Environmental Degradation and ex-situ Conservation of Nelumbo nucifera

Abstract

Plants have always played a significant role in day to day human life. The aquatic bodies and wetlands comprise important components of the natural ecosystems. During the last five decades, aquatic habitats are deteriorating rapidly due to extensive demographic pressure, urbanisation, invasion of aquatic weeds and increased inflow of industrial effluents causing environmental degradation and serious threat to natural ecosystems. Soil washed down from denuded slopes and fields, is choking the wetlands and rivers at a very fast rate. As a result, the fragile ecosystems, such as tropical rain forests, lakes and reservoirs, mangroves and coastal areas, which constitute the hotspots of biodiversity are endangered. Global warming is also one of the root cause for destabilizing the equilibrium of the wetland ecosystems.