The loss of biodiversity is dangerous and its consequences are immediate. By securing the lifesustaining goods and services which biodiversity provides to us, the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can provide significant benefits to our health. Ecological balance, constancy of climatic features and soil maintenance. Biodiversity also underpins ecosystem function and the provision of ecosystem services. An unequivocal, precise, and generally accepted definition of biodiversity does not exist. Different habitats, niches, species interactions the ecosystem biodiversity is defined as the variations in the plants and the animals founds in the different ecosystems. Biodiversity, ecosystems and their species perform important biological services, for example, green plants remove carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere, which helps keep the environment healthy and fit for human life.
Biodiversity and conservation although india h as only 2. The year 2010 has long been seen as an end goal, a time when we could look back and say, yes, weve done it that biodiversity, life on earth, is no longer threatened. Biodiversity sustains the bodies we live in, and affects the lives we lead, and the societies we form. Biodiversity is a community of all the living organisms on the earth and the diversity among them from all the ecosystems. Pdf many studies suggest that biodiversity may be particularly important for ecosystem multifunctionality, because different species with.
Importance of biodiversity quotes and slogans the fresh. The loss of a particular individual species may seem unimportant to some, especially if it is not a charismatic species like the bengal tiger or the bottlenose dolphin. Biodiversity contributes to the natural function of the ecosystem. In contrast, the continuing loss of biodiversity on a. Our biodiversity is very important to the wellbeing of our planet. It is the natural wealth of the earth, which supplies all our food and much of our shelter and raw materials. For instance, the role of native insects in pollination, which is critical for agriculture, has. Read about biodiversity conservation, the importance of biodiversity, loss of biodiversity and more. Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is a term that refers to the number of genes, species, individual organisms within a given species, and biological communities within a defined geographic area, ranging from the smallest ecosystem to.
To investigate the vital role conservation planning can play in connecting land use planning and biodiversity. Pdf the importance of biodiversity and dominance for multiple. Economic valuation of biodiversity is important for the development of policies that protect biodiversity and alleviate poverty. By securing the lifesustaining goods and services which biodiversity provides to us, the conservation and. They are also areas with a high diversity of locally endemic sp. Biodiversity biological diversity is the total variety of living organisms in all ecosystems on earth, the genetic differences between them, and the communities and ecosystems in which they occur. With between 3 and 30 million species on earth, here are the reasons why they are important.
Species diversity biodiversity means many species surviving in an ecosystem. Basic concepts and importance of biodiversity authorstream presentation. Biodiversity loss therefore threatens the provision of goods and services provided by ecosystems. Through the conservation of biodiversity and the survival of many species and habitats which are threatened due to human activities can be ensured. Importance of biodiversity and ecosystems in economic growth and. However, the rate of species loss caused by human activity greatly exceeds the. Biodiversity can be measured through the use of quantitativeindicators, although no single unified approach exists. In 2002, governments set 2010 as a deadline to achieve a significant reductionin the rate of loss of biodiversity for reducing poverty. Biodiversity types of biodiversity, importance and causes. Many traditional societies have played an important role in preserving their biodiversity. Biodiversity is the amount of variety of life on earth.
Consensus statement three the impact of biodiversity on any single ecosystem process is nonlinear. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem function and the provision ofecosystem services. The current high rates will cause a precipitous decline in the biodiversity of the planet in the next century or two. 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. Can biodiversity play a role in the future of south africa. Otherwise known as agrobiodiversity, agricultural biodiversity is a broad term that includes the variety and variability of animals, plants and microorganisms at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels that sustain the ecosystem structures, functions and processes in and around production systems, and that provide food and non. Organic material in nature, such as leaves, logs and twigs, and dead animals and insects, is all degraded and decomposed by the biodiversity of organisms in the ecosystem. Biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits to meet immediate human needs, such as clean, consistent water flows, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. 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. Our biodiversity is very important to the wellbeing of our. Although we still have much to learn about the often complex function of ecosystems, and about which species perform critical roles, we know that if an ecosystem.
Introduction to biodiversity center for biodiversity. For example, the richness of diversity allows medicines and foods to be naturally available. The purpose of this report is to identify and explain the current importance of biodiversity within south africa and whether it will play a significant role in the future of this country or not. Associate professor, kamala nehru college, university. For example, land use change through deforestation is a leading driver of disease.
