting regularly that national environmental awareness campaign every year. And then they are funding under Ministry of Environment, Forest. Every year they are conducting. Successfully they are conducting. I will show you the list of NGOs at the end of the presentation. Thank you. And you can locate the which NGO is there in your area. And okay, I'm just showing you a beautiful pictures of different ecosystem. Shola, you know Shola, this is a unique ecosystem. You can see some evergreen forest mixed with grassland, patches of grassland. This is a silent valley, it's not very clear. This is another evergreen forest picture. I think it was... This is another very unique ecosystem which is found only in Western Ghats. Okay, Ministika swamps. It looks like wetlands or mangroves, but it is not wetland. It is located in a very remote area in Western Ghats. This is from Hong Kong, but it is a wetland, another river. Corals, you know. How many of you have seen corals? There is a wonderful world under the water. Everyone must experience this at least once in a lifetime. If you are afraid of scuba diving, at least do snorkeling. These are so many amazing things are there around us, but we are so busy in our day-to-day life and you know, running behind money. You please tell this to students, okay. Mainly what we do after 10th or 12th? First parents also and students also. 10th, you try to get like day and night, study, study, study, maximum 19... That, Kamal got 99.1 something. Sometimes nowadays they are getting even 105 with the sport coat and all. One person told I got 110% marks. I was wondering how can anybody get 110% marks. Then after that 12th, 12th, 12th, when you get good marks, you are not allowed to think. They say engineering or management, okay. Many students in my daughter's college, they did not know there is another discipline called arts is existing, okay. After that, you've got highest marks, mechanical. I'm asking one, my neighbor, what are you going to do engineering? Which engineering? That depends upon marks. But what is your choice? No choice. I said, you like civil? No, if I get good marks, then why should I go for civil? Miss, they are least bothered about what is their liking, what is their passion, what they actually want to do. And then run, then you go for engineering, then it starts, what? CGPA, maximum CGPA. Then placement, I got placement, okay. Then I got job, I got bungalow, I got married, and that's it, that is my life. And then again I am running behind money. Day and night I'm doing overtime, I'm teaching and especially industry people, you know, to get more and more promotions. They're running, running, working for boss placing because they have to climb corporate ladders and in doing this entire thing. Why we are earning money? Not only that, fulfillment of family can happen with a small salary. We want more and more and more. We need happiness, right? We need food, we need to live happily. But we are going behind money, money, money, and we are forgetting to live our life happily. You are family. Huh? With, even with family. Family members. Yeah, so I want to tell students that life is not only rat race and earning money, going behind money. There is something, money is required, money we cannot live without money, at least in the present system. But go beyond that and also try to enjoy life, go and see these kind of wonders. This I don't know, this picture I have taken from internet, but you can go to Andaman's Lakshadvip, I know it is little far, Andaman's Lakshadvip. Here in Malwa and that Maharashtra, also Ratnagiri Malwa and also they are doing scuba diving. You first start with your nearby places, sir. You can go to Western Ghats, you can go to Silent Valley, you can go to Parambikulam. Yeah, this, yeah, definitely. Man grows. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely I can arrange. This is another typical ecosystem. How many of you have visited man grows? Okay, what is unique about them? They have got something called breathing roots. This is called biological adaptation because soil is marshy, oxygen content is very low, so roots are coming up to breathe. They also have some kind of prop roots because they have to constantly face wind and wave action, okay? So and why they are important, we will study later, how they absorb five times more carbon dioxide than any other forest type, and they protect us from flooding during tsunami and also they act as bio-shield. They provide habitat to many, many, many birds and animals. Okay, why ecosystems are important? They provide oxygen, water, food, medicines, shelter, purify air by sequestering carbon. They purify water, they act as kidneys and lungs, yeah? Kidneys means wetlands. They purify water and lungs, forest is acting as lungs, even wetlands, they absorb lots of carbon dioxide. Flood control. Yeah, flood control. Existence of river. Yeah, we covered everything. Most important is stabilization of climatic conditions, decomposition of waste. We just now learned that nothing is waste in nature, everything is recycled, and if it does not happen, what is going to happen? Water shed, water shed protection, conserve soil and their fertility, yeah? Control soil erosion. Forest ecosystem provide like they, these all what I told is indirect benefits we are getting from forests. And yesterday I also told them that when they were calculated globally, not only forest ecosystem, all the ecosystem, how much ecosystem services they provide per year, it was 70 trillion dollars per year, which is a very, very high. But here you can see they provide shelter to 2 billion people means they directly, they are dependent on forest, like tribals and villagers. Wetlands or rivers. In globally they, 45% of the animal protein is coming from fisheries. This picture is like already we