While there might be survival of the fittest within a given species, each species depends on the services provided by other species to ensure survival. Why is Biodiversity Important? In a recent report, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for National and International Policy Makers 2009, TEEB provided the following example of sectors dependent on genetic resources: In addition, it is estimated that implementing REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) could help, From a cost perspective (p.18), it is estimated that. Our continued inefficient pumping of greenhouse gases into the environment without factoring the enormous cost as the climate already begins to change is perhaps an example where price signals may come too late, or at a time when there is already significant impact to many people. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the scientific term for the variety of life on Earth. Appreciating diversity is important as this is what forms the societies that we live in. Medicinal resources and pharmaceutical drugs, Diversity in genes, species and ecosystems, Cattle waste feeds the soil that nourish the crops, Crops, as well as yielding grain also yield straw, Crops are therefore food sources for humans and animals, Bacteria feed on the cellulose fibers of straw that farmers return to the soil, Amoebas feed on bacteria making lignite fibers available for uptake by plants, Algae provide organic matter and serve as natural nitrogen fixers, Rodents that bore under the fields aerate the soil and improve its water-holding capacity. In addition, the richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change. Values that are not overtly part of a financial equation are too often ignored. For example, if energy costs go up, businesses will look for a way to minimize such costs for themselves, and it is in such a time that alternatives come about and/or existing resources last longer because they are used more efficiently. Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, is the term we use for the variety of animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and other intertwined life forms within any ecosystem… “from towering redwood trees to tiny, single-cell algae that are impossible to see without a microscope.”. Healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters. This can be done by recycling & storage of nutrients, controlling pollution, & stabilizing climate. Land that is used to produce unhealthy or marginally nutritious items (e.g. Biodiversity is important because it boosts ecosystem productivity where each species all have an important role to play. All species, even those living in the most remote parts of the planet, are part of a wider ecosystem, both relying on and affecting other life forms within their biome (a term for the community of life or habitat where different species live). The maintenance of genetic diversity is important services that ecosystem provide from biodiversity. Biodiversity is important in ecosystems because it prevents extinction of species, allows organisms to adapt to changes in the environment and provides a wide range of materials and foods for survival. Nature can often be surprisingly resilient, often without the need for human interventions. The diversity of plants in the many ecosystems is the source for medicines that humans use to treat disease. Image Source: Twitter. Diversity in the ecosystem is significant to human existence for a variety of reasons. As the study notes, human actions cannot fully replace the role of large carnivores because these large carnivores are an intrinsic part of an ecosystem’s biodiversity. It therefore makes economic and development sense to move towards sustainability. These words sum up why biodiversity is so important. For example, A larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; Greater species … At least 40 per cent of the world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. This then has an impact on various local social, political and economic issues. The cost of replacing these (if possible) would be extremely expensive. This systematic under-valuation of ecosystem services and failure to capture the values is one of the main causes underlying today’s biodiversity crisis. 19 Jan. 2014. (2006) from public companies alone, Many products derived from genetic resources (enzymes, microorganisms), Personal care, Botanical and food & Beverage industries. It was noted earlier that ecosystems provide many services to us, for free. Economists talk of the price signal that is fundamental to capitalism; the ability for prices to indicate when a resource is becoming scarcer. A healthy biodiversity provides many natural services that are beneficial for everyone. Each ecosystem provide different habitats that can essential for a species's life cycle. Biodiversity is important because it provides biological resources, such as food and medicine, and ecosystem services, such as protection of water, soil, climate and nutrients. An ecosystem will have a higher productivity rate and more robust ecological processes when more different life forms can thrive and survive. However, for similar information, you could look at, What the global economy would look like with nature on the balance sheet, The hidden environmental and social costs from corporations, Renewable Energy Transition Key to Addressing Climate Change Challenge, For Heavily Indebted Small Islands, Resilience-Building is the Best Antidote, Facing their Failure to meet 2020 Biodiversity Targets, World Leaders Pledge Action & Funds, https://www.globalissues.org/article/170/why-is-biodiversity-important-who-cares, https://www.globalissues.org/print/article/170, A healthy biodiversity offers many natural services, Soil, bacteria, plants; the Nitrogen Cycle, Large carnivores essential for healthy ecosystems, Biodiversity providing lessons for scientists in engineering, More important than human use or biological interest, Putting an economic value on biodiversity, A larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops, Causes, consequences and ethics of biodiversity, Bees provide enormous benefits for humankind, Solving the Mystery of the Vanishing Bees, Three quarters of the world’s big carnivores are in decline, human actions cannot fully replace the role of large carnivores, some spiders can produce their silk with a higher tensile strength than many alloys of