Chapter 11

Biodiversity
and
Healthy
Society
“If we pollute the air, water
and soil that keep us alive
and well, and destroy the
biodiversity that allows
natural systems to function,
no amount of money will
save us.”- Suzuki David, 1936
Genetic
Biodiversity
- Is a measure of the
variety of versions of the
same genes within
individual species.
Species
Biodiversity
- describes the number of
different kinds of organisms
within individual
communities or ecosystems.
Ecological Biodiversity
- specifies the number of niches,
tropic levels, and ecological
processes that capture, sustain
food webs and recycle materials
within this system.
Species by the Numbers
- Approximately 1.75 million different
species have been documented by scientists.
These include 950,000 species of insects,
270,000 species of plants, 19,000 species of
fish, 9,000 species of birds, and 4,000
species of mammals. Insects and other
vertebrates make up more than half of all
known species. Few of them are still
unknown.
The Importance of
Biodiversity
- biodiversity is extremely
important to people, society, and
the health of the ecosystems. It
can aid ecosystem stability and
because we rely on many
different organisms.
Biodiversity provides
food and medicines
Plant and animal species make important
contributions to human food supplies.
Some pharmaceutical products are derived
from plants, animals, and microbes.
In an article of Montenegro (2015), a
newly discovered PHL medicinal plant was
featured in honor of Pope Francis.
• Biodiversity can aid
ecosystem stability
- Maintaining biodiversity
can be essential in
existence of other species
and other ecological
functions.
In a documentary video of I-witness
(July 2017), “Around 100 Philippine
crocodile (crocodylus mindorensis)
are left in the world.
Their disappearance is linked to the
destruction of Mangrove’s forest.
Crocodiles are important in the river’s
ecosystem. Their excretions fertilize
the riverbeds. These help propagate
planktons, which fishes eat.”
Aesthetic and Existence
values are important
- Nature appreciation is economically
important. It provides job opportunities to
local communities. Nature-based activities
like fishing, hunting, camping and hiking
also have cultural value. Contact with nature
can be emotionally uplifting. For some, it
has religious and moral significance.
Threats to Biodiversity
- Extinction the elimination of species, can
be a normal process of the natural world as
species out-complete or kill off others or as
environmental conditions change such as
during the Ice Ages. In evolutionary
history, extinctions are common. It also
shows that during there have been five
mass extinction events.
Bottlenecks
- These events have been
documented by fossil records
that most of the species that
ever existed die out and are
replaced by others, often by
their descendants as part of
evolutionary change.
- A pair of stuffed passenger
pigeons (Ectopistes Migratorius) an
endemic to North America. The last
member of this species died in the
Cincinnati zoo in 1914. Human
actions may have caused the species
populations to grow huge as well as
led to its demise.
Earth’s Biodiversity Hot Spots
- The Philippine is one of the most mega diverse
countries in the world when it comes to variety of
genetic, species, and ecological biodiversity. Due
to continue experience of destruction to these
resources made by human activities
(deforestation, land degradation, and pollution)
the country is also considered a biodiversity
hotspot. The hotspot is a habitat for 6,000
endemic species and a large indefinite number of
bird species including in Philippine eagle and the
Cebu flowerpecker.
Genetic Modified Organism (GMO)
- While selective breeding has existed for
thousand of years, modern biotechnology is
more efficient, and effective because seed
developers are able to directly modify the
genome of the crop. This process is called
“Genetic Modified Organism (GMO). It is
also known as “genetic engineering”, where
in selective bred of plants were being
enhanced with the genes if another plant.
- Genetic Modified crops can help
farming a lot. It can produce higher
number of yields than usual. By this,
GMO can strengthen farming
especially against the unpredictable
factors of nature. But, controversy
remains on how to get an access to this
biotechnology and regarding to the
safety of genetic modified foods.
The Impact of GMO to Biodiversity and
Environment
The basic goal of biotechnology is to provide the
means to feed the world’s hungry. Moreover, the
benefit of GMO in the increase of the crop yield is
well established. But, recent researches and studies
have also revealed the adverse effect of GMO to
health, environment and most importantly in
biodiversity. Long term studies about the potential
risks of GMO must be first evaluated and dealt with.
Alarming results have been produced in several recent
studies indicating the toxicity and harm to health and
ecology.
Effect of GMO in Biodiversity and
Environment
An insect resistant GM crop could have direct toxic
effect on n on-target species.
 A GM crop could have an indirect effect to other
species by reducing the source of food for other
wildlife such as birds.
 pest resurgence could be resulted from insects
which become resistant to chemicals when used on
pest tolerant GM crops repeatedly and may increase
the number of insect pest.
 creating an imbalance in nature by changing the
predator/prey ratio.

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Biodiversity

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