Relevance: GS III (Environment & Ecology – Biodiversity Conservation) | Source: The Indian Express

1. The Core Issue: A Changing Threat

Traditionally, forest departments and wildlife conservationists have focused on stopping poaching or preventing slow habitat loss (like tree cutting).

• The New Reality: A major study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) warns that the fastest and deadliest threat to wildlife today is sudden, extreme weather (like severe heatwaves, droughts, and massive forest fires).
• The Projection: By the year 2085, over 36% of all land animal habitats will face these violent climate extremes.

2. The Danger of “Compound Events”

The study highlights that the danger is not just the planet getting slowly warmer. The real killer is when multiple disasters happen together.

• What are Compound Events? This happens when disasters strike back-to-back. For example, a severe drought followed immediately by a mega-wildfire. Animals simply do not have the time to adapt, escape, or recover.
• The Heatwave Threat: By 2050, Extreme Heatwaves will be the biggest threat, affecting 74% of animal habitats.
• Vulnerable Zones: The worst-hit areas will be the planet’s richest Biodiversity Hotspots, especially the Amazon, Tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia.

3. The Administrative Blind Spot

The researchers pointed out a massive flaw in current government planning:

• The Misunderstanding: Most wildlife policies treat climate change as a “slow, gradual shift in temperature” over many decades.
• The Result: Because of this mindset, administrations are completely unprepared for sudden, localized disasters that can wipe out thousands of animals in just a few days (like the 2019 Australian heatwave that killed 72,000 bats).

4. The Way Forward for India (Action Plan)

India is highly vulnerable to extreme heat and shifting monsoons. Our Indo-Burma hotspot (which covers the Northeast) is right in the global danger zone. The administration must shift its strategy from basic “Protection” to “Climate-Resilient Conservation”:

• Early Warning Systems: Just as cities have heatwave alerts to protect citizens, we need micro-climate sensors in our National Parks and Sanctuaries to predict heat stress and water shortages for animals.
• Protecting ‘Climate Refugia’: The government must identify and strictly protect “refugia.” These are specific, naturally cooler, and shaded spots deep inside forests where animals can safely hide during extreme heatwaves.
• Active Intervention: Forest departments can no longer just “let nature take its course.” They must actively intervene during crises. This means artificially filling watering holes during severe droughts or deploying rapid fire-fighting teams to protect wildlife corridors.

UPSC Value Box

Key Concept / Term	Simple Meaning
Biodiversity Hotspots	Regions with a very high number of unique, native species (endemic) that are under severe threat of destruction. India hosts 4: Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland.
Compound Climate Events	When two or more extreme weather events happen at the same time or in quick succession (e.g., extreme heat + drought + wildfire), multiplying the destruction.
Sixth Mass Extinction	Also known as the Anthropocene extinction. Unlike past extinctions caused by meteors, this ongoing extinction is entirely driven by human activities and climate change.

With reference to global biodiversity and climate change, consider the following statements:

1. The ongoing ‘Sixth Mass Extinction’ is primarily characterized by species loss due to human-induced habitat destruction and extreme climate events.
2. A region must have at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics and must have lost at least 70% of its original habitat to qualify as a “Biodiversity Hotspot.”
3. The Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot encompasses the entire Himalayan mountain range.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (a)