Previous Year Question

In-situ Conservation means conserving a species, its genetic diversity and ecosystem within its natural habitat. In contrast, when a species is conserved outside its natural habitat under controlled conditions, it is called Ex-situ Conservation.

In a Botanical Garden, different plants are cultivated and conserved at a designated location outside their original natural habitats. Therefore, it is an example of Ex-situ Conservation, not In-situ Conservation. The Government of India's Botanical Gardens programme also associates botanic gardens with ex-situ conservation of threatened and endemic plants.

In a Biosphere Reserve, biodiversity is conserved within its natural ecosystem and landscape. Biosphere Reserves generally combine conservation with research, monitoring and sustainable use; therefore, they represent an In-situ approach.

A National Park is a Protected Area where natural habitats and the species occurring in them are conserved within the same natural area. Protected Areas are regarded as a central instrument of In-situ Conservation under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Sacred Groves are natural or semi-natural forest patches protected by local communities because of religious and cultural traditions. Native vegetation and associated biodiversity remain conserved at the same location, so Sacred Groves are also treated as examples of In-situ Conservation.

National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserve and Sacred Grove → In-situ, whereas Botanical Garden, Zoo, Seed Bank, Gene Bank and Cryopreservation → Ex-situ. The CBD also identifies botanical gardens, zoos and gene banks as major examples of Ex-situ conservation.