Biodiversity plays an important role in our ecosystem and mankind’s existence. It has an intrinsic value that is worth protecting regardless of its value to humankind. According to Aldo Leopold, beneficial intrinsic value refers to a thing when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community, and the converse refers to when it tends otherwise.
The variety of species plays a vital role in the ecological systems found in our ecosystem. Several kinds of living forms depend on other living forms for food and sustainence. For example, snakes sometimes eat frogs, which eat insects, which in turn eat plants. This process is very important in order to stabilize our ecosystem; it is called the food chain.
If one species is eliminated from this cycle, it will result in the deterioration of other living things that are dependent upon it for their food source. In mankind’s history, the interruptions to the food chain have had adverse effects on communities dependent on subsistence living.
Conserving the biodiversity can also have other benefits. Many different biodiversity species have the potential to become sources for new medicines or to provide natural protection against diseases. A recent study of chili, for example, has identified it as a new kind of painkiller. Perhaps before, we would not assume that this species, which is frequently used in household kitchens as a seasoning for food, could become the source of medicinal properties.
Last year, the Daily Mail reported that scientists from the Medical Faculty at Havard University and Massachusetts Hospital in Boston, claimed that a kind of chemical found in chilies which produce its hot taste may be processed as an anaesthetic (substance causing loss of sensation).
The Havard scholar, Professor Clifford Woolf believed that the new method could be used by man and would change the society’s experiences of medicine from knee surgery to oral surgery. This method will fully change operation procedures and the recovery period following any operation which allows patients to immediately be fully conscious but without suffering painful side-effects.
The Western Fence Lizard is another example of how a small reptile can provides natural protection against Lyme Disease. Only recently did scientists discover the importance of this species, and the benefits it could have on mankind.
Biodiversity also provides other avenues which benefit the economy. For example, it helps to keep water clean to allow for the natural management of the watershed and water flow.
Plants species also keep air clean through the constant transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide which purifies the air and regulates the composition of the atmosphere, recycling vital oxygen and filtering harmful particles which result from industrial activities.
Meanwhile, plant tissues and other organic materials comprising terrestrial and ocean ecosystems act as repositories for carbon, helping to slow the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and thus contribute to climate stabilization. It is estimated that it would cost over three trillion dollars to replace these natural systems with man-made machines.
In addition, biodiversity also services the economy through ecotourism. Indeed, ecotourism is becoming increasingly popular, which has not only raised awareness concerning biodiversity, but has also helped the natural environment in terms of economics.
Biodiversity is clearly a main component of life on Earth. It creates unique and complex ecosystems which can never be reproduced by mankind. The value of biodiversity is immeasurable, and thus must be conserved and managed wisely in order to ensure its existence.
In addition, it also should be protected for their monumental value, not only for mankind but also for all of other inhabitants. We as trustees should be made aware of the need to learn how to protect and appreciate our biodiversity. This new consciousness can not be ignored nor delayed. Time is running out on our planet. Education should emphasize the individual’s sensibilities in relation do not only one’s fellow man, but also to our biodiversity and all living creatures.
Only with comprehensible understanding will there be consciousness for mankind to be more ethical in managing our biodiversity accordingly.