Biodiversity is important to humans for many reasons. Biodiversity is also considered by many to have intrinsic value—that is, each species has a value and a right to exist, whether or not it is known to have value to humans. The biodiversity book by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation describes 5 core (and interacting) values that humans place on biodiversity:
Economic- value of biodiversity is that it provides humans with raw materials for both consumption and production purposes. Farmers, fishers, and timber workers are just a few of the people whose livelihoods are reliant on biological diversity.
Ecological life support—biodiversity supports healthy ecosystems that provide oxygen, clean air and water, pollination of plants, pest control, wastewater treatment, and a wide range of other ecosystem services, among other things.
Recreation—a wide range of recreational activities, such as birdwatching, hiking, camping, and fishing, are dependent on our unique biodiversity. Similarly, our tourism industry is reliant on biodiversity.
Cultural—People’s culture is intimately linked to biodiversity through the expression of one’s own identity, through spirituality, and through aesthetic appreciation, among other things. The spiritual beliefs about animals and plants of Indigenous peoples bind them to biodiversity, and they feel a strong obligation to protect it.
Scientific—biodiversity contains a plethora of systematic ecological data that can be used to better understand the natural world and its origins, according to scientists.
Measuring Biodiversity
The number of species found in a given area is frequently defined as biodiversity, whether that area is a single tree, an ecosystem, a landscape or region, or the entire planet. Biodiversity, on the other hand, can be measured in a number of different ways.
BIODIVERSITY CAN BE MEASURED USING GENETIC DIVERSITY.
The total number of genes present within a single species is referred to as genetic diversity. We know that species are made up of many different individuals, each of which contains thousands of genes. When all of the genes in a species are added together, the genetic diversity of the species is calculated.
THE DIVERSITY OF ENDEMIC SPECIES IN A REGION IS DEFINED AS BIODIVERSITY.
Endemic species can only be found in a single location; they do not exist elsewhere on the planet. Endemic species include Hawaiian honeycreepers (only found in Hawaii), Javan rhinoceroses (only found on the Indonesian island of Java), and marine iguanas (which are found only in the Galapagos Islands). Endemic species have much smaller ranges and are much more vulnerable to human activity than more widely distributed species because it is easier to destroy all of the habitat in a small geographic range than it is to destroy all of the habitat in a large one. As a result, the presence of endemic species in a given area improves the ecological quality or value of the area.
THE DIVERSITY OF ECOSYSTEMS CAN BE USED TO DETERMINE BIODIVERSITY.
A region, whether it is a landscape, a country, or a large swath of a continent, may be dominated by one or more ecosystems. The greater the variety of ecosystem types, the greater the number of species that may be able to live there. As a result, ecosystem diversity (the total number of ecosystems in a region) can be used to estimate biodiversity.
A count of the number of distinct ecosystems present in a region could be another indicator of ecosystem diversity. Similar to endemic species, a unique ecosystem (one that occurs only in one location on the planet) may provide an indication of the region’s biodiversity value. As a result, a distinct ecosystem may have a distinct ecological structure, with an unusual mix of species that have evolved novel physical adaptations and behaviours to aid in their survival. The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of remote tropical volcanic islands governed by the cold Humboldt Current. The islands are home to a diverse range of endemic plants and animals, and they are frequently cited as an example of a unique ecosystem as a result of the interaction of physical and biological forces.
Conclusion:
The variety of living organisms on Earth, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, is referred to as biodiversity. In biodiversity, every living organism, regardless of size or habits, plays an important role.
To increase the productivity of their ecosystem, all living organisms collaborate. A large number of plants, for example, ensures a greater variety of crops available for consumption.