Conservation is the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and natural resources such as forests and water. Biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services 7 biodiversity at a suitable scale, e. Diversity comes from the adjective diverse, meaning variety. Two global biodiversity hotspots the sperrgebiet in the succulent karoo biome and the namib escarpment zone as well as four ramsar sites of international importance entire coastline under national park status, and a network of national parks covering over 17% of the country.
The natural disaster prevention mechanisms in most ecosystems and other free services we all get from the surrounding environment are not easily replaceable or replicable, so maintaining biodiversity is important. An evaluation of monetary and nonmonetary techniques for. Biodiversity is the term used to encompass the variety of all living organisms on earth, including their genetic diversity. It may include existing native forests and forests established by landholders. That area can be as large as the earth itself or it can be in a very small ecosystem such as the life in.
Biodiversity is categorized into species diversity, genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity. Chapter 2 biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. Biodiversity hotspots are areas that support natural ecosystems that are largely intact and where native species and communities associated with these ecosystems are well represented. That is what makes our country one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the world. Basic concepts and importance of biodiversity authorstream. In 2010 parties to the convention on biological diversity cbd adopted the strategic plan for biodiversity 20112020, a tenyear framework for action by all countries and stakeholders to safeguard biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people. Agroforestry is the management and integration of trees, crops andor livestock on the same plot of land and can be an integral component of productive agriculture. The importance of biodiversity for numerous industries across australia has not been quantified, but recent issues exemplify our ongoing reliance on functioning ecosystems to maintain key processes that, in the past, may have been taken for granted. It is the number of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. An ecosystem is the name given to all living species that live together in a stable community, interacting with one another and their physical environment. To understand why biodiversity is important, we have to think like biologists.
Biodiversity describes the richness and variety of life on earth. However, this is not to say that such measures are mutually exclusive. Why is biodiversity important and reasons for loss of. Biologists estimate that species extinctions are currently 500 times the normal, or background, rate seen previously in earths history. The importance of insects insect biodiversity wiley. Biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants, animals, microorganisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form. Environmentalists might define biodiversity as the total of all plant and animal life of the planet, and the planet itself the air, water and land that supports animal and plant life. The importance of biodiversity to human health convention. It is a delicate balance, in which certain insects or microbes. Thats why biology is usually defined as the study of living things. Among the shared threats identified throughout the report, landuse change is identified as an important driver of biodiversity loss with concurrent implications for many of our most pressing public health challenges. Nearly 45,000 species of plants and twice as many of animals have been recorded from india.
Although we still have much to learn about the often complex function of ecosystems, and about which species perform critical roles, we know that if an ecosystem is altered in any way, it might not be able to perform some of its important services. Associate professor, kamala nehru college, university of delhi. Insects are important because of their diversity, ecological role, and influence on agriculture, human health, and natural resources. It includes organisms from earths vastly different ecosystems, including deserts, rainforests, coral reefs, grasslands, tundra, and polar ice caps. Insects create the biological foundation for all terrestrial ecosystems. Importance of biodiversity quotes and slogans bio diversity quotes, international day for biological diversity by nanno the international day for biological diversity or world biodiversity day is a united nationssanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity. This chapter documents the dominance of insects in the living world and shows how they have been central to many advances in science. In fact, the variety of living things found across the planet also known as species diversity or species richness is just one part of. Agricultural biodiversity is a subset of general biodiversity.
Biodiversity loss, also called loss of biodiversity, a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given geographic area, or earth as a whole. They value biodiversity as a part of their livelihood as well as through cultural and religious sentiments. Biodiversity is also important for enhancing the resilience of poor farmers and indigenous peoples to climate change, pests, diseases and other threats. Importance of biodiversity, challenges and strategies to. Importance of biodiversity list of high impact articles. Biodiversity is a term that is commonly used when referring to mother earth and all its inhabitants. Biodiversity, short for biological diversity refers to the variety of life. Biodiversity is the variation among living organisms from different sources including terrestrial, marine and desert ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are a part. However the need for such a definition that is both scientifically sensible and universally applicable is. The biogeocycle that runs and maintains the balance in nature are due to the activity of the biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of living species on earth plants, animals and microorganisms and the ecosystems they form. It is an approach that looks at the amount of life and the variety of life over an area. It is the most complex and important feature of our planet. This paper provides an evaluation of monetary and nonmonetary techniques for assessing the value of biodiversity to people in least developed countries ldcs.
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