Environmental issues: Importance of Biodiversity

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The diversity of species both flora or fauna have very important roles in the survival of mankind. Biodiversity is a crucial natural resource for humans. Many species that are threatened could potentially provide economic values for human use [1].

Levels of Biodiversity[1]

1. Genetic diversity

Genetic diversity comprises not only the individual genetic variation within a population, but also the genetic variation between populations that is often associated with adaptations to local conditions. If one population becomes extinct, then a species may have lost some of the genetic diversity which in turn reduces the adaptive potential of the species [1].

A good example of the importance of genetic diversity is production of rice. Having more varieties of rice contribute to its gene pool. This is very useful in improving the crop quality. One variety of rice may have genes for virus resistance, another with genes resistant to insects. These qualities can be combined to produce high-yielding rice which translates to reduced cost for consumers.

2. Species diversity

Species diversity is the variety of species in an ecosystem or across the biosphere. Threatened species could have a potential benefit to mankind. They could provide food and medicines, for example[1]. Losing species to extinction translates to losing natural resource. 

3. Ecosystem diversity

Ecosystem diversity is the variety of the biosphere's ecosystems. Because of the many interactions between populations of different species in ecosystems, the local extinction of one species can have a negative impact on other species in the ecosystem[1].

It is crucial to conserve individual species as their extinction can have devastating effect on the ecological balance, and this will eventually cause great loss to humans. This was demonstrated in the documentary film by National Geographic Wild titled A Life Among Whales in 2008. In the film, fishermen sees whales as a threat to fish supply. They thought that if they kill these whales they will have more fish to harvest and they won't lose their jobs. However, when they started killing whales, the killer whales that usually prey on younger whales moved to preying on seals. This led to the decline in the number of seals. The killer whales then moved to prey on otters. As the number of otters declined, their prey such as urchins flourished. This decimated the kelp forests which gives protection to the growing fish larvae. Without such protection, the fish larvae are easily preyed upon by a variety of sea life. This reduced the fish population. With decreasing fish supply, fishermen eventually lost their livelihood.





The Value of Biodiversity
In the year 2001 to 2005 a Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was done involving 1,360 experts worldwide. This was a global effort to examine relationship between biodiversity and human well being. Findings of the assessment pointed out how biodiversity is beneficial to material welfare, security of commodities, resilience of local economies, relations among groups in communities, and human health [2][3]. 

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) describes 5 core values of biodiversity[2]:

1. Economic value - biodiversity provides humans with raw materials for consumption and production. e.g. crops, meat products, timber. 

2. Ecological life support - biodiversity provides ecosystem services. This includes[4]:
  • Protection of water resources
  • Soils formation and protection
  • Nutrient storage and recycling
  • Pollution breakdown and absorption
  • Contribution to climate stability
  • Maintenance of ecosystems
  • Recovery from unpredictable events
3. Recreation - many recreational pursuits rely on our unique biodiversity such as bird watching, hiking, camping, and fishing.

4. Cultural - many cultures all over the world  is closely connected to biodiversity through the expression of identity, through spirituality and through aesthetic appreciation. 

5. Scientific - biodiversity represents a wealth of systematic ecological data that helps us to understand the natural world and its origins.


References
[1]Reece, J. B., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L. 1., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., & Jackson, R. (2011). Campbell biology (Ninth edition.) Pearson Benjamin Cummings

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