Biodiversity is the amount of variety of life on earth. Biodiversity and conservation although india h as only 2. Biodiversity biological diversity is the total variety of living organisms in all ecosystems on earth, the genetic differences between them, and the communities and ecosystems in which they occur. The main dangers worldwide are population growth and resource consumption, climate change and global warming. Any direct or indirect human activity that threatens the planets biological diversity in the form of genes, populations, species, ecosystems, or other levels ofbiological organization is considered a threat to survival. Threats and risks to biodiversity unesco digital library. The productivity of agricultural ecosystems depends on numerous species, such. The major threats to biodiversity are in order of importance. Pdf the biodiversity, diversity in life forms, suffers greater threat from. Introduction to biodiversity center for biodiversity.
Despite the benefits from biodiversity, todays threats to species and ecosystems are increasing day by day with alarming rate and virtually all of. Of all the worlds species, only 1015% live in north america and europe. Iucn, deforestation and the spread of oil palm plantations in indonesia are the biggest threats to the survival of great apes. An increase in average temperature in the altaisayan ecoregion since the mid 1970s is proved to be risen by 1. Biodiversity areas across africa using data on existing contract blocks, future bidding application blocks and pipelines. The importance of small waterbodies for biodiversity and. Biodiversity is a fragile thing, susceptible to all sorts of threats. Biodiversity itself is not generally considered an ecosystem service but rather supports environmental functions. Some of the existing measures of biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity and its conservation are now vital environmental issues of international concern as more and more people around the world begin to realise the critical importance of biodiversity for our survival and well being on this planet. We document threats to global freshwater biodiversity under five headings. Climate change has been identi ed as one of the greatest global threats to coral reef ecosystems and has resulted in coral. Potential threat to areas of biodiversity importance from. The term that is used to define this crowd of organisms that populate every corner of the planet, and that.
The variety of life on earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. Biodiversity refers to the variety of all forms of life on this planet, including various microorganisms, plants, animals, the ecosystem they form, and the genes they contain. Pdf biodiversitythreats and conservation researchgate. Concept, threats and conservation pdf biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants, animals, microorganisms, the genes they contain and. Even as it supports all life on earth it is constantly facing threats and damage that is almost impossible for our multiple ecosystems to recover from. Alexander bondarev manager for undpgef pdf block b regional. Major threats biodiversity is under serious threat as a result of human activities. For most people, it does not just mean freedom from illness, but a state of overall social, emotional, physical, spiritual. The major threats to biodiversity are all directly related to human land use, and include. Threats to pacific island biodiversity and biodiversity conservation in the pacific islands randy thaman, pacific islands biogeography, university of the south pacific, fiji introduction the rich biodiversity of. The loss of biodiversity reduces ecosystem resilience and increases vulnerability to threats including negative impacts of climate change well established. Status and trends of, and threats to, mountain biodiversity. The year is also coincide with the adoption of the convention by nepal. The overlap of a contract or bidding application block with an area of biodiversity importance is used in this study as an indicator of threat, however we recognise the caveats with this approach and outline these below.
An ebook is one of two file formats that are intended to be used with ereader devices and apps such as amazon kindle or apple ibooks. Thomas m brooks, center for applied biodiversity science conservation international, washington dc, usa. By securing the lifesustaining goods and services which biodiversity provides to us, the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can provide significant benefits to our health. Chapter 2 biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. The importance of biodiversity to human health secretariat of the. Threats to biodiversity come from many sources, most human but some natural. Biodiversity is the variety of all lifebiodiversity is the variety of all life forms. Biodiversitybiodiversity by ankush sethi nikhil sood vijay mohan 2.
Various organisms in the same or different species and living organisms of all levels and sources, including land, marine and freshwater ecosystems, and. In a complex world, a single perspective cannot eliminate threats to biodiversity. Antarctic biodiversity faces increased threats despite. Status and trends of, and threats to, mountain biodiversity, marine, coastal and inland. Abandonment, cessation of grazing and overgrowth of open seminatural habitats, including forest glades. Science and society highlights the rapid growth of insect biodiversity research and includes an expanded treatment of the topic that addresses the major insect groups, the. Download a pdf of biodiversity by the national academy of sciences for free. The earth is populated by an incredible number of different living creatures.
The decline in biodiversity has been more rapid in the past 50 years than ever before in. Even as it supports all life on earth it is constantly facing threats and damage that is almost impossible for our. Biodiversity is also important for enhancing the resilience of poor farmers and indigenous peoples to climate change, pests, diseases and other threats. The year 2018 marks the 25 th anniversary of the entry into force of the convention on biological diversity. Biodiversity is currently being lost at an unprecedented rate globally, and ireland is no exception. Gibbs background although species extinctions are part of the evolutionary process, current extinction rates are much greater than. Biodiversity within an area, biome, or planet is therefore considered at three levels including species diversity.
The concept of biodiversity continues to evolve and more recently it has been included in the idea of ecosystem services in that it is a form of natural capital and thus underpins the functioning of ecosystems. Biodiversity threats weston w sechrest,university of virginia, charlottesville, virginia, usa thomas m brooks, center for applied biodiversity science conservation international, washington dc, usa any. What is the meaning of biodiversity and threats to. Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, is the term used to describe the variety of life found on earth and all of the natural processes. Usually three levels of biodiversity are discussedgenetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. Health is therefore one of the most important indicators of sustainable development. Biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services 7 biodiversity at a suitable scale, e. To ensure intra and intergenerational equity, it is important to conserve biodiversity. Biodiversity, ecosystem services, threats and conservational. Small waterbodies, including ponds and small lakes, loworder streams, ditches and springs, are the most numerous freshwater environments globally, are critical for freshwater. Biodiversity threats from red lists are linked with patterns of international trade, identifying the ultimate instigators of the threats. Questions and answers about biodiversity rainforest rescue. A2 describe the threats to biodiversity from human activity in a given natural area of biological significance or conservation area.
A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Habitat loss invasive species overexploitation climate change pollution habitat loss. Despite the benefits from biodiversity, todays threats to species and ecosystems are increasing day by day with alarming rate and virtually all of them are caused by human mismanagement of. Threats to aquatic biodiversity threats to freshwater species 20% of freshwater fishes extinct or in serious decline extinctatrisk salmonsteelhead runs outnumber healthy by 3. Threats to pacific island biodiversity and biodiversity. Most of the worlds biodiversity are near the equator especially tropical rain forest and coral reefs. Pollution is also an important threat to biodiversity. Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity. The antarctic and southern oceans are teeming with life, yet protection measures are weak as the continent faces increased threats from fishing, tourism and science programs, according. In contrast, the continuing loss of biodiversity on a global scale represents a direct threat to our health and wellbeing. Here, a global map has been generated that shows threats to both direct and indirect. Arial wingdings century gothic arial black mountain top biodiversity notes species diversity genetic diversity ecosystem diversity importance of biodiversity. International trade drives biodiversity threats in. Threats to biodiversity food and agriculture organization of the.