Indirect Causes Of Biodiversity Conservation

Forests have been cut, crops planted, pastures seeded, and urban areas paved. One of the most troubling consequences of human modification of ecosystems is an ongoing loss of species and therefore a loss of biodiversity around the world. The current extinctions have a human cause: habitat loss (such as clearing of tropical rainforests); the introduction of invasive species; unregulated hunting and fishing; and pollution of water, air, and

“Biological diversity is of fundamental importance to the functioning of all natural and human-engineered ecosystems, and by extension to the ecosystem services that nature provides free of charge to human society ”(Lloyd, 2014). Biodiversity is very important to both plants, animals and humans on Earth and if one species is destroyed it throw the balance off .

Since the Industrial Revolution we have practiced deforestation, burned fossil fuels, and as a result we have disrupted stable ecosystems. Advances in medicine and technology have given humans the ability to increase their carrying capacity. While increasing our carrying capacity we have also decreased biodiversity around the world. We have introduced different species in new environments to help ourselves

Through the use of national parks the Galapagos Islands, which contain 10% of the worlds flora and fauna species, have been prevented from further damage and strategies have been put in place to increase its sustainability; for example tourism to the Islands has been significantly restricted to prevent them from damaging the ecosystem through littering or trampling as previously mentioned. Another human impact which links to this however is the economic aspects of creating and sustaining conservation project; it can be very expensive as it takes many people to work to enforce the conservation laws as well as all the resource need to protect the environment. This also raises a social issue as many people believe that these ecosystems should be left open to the public however this must be put in balance against the damage that could be caused by the presents of large amount of the people in delicate these delicate ecosystems.

The lands and seas of Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia/Oceania are no longer what they used to be. Animals are becoming endangered, the Great Barrier reef is dying, and the land has become eroded due to human impact. The main causes of loss in biodiversity include invasive species, deforestation, land and water use change, over hunting, pollution, and climate change.

Chapter four in Michael Carolan’s Society and the Environment is entitled “Biodiversity: Society Wouldn’t Exist Without It” and discusses the benefits of biodiversity, including a better quality of life for both humans and other species and the ability to limit infectious diseases. Biodiversity is responsible for certain medical resources, the control of disease vectors, and numerous other services that humans depend on. However, this chapter also discusses biodiversity decline and the consequences of that on our ecosystem.

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth. This goes for the genetic diversity, which is what makes a poodle different from a pit bull, ecological diversity, and species diversity. Biodiversity is very important to everybody on earth as our health and survival depend on it. This is why the loss of biodiversity is an issue. Having a great array of biodiversity allows humans to have a greater array of food to choose from and materials to contribute to the economy. For example, imagine if all the chicken went extinct in the world. That would be one less food source for us humans and the predators that eat it.

Biodiversity is very important to an ecosystem because each species plays a different role in the maintenance of the ecosystem.

Globally, environments are experiencing large numbers of extinctions and loss of biodiversity as a result of human development. In Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction, the author reveals the difficulties of calculating rates of extinction in populated areas with high biodiversity such as rainforests. As a result of tropical deforestation, humans have reduced biodiversity to its lowest level, with theories proposing that fourteen species experience extinction daily (Kolbert 186). The issue of human development is also addressed in an episode of Planet Earth called “Living Together,” which relates agricultural development to the loss of biodiversity. Because agriculture requires environments to be altered

Ecosystem services are defined as the direct and indirect benefits to human well being that are derived from ecosystems and ecosystem function (Gomez-Baggethun and Barton 2013, TEEB 2011), or in other words, “the conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfill human life” (Daily, 1997, p. 3). The ecosystem service framework may be used to assess present day function, monitor change over time, and inform future planning, conservation, and restoration to maximize the ecosystem function and services generated at multiple scales (Daily et al. 2009; Sukhdev et al. 2010).

Therefore, a combination of social, economic, and environmental factors together play an important role. One pillar alone cannot be the answer to solving the loss of biodiversity issue. A battle fought on all fronts is a battle won.

Since the arrival of humans, species of all kinds have gone extinct at exceedingly rapid rates with no consideration of the detrimental effects it can have on the planet. Animals become extinct for countless reasons such as natural disasters, inability to adapt to different environments, and a loss of habitat. According to Freedman and Duncan, today, extinction rates have risen to an average of 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural extinction rate (2014). Extinction is a natural process in life, however, because of human activities, species are dying off much faster than what is normal. If humans choose to discontinue help that can save endangered species, the effects will determine the fate of planet earth. Efforts to save endangered species have not done nearly enough. Without some of the most important creatures and plants, humans can lose millions of dollars in economic values, lose ecosystem services that are vital to the planet, and affect the biodiversity of earth. (Make a divided thesis statement)

This loss of Biodiversity is a phenomenon that has currently been under scrutiny. Markandya states “The topic of biodiversity loss has been the subject of a vast and growing scientific and economic literature. Species are estimated to be going extinct at rates 100 to 1000 times faster than in geological times.”

Biodiversity is what makes the planet earth unique and different from every other planet in the solar system. Biodiversity can be studied on a global level all the way down to studying it within a microscopic ecosystem (National Wildlife Federation, 2015). It is important to understand that biodiversity can be looked at genetically as well as environmentally as well. For example, genetic biodiversity is seen in the variation of different breeds within the dog species, while environmental biodiversity is the diversity of ecosystems and habitats (National Wildlife Federation, 2015). Preserving biodiversity is perhaps the most important task that humans have to complete while living on this planet. The ecosystems that make up all of the regions worldwide are immensely complex, so conservation may be difficult at times. Additionally, many factors influence the species that inhabit ecosystems, and these factors may complicate the preservation of biodiversity. Moreover, there is a plethora of threats to biodiversity, both natural and manmade that are destroying ecosystems on a daily basis. Out of these threats, the human influences are particularly severe and must be taken care of at all costs. Biodiversity provides countless benefits for every ecosystem and creature, which is what makes it worthy of conservation. Through the introduction and relocation of species, some degree of restoration may be possible in the future. Biodiversity is an amazing natural process that makes life

Franck and Brownstone define biological diversity as 'the variety and variability of living organisms and the biological communities in which they live' (36). Decades of progress in both the scientific and political arenas have advanced environmental legislation to protect biodiversity at not only the ecosystem level, but for specific species and genetic material as well. Research has shown the importance of every organism and their role in the global ecosystem, and legislation has gradually matured to protect not only species which may become endangered, but the habitats they need to survive as well. Growing consciousness surrounding environmental issues has enabled these protections to be