Biodiversity and its value,Ecosystem Change, Human well being

1. Zoo-404 T. Jayenta Singh Biodiversity and its value,Ecosystem Change, Human well being

2. Biodiversity, which plays a critical role in overall sustainable development and poverty eradication, is essential to our planet, human well-being and to the livelihood and cultural integrity of people Johannesburg Plan of Implementation – paragraph 42 (2002)

3. Whatisbiodiversity? Biodiversity is the extraordinary variety of living creatures and ecological communities growing and interacting with each other all over the world. It is the richness and complexity of species and ecosystems throughout the planet - continually acquiring and honing the adaptations necessary for survival under constantly changing conditions.

4. Types of biologicaldiversity Species diversity refers to the variety of different living things Genetic diversity refers to the variations between individuals of a species — characteristics passed down from parents to their offspring. Ecosystem diversity refers to the great variety of environments produced by the interplay of the living (animals and plants) and non-living world (earth forms, soil, rocks and water).

5. BiodiversityValue Ecological Values: All living creatures are supported by the interactions among organisms and ecosystems. Loss of biodiversity makes ecosystems less stable, more vulnerable to extreme events, and weakens its natural cycles. Economic Values: A biologically diverse natural environment provides humans with the necessities of life and forms the basis for the economy. Everything we buy and sell originates from the natural world. Cultural Values: Most people feel connected to nature, often for reasons hard to explain. Some feel a strong spiritual bond that may be rooted in our common biological ancestory. Others are inspired by its beauty. Human cultures around the world profoundly reflect our visceral attachment to the natural world. Thus cultural diversity is linked to Earth’s biodiversity.

6. EcologicalValues Energy cycle: Plants and photosynthetic bacteria transform energy from the sun into stored chemical energy (foundation for virtually all food webs) Water cycle: Forests moderate water flows by catching, holding and recycling rainwater. Plants release absorbed rainwater into the air through the loss of water through their leaves (transpiration). Wetlands and estuaries purify water and control flooding

7. Ecological Values Carbon and oxygen cycles: Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is generated by animal respiration, plant decay and the burning of fossil fuels Nitrogen cycle: Nitrogen is needed by all living organisms, and it makes up a large component of Earth’s atmosphere. In its natural atmospheric form, nitrogen is not directly accessible to most organisms, so it needs to be converted, primarily by bacteria living on the roots of certain plants. Their daily activities help ecosystems functioning. In turn, these ecosystems support life. Healthy ecosystems are more stable and more adaptable to any change, such as extreme events like drought or floods which can alter entire ecosystems

8. Economic value Nature provides the raw materials we need for survival, and forms the basis for the global economy Everything we use in our daily lives was originally derived from the natural world Scientists have identified and named about 270,000 species of plants. Tropical rain forests support some of Earth’s highest levels of biodiversity. At least 1,650 known tropical forest plants have the potential to be grown as vegetable crops Nature is also the source for many medicines such as aspirin, heart stimulants, antibiotics, anti-malarial and cancer fighting compounds Climate regulation, water purification, soil regeneration, nutrient cycling, waste recirculation, crop pollination and production of timber, fodder, and biomass are provided by our living environment for free.

9. Cultural value "The co-evolution of culture, life forms, and habitats has conserved the biological diversity of this planet. Cultural diversity and biological diversity go hand in hand." From aboriginal creation myths and other ancient religions to the work of generations of artists, poets, musicians and storytellers, nature has been the foundation of human cultural identities, spiritual practices and creative expression throughout the ages

10. Earth is home to an estimated 10 to 20 million species, but only a fraction is known and scientifically classified. The interdependence among organisms and their environments creates and sustains the conditions needed for survival by all living creatures. Biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate, at levels from genes and species to ecological communities. Some ecologists predict that 50 per cent of all mammals and birds will be extinct within the next century. Biologists believe the loss of these resources threaten the functioning of natural systems and the overall well-being of human society.

