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What Is Biodiversity And Why Is It Important – This article makes it easy to understand what biodiversity is and why it is so important by providing a simple and visual definition.
Growing up in South Africa, I was always surrounded by nature – a term often used synonymously with biodiversity. So, like everyone else, I have lived with biodiversity in my life. Biodiversity is the natural world that surrounds us. It is the variety and diversity of life on earth.
What Is Biodiversity And Why Is It Important
Here is the simplest description of biodiversity: the diversity of life on Earth. According to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, “the variation between living organisms”. This includes “diversity within species, between species and ecosystems.” It is all the plants and animals that interact with each other and the physical world around them in areas called ecosystems.
What Is Biodiversity, And Why Is It Important?
Biodiversity is what makes you different from everyone you know. Each individual has a unique mix of genes.
There are all the different plants and animals that exist – from a western lowland gorilla to a humpback whale or a portobello mushroom.
Are areas of biological diversity where plants and animals interact with the environment in different ways. Take, for example, a coral reef ecosystem. There you can find a variety of corals, fish, rays, turtles, jellyfish, sea urchins, seaweed, phytoplankton and algae – all in the ecosystem.
Ecosystems come in different forms, occurring in different areas. (For example, Finland has forests, the Seychelles has coral reefs, Kenya is rich in grasslands, and Mexico has deserts.)
Pdf) What Is Biodiversity, And Why Is It Important?
Each ecosystem has certain species of plants, animals and insects – its own unique biodiversity. You will find many species that occur there and nowhere else on earth: these are called
. In Kenya’s grasslands you can find lions, antelopes, acacia trees and termites. You will even find different species of fungi and bacteria.
If you look deeper, you will find a finite level of diversity within each of these grassland species. For example, antelopes have subspecies of oryx, sable and roan antelope.
Each type of plant and animal has specific preferences for where they like to live and what they like to eat. Certain species can only survive in very specific habitats, altitudes or temperatures. Some are also very sensitive to changes in their habitats. For example, frogs are so sensitive to changes in water quality, due to their absorbent skin, that they can die or develop deformities if the water is slightly polluted.
What Is Biodiversity And Why Is It Important? — Easy Jose Coffee
It is easy to list examples of plants and animals at species level. But it can be a bit complicated to explain the intricacies of ecosystems and how they work. That is because over time ecosystems and their processes have developed a way of being stable or balanced.
Every ecosystem needs a diversity of plants and animals and enough habitat space to continue to function optimally. Many ecosystems around the world have been so disturbed and fragmented that they are at risk of collapse. This in turn can have serious consequences – especially because of the many benefits we get from ecosystems.
Changes in one aspect of an ecosystem can lead to changes in other parts too – but the effects of these disturbances can be difficult to predict. Sometimes ecosystems can adapt to these changes – especially if they are biologically diverse and therefore more resilient. But certain changes can trigger an ecosystem collapse.
When ecosystems are healthy, functioning and resilient, they provide a wide range of services. These can include clean air and water, food, medicine, storm buffers and even carbon storage.
Why Is Biodiversity Important? (video)
People benefit enormously from biodiversity in their everyday lives – for example, many jobs and livelihoods depend on ecosystems and biodiversity. In a companion article I have written about the importance of biodiversity: how humans depend on biodiversity and ecosystems for the food we consume, for medicines we use to improve our health, for materials we need to make clothes and almost any product you can thinks about.
Today, biodiversity is rapidly being lost due to various threats. There has been a 68% decline in global populations of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians since 1970, and over a million plants and animals are threatened with extinction.
Individuals and organizations need to understand what is at risk when biodiversity and ecosystems are degraded or destroyed. For companies, the ability to continue operations and the sustainability of their supply chains is at risk.
Organizations must identify opportunities to become more biodiversity-friendly, circular and sustainable. After all, investments in biodiversity can lead to new markets, reduced operating costs and more sustainable supply chains.
Why Is Biodiversity So Important?
To illustrate the intricate nature of ecosystems, let’s look at an example of a change (or disturbance) in an ecosystem to see the effects.
