India is one of the mega-diverse countries of the world. It is endowed with rich natural heritage. This natural capital or biodiversity is the variety of nature that sustains and nourishes all forms of life. Did you know that India is one of the eight Vavilovian centres of origin and diversity of food crops, with over 300 wild ancestors and close relatives of plants now in cultivation? Vavilovian centres are named after the renowned Russian botanist N I Vavilov. Ecosystem services Biodiversity and the interconnectedness of various species within an ecosystem, provides services that sustain all organisms living within. These services or essential goods can be grouped under four types: Provisioning services such as food, fibre, fuel Regulating services such as pollination, seed dispersal, water purification Supporting services such as providing habitat, soil formation, nutrient cycling Cultural services of knowledge systems, education, recreation and the like. That’s why biodiversity is essential for human well-being. In the Indian context, the intersection of crop diversity and the climate variability that we are seeing of late can be crucial for the future generations’ food security. India had more than 100,000 varieties of rice in the 20th century. Now, however, only around 6,000 varieties of rice survive. This is just an instance of how we are losing indigenous varieties of crops. Indigenous crop varieties and their importance Many varieties or species of crops are confined to localised areas and are considered to be sturdy, resistant, requiring less water and usually display special characteristics in terms of nutritional value, fragrance and colour. At the moment, variety of indigenous crops is gradually being depleted due to various reasons. The loss of indigenous crop varieties means disruption of agriculture cycles that have been feeding, nurturing and sustaining human beings and other life forms for aeons. This also means a loss of unique properties that meet our unique nutritional requirements in varied geography. In India, many concerned individuals and organisations are working to conserve indigenous varieties of crops. Like Debal Deb who is trying to save India’s traditional varieties or Padma Shri Rahibai Soma Popere who has 114 varieties of 53 crops, preserved employing traditional methods. Navdanya organisation is doing amazing work in the area of conservation of seeds. By Harshal Khade With inputs and photos from Virendra Kumar Dubey, Arvind Kumar Uikey, Kasturi Samal, Sujaya Dangwar and Ganesh Kakde Source: WOTR website