Why is biodiversity important

A recent We talked to UN Foundation Senior Fellow, Photo Credit: George Mason University What is biodiversity? Thomas Lovejoy: Biodiversity is the collective term for the full variety of life on earth. Many think of it as the total number of species, but it is actually more complex than that. It’s about the genetic diversity within species, the diversity of habitats, and the large biological units known as biomes, such as the coniferous forest biome. How does biodiversity impact sustainable development? TL: Without biological diversity, there is no other life on Earth, including our own. Even though we are often oblivious to it, this diversity of life is what provides clean water, oxygen, and all other things that end up being part of our diet, as well as clothing and shelter. It provides a lot of psychological benefits too, which are not much appreciated. What are the biggest threats to biodiversity? TL:The biggest threats are habitat destruction and fragmentation, direct harvest, various forms of pollution, and climate change. Biological diversity encompasses all environmental factors, so there are things that are direct threats, like habitat fragmentation. There are also indirect things like the distortion of the nitrogen cycle and the proliferation of dead zones in estuaries and coastal waters around the world. Basically, you can’t solve the biodiversity problem if you don’t solve all those problems as well. How fast are we seeing species disappear? Which regions are s...

Loss of biodiversity is often captured as a snapshot of the decline of a particular species, such as rhinos or polar bears. But the problem is bigger than any one example, affecting plants, animals, and humans. It can have an impact on how far diseases can spread and how resilient a community is against extreme weather events. This directly impacts human health. How Does Biodiversity Impact Our Health? From the air we breathe to the materials we use to build our homes, nature is essential to our survival. Biodiversity loss poses many threats to human health. Our dependence on biodiversity can be classified into • Provisioning: The foods we eat, medicines we use to stay healthy, and materials we use for clothing or shelter. • Regulating: The processes that renew natural resources and ensure a functional environment. • Culture: Services that promote health, such as inspiration, education, recreation, and traditional knowledge. • Supporting: The building blocks of life, including the creation of new organic matter and cycling of nutrients. Each of us depends on biodiversity in our daily lives, The spread of infectious diseases is sensitive to changes in biodiversity. Major processes impacting transmission include deforestation, changes in water management, urban sprawl, and the accidental or intentional human introduction of pathogens. Furthermore, Promoting Pollinators to Increase Local Biodiversity While we continue to learn new things about how humans depend on the natural...

This post was updated on May 17, 2021. Humanity must stop the pace of wildlife extinctions — or face extinction itself, according to a At a time when more than But how exactly is biodiversity so important to humanity? Why is biodiversity necessary for the stability of the planet? It may not be self-evident, so here are five reasons. 1. Wildlife support healthy ecosystems that we rely on. Conservation researchers Paul R. and Anne Ehrlich Whether in a village in the Amazon or a metropolis such as Beijing, humans depend on the services ecosystems provide, such as fresh water, pollination, soil fertility and stability, food and medicine. Ecosystems weakened by the loss of biodiversity are less likely to deliver those services, especially given the needs of an ever-growing human population. One example of this is 2. Keeping biodiverse ecosystems intact helps humans stay healthy. • Read more: With COVID-19, we’ve seen the damage that diseases can do not only to human health, but also to the global economy. By protecting biodiversity in Earth’s ecosystems, countries could save lives and money, while helping to prevent future pandemics. 3. Biodiversity is an essential part of the solution to climate change. In a The destruction of forest ecosystems is responsible for Some ecosystems, such as mangroves, are particularly good at storing carbon and keeping it out of the atmosphere — where it contributes to climate change. Forests and wetland ecosystems provide crucial buffers to extr...

A key element of life on Earth is biodiversity — this is the term used to explain the wide variation of life on Earth. It goes beyond the various types of plant and animal species. Biodiversity is responsible for the healthy function of our world’s ecosystems. It contributes to human well-being and the health of our planet as a whole. This article will explain biodiversity and why it’s important. We’ll also detail the three different kinds of biodiversity. Now is the time to understand biodiversity, as we see life on Earth threatened by climate change and other factors. The human population has definitely affected Earth’s biodiversity, but it’s not too late to stop biodiversity loss. What Is Biodiversity? Biodiversity is an abbreviated form of the term “biological diversity.” It was first used by scientists in the 1980s . It refers to all variations of life on Earth, from the variety of life found within a single ecosystem to the differences between life across the entire planet. Biodiversity involves the study of animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria . It explores the differences between vertebrates, invertebrates, microorganisms, and other life on Earth. It looks into their evolution, how they function within ecosystems, and how they are spread around the Earth. All organisms are important to Earth’s biodiversity and contribute to maintaining healthy environments around the world. What Are the 3 Types of Biodiversity? source There are three classifications of biodiversity...

Our planet is home to an estimated Protecting this remarkable diversity of life is about more than scientific discovery. Biodiversity remains a primary indicator of our planet’s health and underpins every facet of our society—from our foods and medicines to our cultures to our ability to withstand extreme weather. But right now, nature is in crisis. Plant and animal species are disappearing tens to hundreds of times faster than at any time in the last 10 million years, and that pace is accelerating. If we fail to curb threats to nature, from habitat destruction to climate change, scientists warn that “As with so many other issues, we find ourselves on the precipice,” says NRDC wildlife and conservation expert What is biodiversity? Biodiversity can be defined as the “variety of life in our natural world” and is measured as the number of different species—including plants, animals, fungi, algae, and even microorganisms, like bacteria—that share a certain home region. Biodiversity is a key indicator of the health of an ecosystem. Areas with particularly high levels of biodiversity, like the Why is biodiversity important? Thriving biodiversity is necessary for healthy ecosystems, without which we wouldn’t have a secure food supply, clean water, essential medicines, or, ultimately, a habitable climate. Ecological Importance At its most essential, biodiversity improves the stability and resilience of an ecosystem. The more complex an ecosystem—the more abundant and variable its ...