As an example, travel with me into a coral reef ecosystem. Corals around the world are beginning to bleach and die due to warming ocean waters, pollution, invasive species and other human causes.
As the coral dies, the fish that live there will no longer have places to live or food to eat as they grow (25% of marine species spend part of their life cycle in reefs).
It can have cascading effects for the many animals and plants that live in the coral reef ecosystem. As the coral-eating fish die off, the animals that eat the fish will also have their food supply cut off.
Introduction To Biodiversity
As this coral reef ecosystem is affected, so are businesses that depend on their services. If this coral reef ecosystem collapsed, it could affect the local fishing sector which would no longer be able to harvest as much catch.
The local ecotourism sector could be affected if visitors no longer see it as an attractive destination for diving and viewing the reef and its species. Nearby coastal developments may also be more vulnerable to flooding and storms as coral reefs offer protection in this regard.
This example also highlights the many opportunities companies have to preserve and improve biodiversity. Protection, restoration and sustainable management of the coral reef enables the ecotourism sector to continue to attract visitors, the fisheries sector to protect its supply chain, and the insurance sector to reduce the number of claims for storm damage and coastal flooding.
Some businesses are also developing new markets based on protecting and restoring reefs. For example, Coral Vita receives funding to grow and transplant new corals.
What Do You Think Is The Importance Of Biodiversity In Natural Ecosystems?
While we should all do what we can in our lives to support biodiversity, businesses are particularly important actors because of their resources and impact. How can they prevent biodiversity loss and restore and sustainably manage ecosystems?
Some businesses protect and restore biodiversity through their supply chains, innovative product design and sustainable sourcing – others through their operations and processes. And some create new markets for biodiversity-friendly products and services. its companion article on the importance of biodiversity describes several of these initiatives.
For more inspiration, some of the largest companies in the world collaborate on biodiversity-friendly initiatives. The One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) initiative aims to protect and restore biodiversity within corporate supply chains and product portfolios, with Google, L’Oreal, Mars, Inc., Unilever, Nestle S.A., Kellogg Co. and Danone S.A. among the participating companies.
Chairman of OP2B, Emmanuel Faber, notes the importance of companies taking collective measures against the loss of biodiversity:
Why Biodiversity Is Important For Children
“The global food and agricultural ecosystem is critically dependent on biodiversity: from soil renewal to water filtration, pest control and pollination, among many of the other building blocks of life on Earth. According to many recent scientific studies, we have ten years to reset the course and bend the curve on climate change and the loss of wild and cultivated biodiversity. We need a collective effort now.”
“The Basics” provides important knowledge about the sustainability topics of the core business. All articles are written or reviewed by an expert in the field. The Network for Business Sustainability builds these articles for forward-thinking business leaders.
Almond, R. E. A., Grooten, M., & Petersen, T. (Eds.). 2020. Living planet report 2020: Bending the curve of biodiversity loss
Bishop, J., Kapila, S., Hicks, F., Mitchell, P., & Vorhies, F. 2008. Building biodiversity business. Shell International Limited and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
What Does Biodiversity Mean For Human Health
Brondizio, E.S., Settele, J., Díaz, S., & Ngo, H.T. (Ed.). 2019. Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
World Business Council for Sustainable Development. 2020. The circular bioeconomy: A business opportunity that contributes to a sustainable world
Dr Ann Dale and Rob Newell from Royal Roads University offer five tips for companies seeking innovative ways to tackle climate change.
Manufacturing facilities can improve performance and help the environment by investing in environmental technology. But if given the choice between cleaning up pollution or preventing it at source, the latter was more related to corporate profits. The use of biodiversity in modern agriculture is as important as it has ever been. Biodiversity has been and will continue to be an important part of agricultural practices worldwide. Biodiversity refers to the diversity and variation among all life forms within a given ecosystem or region. This includes genetic diversity, species and ecosystem diversity as well as the interactions between them.
Biodiversity And Health
Biodiversity plays a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem functions and services such as pollination, pest control and soil formation. In addition to this, biodiversity also helps
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