![Darwin - The Voyage That Shook the World - BluRay [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sx5aPkzoL._SL160_SS160_.jpg)
Welcome to Biodiversity Guide
Human Biodiversity Forum Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Everybody Talks About Biodiversity – But Are We Doing Anything About It?
from:Biodiversity is one of “those” terms. Everyone thinks they know what it means, but asked to define it, they often can only do so in the broadest, most general terms. If you don't know what something is though, there is nothing you can do to protect it.
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, biodiversity is defined as “the variety of all forms of life, from genes to species, through to the broad scale of ecosystems.” The term was coined as a contraction of "biological diversity"but has acquired its own meaning.
Since 1986 the term biodiversity and the concepts it covers have achieved widespread use among scientists and civilians alike, as a shorthand term for a very grave and complicated set of issues. Its current usage merges a concern for nature conservation and the natural environment with a concern over the increasing extinction of plant and animal species. Briefly, there are three main types of biodiversity:
Genetic Diversity: Differences of genes within a species. For example this is why you might have red hair and green eyes while your best friend has brown hair and blue eyes.
Species Diversity: Differences among both plant and animal species in an ecosystem.
Ecosystem Diversity: Differences at the ecosystem level. Some areas of the planet are deserts, and some are marshes. Each has its own particular characteristics and species of flora and fauna
Biodiversity is what keeps our air and water clean. It regulates our climate and weather, and provides us with sources of food, shelter, clothing, and is the basis of most modern medicine. It improves our quality of life by creating lovely natural spaces where we can refresh ourselves by relaxing, playing, and admiring nature's great beauty and variety.
Over the years, the biodiversity of such regions as the African rain forests have provided science with the basis for much of the medicine we take for granted. Belladonna, horse chestnuts, pineapple, and many other plants, both exotic and domestic have all played a part in maintaining our health and well-being.
A diverse population of insects for pollination—which helps with the growing and development of much of our food—can be, and are, harmed by pesticides. And much of our industry (and financial well-being as a nation) is dependent on fibers, building materials, and other natural resources .
The decisions we make, both as individuals and as a nation affect the web of life all over the planet, therefore it is our responsibility to maintain and sustain biodiversity.
It is only by understanding these relationships that we can ensure our decisions will preserve Earth’s biodiversity for the generations that follow us.
Human Biodiversity Forum Specific links
Human Biodiversity Forum News
Banking on Biodiversity: A New Commitment to Conserve Nature - Forbes
Banking on Biodiversity: A New Commitment to Conserve Nature Forbes In the 1990s, the London-based Forum for the Future developed the idea of the “five types of sustainable capital from where we derive the goods and services we need to improve the quality of our lives.” The Five Capitals are: They defined 'Natural ... |
LRU Student Wins First Place in Research Presentation - UALR Forum (blog)
LRU Student Wins First Place in Research Presentation UALR Forum (blog) This year's meeting included a public forum on exploration for natural gas and the future of North Carolina and a keynote address by Dr. Stuart L. Pimm entitled “Biodiversity- the Most Beautiful Carbon.” Dr. Pimm is the Doris Duke Chair of Conservation ... |
USAID/Ba-Nafaa Project Holds Forum On Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment - AllAfrica.com
USAID/Ba-Nafaa Project Holds Forum On Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment AllAfrica.com Participants were also exposed to the negative human activities that trigger such vulnerability and as well formulate recommendations for adaptation measures. The workshop outlined key priority adaptation measures for consideration by the two ... |
Yeosu Declaration to bring life to ocean (27) - Korea Times
 Korea Times | Yeosu Declaration to bring life to ocean (27) Korea Times The Yeosu Declaration has been reviewed through a number of international and domestic symposiums and forums. The declaration has a three-fold overview of humanity's relationship with the marine world: 1) The ocean is a planetary treasury but remains ... |
Reporting biodiversity loss: The forgotten crisis - Business Mirror
 Business Mirror | Reporting biodiversity loss: The forgotten crisis Business Mirror Biodiversity is the web of life that includes the full-range of ecosystems, the species that live in them, and the genetic variety of those species produced by nature or shaped by humans. Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, is widely recognized ... |