TOPIC 4

• Biodiversity -


  is defined as the vast variety of life forms in the entire Earth.
• It encompasses all kinds of life forms, from the singled cell organisms to the largest multicelled organisms. 


  biodiversity
• Its definition is in the structural and functional perspective and not as individual species.


  biodiversity
• Another definition of biodiversity is “the availability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.
• Biodiversity is the source of the essential goods and ecological services that constitute the source of life for all and it has direct consumptive value in food, agriculture, medicine, and in industry.” (Villaggio Globale, 2009)
• Understanding biodiversity within the concept of ecosystem needs a thorough study on the relationship of the biotic, the living organisms and abiotic, nonliving organisms.
• Interdisciplinary approach is needed to study the ecosystem.
• On a positive view, the larger number of different species in a certain area can be a predictor of sustainable life in that area.
• Sustainability of the ecosystem ensures a better survival rate against any natural disaster. Therefore, we, as human inhabitants of the ecosystem, must preserve and conserve the biodiversity of all creatures.
• In simpler terms, it is true that people will always depend on biodiversity on the wholeness of our being and in our everyday lives.
• More so, our health will ultimately depend upon the products and services that we acquire from the ecosystem.
• Somehow, there are ways and processes in the ecosystem that are not apparent nor appreciated by us, human beings.
• Think about the need the need to drink clean and fresh water, the need to eat healthy vegetables and food, or the need of man to transport which makes him rely on fuel. All of these are human needs that are answered and provided by our ecosystem.
• Thus, if we fail to keep the process of taking care of the ecosystem, it is us who are actually putting our lives at risk.
• Indirectly, changes in the ecosystem affect livelihood, income, and on occasion, may even cause political conflict (WHO,n.d.).
• Alteration in any system could bring varied effects.
• A change in biodiversity could have erratic effects not only in wildlife or marine life but also in human beings. For example, humans inhabiting the forest would disturb the natural order of life.
• Trees and plants would be affected in the land-clearing operations where the houses would be built. The animals, insects, and all types of life forms in the cleared area would either be displaced or most likely be killed. The loss of these life forms could affect the entire ecosystem governing that environment. The food chain might be damaged.
• From this, we can clearly infer that when our ecosystem is not well taken care of, biodiversity encounters changes that may impact human health on such different levels.
• Major threats to biodiversity identified by the United Nations' Environment Program


  • Habitat loss and destruction
  • Alteration in ecosystem composition
  • Over-exploitation
  • Pollution and contamination
  • Global climate change
• Habitat loss and destruction


  Major contributing factor is the inhabitation of human beings and the use of land for economic gains
• Alteration in ecosystem composition

  • Alterations and sudden changes, either within species groups or within the environment, could begin to change entire ecosystems
  • Alterations in ecosystem are a critical factor contributing to species and habitat loss
• Over-exploitation


  • Over-hunting, overfishing, or over-collecting of species can quickly lead to its decline
  • Changing consumption patterns of humans is often cited as the key reason for this unsustainable exploitation of natural resources
• Pollution and contamination

  • Biological systems respond slowly to changes in their surrounding environment
  • Pollution and contamination cause irreversible damage to species and varieties
• Global climate change

  • Both climate variability and climate change cause biodiversity loss
  • Species and populations may be lost permanently if they are not provided with enough time to adapt to changing climatic conditions
• Even with the improvement of technology and science at present, we still have a lot to learn about biodiversity, more so about the consequences of biodiversity loss.
• However, the basic concept about diversity loss was from Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.
• Intact ecosystems function best since the organism composing them are specialized to function in that ecosystem to capture, transfer, utilize and ultimately, lose both energy and nutrients.
• The particular species making up an ecosystem determine its productivity, effect nutrient cycles and soil contents, and influence environmental conditions such as water cycles, weather patterns, climate, and other non-biotic aspects.
• The loss of biodiversity has many consequences that we understand, and many that we do not.
• It is apparent that humankind is willing to sustain a great deal of biodiversity loss if there are concomitant benefits to society; we hope they are net benefits.
• In many cases, the benefits seem to accrue to a few individuals only, with net societal loss. However, it is extremely difficult to estimate the future costs of losses in biodiversity or of environmental damage (Rainforest Conservation Fund, 2017).
• As stated by Tilman, ― The Earth will retain its most striking feature, its biodiversity, only if humans have the prescience to do so. This will occur, it seems, only if we realize the extent to which we use biodiversity (Rainforest Conservation Fund, 2017).
• According to the World Health Organization, biodiversity is a vital element of a human being‘s nutrition because of its influence to food production.
• Biodiversity is a major factor that contributes to sustainable food production.
• Biodiversity is a major factor that contributes to sustainable food production for human beings.
• A society or a population must have access to a sufficient variety of nutritious food as it is a determinant of their health as human beings.
• Nutrition and biodiversity are linked at many levels: the ecosystem with food production as an ecosystem service; the species in the ecosystem; and the genetic diversity within species.
• Nutritional composition between foods and among varieties/cultivars/breeds of the same food can differ dramatically, affecting micronutrient availability in the diet.
• Healthy local diets with adequate average levels of nutrients and enhanced food production through irrigation, use of fertilizer, plant protection (pesticides), or the introduction of crop varieties and cropping patterns affect biodiversity and thus impact global nutritional status and human health.