by Danna Martínez
Biodiversity is vital for life on earth; it provides all organisms what they need to live in their habitat, including food, oxygen, water, and other resources. The variety of life forms that a natural environment develops is called biodiversity. It’s a whole study set of not just plants and animals but microorganisms, bacteria, genetic material, human beings, natural patterns, and even more.
This term comes from the greek “bios”- which means life and from the Latin “diversitas,” which means variety. The biodiversity concept was coined in 1985 by the Harvard University entomologist and prolific writer on conservation, Edward O. Wilson, on the United States National Biological Diversity Forum.
Biodiversity plays an essential role in social studies; it’s a large study field that isn’t completely understood. According to The NatGeo website, “Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only about 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery. ”
Living beings do characterize themselves by common factors set: Cellular organization, homeostasis, metabolism, irritability, growth, reproduction, and adaptation; these factors, hand by hand with a long period of time, natural processes, and human influence, have played an essential role in the evolution and, therefore, in biodiversity. Biological diversity is the natural and innate faculty of the organism to be different; in other words, biodiversity proves the variability between all the living beings around the earth.
According to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), “Further, ecosystems provide crucial services such as pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests. Biodiversity also holds value for potential benefits not yet recognized, such as new medicines and other possible unknown services.” It is for that and many other reasons that biodiversity is vital for life. Below are some ways that can help to contribute to biodiversity care:
- Become aware of biodiversity’s importance.
- Recycle, Reduce and Reuse.
- Try to consume sustainable products.
- Do not acquire exotic species.
- Support conservation organizations.
Environmental care organizations watch to protect biodiversity by creating plans of short and long-term. Some examples below:
- WWF: “We’ve identified the threats and are addressing them: engaging both local communities and international governments to set aside protected lands and end illegal deforestation; working with companies to ensure the paper, lumber, and food products you use every day are sourced responsibly; and leading global efforts to stop wildlife crime.”
- Natural History Musem: “Projects underway at the Museum are creating datasets that help us understand ecosystem dynamics and changing biodiversity patterns. “
About Author
