You might have come across the word “Biodiversity” at one point and wondered how exactly is concerns you.
It actually concerns us a great deal and the more we know about the importance of conserving biodiversity, the more we can do towards the maintenance of preservation of biodiversity which will result in a very healthy earth in the long run.
Biodiversity is a very important aspect of the earth's ecosystem and the loss or reduction of biodiversity affects the earth and indirectly affects us in a number of ways.
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY
According to the UN, biodiversity is defined as the variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part. Source
Simply put, biodiversity is reffered to as the variety of life at the different levels at which they exist.
Biodiversity is of three levels;
- Genetic diversity; The variety of genes within a species
- Species diversity ; The variability among species found in a particular habitat
- Ecosystem diversity; The variety of ecosystems found in a particular environment
A healthy biodiversity depends on the species that make up the ecosystem and this will determine the productivity of the ecosystem. Every organism no matter how small is very important in an ecosystem and if one specie should go extinct, this affects the productivity and balance of such an ecosystem.
Since we rely heavily on biological resources on biological resources for most of our needs, it is necessary therefore to conserve biodiversity.
According to MEA, 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. Source
How is biodiversity lost?
Human activities have been the number one culprit that cause biodiversity loss.
- Habitat loss
- Over exploitation of species
- Global warming
- Over consumption
- Pollution
Habitat loss is something that has been happening often and at an alarming rate. It causes instant destruction of such an ecosystem and results in the loss of many species and even biological resources.
When an ecosystem is cleared, in the process many of these species are harmed and the one's that survive lose their habitats and become scattered and this often times leads to weaker gene pools within species.
Fragmentation is also another form of habitat loss but it results from the alteration of just a section of the habitat. The habitat is not entirely lost but is broken up into pieces. This also causes weaker Gene pools within species.
Benefits of Biodiversity
A healthy biodiversity will be able to provide us with a number of benefits
- It helps in Pollution absorption
- It provides Food
- Medicinal resources
- It aids Research
- Also helps in promoting tourism.
Let's take a look at a typical wetland ecosystem; it houses a lot of diverse species that all have different services they render to the environment and one of this services is Pollution Absorption. Wetlands serve as a filter and even absorbs most of these pollutants because of the diversity of the ecosystem.
Consequences of Biodiversity loss
You might wonder at this point, how does biodiversity loss affect me?
It affects us in the sense that we all make up the ecosystem, from the microorganisms, to the plants, animals and to humans.
If one part of the ecosystem becomes imbalanced due to biodiversity loss, then it affects every part of the ecosystem
Biological diversity is the resource upon which families, communities, nations and future generations depend. It is the link between all organisms on earth, binding each into an interdependant ecosystem, in which all species have their role. It is the web of life.
So, whatever happens to biodiversity has a direct or indirect effect on our lives.
The consequences of biodiversity loss includes;
- Loss of food security
- Loss of various medicinal resources that could be gotten from biological resources
- Poorer Gene pools among species due to species extinction
- Increased pollution
- Economic loss.
In our own little way we should try to help protect biodiversity, since over consumption and over utilization of biological resources is major reason for biodiversity loss;
- We should try to consume products that do not harm the environment.
- Use recyclable items and actually recycle them
- Reduce the use of pesticides
- Restore habitats around you
Doing all this in the long run is for our benefits, so always remember to conserve biodiversity in your own little way!!!.
Sources
Why is biodiversity important?