International Conference on "Development, Biodiversity and Climate Change: Issues and Challenges", 03-05 October 2014, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, India
The Climate Change-Biodiversity report of the IPPC (April, 2002) highlights that changing land use and land cover, soil and water/air pollution, diversion of water to intensively managed ecosystems and urban systems, habitat fragmentation, selective exploitation of species, the introduction of non-active species and stratospheric ozone depletion are the consequences of human activities. It is now well recognized that these activities are affecting the biodiversity. All these anthropogenic changes have resulted from the efforts of human being to make their existence more comfortable. The current rate of exploitation of natural resources is so high, that today the need is being felt to rethink and re-frame the policies of socio-economic development. The change brought about by the developmental initiatives has altered the face of the Mother Earth.