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Biodiversity Of Forests Article
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The Concept Of Biodiversity – An Exercise In Variability
from:While it shouldn't be, it's often hard for people to wrap their minds around the concept of biodiversity. Partly this is because the concept of biodiversity is a complex one, and partly it's because so many agencies have vested interests in people seeing anything that conserves resources as a threat to their lifestyles. The first steps toward defining the concept of biodiversity were undertaken by E.O. Wilson in the mid-1980s. Since then, the concept has become so important that there are a number of world, national, and local initiatives targeted at reducing biodiversity loss by 2010.
The concept of biodiversity breaks down into three major factors, all of which are interwoven:
First is the concept of genetic diversity. This refers to the variation of genes within a single species and can be further broken down into two components: genetic variations within distinct populations of the same species, and genetic variations within a population.
Next is the concept of species diversity. This take us up one rung as we consider the varieties of species within a region. There are two main measures to assess this: the first is species “richness”, or the number of species, both plant and animal, that inhabit an area; the second is the more precise “taxonomic diversity,” which takes into account the relationships between species in addition to their numbers.
The third factor, and the overarching one, is ecosystem diversity. Since the boundaries between various biological communities are highly fluid, this is the most difficult factor to measure accurately, yet it may very well be the most important, since this is where changes that affect all life occur. Climate change, often caused by things like global warming, are among the greatest threats to ecosystem diversity.
Biological diversity includes the variety of ecosystems, and their patterns. It also includes their linkages across regional landscapes. There is a hierarchy of the parts and processes of biological diversity that is, admittedly, artificial. This hierarchy also has a distinct human context (i.e., things are seen in the context of how useful they are to humans). Still, it provides a focus for the concept of biodiversity, which is so infinitely varied that any lens taken to it must be narrowly focused compared to the full spectrum of both the topic and human needs.
Understanding the concept of biodiversity should be a high priority for everyone, since we cannot preserve it if we don't understand it, and not preserving it will ultimately affect the lives of all of us. One of the best ways of understanding the very broad concept of biodiversity is reading the various definitions used by scientists, philosophers, environmentalists, and others.
Biodiversity Of Forests Specific links
Biodiversity Of Forests News
Absence of elephants and rhinoceroses reduces biodiversity in tropical forests
The progressive disappearance of seed-dispersing animals like elephants and rhinoceroses puts the structural integrity and biodiversity of the tropical forest of South-East Asia at risk. Experts have confirmed that not even herbivores like tapirs can replace them. Megaherbivores act as the 'gardeners' of humid tropical forests: They are vital to forest regeneration and maintain its structure and ...
Read more...Google Mapping Tool Shows Impacts of Deforestation on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island
First Ever Google Maps Engine Grant Helps WWF and Eyes on the Forest in Urgent Effort to Save Tigers, Rhinos, Orangutans and ElephantsWashington, DC (PRWEB) May 23, 2012 A powerful new mapping tool from Indonesian NGO coalition Eyes on the Forest and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) allows the public to visualize Sumatra’s forests and wildlife such as rhinos, tigers, elephants and orangutan, providing ...
Read more...Guv awards prizes to students on International Biodiversity Day
Dehradun, May 22 : Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi today stressed the importance of the relationship between human life and biodiversity, saying that all children should resolve to deal with challenges posed by pollution to the environment.
Read more...Marine Biodiversity
ILOILO CITY, Iloilo (PIA) - Marine Biodiversity Day in Western Visayas today will be highlighted by the importance of protecting, conserving, and managing the region's marine life. Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 6 (DENR-6) executive director Julian Amador said Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officers (PENRO) here have undergone four-day training on ...
Read more...Cameroon: Forests Pressured As Leaders Welcome Palm Oil Investors
[AlertNet] Yaounde - Cameroon is inviting foreign companies to expand lucrative palm plantations, pitting the country's need for economic development against environmentalists who foresee the loss of important forests.
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