Biodiversity
What is Biodiversity?
|
|
So is biodiversity important to me?
Biodiversity isn't just a sense of measurement, without it, life sustainability would suffer. All organisms in nature have a role in an ecosystem, and a higher biodiversity means a boost in ecosystem productivity. For example, an area with high biodiversity in plants means that crops have a great variation, meaning more organisms, like us humans, have a better and larger food source. A healthy ecosystem like this, can better survive a major downfall, for instance, if a disaster were to occur where a certain crop is destroyed, because of high biodiversity, we would not be affected because there are still many other crops to harvest from. Not only is biodiversity highly important to humans for living, but a large variety of plants and animals creates a better world for all species.
Why protect biodiversity? - The Big Five!
- Medicine
- Agriculture
- Commercial
- Ecology
- Ethical/Aesthetic
Medicine
Biodiversity is important for human health reasons. Although we get a lot of our medicines out a bottle from the pharmacy now , before a lot of a medical treatment came from plant and animal extract. Centuries before CVS and Walgreen's pharmacy's were formed our medical aid came from nature. Many species have yet to be tested for medicinal value. If we were to lose the biodiversity in the environment around us we may loose a potentially valuable medicine. Our very own Tickle Tongue tree was used for medicine in the past - maybe it will be used again!
Agriculture
We rely on so few plants for everyday use and there are so many we've yet to discover or use. But if something were to happen like a disease that only targets one species then we are out of that species. Lets take sunflowers for example, the sunflower seeds baseball players eat are the domesticated version of the sunflowers located in Wolf Prairie. If climate change or other weather factors became too bad for the sunflowers baseball players eat then what happens? Baseball players no longer have seeds, but the wild sunflowers in Wolf Prairie may actually be able to withstand these changes because they've been around longer. These wild sunflowers might have genes that could be used to boost the strength of our domesticated sunflowers. Having a variety of plants that we can use for food helps when something happens to a specific species of plant, this is why biodiversity is important.
We need pollinators! Without pollinators there would be a great problems for many crops. Pollinators do the essential ecosystem service of carrying pollen grains from one flower to another in order to fertilize it. One special pollinator located in our own Wolf Prairies is the well known bee. According to the ecological society of america "Pollinators play a significant role in the production of more than 150 food crops in the United States,". Although we don't use Wolf Prairie as a food source, the pollinators that use the flowers in our prairie may be headed to your garden or farm next!
Commerce
When people think of biodiversity they almost never think about the economy. But in fact preserving biodiversity contributes to the well-being of our economy, and even though our Wolf Prairie isn't big enough for commercial use doesn't mean it isn't important. A lot of the food we eat comes from harvesting things like fish and vegetables, we make money out of these foods. Another reason to preserve biodiversity that connects to commercial is Eco-tourism. People will spend money to admire the beauty the area has to offer.
Ecology
Ecological can be explained as the connection between living organisms with one another and their surrounding area. Every thing is connected, if something happens to the flowers in the prairie then where will the bees get their pollen from? If the bees have no where to get pollen then how will the crops get their natural fertilizer ? Food chains rely on many things and organisms, if something happens to one organism then a whole food chain is out of order. By protecting biodiversity we protect; food chains, symbiotic relationships, indicator species and much more.
Ethical/ Aesthetic
This one is very short and simple to understand. We should protect biodiversity simply because it is the right thing to do. Without biodiversity there would be a loss of so much of the beautiful plants and animals in the world. Our world is more enjoyable and our lives richer in a world full of diverse organisms. What new species will you meet in Wolf Prairie?
How to play your role: It is our duty to protect biodiversity, and aid in fixing the loss of such an important aspect, with the many ways available to us. Many ways we support environmental sustainability affect us in positive ways as well. For example, purchasing organic foods instead of commercially produced and packaged items. Not only do these organic food items ensure you are contributing to your local ecosystem, but these food items are much healthier and better for you. By checking for the USDA Organic seal, you are eliminating the uses of harmful fertilizers, growth hormones, and pesticides and aiding the restoration of biodiversity.
Another way to aid in the protection of biodiversity would be to reduce your own waste, one of the major causes of biodiversity loss. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. This reduces the need for more landfills, reducing habitat loss, and saving biodiversity as well as saving you money. Biodiversity is just as important to you, as any other organism and should be protected in as many ways as possible. You can even play your part by helping right here in Wolf Prairie!
Another way to aid in the protection of biodiversity would be to reduce your own waste, one of the major causes of biodiversity loss. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. This reduces the need for more landfills, reducing habitat loss, and saving biodiversity as well as saving you money. Biodiversity is just as important to you, as any other organism and should be protected in as many ways as possible. You can even play your part by helping right here in Wolf Prairie!
Here's a list of this you can do to aid your local ecosystem!
-Get involved with organizations like the WWF! -Conserve the energy used at home! -Control the spread of your invasive species of plants near your home! - Drive less, bike or walk more! -Learn more and teach more about our environment -There's always more you can do to help biodiversity! |