Center for Biological Diversity. (2014, January 24). Human Population Growth and Wildlife Extinction. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vn8rXbTgWg
Benefits of biodiversity
As defined earlier on this webpage, biodiversity is the existence of various species in our world. Why is it important to preserve the variety of organisms on our planet? There are various reasons to do so. To begin with, we as humans need plants and other creatures to survive. We use them as biological resources, in the sense that they provide us with food, medicine and pharmaceutical materials. Biodiversity also provides us with raw materials needed for the production of goods that we use in our daily lives, such as paper, cotton for clothes, and other wood-related products like furniture, fuel, and fibres.
In terms of ecosystem benefits, biodiversity sustains food chains and web chains in our complex environments, maintaining a balance for all organisms. It helps in the creation and maintenance of soil structure and the preservation of moisture and nutrient levels. Maintaining diverse ecosystems also improves the chance of recovery of organisms in the case of sudden unexpected incidents such as fire or natural disasters. On the contrary, ecosystems which are not well preserved have less of a chance of recovery from such catastrophes.
As for the social benefits, biodiversity provides a great source of research and education, such as how to preserve genetic base of harvested resources. Natural ecosystems provide great laboratories for such studies, which could be significant in food products and medicine.
For more information on biodiversity benefits, please visit
http://www.biodiversity.ru/coastlearn/bio-eng/benefits.html
Effects of biodiversity loss
The most prevalent effect of biodiversity loss is seen in rainforests. Ecosystems function at their best when all the diverse species that originally compose it exist. These species affect environmental conditions such as climates, nutrient cycles, energy transfer, and the overall productivity of the ecosystem.
Another effect of biodiversity loss is on human health. While it could be claimed that the maintenance of diverse species increases the diseases that could infect humans, research shows that greater wildlife diversity could lessen the spread of many wildlife pathogens to humans. An example of that is Lyme disease, where it seems to have decreased by the preservation of diverse creatures.
People who rely on ecosystem services from the rural societies also suffer greatly, since the ecosystem directly provides them with food items, fuel, and an income source in case of fishermen and subsistence farmers. This poorer sector of the society cannot substitute the loss of economic benefits by other goods and services. So, biodiversity loss levies more harm on the more vulnerable sector of the society, making it harder for them to access basic living materials and reducing their ability to freely lead their simple lives.
Human contribution to Biodiversity loss
There are many contributing factors to biodiversity loss, such as climate change, pollution, and natural disasters. However, many of the greatest drivers of biodiversity loss are human-related actions. As the world population grows, more and more resources are needed to fulfill human needs and wants. This has resulted in over-fishing, over-grazing, and habitat destruction. Deforestation is an example, where forest areas are cut down to create more space for humans.
Benefits of biodiversity
As defined earlier on this webpage, biodiversity is the existence of various species in our world. Why is it important to preserve the variety of organisms on our planet? There are various reasons to do so. To begin with, we as humans need plants and other creatures to survive. We use them as biological resources, in the sense that they provide us with food, medicine and pharmaceutical materials. Biodiversity also provides us with raw materials needed for the production of goods that we use in our daily lives, such as paper, cotton for clothes, and other wood-related products like furniture, fuel, and fibres.
In terms of ecosystem benefits, biodiversity sustains food chains and web chains in our complex environments, maintaining a balance for all organisms. It helps in the creation and maintenance of soil structure and the preservation of moisture and nutrient levels. Maintaining diverse ecosystems also improves the chance of recovery of organisms in the case of sudden unexpected incidents such as fire or natural disasters. On the contrary, ecosystems which are not well preserved have less of a chance of recovery from such catastrophes.
As for the social benefits, biodiversity provides a great source of research and education, such as how to preserve genetic base of harvested resources. Natural ecosystems provide great laboratories for such studies, which could be significant in food products and medicine.
For more information on biodiversity benefits, please visit
http://www.biodiversity.ru/coastlearn/bio-eng/benefits.html
Effects of biodiversity loss
The most prevalent effect of biodiversity loss is seen in rainforests. Ecosystems function at their best when all the diverse species that originally compose it exist. These species affect environmental conditions such as climates, nutrient cycles, energy transfer, and the overall productivity of the ecosystem.
Another effect of biodiversity loss is on human health. While it could be claimed that the maintenance of diverse species increases the diseases that could infect humans, research shows that greater wildlife diversity could lessen the spread of many wildlife pathogens to humans. An example of that is Lyme disease, where it seems to have decreased by the preservation of diverse creatures.
People who rely on ecosystem services from the rural societies also suffer greatly, since the ecosystem directly provides them with food items, fuel, and an income source in case of fishermen and subsistence farmers. This poorer sector of the society cannot substitute the loss of economic benefits by other goods and services. So, biodiversity loss levies more harm on the more vulnerable sector of the society, making it harder for them to access basic living materials and reducing their ability to freely lead their simple lives.
Human contribution to Biodiversity loss
There are many contributing factors to biodiversity loss, such as climate change, pollution, and natural disasters. However, many of the greatest drivers of biodiversity loss are human-related actions. As the world population grows, more and more resources are needed to fulfill human needs and wants. This has resulted in over-fishing, over-grazing, and habitat destruction. Deforestation is an example, where forest areas are cut down to create more space for humans.
Solutions to biodiversity loss
- Reduce Habitat loss: Many creatures are losing their habitats by many ways, of which deforestation is an important example. Since rain-forests are the most diverse areas in our planet, preserving them is a positive step towards maintaining biodiversity. Ecosystem restoration is a critical move.
- Reduce pollution: Pollution puts many plants and animals at risk, causing many species to become endangered. Frogs are an example of the most vulnerable animals, due to their thin chemical-absorbing skin. Many species of frogs are endangered in Europe and Australia due to the widespread of fertilizers and pesticides (Aspen, n.d). Pollution has also extended to oceans and rivers, threatening marine life as well. Human dumping in seas has killed thousands of turtles that confuse plastic bags with jelly fish, and it is estimated that the population of this reptile has decreased by 60% over the last 20 years. Saint Lawrence Belugas are a species of whales that are also endangered due to the accumulation of lead, mercury, and other intoxicants in their bodies.
- Raise awareness: The first step in resolving any human-related problem is raising awareness. People should be aware of the negative impacts they have on biodiversity, and should understand the significance of biodiversity in our world.
- Private sector: Businesses in the private sector could contribute to biodiversity conservation. Through corporate social responsibility schemes, businesses could be managed in more environmentally friendly ways, conserving biodiversity.
- Governments and agencies: Through strict rules and regulations, governments and responsible agencies must help in preserving biodiversity. They could include biodiversity loss as a part of international political and economic agreements, or strict laws that prohibit anti-environmentally friendly actions. Such attempts could trigger positive responses by time.
Overall Effects of the suggested solutions
If the solutions to overpopulation are effective enough, population growth must decrease. This should have a positive impact on biodiversity, since pollution, deforestation, habitat destruction, and over-exploitation of resources would all decrease. However, one of the proposed solutions in particular could have a negative impact on biodiversity. The idea of building out and stretching to other unoccupied areas in a country could be a problem after all. Just because they are unoccupied by humans does not mean they are unoccupied by other living things: Trees, animals, and many other organisms that would have to relocate somewhere else following their habitat destruction. Therefore, a conflict of interests could occur, but the severity of the conflict depends on the situation and the targeted areas for building.
For more information on biodiversity in depth, please visit Green facts : http://www.greenfacts.org/en/biodiversity/l-2/1-define-biodiversity.htm#0