Conservation of water: Water covers three-quarters of our world, but only a tiny portion of it is drinkable, as we all know. As a result,...
Conservation of Water: Methods, Ways, Facts, Uses, Importance
November 21, 2024Importance of Biodiversity: The value of biodiversity is of major importance as without it, life would not sustain on earth. Biodiversity is of importance as it offers different species, plants, animals, and bacteria, as well as their frequencies on this sphere. A high level of biodiversity is generally regarded as beneficial and desirable, as it leads to community stability and increased productivity.
In this article, we will look at why sustaining a high level of biodiversity in a given location is critical to its biotic community. Biodiversity is essential for ecological balance to be maintained. It also aids human survival and the survival of other species in the ecosystem. It also aids in the maintenance of high productivity and human wellness.
“Biodiversity is the number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region. It refers to the varieties of plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form”. The term biodiversity was given by Edward Wilson. Biodiversity is a combination of two words ‘bio’ and ‘diversity”.
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Figure: Diagram of Biodiversity
Biodiversity plays a significant role in maintaining ecological balance. It also helps in the survival of humankind and other species present in the ecosystem. In addition, it helps in maintaining high productivity and human health.
Biodiversity exhibits valuable genetic diversity for humankind. Genetic material is the end product of millions of years of evolution, and hence the preservation of biodiversity is essential. The level of biodiversity is a good indicator of our relationship with other living species. It also represents the involvement and the role of each species to make a healthy ecosystem.
Figure: Diagram of Importance of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is significant for the well-being of our planet. Most cultures, at least at some time, have recognized the importance of conserving natural resources. Many still do, but many do not.
Importance of Biodiversity can be classified as:
1. Ecological Importance
2. Economic Importance
3. Social Importance
4. Ethical Importance
5. Scientific Importance
Given below are some of the points which highlight the importance of biodiversity in an ecosystem:
Biodiversity plays a crucial role to provide social benefits, such as improved employment and the social services provided for vulnerable rural people for their development.
Healthy biodiversity has the ethical importance of protecting all forms of life. All living beings have the right to exist on earth. Morality and ethics teach us not to harm any organism unnecessarily, but, unfortunately, some people take pleasure in hunting animals.
The scientific importance of biodiversity is to perform experiments and research on plants and genes of organisms to make new crops and medicines. It also helps scientists to find clues about the evolution of life in certain species. Humans use scientific research on different species and plants to develop their knowledge. It represents systematic ecological data that helps us to understand the natural world and its origins.
Figure: Functions of Biodiversity
The process of biodiversity conservation planning on a broad scale is done through Spatial Components of Biodiversity processes (SCBPs). This method is based on a literature review, expert knowledge, spatially explicit base data, conservation planning software, and spatial modeling. The importance and biodiversity uses has gained momentum in the past few years.
This article showcases the significance of biodiversity for all living organisms of the ecosystem, including humankind. The importance of biodiversity to humans cannot be overlooked due to developmental projects. This argument focuses on the conservation of all species, even if they are ecologically equivalent species.
Biodiversity also performs several ecological services having economic, aesthetic, and recreational value. Today’s biodiversity is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, created by natural processes and by the increase of human influence.
Q.1: What are the five benefits of biodiversity?
Ans: Biodiversity is essential for sustainable development and human well-being. It is a vital source of food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and other materials for domestic and commercial purposes.
Q.2: Why Is biodiversity important?
Ans: Biodiversity is essential to humans for ecological life support; biodiversity gives a functioning ecosystem that provides oxygen, clear air and water, plant, pest control, wastewater treatment, and many ecosystem services.
Q.3: What is biodiversity?
Ans: “Biodiversity is the number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region. It refers to the varieties of plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form”.
Q.4: Discuss about the various important roles of biodiversity in human life?
Ans: Biodiversity is essential to humans for ecological life support; biodiversity gives a functioning ecosystem that provides oxygen, clear air and water, plant, pest control, wastewater treatment, and many ecosystem services. It offers an environment for recreation and tourism.
Q.5: What is the importance of biodiversity in ecosystem?
Ans: Biodiversity contributes to a variety of ways to the Earth. Biodiversity provides ecological stability. Every species performs a particular function within an ecosystem.
Q.6: What are the five benefits of biodiversity?
Ans: The five benefits of biodiversity are as follows:
a. It increases the productivity of the ecosystem.
b. It protects freshwater resources.
c. It controls pollution, flood, and soil erosion.
d. It provides food resources.
e. It helps in climate stability.
Q.7: How do humans affect biodiversity?
Ans: Humans affect biodiversity by their population numbers, land use, and lifestyles, causing damage to habitats for species.
Q.8: What are the different types of biodiversity?
Ans: The different types of biodiversity include: Ecological Biodiversity, Genetic Biodiversity and Species Biodiversity.
Q.9: Why is Biodiversity crisis so important to consider?
Ans: Biodiversity crisis is a serious problem. It is crucial to the survival for all the living organisms in this planet. If biodiversity crisis is not taken care of, it is result in the extinction of various species on this planet. There will be more of pandemic concerns like the outbreak of Coronavirus. This is what makes Biodiversity of such significant concern.