In situ conservation
In-situ conservation is the on-site conservation or the conservation of genetic resources in natural populations of plant or animal species, such as forest genetic resources in natural populations of tree species. It is the process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species in its natural habitat, either by protecting or cleaning up the habitat itself, or by defending the species from predators. It is applied to conservation of agricultural biodiversity in agroecosystems by farmers, especially those using unconventional farming practices. e.g., Nilgiri biosphere in India.
Around 4% of the total geographical area of the country is used for in situ conservation. The following methods are presently used for in situ conservation.
Biosphere reserves cover very large areas, often more than 5000 km2. They are used to protect species for a long time.
A national park is an area dedicated for the conservation of wildlife along with its environment. It is usually a small reserve covering an area of about 100 to 500 square kilometers. Within biosphere reserves, one or more national parks may also exist.
A wild sanctuary is an area which is reserved for the conservation of animals only. Currently, there are 492 wild sanctuaries.
According to Conservation international, to qualify as a hopspot a region must meet two strict criteria : 1) it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (∆ 0.5% of the world's total) as endemics, 2) it has to have lost at least 70% of its original habitat.
A gene sanctuary is an area where plants are conserved. It includes both biosphere reserve as well as national park. India has set up its first gene sanctuary in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya for wild relatives of citrus. Efforts are also being made to set up gene sanctuaries for banana, sugarcane, rice and mango.
...
Wikipedia