biodiversity

• Biological diversity


  The variety of all life on earth, including the relative abundance and richness of the different traits, species, and ecosystems in a particular area or region
• The biodiversity we see today is the outcome of over 3.5 billion years of evolutionary history, shaped by natural processes and increasingly, by the influence of humans
• Biodiversity forms the web of life of which we are an integral part and upon which we fully depend
• United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)


  1992
• The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biodiversity as the variability among living organisms from all source, including inter alia, 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
• Philippines is one of the 154 member countries who signed the declaration of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
• Types of Biological Diversity

  • Genetic diversity
  • Species diversity
  • Ecosystem/Ecological diversity
• Genetic diversity


  Variations among the genetic resources of the organisms
• Gene


  A unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA
• High genetic diversity


  • Indicates populations that can more easily adapt to changing situations and environments
  • Increases the assortment of materials that can be found, increasing the chances of finding a useful compound
• Species diversity


  Variety of different types of species found in a particular area
• Ecosystem/Ecological diversity


  Variety of different types of species found in a particular area, including terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems
• Ecosystem


  The unit of interaction between the biotic community and its physical environment in a given area, a self-contained community of microorganisms, animals and plants that interact with each other and with their physical environment
• Habitat


  A place in which a particular species of organism lives
• Importance of Biodiversity


  • Supports healthy ecosystems
  • Essential part of the solution to climate change
  • Good for the economy
  • Integral part of culture and identity
  • Provides raw materials like lumber, food, spices etc.
  • Provides opportunities for recreational activities
  • Serves as the source of medicine
• What we get from biodiversity

  • Oxygen
  • Food
  • Clean Water
  • Medicine
  • Aesthetics
  • Lumber
  • Ideas
• The Philippine was 5th in the world as to number of plant species; 8th in the world list of endemic plants; 4th in endemic birds; 5th in endemic mammals; and 8th in endemic reptiles
• List of identified endemic species

  • Rafflesia manillana, the world's largest flower
  • Vanda sanderiana (waling-waling), one of the world's largest orchid species
  • Pithecophaga jefferyi (monkey -eating eagle), the largest bird
  • Rhyncodon typus, the largest fish
  • Tridacna gigas (giant clam), the largest seashell
  • Pandaka pygmea (dwarf goby), the smallest freshwater fish
  • Tarsius syrichta (tarsier), the smallest primate
  • Tragalus nigricans, the smallest hoofed mammal
  • Tylonycteris pachpus (bamboo bat), the smallest bat
  • Pisidum, the tiniest shell in the world
  • Connus gloriamaris, one of the most expensive shells in the world
  • Cervus alfredi, the most endangered deer
  • Bubalus mindorensis (tamarau or dwarf water buffalo), one of the top ten most endangered species in the world and the largest endangered animal
• Threats to Biodiversity


  • Environmental Pollution
  • Over-exploitation/ Over-hunting/ Over-harvesting/ Over-fishing
  • Habitat Loss/ Habitat destruction/ Habitat alteration
  • Climate Change
  • Invasive species or Non-native species
• Environmental Pollution


  Domestic agriculture and industrial wastes are poorly treated and are often discharged into the sea, and to other bodies of water, such as rivers and lakes. Pollution can lead to diseases and pollution stresses, such as coral bleaching on reefs.
• Over-exploitation/ Over-hunting/ Over-harvesting/ Over-fishing


  Commercial logging, community logging, timber poaching, and kaingin (slash and burn agriculture). In mangrove ecosystem, the extraction of fuel and construction ma
• Habitat Loss/ Habitat destruction/ Habitat alteration


  In coral reefs, coastal development, aquaculture, agriculture, and land-cover change increasing sediments and nutrients outflow onto reefs, and the muro-ami fishing technique. The development of fishponds (aquaculture) in mangrove forest.
• Climate Change


  Drastic changes in the atmosphere can have catastrophic effects such as increase concentration of greenhouse gases and destruction of forest.
• Invasive species or Non-native species

  Invasive species are greater threat to native biodiversity than pollution, harvest, and disease combined (Simberloff, 2000). It can cause alterations either within species groups or within the environment