the value of Biodiversity and why Biodiversity is facing extinction
Biodiversity is the variety of life that can be found on earth such as plants, animals, and all other microorganisms, as well as the communities that they form and the habitat in which they live in. Biodiversity is considered to have an intrinsic value, meaning that every species has a value and the right to live, whether it has known value to human or not. According to Morton & Hill (10), the importance of biological diversity to human are classified under four main categories; provision services, regulating services, supporting services, and cultural services. However, over the past years, Biodiversity have been facing numerous extinction threats. This paper will discuss the value of Biodiversity as well as how and why Biodiversity is facing extinction.
One of the primary value of Biodiversity to humans is for provision services. Provision services are tangible output that people get from the ecosystem, they include, food, water, raw material and energy (Miller & Scott 132). For food and water provision, almost all ecosystems lay a significant role in the growing, collecting, hunting or harvesting food. Similarly, they play a vital role in the provision of water. The Biodiversity guarantees the availability of raw material like wood and energy for consumption and production, thus promoting economic activities.
For regulating services, biological diversity is crucial for the control of climate and promoting human health. There is a defined relationship between climate changes and human health and Biodiversity. Extreme climate conditions like droughts and flooding pose significant challenges to human health. Managing Biodiversity accordingly mitigates the adverse effects of climate changes that are paramount for the promotion of human health and well-being (Marselle 18). Excellent and favourable climate promotes the well-being of the ecosystem, which further promotes human health. According to Marselle (134), Biodiversity supports the ecosystem that promotes human health through the provision of clean air, food, water and medicine.
Supporting services of Biodiversity revolve around cycling of nutrients as well as supporting crop production through pollination. The ecosystem is vital for the breakdown of all organic matter and cycles the nutrients. The process of cycling nutrients from dead and decomposing organic matter is made possible by microorganisms like fungi and bacteria, as well as other living organisms like termites. These organisms play an essential role in decomposing and cycling of the nutrients back to the planet. For supporting and promoting crop life, pollinators like beetles, bees and even birds are important (Marselle 344). Bees are the common pollinators, moving from plant to plant, transferring pollen grains from the stamen to the pistil, thus helping plants reproduce and promote food production.
Biodiversity provides cultural services like spiritual and recreational benefits. Some cultures all over the world are tightly knitted to Biodiversity for their love of nature. According to Morton & Hill (11), the indigenous Australians have closely connected to Biodiversity and have obligations to preserve it, as a way of safeguarding their spiritual beliefs about the ecosystem. Through the appreciation of nature, many cultures all over the world have the ability to express their identities. Biodiversity is important for the provision of leisure and recreational services. Natural resources such as forest are common for camping and hiking activities (Marselle 230). Other leisure activities surrounding Biodiversity range from swimming, to fishing, hunting, photography and ever bird watching.
Population growth and consumption are the main reasons why Biodiversity is declining. Increased human population demands for more living space. The growth of human population comes along with increased economic activity, as well as increased consumption of food. Over the years, population growth and consumption have created a strain in the ecosystem, making human being exploit and destruct the Biodiversity of search of food, economic activities and living space. To attain all these necessities, humans have destroyed the ecosystem by destroying the habitats for wild animals, overexploitation and pollution.
The destruction of natural habitats is widely caused by deforestation, which is a direct cause of loss of diversity. Human activities, mainly economical activities have contributed to the high levels of logging of forest trees, thus destroying the ecosystems, which many species depend on for food and habitat. The loss of natural habitat is a significant threat to all species (Miller & Scott 98). Natural habitats in the ecosystem include forests, swamps and lakes. These habitats have continued to disappear due to increased needs for humans to make way for economic activities like agriculture, to make room for infrastructure. These human activities are in the rise without a plan to create and protect the important species, thus the continued loss of the important ecological habitats. When natural habitats are destroyed, it becomes incapable of supporting the species, therefore, displacing the native species or driving them to their death, thus the reduction of Biodiversity.
Overexploitation has dire effects on the ecosystem. Overexploitation focuses on hunting, fishing and harvesting at a higher rate than at the rate at which nature recovers the species. Overexploitation reduces the number of species as well as limits the ability of the existing species to survive indirect causes of biodiversity loss, like technological changes. Other problems can result from overexploitation of a specific species. For instance, when a particular type of fish is overhunted, and its population declines, humans will have to start overfishing another type of fish that was previously unexploited. This is an example of a cycle, which leads to the decline of species, one after the other at a high rate than the ecosystem can replace (Miller & Scott 91-98). Technological advancements have made it possible and more comfortable to overexploit species. Technologies like trawlers, netting, and fishing boats, have made it possible for humans to get to the fish that are far from the shore. The hunted species can not survive theses forms of technological innovations.
Invasive species are a significant cause of biodiversity loss. An invasive species is an organism that is introduced in a new environment where it not native, thus causing ecological harm to the new habitat and the native species. Invasive species can be as a result of intentional or accidental releases. These species can cause extinction to the native organisms because of the increased competition between the invasive species and the native species for the limited resources (Miller & and Scott 99-101). This type of competition is likely to alter the habitat, thus disrupting the lives of the native species, thereby reducing Biodiversity.
Pollution is a severe human activity that poses a significant threat to Biodiversity. Pollution is mostly related to the environment, with many people having the knowledge of only air and water pollution. The fact is pollution covers all contaminants that results into unwanted effects, once released into the natural environment (Miller & Scott 156-157). Pollution ranges form, chemicals from the sewer getting into the water and chemicals entering the water sources from the water draining from plantations. These type of pollution creates a polluted environment that plants and animals fail to adapt to. Air pollution affects the health of the animals, by causing respiratory problems and failed breeding. Air pollutants especially ”greenhouse gases”, results to low or no rainfall, thus affecting the natural habitats, thereby leading to the extinction of Biodiversity.
To conclude, Biodiversity is essential for sustaining life on earth. There are many benefits that a perfect ecosystem offers human life: provision of basic needs like food and water, promoting health, recycling the nutrients all over the planet and providing leisure activities. However, human activities are playing a significant role in the destruction and extinction of Biodiversity. The ever-growing needs for humans to supply adequate food, build infrastructure, increase economic activities have destroyed the natural habitats of the species and led to exploitation of the species. Many human activities have resulted in pollution of the natural habitats and the increase of invasive species that have played significant roles in eliminating the native species.
Works cited
Morton SR & Hill, R (2014). What is Biodiversity, and why is it important? In: Morton SR, Sheppard AW & Lonsdale WM (eds), Biodiversity: science and solutions for Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Melbourne, 1–12.
Marselle, Melissa R., et al., eds. Biodiversity and health in the face of climate change. Springer International Publishing, 2019.
Miller, G. Tyler, and Scott Spoolman. Sustaining the earth. Cengage Learning, 2015.