steel, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for National and International Policy Makers 2009, Environment: Save At Least Half the Planet, or Lose It All. Running out of resources should therefore be averted. Even these services often bypass markets where carried out as part of community management of shared resources. Why 'Crocodile Dundee' star, 81, came out of retirement. The massive reduction in the local whale population meant killer whales in the region (usually preying on younger whales) moved to other animals such as seals; As seal numbers declined, the killer whales targeted otters; As otter numbers were decimated, the urchins and other targets of otters flourished; These decimated the kelp forests where many fish larvae grew in relative protection; The exposed fish larvae were easy pickings for a variety of sea life; The above would be a good return on the initial investment. . So biologists are looking at these processes in more depth to see if they can reproduce or enhance such capabilities. Declining biodiversity is therefore a concern for many reasons. An example from the seas (originally mentioned here years ago but removed because the link to the story no longer worked), was described by National Geographic Wild in a program called, A Life Among Whales (broadcast June 14, 2008). Why is diversity important in an ecosystem? One overriding importance is that biodiversity is responsible for the continuity of the planet because it supports majority of the vital environmental life cycles such as the oxygen cycle, the water cycle, and the nitrogen cycle just to mention a few. 2. Markets fail to capture most ecosystem service values. To print all information (e.g. This is a clear case of inter-related issues: the health of the environment is strongly tried to our economic choices (i.e. There are 130,000 plants for example for which bees are essential to pollination, from melons to pumpkins, raspberries and all kind of fruit trees — as well as animal fodder — like clover. Why Is Biodiversity Important? costs that have to be borne by society from ignored factors, or social costs). Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. The benefits of these silent parts of our economy is also summarized in these videos by TEEB’s Pavan Sukhdev: The BBC notes that biodiversity is fundamental to economics. We need ants to survive, but they don't need us at all. The fact that in the world there are deserts, seas, ponds and forests, all of them with animals living in them. Benefits that are felt with a long-term horizon (e.g. It is the variation in the ecosystems found in a region or the variation in ecosystems over the whole planet. So much so that economic measures such as GDP often ignores environmental costs. Diversity In an aquatic environment helps in … The reason it can be explained with a disease is because the habitat of the vector involved fragmented low diversity areas. Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All. Bees are more important than poultry in terms of human nutrition. Why is BIODIVERSITY important? from climate regulation) are frequently ignored. Gravity. Side NoteUnfortunately the original link to the Nature.com article no longer works, since their site redesign, and I had not noted the publication details. It has perhaps taken about a decade or so — and a severe enough global financial crisis that has hit the heart of this way of thinking — to change this mentality (in which time, more greenhouse gases have been emitted — inefficiently). The importance of ecosystem diversity can be explained by the fact that a lack of it led to a outbreak of Lyme disease. There are several important reasons for us to gain an understanding of the dynamic nature of biological diversity, particularly in terms of maintaining ecological balance. As reported by CNN (May 5, 2000), One third of all our food—fruits and vegetables—would not exist without pollinators visiting flowers. Read on, as we’ll explore the reasons why preserving biodiversity is such an important task. Tense postgame handshake between college coaches Explanation: Industrial-farming techniques would deprive these diverse species of food sources and instead assault them with chemicals, destroying the rich biodiversity in the soil and with it the basis for the renewal of the soil fertility. On a large scale for example plants have diversity to prevent them from being wiped out by a parasitic attack or something. It is hard to know, but there is a lot of waste in the existing system. PLAY. Prof. E. O Wilson, in How Our Health Depends on Biodiversity, Chivian, E., Bernstein A., Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School, 2010 . The Gulf Coast of Florida is another unique ecosystem with different characteristics. The fact that within a forest, pond or sea there are countless different animals, plants, fish, birds and so on all living together. However, for similar information, you could look at Consequences of changing biodiversity, Nature 405, 234 - 242, 11 May 2000 and Causes, consequences and ethics of biodiversity, Nature 405, 208–211, 11 May 2000. food sources must be diverse because of each food type and the type of food/energy received from this food. The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. It noted how a few decades ago, some fishermen campaigned for killing whales because they were threatening the fish supply and thus jobs. by reducing their meat consumption or demand more ecologically sustainable alternatives at reasonable cost. Test. By contrast, waiting 10 more years could reduce the net benefit of halving deforestation by US$ 500 billion. Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. The three types of biodiversity (species, genetic, and ecosystem) help keep a healthy and sustainable ecosystem and environment for a long period of time. Being against prevailing thought, they would not agree. Without this, elephants were stripping vegetation bare, affecting other animals, too. Ecological life support—biodiversity provides functioning ecosystems that supply oxygen, clean air and water, pollination of plants, pest control, wastewater treatment and many ecosystem services. The diversity creates an interdependence between organisms in the ecosystem. Why is the Ecosystem so Important? Thus preserving the structure of biological communities rather than increasing the number of species are very important for maintaining ecosystem services. 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