Biodiversity is the set of living beings (animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms) that live in the same place and are related to its ecosystem, be it terrestrial or aquatic. This concept also includes the genetic diversity of each individual with respect to others of the same species and with other different ones . Biodiversity is that incredible and enormous range of life that our planet supports.
Scholars of the subject usually differentiate three levels of biodiversity : genetics , referring to the different genetic codes of each organism within the same population and between populations , that of species and subspecies , when we talk about the differences of living beings with common characteristics, and the diversity of spaces if we talk about the different ecosystems and physical environments that surround them and interact as a functional unit . These three levels are connected to all forms of life and their care and preservation are especially important. Among many other things, a rich and abundant biodiversity provides most of the resources that human beings (and other living beings) use as food, medicine or raw materials to survive and guarantees the regulation of natural factors such as air quality and energy. climate , water purification or pollination.
Despite the infinite benefits of having a wide biodiversity, certain uncontrolled human actions oftencause an imbalance in this delicate system. Activities such as deforestation,poachingo laecosystem pollutionseriously endanger the planet’s biodiversity and, therefore, many species andunrecoverable resourcesin many cases.To raise awareness among the world populationof the importance of biodiversity, theMay 22ndwas declared theWorld Biological Diversity Dayby the UN since 2000. To reinforce its spirit and message, we brought togethersix phrases about the importance of conserving the planet’s biodiversity.
“It is a basic mistake to treat the Earth as if it were a business in liquidation.”Herman Daly, economist.
“Species are like bricks in the construction of a building. We can lose one or two dozen bricks without the house wobbling. But if 20% of the species disappear, the entire structure destabilizes and collapses. This is how a ecosystem”.Donald Falk, ecologist at the University of Arizona (USA).
“Natural species are the library that genetic engineers work with.”Thomas E. Lovejoy, Conservationist.
“Every time we lose a species we break a chain of life that has evolved over 3.5 billion years.”Jeffrey McNeely, IUCN Scientist.
“Destroying rainforests for money is like using a Renaissance work of art to make a fire to prepare food.”EO Wilson, biologist.
“Once a species is extinct, no law can make it return: it is gone forever.”Allen M. Solomon, ecólogo.
