02-06-2012, 12:55 PM
biodiversity
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What is biodiversity?
Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is a term we use to describe the variety of life on Earth. It refers to the wide variety of ecosystems and living organisms: animals, plants, their habitats and their genes.
Biodiversity is the foundation of life on Earth. It is crucial for the functioning of ecosystems which provide us with products and services without which we couldn’t live. Oxygen, food, fresh water, fertile soil, medicines, shelter, protection from storms and floods, stable climate and recreation - all have their source in nature and healthy ecosystems. But biodiversity gives us much more than this. We depend on it for our security and health; it strongly affects our social relations and gives us freedom and choice.
Biodiversity is extremely complex, dynamic and varied like no other feature of the Earth. Its innumerable plants, animals and microbes physically and chemically unite the atmosphere (the mixture of gases around the Earth), geosphere (the solid part of the Earth), and hydrosphere (the Earth's water, ice and water vapour) into one environmental system which makes it possible for millions of species, including people, to exist.
At the same time, no other feature of the Earth has been so dramatically influenced by man’s activities. By changing biodiversity, we strongly affect human well-being and the well-being of every other living creature.
Ethics and environment: extension of rights to species and landforms
While many people will challenge us with the notion that protection of the environment is morally good, philosophy and religion have not incorporated the concept of nature conservation; it is not yet included in our ethical framework. The process of inclusion of these issues is one of social evolution. The concept of stewardship, however, is one firmly ensconced in the Judeo-Christian doctrine.
Aesthetic value and recreation
In North America, protected wild areas where indigenous organisms live undisturbed give people a sense of satisfaction in knowing that there are bears and wolves and rare plants and insects that still exist on their continent. Natural and wild landscapes are aesthetically pleasing and provide opportunities to get away from human-dominated landscapes. They also provide opportunities for recreational activities such as hiking, canoeing, birdwatching and nature photography.
Future potential
While there are hundreds of examples of known economic and aesthetic benefits of biodiversity, biologists and other scientists frequently outline that more is unknown than known. Important ecosystem services and uses for plants and animals are still unknown and await discovery. Yet these cannot be discovered, and benefit humankind, if they disappear before discovery. The threat to biodiversity can be compared to book burning (the obliteration of former and future knowledge).