Land Use Policy is the Key Driver for Biodiversity Management

The relationships between land use and biodiversity are fundamental to understanding the links between people and their environment. Biodiversity can be measured in many ways. The concept covers not only the richness of species of a particular area but also the diversity of genotypes, functional groups, communities, habitats and ecosystems there. Changes in the quality, quantity and spatial configuration of different aspects of land use can impact different components of biodiversity. There are various alternative strategies besides wildlife-friendly farming which is used as land use strategy, to conserve biodiversity. Land sparing is one such option. There is also a need for brining coherence and working together of social scientists, ecologists and planers so as to integrate their approaches together; this will make studies on land use change and its consequences in a more holistic way.