Why do we need biodiversity?
The range of animals and plants living in an area is a key indicator of the health of the environment. Where an area is subjected to environmental stress species, which have evolved over millions of years to live in a particular way in a particular place, may be lost quickly. They cannot be recreated. Biodiversity cannot be regained 'overnight'.
Some of the most obvious reasons why we should protect biodiversity are -
- Natural biological processes involving a mixture of wild species protect human life. For example, plankton in the oceans and trees on land are the main sources of the oxygen that we breathe as well as being the disposal system for the excess carbon dioxide we produce.
- Biodiversity is inextricably linked to human health and welfare as we all depend upon a healthy environment, not least as it is where our food and water comes from! We currently depend on highly specialised varieties of a tiny number of species for our food. Whenever problems arise with disease or crop failure we usually search for the solution in wild populations.
- Maintenance of natural wild populations of plants and animals is essential to the fishing industry and to many aspects of agriculture, and therefore to the security of our food sources.
- We do not know enough to recognise the value of wild species as sources of medicines. Many wild species have, in the past, provided irreplaceable drugs - who knows which species hold the cure for cancer and other diseases?
- Recent advances in biotechnology have begun to indicate the almost inestimable value of the genetic material in plants and animals in every aspect of the commercial world.
- Biodiverse systems, both terrestrial and marine, are more resilient to natural and human-induced changes. Diverse marine ecosystems are more stable, have a higher recovery potential, are less likely to collapse and have higher water quality.
- Biodiversity and a healthy natural environment are also crucial for long-term sustainability and for mitigation of the effects of climate change.
