Aamy Roopnarine U62 Biology

The Maintenance of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of all living things; the different plants, animals and micro
organisms, the genetic information they contain and the ecosystems they form. the
ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life. Therefore the loss
of biodiversity reduces nature’s ability to perform these functions. The instability caused
by the loss of biodiversity causes ecosystems to be more vulnerable to extreme conditions
and can decrease productivity. There are many threats to biodiversity: habitat destruction,
pollution, climate change, over hunting and invasion of non- native species.

Extinction is a natural event and, from a geological perspective, routine. Most species
that have ever lived have gone extinct. Today, due to human actions, species and
ecosystems are threatened with destruction to an extent rarely seen in Earth history. Only
during the handful of mass extinction events have so many species been threatened, in so
short a time. First, we can attribute the loss of species and ecosystems to the
transformation of the Earth by a growing human population. As the human population
passes the 6 billion mark, we have transformed, degraded or destroyed roughly half of the
word's forests. We appropriate roughly half of the world's net primary productivity for
human use. We appropriate most available fresh water, and we harvest virtually all of the
available productivity of the oceans.

All species have specific food and habitat needs. The more specific these needs and
localized the habitat, the greater the vulnerability of species to loss of habitat to
agricultural land, livestock, roads and cities. In the future, the only species that survive
are likely to be those whose habitats are highly protected. Tropical humid forests have
come under attack under the combined influences of population growth, inequitable land
and income distribution, and development policies that targeted rain forests as the new
frontier to colonize. Tropical forests are so important because they harbor at least 50
percent, and perhaps more, of the world's biodiversity.

Invasion of non-native species is an important and often overlooked cause of extinctions.

For example, in Lake Victoria, a single, exotic species, the Nile Perch, has become
established and may cause the extinction of most of the native species, by simply eating
them all. It was a purposeful introduction for subsistence and sports fishing, and a great
disaster.

Over-hunting has been a significant cause of the extinction of hundreds of species and the
endangerment of many more, such as whales and many African large mammals. Most
extinction over the past several hundred years are mainly due to over-harvesting for food,
fashion, and profit. Commercial hunting, both legal and illegal (poaching), is the
principal threat.

Pollution from chemical contaminants certainly poses a further threat to species and
ecosystems. Pollution has been very damaging to aquatic ecosystems. Many of the
pollutants entering aquatic ecosystems (e.g., mercury lead, pesticides, and herbicides) are
very toxic to living organisms. They can lower reproductive success, prevent proper
growth and development, and even cause death. In addition to toxic pollutants, increased
nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, from city sewage and fertilizers from
agricultural areas have also proven to be very damaging to aquatic ecosystems. Certain
levels of these nutrients are known to cause harmful algal blooms in both freshwater and
marine habitats. In turn, algal blooms impact aquatic biodiversity by affecting water
clarity, depleting oxygen levels, and crowding out organisms within an ecosystem. Other
pollutants affecting biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems are solid pollutants like plastic
bags, plastic rings, abandoned fishing gear, and other man-made materials that result
from garbage dumped from shore and ships. Tanker accidents have contributed to oil
pollution in marine environments. The ecological consequences of these oil spills in
marine systems have been quite severe.

A changing global climate threatens species and ecosystems. The distribution of species
is largely determined by climate, as is the distribution of ecosystems and plant vegetation
zones (biomes). Climate change may simply shift these distributions but, for a number of
reasons, plants and animals may not be able to adjust. The pace of climate change almost
certainly will be more rapid than most plants are able to migrate. The presence of roads,
cities, and other barriers associated with human presence may provide no opportunity for
distributional shifts. Parks and nature reserves are fixed locations. For these reasons,
some species and ecosystems are likely to be eliminated by climate change. Mountaintop
species are especially vulnerable. As a consequence of climate change many scientists
fear that by end of next century, perhaps 25 percent of existing species will be lost.

A sound strategy would emphasize improving our management of existing protected

land, and strategically adding new protected areas. Ecological systems have considerable
potential to recover if appropriate restoration measures are taken. Ultimately population
and ecosystems should be managed sustainably so they can be enjoyed by future
generations. Often, enforcement of laws protecting parks is minimal. Protection of
biodiversity requires a network of reserves, including some large enough to protect many
species and wide-ranging species, located where appropriate habitat exists, and protected
from exploitation. Parks and sanctuaries can be very effective, protecting a significant
fraction of an area's wildlife. Protected lands receive different levels of protection. Some
lands are highly protected as nature reserves, others as scenic areas, and still others
provide for multiple uses, including resource extraction.

Governmental bodies at a local, national, and international scale need to emphasize the
following in order to maintain and conserve biodiversity: considering the many
irreplaceable ecosystem services provided by natural habitats; protecting remaining intact
sections of natural habitat; educating the public about the importance of natural habitat
and biodiversity; developing family planning programs in areas of rapid population
growth; finding ways to increase agricultural output than simply increasing the total land
in production; preserving habitat corridors to minimize prior damage from fragmented
habitats and putting measures in place to reduce pollution, especially aquatic pollution
Bibliography

• australianmuseum.net.au/What-is-biodiversity
• www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/aquatic/pollution.html
• www.fathom.com/course/21701785/
• www.globalissues.org/issue/169/biodiversity
• www.pabiodiversity.org/whatisbiodiversity.htm