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Threats To Biodiversity Article
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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.
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Biodiversity loss on par with other environmental threats
SANTA BARBARA — A recent study published by an international research team working at UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) has found that loss of biodiversity impacts the environment as significantly as climate change and pollution.
Read more...USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: The Guam and Calayan Rails
By Dawnielle Tellez In the Pacific, a genus of birds known as Gallirallus has evolved on various islands forming twelve distinct modern species, endemic to different islands ranging from Okinawa all the way to New Zealand. Among these species are the Calayan rail (Gallirallus calayanensis) also known as the piding, and the Guam rail (Gallirallus [...]
Read more...Living Planet Report Details Threats To Earth's Biodiversity
Brett Smith for RedOrbit.com Thousands of populations of animals, both terrestrial and aquatic, are in decline and living in increasingly threatened habitats, according to the 2012 Living Planet Report . The biennial study by the World Wildlife Fund ( WWF ) said the number of wild animals in the world has dropped by almost a third in 40 years as a result of human consumption and population ...
Read more...IGNOU launches online course on biodiversity
New Delhi, May 22: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) launched an appreciation programme on sustainable management of biodiversity on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity Tuesday.
Read more...UN Chief: Ocean's Biodiversity Must Be Protected
Speaking on the International World Biodiversity Day , UN chief Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday warned that over-consumption and rampant pollution was threatening the world's ocean and marine biodiverity. " Despite its importance, marine biodiversity has not fared well at human hands," he said in a prepared statement. read more
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