Is There a Biodiversity Crisis Essay

Most commonly, biodiversity is referred to as the differences in the forms of life inside an ecosystem. There are different definitions regarding to the scope and to whoever has defined the word biodiversity. The first definition which the most common definition of the word states that biodiversity is the variation of life at levels of biological organization. This definition simply states that biodiversity claims the general differences in the living organisms that exist in an ecosystem. The second definition characterizes biodiversity as an assessment of the overall health of an ecosystem. The health of an ecosystem is relatively based on the number of species that thrives in an ecosystem. Thus, biodiversity is also measure of the relative physical condition of the different organisms alive in an ecosystem. Another definition, which is most commonly used by ecologists, describes biodiversity as the entirety of the genes, species and ecosystems of a certain region. This third definition relates the three basic levels that identify biodiversity: (1) genetic diversity, (2) species diversity and, (3) ecosystem diversity. In the main, biodiversity for ecologists also relates the interactions of species to species and also the interaction of the species to the environment they are in. Therefore, it is not only the species of organism that are interacting with one another but also the organism are interacting with the air, soil, water and the factors that constitutes the totality of the environment. The environment is very essential to all the living forms in the planet. Clearly, it is the provider of our most basic needs: food, water and air. It gives us water for drinking, air for breathing, food to supply as with energy and other necessities. Humans are pat of a very big ecosystem – the earth. With all the animals and the other forms of living things in the earth interacting with one another, surely, one kind of species needs the other in order to survive. Such as the way the spider needs its web and the horse needs the grass, all the organisms, need the planet’s wealth in order to survive. The collection of plants and animals are the ones that keep an ecosystem stable. The more diverse an ecosystem is, the more that it is stable and the more that it is likely to survive. Biodiversity crisis is one of the threats that lead to the extinction of certain species of animals and plants. Still, nobody knows the importance of each and every living thing on earth. However, their loss can be equated to a loss in medicine, technology and balance in nature, which in turn mar risk the lives of humans. Factors There are so many factors that contribute to the weakening and deterioration of biodiversity. It includes too much use and over exploitation, physical and chemical modification of the areas which serves as habitats for certain organism, introduction of foreign species of organisms to an area and modifications in the conditions of habitats. Some factors that contribute to the total fall of biodiversity in an area are also socially based. This includes rapid population growth, over exploitation of resources, useless and ineffective knowledge, unworthy management and increasing demand for areas to be modified into industrial and technological spots. Human activity is a large fraction of the causes of biodiversity crisis of the world. The diverse activities of humans can be accounted as the primary cause of the degradation of the diversity of life of the planet. Certain human activities create a huge impact to the environment. Two of which are human population and the level of consumption of humankind. These two factors constitutes to the major environmental changes that are happening in the planet. Also, the principal activities of humans for the purpose of his survival in the planet such as agriculture, fishing, hunting, manufacturing, trade, industry, and even recreational activities such as hiking, mountaineering and tours are directly and indirectly creating a major effect on the environmental balance. Records show that hunting and sever use and exploitation of the animal life and environment are the most cases that can be observed in the word today. These activities are the biggest threats to the existence of various kinds of animals not only in Tibet but also in other countries such as Thailand and Philippines. In Tibet, exploitation of animals is a major environmental problem. Animals are being killed for commercial reasons. Skin of rare animals, antlers of deer, heads of various animals mostly the Tibetan gazelle and fur of wild animals such as leopards can be seen in the market and are sold openly without penalties and forced restrictions by the authorities. More to that, hunters are not only free to kill animals in the wild but also, they can get their own permit to hunt in the wild. They are given permit to kill animals for the purpose of producing income and for the purpose of causing a rapid decrease in the population of the animals that they use for commercial purposes. Also, another major cause of biodiversity crisis in the world and still, an example of human activity is forest degradation and transformation of habitats to industrial sites. Forest degradation does not only concern the loss of trees in the rainforests but also the loss of the animals that depends on these trees for survival. Wide exploitation of the forests has been recorded in most of the countries in the world as early as human population began to rapidly increase. The act of cutting trees to be used either for construction of houses or for the purpose of selling to companies and other groups and for the purpose of having a new site wherein industries, houses, subdivisions and chemical plants are to be erected, all constitutes to the improper and over utilization of resources. These activities are the roots of extensive migration of birds and animals to other areas which causes over crowding of species in an area and wide losses in certain species that eventually dies due to the loss of trees and the loss of the existence of rainforests which serves as their habitat. Losses These human activities in effect, cause enormous impact to the environment. Effects incorporate land transformations, rapid decrease in the population of specie which mostly results to extinction and immense changes in the patterns of weather, water cycle, nutrient accumulation and chemical introduction. In the long run, these direct effects of human activities consequently are the ones that cause various changes in the global climate, patterns of migration, reproduction and habitat and an overall irreversible loss form the environment and consequently a loss to the humankind. On the whole, human activities have brought changes not only to the other living organism in the planet but also to the planet itself. Accordingly, human activities have caused the environment to weaken inducing a less stable planet that could less support existence of life. The world is rapidly loosing its wealth and richness. Due to the acts of man, not only he and the other forms of life are at risk but also the whole world. Man’s activities constitute much of the factors that contribute to this hasty decline. As man continues to increase its population and greedy concept of living, the diversity of life is steadily going to a point of fall. As this happens, lakes and rivers are transformed to highways and canals, forests will soon be out of trees and animals and will be turned to deserts. Natural diversity will be continuously raped and will make way for the rise of towering buildings, winding roads, infrastructures, houses, villages, factories, mines, schools, shopping malls and gardens. Existence of the technological advancements will soon interfere with the usual patterns of the weather and global climate as well as the lives of different species. In turn, they will be extinct and will never be enjoyed again by the coming generations. Eventually, the works of man today will weaken and continuously exploit the wealth of planet until comes to a point where it can no longer hold for the existence of man and his doings. References Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. (2007). Biodiversity in Crisis?. Retrieved December 6, 2007, from http://cbc.amnh. org/crisis/crisis. html. Simberloff, Daniel. (2007). Habitat Change, Population Growth, and the Biodiversity Crisis: Getting Ahead of the Extinction Curve. Retrieved, December 5, 2007, from http://www. angelo. edu/events/university_symposium/93_Simberloff. html. Shah, Anup. (2007) Biodiversity. Retrieved, December 5, 2007, from http://www. globalissues. org/EnvIssues/Biodiversity. asp. The Fruitarian Foundation. (2000). The Biodiversity Crisis. Retrieved December 5, 2007, from http://www. fruitarian. com/ab/TheBiodiversityCrisis. htm.