BIODIVERSITY (Module 9 - STS)

• Megadiversity countries


  • Brazil
  • Columbia
  • United States
  • South Africa
  • Philippines
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Malaysia
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Australia
  • Indonesia
  • China
  • Mexico
  • Venezuela
  • Ecuador
  • Peru
  • India
  • Madagascar

  
• The Philippines is one of the 17 megadiversity countries of the world
• Megadiversity


  A term used to define the world's top biodiversity-rich countries

  
• Criteria to qualify as a megadiverse country

  • Have at least 5,000 endemic plants
  • Have a marine ecosystem within the borders

  
• According to Conservation International, an environmental non-profit 70% of the world's flora and fauna exist in only 17 countries
• These nations comprise just under 10% of the surface of the earth
• The Philippines is the top megadiverse country in terms of environmental degradation and species loss
• Biodiversity


  The variety of life on Earth and the essential interdependence of all living things
• Three components of biodiversity

  • Diversity of genes
  • Diversity of number of species
  • Variety of ecosystems
• Species


  A group of organisms of similar individuals that are capable of interbreeding
• Taxonomy


  The field of Biology that deals with classifying organisms
• Carolus Linnaeus is the father of Modern Taxonomy (1700's)
• Taxonomists estimate that there are somewhere between 3M-50M different species living today

  
• 65% of all known species are INVERTEBRATES
• IUCN


  International Union for Conservation of Nature
• IUCN


  • Established on 5 October 1948, in Fontainebleau, France
  • Mission is to influence, encourage and assist global societies to conserve nature
  • The IUCN has members from government and non-government agencies, scientists and experts who work on a voluntary basis and thousands of full-time employees in over 50 countries
  • Headquarters are located in Gland, Switzerland
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  The worlds most comprehensive list of global conservation status for plants and animals

  
• Ecosystem


  A biological community that includes all living things interacting in a certain area or region with non-living things such as weather, climate, temperature, soil, air , sun, among others
• Habitat


  The physical and chemical description of where a creature lives
• Habitat descriptions


  • The name of the place where the creature lives
  • The dominant vegetation of the place where the creature lives
  • The type of place where the creature lives
• Importance of biodiversity


  • Ethical and moral values
  • Aesthetic value
  • Utilitarian values
  • Ecological values
• Human responsibility toward other living things, and obligations to future generations, provide strong reasons for conservation
• Biodiversity hotspots


  Areas that contain at least 1,500 endemics (species that occur nowhere else) and have lost at least 70% of their habitat due to various anthropogenic factors
• Although these hotspots occupy only 1.4% of the world's land area, but they house ¾ of the world's most threatened mammals, birds, and amphibians
• The hottest of these hotspots tend to be tropical islands such as Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Philippines where geographic isolation has resulted in large numbers of unique plants and animals
• Edward O. Wilson, an American evolutionary biologist, predicted that the planet loses approximately 27,000 species per year
• The majority of the past five extinctions that happened were brought about by catastrophic events and physical disasters
• Wilson and other biologists believe that the next mass extinction will be from the disruption and destruction of the ecosystem caused by human race
• Pressures to biodiversity


  • Habitat destruction
  • High population density and growth rates
  • Species introductions/invasive alien species
  • Global climate change
  • Illegal wildlife trade
  • Deficiencies in the knowledge on biodiversity
  • Inadequate enforcement of environmental laws and poor political will
  • Failure to put value on the environment
• 2010 International Year of Biodiversity: "The conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources"
• Over 100,000 plant/animal species lost in the last 5 years
• Habitat loss is biggest current threat to biodiversity
• Deforestation and forest degradation has increased since the Rio Earth Summit
• The human exploitation of the Earth and its resources poses a greater danger than past catastrophic physical disasters
• Pressures to biodiversity


  • Habitat destruction
  • High population density and growth rates
  • Species introductions/invasive alien species
  • Global climate change
  • Illegal wildlife trade
  • Deficiencies in the knowledge on biodiversity
  • Inadequate enforcement of environmental laws and poor political will
  • Failure to put value on the environment
• International Year of Biodiversity

  2010
• The conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources
• The 14th World Congress of Public Health held in India in 2015 emphasized the relationship between human health and biodiversity; protecting animals, plants, and ecosystems means protecting humanity's health
• The United Nations Summit on Biodiversity was convened by the President of the General Assembly on 30 September 2020, at the level of Heads of State and Government under the theme of "Urgent action on biodiversity for sustainable development."
• Legislation is the key to biodiversity protection