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THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

At the ecosystem level, biodiversity provides the conditions and drives the processes that sustain theglobal economy and our very survival as a species. The benefits and services provided byecosystems include:

Generation of soils and maintenane of soil !"alit#

The activities of microbial and animal species including bacteria, algae, fungi, mites, millipedes

and worms condition soils, break down organic matter, and release essential nutrients to plants.These processes play a key role in the cycling of such crucial elements as nitrogen, carbon andphosphorous between the living and non-living parts of the biosphere.

Maintenane of air !"alit#

Plant species purify the air and regulate the composition of the atmosphere, recycling vital oygenand filtering harmful particles resulting from industrial activities.

Maintenane of $ater !"alit#

!etland ecosystems "swamps, marshes, etc.# absorb and recycle essential nutrients, treat sewage,and cleanse wastes. $n estuaries, molluscs remove nutrients from the water, helping to prevent

nutrient over-enrichment and its attendant problems, such as eutrophication arising from fertili%errun-off. Trees and forest soils purify water as it flows through forest ecosystems. $n preventing soilsfrom being washed away, forests also prevent the harmful siltation of rivers and reservoirs that mayarise from erosion and landslides.

Pest ontrol

Around && per cent of potential crop pests are controlled by a variety of other organisms, includinginsects, birds and fungi. These natural pesticides are in many ways superior to their artificiale'uivalents, since pests can often develop resistance to chemical controls.

Deto%ifiation and deom&osition of $astes

(ome )*+ billion metric tons of organic waste is processed every year by earths decomposingorganisms. any industrial wastes, including detergents, oils, acids and paper, are also detoifiedand decomposed by the activities of living things. $n soils, the end product of these processes arange of simple inorganic chemicals is returned to plants as nutrients. igher "vascular# plants canthemselves serve to remove harmful substances from groundwater.

Pollination and ro& &rod"tion

any flowering plants rely on the activities of various animal species bees, butterflies, bats, birds,etc. to help them reproduce through the transportation of pollen. ore than one-third ofhumanitys food crops depend on this process of natural pollination. any animal species haveevolved to perform an additional function in plant reproduction through the dispersal of seeds.

Climate sta'ili(ation

Plant tissues and other organic materials within land and ocean ecosystems act as repositories ofcarbon, helping to slow the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioide, and thus contributing to climatestabili%ation. /cosystems also eert direct influences on regional and local weather patterns.oisture released into the atmosphere by rainforests, for eample, causes regular rainstorms,limiting water loss from the region and helping to control the surface temperature. $n cold climates,meanwhile, forests act as insulators and as windbreaks, helping to mitigate the impacts of free%ingtemperatures.

Pre)ention and miti*ation of nat"ral disasters

0orests and grasslands protect landscapes against erosion, nutrient loss, and landslides through the

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binding action of roots. /cosystems bordering regularly flooding rivers "floodplain forests andwetlands# help to absorb ecess water and thus reduce the damage caused by floods. 1ertain coastalecosystems "salt marshes, mangrove forests, etc.# prevent the erosion of coastlines.

Pro)ision of food se"rit#

2iodiversity provides the vast ma3ority of our foodstuffs. The annual world fish catch, for eample"averaging )++ million metric tons#, represents humanitys most important source of wild animalprotein, with over 4+ per cent of the population in Africa and Asia dependent on fish as their primary

source of protein. Terrestrial animals, meanwhile, supply an array of food products: eggs, milk,meat, etc. !ild biodiversity provides a wide variety of important foodstuffs, including fruits, gamemeats, nuts, mushrooms, honey, spices and flavorings. These wild foods are especially importantwhen agricultural supplies fail. $ndeed, wild biodiversity guards against the failure of even the mostadvanced agricultural systems. 0or eample, the productivity of many of the developed worldsagricultural crops is maintained through the regular assimilation of new genes from wild relatives ofthese crops. These wild genes offer resistance to the pests and diseases that pose an ever-evolvingthreat to harvests.

Pro)ision of +ealt+ are

The !orld ealth 5rgani%ation estimates that 6+ per cent of people in the developing world rely on

traditional medicines derived mainly from plants. $n (outheast Asia, for eample, traditional healersuse some 7,8++ different plant species to treat malaria, stomach ulcers, syphilis, and other diseases.2iodiversity is also critical to the 9formal9 health sector of the developed world. A recent surveyshowed that of the top )8+ prescription drugs used in the nited (tates, ))6 are based on naturalsources. 5f these, ;< per cent are derived from plants. icrobes and animal species have alsocontributed a range of medicines, including Penicillin "derived from the fungus Pencillium notatum#and several drugs including anesthetics derived from the skin secretions of tree-frog species. Themedicinal importance of biodiversity is particularly impressive considering that only a tiny fractionof earths species have been thoroughly investigated for medicinal properties. The investigativeprocess is continually turning up new pharmaceuticals of great promise. A recent study of conesnails, for eample, has identified a painkiller that is up to a thousand times more effective than

morphine, but without morphines addictive properties.

Inome *eneration

=eedless to say, the above services are all essential to the functioning of the global economy. >etbiodiversity also has great importance as a direct source of incomes and economic development. 5neeample is 9bioprospecting9 "the search for previously unknown biotic products of specific utility,such as natural pesticides, anti-fungal toins and ?oil-eating en%ymes#. (uch discoveries 3oin animpressive list of ?miscellaneous goods provided by biodiversity, including many of our mostimportant building materials, fibres, fuels, waes, resins, aromatics, dyes and gums. /ven in itswholly untapped state, biodiversity does great service to economies through ?ecotourism. Peopletaking nature-related holidays contribute at least @8++ billion per year to the national incomes of the

countries they visit. 0loridas coral reefs, for eample, earn around @).7 billion per year throughtourism alone.

S&irit"al,"lt"ral )al"e

$ts no mystery why people are prepared to spend so much to get close to nature. uman beingsinstinctively derive aesthetic and spiritual satisfaction from biodiversity. ecent studies have begunto confirm what has always been known: our emotional wellbeing is enhanced by the proimity ofnatural beauty. The umbilical bond between humanity and biodiversity is reflected in the art,religions and traditions of diverse human cultures: a spiritual heritage that will be lost for all time ifits basis nature itself continues to be destroyed.