Chapter 5, Problem 42A

Summary Introduction

To explain:

The change in biodiversity since the 1980s.

Introduction:

Ecology is the study of the interaction of organisms with one another and with the environment. Ecology involves the study of both biotic as well as abiotic components. Biotic components are those that are living like animals, plants, etc. and abiotic components are the non-living components like soil, air, water, etc.

Explanation of Solution

In the living world, we see a large number of microorganisms, animals and plants. These organisms possess some unique characteristics in terms of morphology and behavior that distinguishes them from others. This diversity in the living world is called biodiversity.

Biodiversity is determined by the variety of life forms that are present in a given geographical area. The more biodiversity, the healthier the ecosystem will be. In the 1980s, when the scientific community was wakening up about the changes in biodiversity, much of the biodiversity loss had already happened. This was largely due to the industrial revolution and large-scale expansion of cities leading to urbanization to accommodate the ever-increasing population that was at its peak in the 1980s. This led to a large-scale biodiversity loss where acres of forests were cut and habitats were destroyed just to quench the thirst of human beings.

Later, due to increased awareness, and biodiversity conservation measures, practices like hunting and poaching were declared as illegal and many conventions like the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) were also ratified. This gave some respite and much of the biodiversity hotspots were brought under the radar for conservation. This bore fruitful results although the loss of biodiversity due to illegal practices was still worrisome. At present, we see that nations are striving to conserve biodiversity and many species that were earlier endangered are now out of danger.

Conclusion

The conservation of biodiversity is the need of the hour for today and is essential for sustainable development. It is more serious than any other burning issue globally. The recent awareness in the scientific community has forced nations to make biodiversity conservation as their top priority.