11. There is considerable pressure from human activity on nature and biodiversity. Action is necessary to counteract pressures arising notably from pollution, the introduction of non-native species, potential risks from releasing genetically modified organisms and the way in which the land and sea are exploited. Preamble to decision 1600/2002/EC laying down the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme (2002)

12. Human Impact - Europe and the Near East. The assessment and modelling of current impact on wilderness show that there are few areas in Europe proper that have seen little human impact - it is all broken up by roads thus lowering the value of habitats primarily for big mammals. Areas with wilderness qualities can be found in the Arctic and further East

15. In many European countries, half of the known vertebrate species are threatened and more than one-third of Europe's bird species are in decline

16. Percentage of birds, mammals, fishes and plants/ Total number of species disappearing (after Pimms et al., 1995 in Chapin et al., 2000)

17. Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history • Humans have increased the species extinction rate by as much as 1,000 times over background rates typical over the planet’s history • 10–30% of mammal, bird, and amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction

18. The role of biodiversity in global change

19. Aliens: significant and largely irreversible changes to species diversity The distribution of species on Earth is becoming more homogenous The population size or range (or both) of the majority of species across a range of taxonomic groups is declining Growth in Number of Marine Species Introductions in North America and Europe

20. Regional climate change Deforestation generally leads to decreased rainfall. Since forest existence depends on rainfall, forest loss can result in a feedback, accelerating the rate of decline in rainfall

24. Ecosystem Services Ecosystem services are defined as the processes and conditions of natural ecosystems that support human activity and sustain human life. Such services include the maintenance of soil fertility, climate regulation and natural pest control, and provide flows of ecosystem goods such as food, timber and fresh water. They also provide intangible benefits such as aesthetic and cultural values. Ecosystem services are generated by the biodiversity present in natural ecosystems.

25. Foley et al’s (2005) conceptual framework for comparing land use and trade-offs of ecosystem services. The provisioning of multiple ecosystem services under different land-use regimes can be illustrated with these simple ‘‘flower’’ diagrams, in which the condition of each ecosystem service is indicated along each axis.

26. Interrelationship between ecosystem services, aspects of human well-being and human health Ecosystem services are indispensable to the wellbeing of all people, everywhere in the world. The causal links between environmental change and human health are complex because they are often indirect, displaced in space and time, and dependent on a number of modifying forces

28. New ways of thinking Ecosystem Services: the benefits people obtain from ecosystems Regulating Benefits obtained from regulation of ecosystem processes • climate regulation • disease regulation • flood regulation Provisioning Goods produced or provided by ecosystems • food • fresh water • fuel wood • genetic resources Cultural Non-material benefits from ecosystems • spiritual • recreational • aesthetic • inspirational • educational Supporting Services necessary for production of other ecosystem services • Soil formation • Nutrient cycling • Primary production

29. Protecting the planet in the next Millenium

30. Why biodiversity science? Unprecedented loss and changes in biological diversity are taking place at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels In fact, studies of the geological records of known organism groups reveal that the current rate of extinction is several hundred times greater than expected (Dirzo and Raven 2003). This current ‘extinction crisis’, sometimes called The Sixth Extinction, is the direct result of human activities

31. Why biodiversity science? Assessing the causes and consequences of biodiversity changes, establishing the bases for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, are major scientific challenges

32. Why biodiversity science? The pastdecade has seen the birth of the Convention on BiologicalDiversityand of many conservation programmes aimedatprotectingbiodiversity. In addition, individual countries are responding to the urgent need for action by establishing national research programmes dedicated to developingbiodiversity science. The complexscientific questions posed by the global loss and change of biodiversity are beyond the scope of individual countries and disciplines, and require an additionallevel of international scientificcooperation

33. agroBIODIVERSITYBiodiversity science for agricultural landscapes Strategies for assessing the value of biodiversity as natural capital & for human well-being, and engaging society for biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes

34. bioHEALTH: the challenge • Increased emergence & spread of zoonoses over past 20 years (AIDS, SARS, Lyme, H5N1, etc.). • Emergences driven by factors studied by biodiversity scientists • Yet little collaboration between biodiversity & health scientists (e.g. 2% of 792 papers on H5N1 by biodiversity and/or ecologists) • bioHEALTH: Synthesis among medical, ecological, economic and social sciences on biodiversity and health necessary to understand, cure and predict

35. THANK YOU