discussed, I am not discussing. One more very, very, very important thing is pollination. Food, fuel, timber, bamboo, genetic resources, many wild varieties of our present crops come from forest, okay? They help us in maintaining that genetic diversity. We get medicinal plants, grass, non-wood forest products, what is non-wood forest products? Honey, amla, sikakai, soap nut, firewood, yeah firewood is not considered as non-wood forest product, but that is also, yeah? Wax, yeah? Many medicinal plants in, how many are from Kerala? Yeah, they also, lots of kurundutti and that they use all this, this is in Dashamula, Arishtam, Desmodium, that whatever, Muvila and Orelah, Orelah means one leaf, Muvila is, that is Desmodium, they all this is extracted from the forest. In some areas, see in all areas you cannot collect non-wood forest products, but in some areas it is allowed, tribal go and they collect all this non-wood forest product and they sell in the market. So, many people's livelihood is dependent on forest. Already I told about aesthetic beauty. Pollination of plants, what is happening? If there are no bees, what is happening? You know, bee population has drastically reduced, yeah? There are many crop and livestock varieties are coming from wild. Recreation and tourism, this is from Andaman's. Biogiographical regions, each region has got unique ecosystem and unique biodiversity. So, you can take them to, you can give this for an assignment that each student you can take one biogiographical region and they can study that, what kind of ecosystems are available in that and do presentation, not only ecosystem, biodiversity. I already told that they provide livelihood to 2 billion people, they also provide home to 300 million wood and non-wood forest. 80% of the population developing countries is dependent on non-wood forest products. State of world's forest, there is 31% of the total area under forest, but as per WRI research, 30% global forest is already cleared, it is not there and 20% has degraded, means 50% is already gone. 12 to 15 million hectare, we are losing each year, means which is equivalent to 36 football fields per minute. South America and Africa, there is a large, largest net loss of forest. China, there is a good news because of large scale of a forestration. You can see there are five countries, but they all are rich countries, Russia, Brazil, Canada, USA and China. Having good forest, that is almost half of the total world's forest and some countries, they do not have forest at all. Some countries, 10 countries have less than 10%. I already told that forest sequester huge amount of carbon, okay. Three ecosystems sequester huge amount of carbon. Any idea which are these three? One is forest, ocean and coral. So deforestation is responsible for almost 15% of the greenhouse gas emissions and this 87% of global deforestation is occurring only in 10 countries. Amazon rainforest, you might have heard about this, yeah. It is a very rich, diverse rainforest which contains 90 to 140 billion tons of carbon, contents is it has already absorbed or stored. Even if small portion is released, it is going to cause, it will accelerate global warming. During the last half century, the Earth's largest rainforest has lost 17% of the forest. Okay, how forest degradation started in India? I think yesterday Parthasar also mentioned about this that these forests were belonging to Britishers but they wanted to manage it scientifically and they were doing it scientifically but they started cutting timber for building ships and many other activities, okay. Railways, railways. But they were managing it scientifically. They started, they were doing selection felling. They were managing it scientifically. That time they declared many areas as protected forest and reserve forest, okay. But at that time what they did, they banned entry of communities inside, okay. So what happened that communities started thinking that these Britishers are against them and this forest also they started like generating some kind of negative feeling about forest conservation. And when the Britishers left though we continued the same way, we were not that efficient like in a control forest department and then they just damaged forest without thinking much and degradation was happening. But then forest department realized this and they thought that they can conserve forest only with the help of community, only with the collaboration of community. And then they started some program called joint forest management in 1972. That was the first JFM was in Midnapur district from West Bengal, anybody from West Bengal here? Oh, great, okay. In many areas you might have heard about village forest committees or VSS. And village forest committees English term. So they formed this and community many places it is successful. Many times it is not that successful. So this is a good approach to conserve forest involving community because yes, we have to save animals, we have to save tiger and elephants, but we cannot completely eliminate communities from the forest. Why we cannot? Because they are staying there since time immemorial. They are staying, that is their house. We cannot just eliminate them from that. Okay, what is happening in India? I will just tell you briefly. Last report 2011, they showed that actually we are supposed to have 33% forest. As per the, you know, scientists and what all they, they measured and they decided that India should have at least minimum 33% of forest as per the policy, but we have only 21% of the forest. During 2011, from 2009 to 11, we had lost 367 square kilometers of forest. And major loss was in northeastern state. Actually, northeast India is one of the biodiversity hot spots and it accounts for nearly one fourth of the forest cover of the country. There, there was a huge