ABSTRACT
Biological diversity provides the variety of life on earth and can be defined as the variability among and between the living organisms and species of surrounding ecosystems and ecological complexes of their life support. Many plant species are threatened with extinction because of the gradual disappearance of the terrestrial natural ecosystems worldwide for various human activities. Often, this is due to the clearing of indigenous vegetation for agriculture and the resulting erosion, salinization, and invasion of alien species, but more recently climate change is looming as a significant new threat. The major causes of loss of biodiversity is due to human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, invasion of exotic species, human population pressure, agricultural practices, and lifestyle change. Biodiversity is the very basis of human survival and economic development. Biotechnology has been used to improve and enhance crop productivity, as well as to conserve, evaluate, and utilize the various aspects of biodiversity. Biodiversity conservation can be achieved either by in situ or ex situ methods. Various biotechniques have been used for improvement of the ex situ conservation process to maintain biodiversity. The use of biotechnological methods such as plant tissue culture, plant cell culture, anther culture, and embryo culture are quite applicable and fruitful techniques for ex situ conservation.
