The word biodiversity is an abbreviation for biological diversity; So it refers to the diversity of the living environment. The term biodiversity is commonly used to describe the amount, diversity and variability of living organisms. This broad usage encompasses many different parameters, and in this context, biodiversity is actually synonymous with life on Earth.
The past 10,000 years have seen the emergence of the animal and plant diversity that amazes us today, the result of a history of billions of years of evolution in which living things have conquered environments as diverse as the oceans and the air; They have settled in the warm and humid tropical regions, but also in the cold and dry polar regions; To solve the challenges of locomotion, nutrition, communication or reproduction, they have deployed an overwhelming variety of solutions.
However, this elevation of life suffers a devastating setback due to human action. The rate of species extinction has accelerated dramatically, with estimates currently at least 400 times higher than before the emergence of humans.
If we calculate the current extinction rate based on the number of species per area and taking into account the loss of tropical forests (about 1/3 in the last 40 years), 50,000 species die out per year (of which only 7,000). known). This is 10,000 times the natural extinction rate and represents 5% of the total number of species per decade. If these numbers continue, two-thirds of Earth’s species will have disappeared by the end of the 21st century.
The richness of biological diversity and ecosystems, which are the basis of human existence and the foundations of sustainable development, are at serious risk. Increasing desertification worldwide is leading to the loss of biological diversity. Recently, about eight hundred species have disappeared and eleven thousand are threatened. It is easy to understand that with this incessant loss of resources, food security is at risk. The loss of biodiversity often reduces the productivity of ecosystems and therefore the possibility of extracting various goods from nature from which humans continually benefit.
The three main causes of this loss of biodiversity are:
- The destruction of natural habitats: This is one of the main causes of biodiversity loss worldwide. Tropical forests, undoubtedly the most important repository of biodiversity on the planet, are disappearing at a dizzying pace.
- Fragmentation: Farmland, urban areas, roads and highways represent insurmountable barriers for numerous species. For these creatures, their natural habitat has evolved from extensive, uninterrupted areas to being divided into smaller, isolated fragments. It is an effect known as habitat fragmentation, which is responsible for the local extinction of numerous species. When a certain number of individuals of a species are limited to a small part of the territory, the risk of extinction is much greater.
- The lifeless fields: The emergence of modern industrial agriculture, based on specialization and the massive use of fertilizers and pesticides, is leading to a sharp decline in species. In the countries most exploited by these new forms of industrial agriculture, the term “Green Desert” was coined to describe these new landscapes that are very poor in wildlife.
For these reasons, humans are faced with two serious problems: the lack of scientific knowledge about all living things and the mass extinction of species. These problems are interrelated and any solution to them must be based collectively on generating new knowledge and establishing a new relationship with the natural world. The importance of biodiversity must be recognized at a global level and its management must appear on government agendas and in education programs.
So far, humans seem to have had their way, as evidenced by the fact that many species have become extinct due to human activities and life continues. However, we do not know what we will need due to species loss. Some environmentalists compare the decline in biodiversity to flying in an airplane from which we gradually remove the rivets. How many rivets can we remove?… It still seems that nothing has happened due to the loss of species, but without a doubt the world is less beautiful and more monotonous without them. We may not have yet realized the extent of the damage we have caused.
At the International Conference on Biodiversity held in Paris, France, scientists agreed to warn the world about the danger of biodiversity loss. When discussing the economic opportunities for countries that conserve biodiversity wealth, the focus is on establishing clear rules for the use of patents and intellectual property in the field of genetics and biotechnology.
All the presentations by the specialists participating in Paris moved away from the fundamentalist approach to nature conservation without human intervention. The equation of sustainable development is inconceivable without the human factor. It is important to understand that protecting biodiversity is synonymous with fighting poverty in the world. Sustainable development remains the major challenge of achieving a balance between development and nature conservation.
At all times, people have had a need for change and at the same time a fear of change. This contradiction can be seen in industrial civilization, which advocated a reckless treatment of the natural environment and is now showing increasing concern about the loss of biodiversity. It is difficult to imagine a social development like the current one without affecting the natural environment. The most fragile element is biological diversity. However, if human societies are to take control of their destiny in the post-industrial age, they must be able to regulate their activity and growth and obtain the satisfaction they need without compromising the most important legacy of biological evolution : biological diversity.
The extinction of plant and animal species is one of the most worrying symptoms of environmental degradation in the world, as it is an irreversible process that forever deprives us of unique and irreplaceable genetic material, for which we may not even know the practical uses it could have for the benefit of the same humanity that destroys them. This may be the easiest concept to understand in the materialistic and interested world we usually move in, but it is not the only reason that recommends wildlife conservation.
In fact, the mere fact that we do not significantly alter the delicate tissue that connects living beings should be enough for us, remembering that each species occupies a particular ecological niche that, with its extinction, either remains empty or remains empty of others, more ubiquitous species. With this, unique food chains will be simplified or disappear, and as if that were not enough, the sole right to coexistence of plant and animal species on planet Earth should be established as the main argument to prevent extinction by all means. www.
* Cristian Frers He is a senior environmental management technician and a senior social communications technician.