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At least 40 per cent of the world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor are derived from
biological resources. In addition, the richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical
discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change.
For example,
Ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest are rich in diversity. Deforestation threatens many species such as the
The cost of replacing these (if possible) would be extremely expensive. It therefore makes economic and
development sense to move towards sustainability.
A report from Nature magazine also explains that genetic diversity helps to prevent the chances of extinction
in the wild (and claims to have shown proof of this).
To prevent the well known and well documented problems of genetic defects caused by in-breeding, species
need a variety of genes to ensure successful survival. Without this, the chances of extinction increases.
And as we start destroying, reducing and isolating habitats, the chances for interaction from species with a
large gene pool decreases. Side Note»»
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While there might be “survival of the fittest” within a given species, each species depends on the services
provided by other species to ensure survival. It is a type of cooperation based on mutual survival and is often
what a “balanced ecosystem” refers to.
The relationship between soil, plants, bacteria and other life is also referred to as the nitrogen cycle:
(Image
source: Wikipedia)
As an example, consider all the species of animals and organisms involved in a simple field used in
agriculture. As summarized from Vandana Shiva, Stolen Harvest (South End Press, 2000), pp 61–62:
Crop byproducts feed cattle
Cattle waste feeds the soil that nourish the crops
Crops, as well as yielding grain also yield straw
o Straw provides organic matter and fodder
o Crops are therefore food sources for humans and animals
Soil organisms also benefit from crops
o Bacteria feed on the cellulose fibers of straw that farmers return to the soil
o Amoebas feed on bacteria making lignite fibers available for uptake by plants
o Algae provide organic matter and serve as natural nitrogen fixers
o Rodents that bore under the fields aerate the soil and improve its water-holding capacity
o Spiders, centipedes and insects grind organic matter from the surface soil and leave behind
enriched droppings.
o Earthworms contribute to soil fertility
They provide aerage, drainage and maintain soil structure.
According to Charles Darwin, “It may be doubted whether there are many other
animals which have played so important a part in the history of creatures.”
The earthworm is like a natural tractor, fertilizer factory and dam, combined!
Industrial-farming techniques would deprive these diverse species of food sources and instead
assault them with chemicals, destroying the rich biodiversity in the soil and with it the basis for the
renewal of the soil fertility.
Shiva, a prominent Indian scientist and activist goes on to detail the costs associated with destroying this
natural diversity and traditional farming techniques which recognize this, and replacing this with industrial
processes which go against the nature of diversity sustainability.
As German bee expert Professor Joergen Tautz from Wurzburg University adds:
Bees are vital to bio diversity. There are 130,000 plants for example for which bees are essential to pollination,
from melons to pumpkins, raspberries and all kind of fruit trees — as well as animal fodder — like clover.
— Joergen Tautz interviewed by Michael Leidig, Honey bees in US facing extinction, The Telegraph, March
14, 2007
Researchers are finding reasons for the massive decline hard to pinpoint, but suspect a combination of various
diseases, environmental pollution, environmental degradation (leading to less diversity for bees to feed from,
for example) and farming practices (such as pesticides, large monoculture cropping, etc).
The link and dependency between plants, bees, and human agriculture is so crucial, the two scientists writing
up years of research into the problem summarized with this warning:
Humankind needs to act quickly to ensure that the ancient pact between flowers and pollinators stays intact, to
safeguard our food supply and to protect our environment for generations to come. These efforts will ensure
that bees continue to provide pollination and that our diets remain rich in the fruits and vegetables we now take
for granted.
— Diana Cox-Foster and Dennis van Engelsdorp, Solving the Mystery of the Vanishing Bees, Scientific
American, April 2009
An example from the seas (originally mentioned here years ago but removed because the link to the story no
longer worked), was described byNational Geographic Wild in a program called, A Life Among Whales
(broadcast June 14, 2008).
It noted how a few decades ago, some fishermen campaigned for killing whales because they were threatening
the fish supply and thus jobs.
A chain of events eventually came full circle and led to a loss of jobs:
The massive reduction in the local whale population meant killer whales in the region (usually preying
on younger whales) moved to other animals such as seals;
As seal numbers declined, the killer whales targeted otters;
As otter numbers were decimated, the urchins and other targets of otters flourished;
These decimated the kelp forests where many fish larvae grew in relative protection;
The exposed fish larvae were easy pickings for a variety of sea life;
Fishermen’s livelihoods were destroyed.
(Image source: Wikipedia)
A scientist pleaded with park management not to cull and let nature take its course. Being against prevailing
thought, they would not agree. In the end they agreed to let one park have its elephants culled, while the other
would be left alone.
A few years later, they found the park with the culled population had remained in poor condition. The park
where things were left alone has naturally regenerated; the large elephant populations eventually reduced in
number as they undermined their own resource base. The natural pace at which this happened allowed
vegetation to grow back. Other wildlife grew in numbers and the ecosystem was generally back in balance.
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Biodiversity Providing Lessons For Scientists In Engineering
For a number of years now, scientists have been looking more and more at nature to see how various species
work, produce, consume resources, trying to mimic the amazing feats that millions of years of evolution has
produced.
As just one small example, some spiders can produce their silk with a higher tensile strength than many alloys
of steel even though it is made of proteins. So biologists are looking at these processes in more depth to see if
they can reproduce or enhance such capabilities.
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