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Biodiversity is critically important to human health, economies and livelihoods. Humans have caused the loss of 83% of all wild animals and half of all plants. To mark the International Day for Biodiversity, here are five reasons why biodiversity matters to humans – and why we need to protect it.
This time though, humans are to blame. Never before has a single species exerted such influence on the planet and the evolution of its inhabitants, or put its own survival in such jeopardy. Biodiversity underpins life as we know it, including the air that we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink.
There are numerous reasons why biodiversity is important, but one of the most vital is that ecosystems need it to stay alive. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, biodiversity is "essential to the existence and proper functioning of all ecosystems." Having a diverse environment gives all kinds of life the ability to better ...
Drones patrol popular surfing areas scanning the sea for signs of sharks that could pose a danger to humans. AI scans the drone footage to give a positive identification. The system can warn surfers of the presence of sharks – and keep the sharks safe from the frequently fatal consequences of an encounter with humans.
So what can be done to protect these critically important biodiversity hotspots? Some places on Earth are irreplaceable – literally impossible to replicate anywhere on the planet. Uniquely rich in animal and plant life and critical to the survival of humanity, these biodiversity hotspots are frequently under threat.
Plants are essential for medicines. For example, 25% of drugs used in modern medicine are derived from rainforest plants. Biodiversity loss is also linked to increases in disease as humans encroach into untouched nature through deforestation and urbanization. An estimated 43% of emerging infectious diseases come from wildlife. “
Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest risks facing the world over the next 10 years, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2023. Nature is vital to our health and well-being – and a source of medicine, with more than 40% of pharmaceutical formulations derived from natural sources.
Bleached white But such ecosystems are delicately balanced and easily disrupted. Colourful coral formations are highly sensitive to changes in water temperature, light conditions or nutrients, and can eject the algae that live and feed on them – a phenomenon known as bleaching.
There are currently 107 Amazonian species endangered by the ongoing loss of biodiversity. That includes several that are important to the pharmaceutical industry, such as the cinchona tree, the source of the malaria drug quinine. At the heart of a substantial number of key advances in drug therapies lies a continued reliance on the natural world.
Why is biodiversity important? Both the 2019 IPBES and 2020 WWF reports stress that the loss of habitats and species pose as much of a threat to life on Earth as climate change. For biodiversity is not only vital for a flourishing natural world.