Scientists are estimating that for at least 50,000 years and maybe longer, that man has been causing the extinctions of other species. However over the past 500 years, ecologists have noticed a meteoric rise in species loss; this modern mass extinction crisis is an indicator that the Earth is out of harmony. Species extinction is irreversible and should be taken a lot more seriously because if this deadly trend continues there is no stopping it. Anyone can help whether it is local, national, or even worldwide; management of biodiversity in our ecosystem is a intimidating task, but if one group can try to reduce their carbon footprint, or get involved in ecological initiatives such as, Vital Ecosystems Preservation Act, or the Earth Charter, then that would pave the way to a new world both ecologically and financially.
Biodiversity is an issue that has evolved as time goes on and it continues to expand. Historically, when someone thinks of the environmental crisis the first thing that comes to mind might be global warming, or the desperate need to find other sources of energy. Ideally, the first thing to come to mind would be biodiversity because of the wide spectrum it covers. Literally every species of plant and animal are a part of this issue, until the end of all life biodiversity will have an effect whether society wants it or not. Statistics can show that over time there has been a rapid rise in not only extinct species but endangered species as well. Approximately 10,000 years ago, Megafauna, a large species native to the Eurasian continent, became extinct; coincidentally this was the same time the first remnants of group hunting was traced too (Broswimmer 32). The harmful effects of human behavior are defined by the acr...
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... of biodiversity. However, everyone must always remember this is an issue that is managed over time rather than fixed instantaneously.
Works Cited
Alexander, James, Kevin J. Gaston, and Andrew Balmford. 2001. “Can we afford to conserve biodiversity?” Bioscience, 43-52.
Broswimmer, Franz J. 2002. Ecocide: A Short History of the Mass Extinction of Species. London: Pluto Press.
Conservation International. 2003. Wilderness: Earth’s Last Wild Places. Washington, D.C.: Conservation International.
George Sessions. 1985. Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith.
Kunich, John Charles. 2003. Ark of the Broken Covenant: Protecting the World’s Biodiversity Hotspots. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.
Thomas, Chris, et al. 2004. Extinction risk from climate change. Nature 145-148.
Wilson, Edward O. 2002. The Future of Life. New York: Knopf.
Burton, Robert, ed. Nature's Last Strongholds. New York: Oxford UP, 1991. Print.
One view on preserving biodiversity argues that it is imperative solely because species have intrinsic value. In his “What is Conservation Biology?” Soulé argues that the primary aim of conservation is the protection and continuity of entire communities and ecosystems, with an emphasis on protecting biodiversity because species have intrinsic or inherent value (Soulé 728). While it is valid that species should be conserved because they have value in themselves, it is not enough, nor is it the only aim of conservation. Soulé elaborates, however, that it is also important to improve biodiversity by modifying the rate at which biodiversity is changed because small changes in the present can yield large-scale results in the long run (733). This
Time and time again it has been seen that human interaction with his/her environment and it’s ecosystems has shown to be increasingly arrogant and self-serving. These endless accounts are proven by the amount of important biological diversity that is being lost to the surrounding environment due to these threats of human development and population growth. There are two forms of these losses of diversity by human hand: direct and indirect. Direct losses would be the destruction of an area needed for human requirements be it social or economical. Examples of these losses would be housing, agriculture, and others. Indirect losses would be those caused by the destruction of an area also needed for the same requirements but the area’s commodities which are valued, water, food, land in general, is needed elsewhere. These losses are few in number compared with those of direct losses yet they are of the greatest importance. They are important because they involve the removal of resources of an area in which other inhabitants are dependent upon. A great example of this regrettable indirect expansion is the loss of the rich habitat of the area known as Owens Valley.
The eradication of species numbers average at a toll close to one hundred percent of earths total living creatures. “It is the Earth's most severe known extinction event, with up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct” (Sahney, and Benton 759). Not only where marine and terrestrial species effected but this catastrophic event is the only recogni...
Long-term survival of a species depends on its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions (Murphy, 1994). Genetic diversity within a species, which has taken 3.5 billion years to evolve, makes adaptations to these changing environments possible. Unfortunately, the rate of extinction of genetically diverse organisms is rapidly increasing, thus reducing this needed biodiversity, largely due to the human impacts of development and expansion. What was an average of one extinction per year before is now one extinction per hour and extinct species numbers are expected to reach approximately one million by the year 2000 (WWW site, Bio 65). As a result governmental and societal action must be taken immediately!
Mills, Scott L., Daniel F. Doak, and Michael E. Soule. "The Keystone-species Concept in Ecology and Conservation." BioScience 43.4 (1993): 219-25. Apr. 1993. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
Biodiversity is a priority issue for me and the country of Canada because nature and biodiversity provide for services that we humans take for granted. Clean air, clean water, soil for agriculture, and pollination from different insects are only a few things provided by nature. In the 21st century living in the industrialized era we have tendency to neglect things that we believe to have no economic value to us. “… the economic value of income from the earths ecological services is at least $36 trillion (US) per year” (Miller, Hackett 213).Clearly diversity has very economic value, but we also need it for basic things such as food. Agriculture in Canada is worth $ 95 billion and account for 8.8% of its gross national product and 14% of its employment (Miller, Hackett 292).Canadians also need biodiversity for their health, with 70% of pharmaceuticals being derived from natural resources. We should care to save biodiversity not only for the benefits that it brings to us, but also because of its aesthetic value, which means that some people love and appreciate nature because of its beauty. Simple things li...
Pimm, Stuart “Opinion: The Case of Species Revival”, news.nationalgeographic.com, 13 March 2013, 20 May 2014
The United Nations designated 2011-2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. In biodiversity, each species, no matter how big or small has an important role to play in ecosystem. Various plant and animal species depend on each other what each offers and these diverse species ensures natural sustainability for all life forms. A healthy and solid biodiversity can recover itself from variety of disasters. It is estimated that the current species extinction rate is between 1,000 and 10,000
Withgott, J., & Brennan, S. (2011). Environment: the science behind the stories (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
== = = Human beings are dependent on the Earth's diversity of species for our survival. Wild species play a vital role in the maintenance of the planets ecological functions, yet everyday on the planet 40-100 species become extinct.
* Daily, Gretchen C., ed. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1997.
Biodiversity loss can lead to extinction, and hurt human life. It is our responsibility to take care of the environment. We bring in machines that harm the environment and destroy animal life. We need to limit ourselves on how much land and resources we consume. There are major issues that are causing species to become extinct and hurt our way of life and other animals do to the change in food chain.
Nowadays it is common to read articles in newspapers and magazines regarding biodiversity issues. Human beings have been knowingly and unknowingly destroying biodiversity since their existence. Biodiversity is the measure of the variety of species of animals living in an area. Forests are usually areas with high biodiversity while deserts are the opposite. Human beings have always destroyed biodiversity either by deforestation, or by some other means. Biodiversity depletion is a natural phenomenon. But the present levels of biodiversity depletion are many times higher than the natural rate. Recently the levels of loss in biodiversity have started causing global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth.
The Earth is far and away the most biodiverse planet in our solar system, with about 8.7 million more unique species than the other 8 planets (UNEP). However, the Earth’s commanding lead is shrinking; not because the other planets are increasing biodiversity, but because Earth’s is decreasing. According to the World Wildlife Fund, we as a planet are losing 1,000 to 10,000 more species than the natural rate. Since the total number of species is hard to pin down, this can mean anywhere from 200 to 10,000 species going extinct per year (World Wildlife Fund). This obscenely high extinction rate is dangerous not just to ecosystems directly affected by the loss, but also creates a domino effect that circles around the globe and up and down the food