Why is biodiversity important?

The natural environment is the source of all our resources for life. Environmental processes provide a wealth of services to the living world — providing us with air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat, as well as materials to use in our daily lives and natural beauty to enjoy.

Complex ecosystems with a wide variety of plants and animals tend to be more stable. A highly diverse ecosystem is a sign of a healthy system. Since all the living world relies on the natural environment, especially us, it is in our best interests and the interests of future generations to conserve biodiversity and our resources.

Some might argue that some species have become extinct, with no obvious effect on the environment. But the Earth's systems are so complex that we are still learning about environmental processes and resources and the roles they play. The careless loss of any part of the natural environment means that we may never know what use it was or could have been in terms of future technologies, say, or for medical science, or indeed for the health of the planet itself.

It's important to understand that environments are constantly changing. A healthy, robust environment evolves and adapts to naturally changing conditions. It is fascinating to observe the far-reaching effects even small changes can make and the importance of genetic diversity for species to adapt, survive and evolve.

Preservation of biodiversity is not necessarily about preserving everything currently in existence. It's more a question of 'walking lightly' on the Earth — a balance of respecting the natural changes that occur and of protecting species and environments from wanton extinction and destruction.

Life on Earth would not be the same if our planet's biodiversity were to be radically affected.

 

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