Biodiversity

and the
Healthy
Society
 Objectives
 Determine the
interrelatedness of
society,
environment and
health
 Biodiversity

“Bio” means life or living
organism.

“Diversity” means
understanding that each
individual is unique, and
recognizing our individual
differences
 Biodiversity
•
Biological diversity
•
Simply means the diversity,
or variety, of plants and
animals and other living
things in a particular area or
region
•
Also means the number, or
abundance of different
species living within a
 Society
A large group of
people who live
together in an
organized

way, making decisions

about how to do
things and sharing
Environment
The sum total of all
surroundings of a living
organism, including
natural forces and other
living things, which
provide conditions for
development and growth
as well as of danger and
 Ecosystem
A community of
living organisms in
conjunction with the
nonliving
components of their
environment,
 “Humans
cannot exist
without
biodiversity”
 Functions of Biodiversity in


Source of food, nutrients,
medicines, fuel, energy,

Formation of Soil

Fertility of the soil
Increase in overall crop
yield and fodder
production
 Functions of Biodiversity in


Increase in soil nutrient
remineralization

Increases resistance to
plant invasion

Decreases disease
prevalence on plants
Increases soil organic
Ecosystem services
Many and varied
benefits that
humans freely gain
from the natural
environment and
from properly-
Provision of clean
water and air
Pollination of crops
Mitigation of
environmental
hazards
Pest and disease
control
 Genetically
Modified
Organisms:
Science Health
And Politics
 Objectives
 Discuss
the ethics and
implications of
GMOs and
potential future
 GMO

Simply something
whose genetic material
(DNA) has been
changed in a way that
does not occur
naturally by mating
and/or natural
Purpose of GMO
Improving economically
important traits such as:

growth-rate
quality of meat
milk composition
disease resistance and
survival.
G
enetic Engineering
Also called
“genetic
modification” or
“genetic
manipulation”, is
the direct
 Genetic engineering
allows scientists to
insert, or suppress,
desired traits or
features into an
organism – enhancing a
crop’s resistance, for
instance, or promoting
 This artificial
manipulation of DNA
would never happen in
nature. It replaces the
traditional method of
selective breeding, a
common and
completely safe
practice used by
Environmental Concerns abo

Increased use
of toxic herbicides
and pesticides
Pleiotropy
Contamination
Health Concerns about GM

allergic response
undesired side
effects
such as:
•
toxicity,
•
organ damage
•
gene transfer
 There is no evidence of
dangers to health from GM
crops and foods. They have
been in the food chain for
over 20 years. However, the
regulatory process to ensure
their safety is almost entirely
based on industry studies -
the very industries that
produce the GM crops.
 Impacts of GMOS
making more efficient
use of plant protection
products
 using less land to
produce more food and
conserving
biodiversity
allows many different
kinds of plants and