Welcome to Biodiversity Guide
Biodiversity Destruction Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Why Is Biodiversity Important- A Primer
from:Any number of people want to know “Why is biodiversity important?” One answer is that is important because it represents the almost infinite variety of plant and animal life, and the variety of the types of Earth's ecosystems that support life as we know it. It enables humans to survive in what would be otherwise be some very adverse conditions.
Any study of “why is biodiversity important” can yield fascinating results. Biodiversity is the very stuff that supports the evolution and differentiation among the varying species. It's why cats are cats and horses are horses and humans are humans. And, further, it is responsible for the differences among groups within the larger species. Look at how many seemingly different types of humans there are. Or jungle cats. Or birds.
Water, wind, and sunlight generate much of the energy we use, and the action of the planet on various substances over the course of centuries create and provide things like coal, which is used to generate heat and more energy. Energy from wind, water, sunlight, and coal heats our homes and powers all our appliances Decaying animal matter has, over the centuries created the fossil fuels we use on a daily basis to power the vehicles that make transportation relatively easy and convenient.
Without biodiversity we would be (if we existed at all) a homogeneous population, with each of us having the same vulnerabilities. This would mean that in, say an epidemic, we would all be killed since there would be no biologic differences that would enable some of us to survive and adapt. Much of our modern medicine is based on combinations of biologically diverse substances isolated from various plants (which we, therefore, label medicinal). Even before the rise of modern medicine, shamans and wise women used various plants to achieve various results. Without those plants, and the great variety of insects that pollinate and cross-pollinate them, humans would be much more vulnerable to disease.
Various industries consider the question of “why is biodiversity important,” because their industries provide lumber, granite, and marble – to name a few of the building materials much human habitation depends upon – we would largely be without shelter.
While humans are omnivorous, without biodiversity there would be virtually no variety in our diets. One reason to ask “why is biodiversity important?” is because biodiversity provides a literal treasure trove of foods, from things as common as wheat or corn to things as exotic as some of the seafood used in sushi. Further, not all the nutrients we need are in any particular food, so without a diverse base of foods to make combinations from our general health would suffer.
The most important reason for asking “why is biodiversity important?” is that biodiversity sustains the bodies we live in, and affects the lives we lead, and the societies we form.
Biodiversity Destruction News
EU postpones by a decade plans to stop extinctions - Earthtimes (press release)
 Earthtimes (press release) | EU postpones by a decade plans to stop extinctions Earthtimes (press release) According to a recent international report on the economics of biodiversity, known as TEEB, the extinction of animals and plants and the destruction of ... |
French President Calls for Stronger Forest Preservation Effort - Voice of America
French President Calls for Stronger Forest Preservation Effort Voice of America "The tropical forests store large amounts of carbon and are huge biodiversity spots, so they have a crucial role in [keeping] the planet's climate stable. ... |
Environment expert cites destruction of country's ecosystem - Manila Bulletin
Environment expert cites destruction of country's ecosystem Manila Bulletin According to studies, the Philippines is the center of the world's biodiversity but sadly, the country's ecosystem is being destroyed day by day, he said. ... |
Poverty and tyranny central to immoral practice of mountain destruction, water ... - The Hill
Poverty and tyranny central to immoral practice of mountain destruction, water ... The Hill Appalachia has 80 species of trees and more biodiversity per cubic meter than anywhere on the continent. Now the Massey Energy coal company, ... |
Global climate change and biodiversity - The New Nation
Global climate change and biodiversity The New Nation ... by the destruction of natural habitats caused by human-induced climate change and direct human thoughtless activities even if world wide biodiversity ... |
Welcome to Water World - Water World
 Daily Mail | Welcome to Water World Water World Biodiversity matters, and with more and more of our species and habitats confined to isolated, protected sites, we need to think on a much broader ... English wildlife facing extinction threat |
UN-backed global conference on trade in endangered species begins - UN News Centre
UN-backed global conference on trade in endangered species begins UN News Centre The General Assembly declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity and Achim Steiner, the Executive Director of UNEP, said this year is a critical ... |