decline in the forest, almost 549 square kilometer. So here, this is not very clear, but red is scrub, white is no forest and very dense, moderately dense and open forest. Dark green is very dense. It is not very clear. Okay, there was some growth in some states. Mangro also had slightly increased. The reasons for decline in the forest was agriculture, short rotation crops and plantation, encroachment, shifting cultivation and encroachment, degradation. But what happened in 2013 interestingly, forest department is claiming that there is a increase in forest cover. Now 2011, they said there is a slight decrease in forest cover and reasons also were told. Now 2013, within two years, they said that there is a increase in forest cover. What is your opinion about this? But still there is a decrease in northeastern state, some states there is a decrease, but total cover there is a slight increase. Do you think there is an increase? So what can be the reason? Like why forest department is telling that? Any idea? Yeah, that total forest station also they are including. Plantations of different plants and trees. This is your, like you just thought like that. You are not red than you. Yeah, very good. See what is happening is, actually there is a decrease in dense forest. Okay, there is a decrease in dense forest, but where there is an increase in green cover outside forest boundaries. So what is the reason for this? Green cover outside forest boundaries. See how, yeah, how they are clever. All this, like you are first cut forest. Okay, and then you do all eucalyptus, tick plantation, coffee plantation and that satellite imagery it shows green. So there is an increase in forest, but outside the forest boundary and forest department is happily telling them. Yeah, but they are taking that also. See, there is a decrease in dense forest. There are three types of forest. Dense, moderately dense, open area and outside the forest boundary. They call private forest or reserve forest. So that increase also they are taking into consideration. So actually forest area is converted into plantation. Is it a good sign? Can plantations are equal, good ecosystem services like forest? Mangro cover has again decreased. Okay, so you all know what are the environmental forest? Mainly it is like activities like mining. Yesterday Dr. Partha told that most of the unfortunately mining areas are under forest. Then industries, building, roads, large dams, agriculture, shifting cultivation, monoculture plantation. Now UTI once upon a time there was a thick forest, but now you can see it everything entire it is converted into plantations. Biological invasion. How many of you have seen this Lantana plant? Lantana, yeah. See Lantana, Mycenaeum, especially in Kerala. These are the exotic plants which were introduced long back in 1860s for ornamental purpose. Since they do not have natural enemy here, they are spreading like they are colonizing and they are spreading very fast and they do not have any natural enemy. And they are replacing native vegetation. And western Ghats and northeast India if you see that 20-30% of the forest is covered by Lantana. And they are also like thick shrub. So animal movement also becomes difficult. Right, you can see on road side because only thing is they need open canopy. If there is a thick canopy Lantana cannot grow very well. Yeah, Parthenium is on the road side. Parthenium we could not see in forest. By the way, I got opportunity to work in all these ecosystems. My PhD I did in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in Silent Valley, Sirwani, Mudumalai, Aparbhavani. I got opportunity to work in all these forest types for more than 10 years. Like scrub jungle in Anikatti and Sirwani that moisture studios forest and Silent Valley Evergreen forest and Aparbhavani is Shola. But we could not observe Lantana in high altitude forest. In Evergreen and Aparbhavani that Shola Lantana was not seen very very only little bit on road side because Lantana needs open canopy. In thick canopy it cannot come. It needs light. So wherever there is a disturbance where human interference where there are colonies you can see Lantana and there is another weed called Cromolina Eupatorium. Communist Pacha in Kerala they call. Communist Pacha they call because it grows gregoriously. English name is Eupatorium but now scientific name is Cromolina. Cromolina Odoreta. Lantana camera is another Lantana and third one is Mykinia. Mykinia is called as Dhritarashtra Pacha because it hugs that tree like Dhritarashtra and kills. So when it is not there in any other area but Kerala it has destroyed forest like anything forest department do not know how to control that. Senna you want to say? Senna? Senna also looks very beautiful yellow flower. They have brought it as a nice garden plant it appears like lawn same plant you are talking about that is also now becoming invasive. See all exotic plants may not be invasive what is meant by invasive when they start growing very fast they start colonizing and they start replacing native flora. Otherwise there are many that rain trees there many trees are there which are exotic but they are not invasive. Another thing is fragmentation fragmentation is when two forest patches are fragmented but some animals like elephants they need a wide home range for eating for breeding they need a wide home range. So when you isolate them and when those corridors are destroyed their population gets affected. So wildlife corridors are very important. What is wildlife corridor? The passage which joins two fragmented patches is called wildlife corridor. So you must be hearing lots of news that lots of hotels like in Nilgiris and all hotels are coming in wildlife corridor and how they are threatening animals. So already I told that we have to think about long term