Why should we conserve biodiversity

Biodiversity: Biodiversity is the variety of organisms found in a different ecosystem which can be terrestrial, aquatic, marine, or desert. Conservation of biodiversity: • Conservation of biodiversity is the protection, scientific management, and upliftment of biodiversity to maintain its threshold levels and derive sustainable benefits for present and future generations. • Biodiversity should be conserved to prevent species extinction. • It is preserved to maintain a balance in nature. • If one organism in the food chain gets extinct it will impact the lives of other organisms.

We can’t live without nature’s help; and nature can’t live without our help. We must protect our planet’s biodiversity to safeguard the future of our ecosystems, our climate, our health — and our humanity. In this special series, the UN Foundation takes a closer look at why and how to protect nature, and we meet some of the people on the frontlines of the fight . Earth is the only planet in the universe known to host life, from huge blue whales and redwood trees to tiny bacteria and fungi. The variety of plants, animals, and microbes — the world’s biodiversity — is so immense that thousands of species are still being discovered every year. Human well-being is intimately tied to the well-being of these species, but as societies have become increasingly industrialized, our relationship with nature has changed. Climate change and growing demand for timber, food, and water have put severe stress on biodiversity and the health of natural ecosystems. We are destroying our planet at an unprecedented rate, with hundreds of species going extinct each year. To address this rising global challenge, this fall world leaders will participate in the virtual United Nations Summit on Biodiversity to support urgent action on the crisis while advancing sustainable development. At the summit leaders have an opportunity to build an ambitious, global response and set the stage for new international commitments on biodiversity conservation that will be set in 2021 at a meeting of the Convention ...

• • • • • • • • Go Solar Today • Top Companies By State • • • • • • Top Incentives By State • • • • • • Solar Panel Costs By State • • • • • • Value of Solar by State • • • • • • Company Reviews • • • • • • Common Solar Questions • • • • • • • Solar Resources • • • • • • Companies Compared • • • • • 1. Biodiversity Ensures Health and Food Security. Biodiversity underpins global nutrition and food security. Millions of species work together to provide us with a Every country has indigenous produce – such as wild greens and grains – which have adapted to local conditions, making them more resilient to pests and extreme weather. In the past, this produce provided much-needed micronutrients for local populations. Unfortunately, however, the Three crops – wheat, corn and rice – People once understood that the conservation of species was crucial for healthy societies and ecosystems. We must ensure this knowledge remains part of our modern agricultural and food systems to prevent diet-related diseases and reduce the environmental impact of feeding ourselves. 4. Biodiversity Provides Livelihoods. Humans derive approximately Ecosystems, therefore, must be protected and restored – not only for the good of nature but also for the communities that depend on them. Although some fear environmental regulation and the safeguarding of nature could threaten businesses, the “restoration economy” – the restoration of natural landscapes – provides more jobs in the United States than most of th...

Earth’s natural resources include air, water, soil, minerals, fuels, plants, and animals. Conservation is the practice of caring for these resources so all living things can benefit from them now and in the future. All the things we need to survive, such as food, water, air, and shelter, come from natural resources. Some of these resources, like small plants, can be replaced quickly after they are used. Others, like large trees, take a long time to replace. These are renewable resources. Other resources, such as fossil fuels, cannot be replaced at all. Once they are used up, they are gone f orever. These are nonrenewable resources. People often waste natural resources. Animals are overhunted. Forests are cleared, exposing land to wind and water damage. Fertile soil is exhausted and lost to erosion because of poor farming practices. Fuel supplies are depleted. Water and air are polluted. If resources are carelessly managed, many will be used up. If used wisely and efficiently, however, renewable resources will last much longer. Through conservation, people can reduce waste and manage natural resources wisely. The population of human beings has grown enormously in the past two centuries. Billions of people use up resources quickly as they eat food, build houses, produce goods, and burn fuel for transportation and electricity. The continuation of life as we know it depends on the careful use of natural resources. The need to conserve resources often conflicts with other needs...

Biodiversity includes not only species we consider rare, threatened, or endangered but also every living thing—from humans to organisms we know little about, such as microbes, fungi, and invertebrates. At the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, we include humans and human cultural diversity as a part of biodiversity. We use the term “biocultural” to describe the dynamic, continually evolving and interconnected nature of people and place, and the notion that social and biological dimensions are interrelated. This concept recognizes that human use, knowledge, and beliefs influence, and in turn are influenced, by the ecological systems of which human communities are a part. This relationship makes all of biodiversity, including the species, land and seascapes, and the cultural links to the places where we live—be right where we are or in distant lands—important to our wellbeing as they all play a role in maintaining a diverse and healthy planet. Why Is Biodiversity Important? Biodiversity is important to most aspects of our lives. We value biodiversity for many reasons, some utilitarian, some intrinsic. This means we value biodiversity both for what it provides to humans, and for the value it has in its own right. Utilitarian values include the many basic needs humans obtain from biodiversity such as food, fuel, shelter, and medicine. Further, ecosystems provide crucial services such as pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cyclin...

From poaching to deforestation, consumption, pollution, and overpopulation, humans are causing an enormous amount of damage to the natural world. Some experts even believe we are currently going through a “ Sixth Extinction ” as the loss of biodiversity equates to about 10,000 species per year. Now more than ever, it is up to us to take a stand against industries that partake in activities that are destroying our environment and threatening biodiversity. Besides being an ethical obligation we as humans should not take lightly, protecting wildlife species means preserving the delicate balance of many ecosystems. 1. Protects the Environment When one species is dying out because their habitat has been destroyed or they are being over-hunted, it sets off a chain reaction that causes other species to overpopulate and deplete important resources in nature. Every species has a job to do on Earth and eliminating one of these means upsetting the equilibrium, which can lead to an excess of problems. It is not only the animals that are affected, but also plants, many of which cleanse the atmosphere of harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Protecting the environment means protecting biodiversity, and vice versa. 2. Provides Food Security As most humans are omnivores, our diets consist of a mixture of plants and animals. When the ecosystem is altered by the depopulation of a species, the effects will ripple through the food chain, killing off other animals and plants we count o...