Biodiversity can be considered as an imperative factor that plays a crucial role in poverty reduction owing to its basic goods and the ecosystem services it provides. Over three billion people rely on coastal and marine biodiversity and about 1.7 billion people depend upon non-timber forest products and forests for biodiversity.
Common issues relating to biodiversity can be classified as:
Biodiversity as a source of income and food
World’s poor population, especially living in rural areas are dependent on biological resources for meeting most of their needs. At least, 90 percent of their needs relating to fuel, shelter, medicines and food come from biological resources.
Biodiversity is thus a relevant issue when it comes to fulfilling the basic requirements of live for these poor people, as majority of their requirements come from biological resources. These biological resources have a direct relation with biodiversity.
Biodiversity is a relevant issue when it comes to human benefit. The benefits of biodiversity is also an issue that needs detailed deliberation, considering its relevance for human population.
Distinct benefits of biodiversity:
Biodiversity management leads to effective presence of essential provisions as water, timber, fiber and food. Essential regulating services as water quality, floods and disease are also a fallout of biodiversity. Effective biodiversity management also leads to activation of supporting services as nutrient cycle management and soil formation.
Social considerations in relation to biodiversity
Evolutionary biologist Edward O Wilson estimated that earth is losing around Twenty Seven thousand species every year. These estimates are primarily based on the assumption that tropical forests and grasslands are disappearing with each passing year. In the past too, such ecological disturbances and losses had occurred but the reasons were primarily biological.
The current disappearance of tropical forests and grasslands is primarily due to human interference in nature. This human interference is as dangerous as was the past ecological loss that was primarily due to biological causes.
Increasing human population is also threatening the biodiversity as humans continue to encroach upon new areas and disturb the natural cycle. A serious social concern is the six billion humans who occupy this planet and the population is expected to double by 2050.
Remedial measures taken
This increasing loss to the natural and biological resources is a serious concern that needs to be addressed. This loss has a direct bearing on our biodiversity and remedial measures need to be initiated for biodiversity conservation. Thankfully, governments across the globe have woken to the need of conserving our biodiversity and have enacted several laws during the last decade.
The focus has also shifted from preservation of individual species to conserving big tracts of habitat. This has been made possible by linking corridors. This enables animals to move from one habitat to other without the fear for being hunted. This move has had its impact on biodiversity protection. Spotted owl species that was on the verge of extinction in Pacific Northwest has increased significantly.
Biodiversity conservation is a burning issue and with governments across the globe prioritizing the same as a key issue, remedial measures for conservation have been initiated at a mass level. This undoubtedly builds a hope amongst conservationists who have been working relentlessly on the issue.
*About the Author: Brianne is a blogger by profession. She loves writing, reading and traveling. Beside this she is fond of luxury cars and wishes to own one day Lincoln Navigator SUV