ecological gain and they cannot be sacrificed for short term economic gains. So I am going to show this video please watch carefully. First of the half of the video shows about diverse amazing biodiversity in Shola forest. Since I am not able to take you outside for nature trail I thought I will bring forest inside through film. Second part of the film shows what we have done to that forest and what are the conservation methods. If you show this film believe me in the class you do not have to open your mouth. It is self-explanatory and this is done by a very famous wildlife photographer called Shekhar Dattatory. So we already discussed what are the conservation strategies protection by joint forest management we cannot exclude communities. Before that what are the key learnings from that short portion yeah you can tell me. Silent value was protected yeah destroyed they showed that if you are not preserving this forest it is like a suicidal attempt. Indian economic growth will be there if we sustain these valuable forest and they say that it is suicidal if you do not think of long-term conservation just for a short-term benefit. I would like to tell that most of the countries like forestry and other things they mainly define tourism. So if we are going to conserve the forest who knows tomorrow our country might be the tourism country plus country which is having most of the natural resources. See we always promote tourism there is no point in keeping people away from the forest as I told you we all are very much a part of nature only we promote responsible tourism. What is responsible tourism when you are going inside the sanctuaries or national parks or any forest area you are not supposed to disturb wildlife. Tourism should not be like young college students going with beer bottle and the feeding monkeys that kind of tourism we should not encourage. We have to promote responsible tourism. More than ecotourism I tell responsible tourism this is an advanced term because ecotourism also ecologically we are going but then we should understand what is our responsibility even forest department when they leave you inside they give you don't take anything from the forest and also don't leave anything inside the forest. I got one key sentence from the video that conservation of nature is charity to nature. We are not doing any charity to nature what he says that I learnt that it is for our sake not for nature very good sir. In this sense it is charity to nature because this is we are not doing any charity to nature we are not doing any favorism to nature or forest or animals or elephants or anybody we are doing this for ourselves our sake because our existence is related to that yesterday I told you that story there is no point in sitting on the same branch and cutting the branch like shake chili. So are we going to become shake chili? No and we are going to spread this message to our students that we are to and madam can we say that we should be nature's friend in the sense that if we keep nature's nature natural then we are nature's friend so let us all become nature's friend. Very nice brilliant yeah one more thing madam deforestation is a societal attempt which I suppose and we have to protect the forest for present generation for ourselves and for the coming generation. Right see usually in my all lectures I used to tell that please save nature save environment because this is we have borrowed from ancestors and we have to give to our children to preserve. I have changed that line I say save forest save everything for your existence the way like things are happening the way islands are sinking the floods and so many natural calamities actually they are not natural calamities they are manmade calamities because somewhere we are responsible for that so I have changed that line and I say that save nature for your existence your own existence and very nice sentence they have told in that video that we are not doing any favor or any charity to anybody by conserving nature we are doing it for ourselves most of the people here are civil engineers and they have studied these things that is related to dams and all it is the development which is concerned to three to four decades maximum but what the film says that don't consider just the three to four decades just consider one or two centuries for the development very good very good point sir just want to know that you must have interacted with the couple of forest officials as well living academician like us what I understand that even though I don't have much knowledge about ecology but I understand importance of forest and everyone sitting here but when you interacted with forest officials it might be interesting study to see that after your interaction and this kind of nice you know knowledgeable movies they see it and then you visit them after say one year and if you can find out any change or then again they see it and again watch and then give another six months one year time and see that if there is any change because that forest officers you are telling yes because I want to tell you sir maybe forest officers are badnam but I have seen some forest officers they are genuinely concerned about this this thing and that first video she is alive I have shown in that I because of lack of time I did not show you that full video but if you see that how many forest officers have even you know faced lots of like life threatening things from poachers some people have lost their lives actually it is more beyond officers level perhaps in the policy what I am telling you that again yesterday also we discussed so much it is not that people are not educated it is not that people are not aware but there is something called attitudinal issue where I am very selfish and I am least bothered about what is happening to others I am least bothered about what is going to happen to environment and earth and my future generation I am only worried about today's my well being how big car I am getting and what bribe I am getting and I told that we are running behind money because for us more money is more happiness that is the concept so to change that attitude is going to take time now you people are asking me solution solution solutions ok it is not going to change over one night or with this lecture or what that is why our teaching our students or children because it is going to take time it is going to take maybe one generation we do not know awareness so do not expect impact it will take time ok definitely I understand that efforts are not enough we have to take long term efforts from all the directions not only from we have to take first we have to start educating people then only we can build awareness among masses who are making policies government who is electing government public ok so unless there is awareness among public unless all public says that we want to protect that environment I told you Dhanu story I told you that even after getting favorable orders from supreme court the highest court of this land country after getting orders for 17 years orders after orders orders after orders they were not getting implemented because there was no political will there was no public support so when it happened when public got aware only when they got aware only when they suffered the damage money wise monetary terms and then there was a pressure on everything and God so our main intention do not worry about immediate impact but at least think that I am going to contribute whichever way in a small way I am going to generate some kind of awareness and even if from my 200 students even 20-30 students if they become little bit environmental conscious and they take some favorable actions in their future also I have achieved something ok so there are solutions we have to work in different level getting awareness among public having favorable government policies putting pressure for implementation supporting all this NGOs who are working in environmental conservation field having a balanced view because we have to have some kind of development we cannot become activists and say no no no Jhanda through everything because there can be some political agenda so identifying right NGOs and supporting them because I was planning to tell everything but since you have asked now I am telling there are public hearing whenever some developmental project is coming in your area but I am not bothered I have to go to my lecture 7 o'clock whatever my students are waiting after that my children are coming my husband is coming I have to cook finished I am not bothered what is happening around me if something public hearing is coming I do not even know what is public hearing I do not know what is what are public hearing we are going to stop this politics fact assessment so first thing is awareness knowledge education second thing is ethical or attitudinal change what ever I have I am going to give to others whether it is my students my children my neighbors I am going to support people are actually who already working in for the cause, I am supporting them whichever way I can. I am going to elect politicians who have this pro environment agenda and I am going to ensure that they follow that otherwise at the time of election they may say something and later. So you saw some films and yesterday we have seen so many examples like we cannot become Mehta Patkar, but definitely we can support this kind of activities. Please you can spread the message, awareness, this is what we can do and then there is some kind of solution people told you did not tell me solution. There are solutions of something like you can go for green technology, you all are engineers, you know I do not have to tell you a solution, you know how to conserve water. Nikhil and myself we will be talking in our lectures also about water energy like how you can do water conservation. There are examples, it is not that solution is not there, Tarun Bharatsang, this Rajendra Singh, he has converted desert into paradise. He has shown that how you can do water conservation and convert a desert into paradise. People are going for renewable energy. There is one Dharnai village in India itself who is self dependent on solar energy. Arizona project in U.S. there are very very inspiring examples though there are so many sad stories, there are so many inspiring examples that what can we do. People say how can we do sustainable farming, whether it is organic farming is successful, whether it can feed population. Bhutan has shown that it is 100% organic. It has fed population, it is happily living, it is the most happy and green country. Bhutan's prime minister is testing electric cars. Electric cars not based on fossil fuels, electric car based on solar. So it is not that there are no solutions, there are solutions we have to find. First thing is solution is our attitudinal change. Whatever solution you work and if you are not ethical, we have to become ethical and you have to ensure that other person is becoming ethical or you pressurize, you put pressure, for that you need favorable policies, for that you need government who is pro environment, for that you need public awareness, for that you need education, for that you need green technology, for that you as Nikhil told we need systems approach, systems thinking we cannot address one problem in isolation. We have to see in a holistic approach we have to have. Now we have to also take help of corporates. Usually we think that all corporates are bad, but it is not that true. We can generate, we can sensitize them because they are the major players, they are the major polluters. So you can tell them that how they can start a green business. I was in Godrej and we had a sustainability sale where they were genuinely working on how they can reduce their carbon footprint, how they can reduce their ecological footprint, how they can go use cleaner technologies and now something is called sustainability reporting. Corporates are also ready to, they are also interested to show them as a green corporates, green companies, green image. All every, every time it may not be green eye wash or green wash. Because they are genuinely doing okay, sometimes some cases may be fake cases, but I have seen many people they are doing watershed management, they are going 100 percent renewable energy in many corporates. Why I am telling corporates? We have to target whatever in the name of CSR or whatever they are doing is good for us. Instead of just blaming them we have to convert them, we have to make them green businesses. So these are the solutions. As Nikhil told industrial ecology, waste of one industry can be used as another industries. So solution here is we cannot remove people from the forest. We have to take them into confidence, we have to take help and the best successful model which is proven is community forest management, large scale plantations, sustainable harvesting. Already I discussed, there are so many laws, we have got beautiful laws but implementation is not happening. For that we have to have vigilance committees. You cannot save country, at least save your neighborhood. Just keep watch what is happening at your neighborhood. If something is happening, informed forest department, police department, yeah. There are different ecosystems. You know from where this picture is taken? Vikroli. Vikroli, yeah I have written okay. So can you imagine such a beautiful forest is existing inside the middle of the city? So in Mumbai you have two beautiful forests. One is Sanjagani National Park and this vast, though 40% of the mangroves have already destroyed. There are different ecosystems. I have spoken only about forest ecosystem and Shola. So why mangroves are important already I spoke? Because only those plants can grow in that hostile environment where they have to constantly face wind and wave action, water logging and high salinity. For that they have got adaptations already we discussed. They occur usually in intertidal zone or creeks and shallow bays and alopea, you know Kerala people backwater who West Bengal, Sundarbans, yeah, yeah. So this is Vivi Paras germination, their seeds germinate when it is attached to mother plant. They excess salt, they have got beautiful mechanism to throw out excess salt, you can see the salt. This is a term. Vivi Paras germination is seed is germinating when it is attached to mother plant itself and it floats and when it gets suitable substratum it starts germinating. So such a wonderful mechanisms are available adaptations in nature. So we were talking about mangroves why they are important, how they protect us from tsunamis, they act as bio shield, there is an interesting example even during floods in Mumbai wherever there were mangroves like problem was less. I would not say that they can completely solve problem but definitely they can hold water because when there is a concretization of land, there is very less soil is remaining where water can get absorbed, right. So that was the problem with Mumbai flat, Nagapatenam and Pichawaram, these are the two adjacent districts. During tsunami Nagapatenam faced a heavy loss and Pichawaram very little impact, why can you say, yeah Pichawaram there is a thick cover of mangroves and Nagapatenam there is no mangrove. So they are you can say that they are really saving our life, their lifeline of most of the coastal cities. They also are breeding and nursery ground for varieties of marine organisms, few well wood fodder and source for tourism and recreation, coral reef this is another interesting ecosystem, this is a joint venture between animal and plant, they support each other, coral is animal or plant, animal and but plants live inside coral called zoo anthill because of that only they get beautiful colors and they are in the cup that cup is made up of calcium carbonate, these are very sensitive ecosystem whenever there is pollution or increase in temperature they get bleached because algae in that coral dyes, they are very very sensitive especially to climate change, you can call them as a fragile ecosystem. They also support varieties of animals, beautiful fishes, wetlands you know wetland this is a transition between land and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem, this is picture from Chilica Lake, similar way already I had told that they help us to retain water table, they act as sponge, they act as kidneys and they purify water, depths of carbon dioxide especially mangroves, this is already I have described this, discussed this, they also act as important feeding and breeding ground for number of migratory birds, this picture is also taken from Mumbai can you imagine, they also support livelihood of fisher folk, so what are the threats same in unplanned development agriculture, siltation, chemical fertilizers, oil spills, invasive spaces, here in water invasive spaces are different, Echinia, have you heard of Echinia, it is called as terror of Bengal, dumping mainly in Mumbai and all you can see lots of dumping is happening in mangrove area, we have already lost 50 percent of our wetlands, 41 percent of the birds population is declined, you can see 62 percent of the fresh water turtle are threatened, same thing again I want to repeat ultimately no development is sustainable without taking care of nature, I already told that report to forest officer respect everyone's right to leave conservation, yeah this picture is also from Thana Creek, so same nature for sustainable future.