Global Perspectives- Essay The different aspects of Biodiversity all have a great influence on each other.

Is it the end of diverse life on earth? Are humans to be blamed? It s interesting to note that modern humans have been around for a very long time and lived for much of it !ithout causing much irreparable damage to the environment. But no!" human activities are responsible for most of the loss in biodiversity throughout the !orld. #ith an increasing population" !e are consuming more and more natural resources. #e do this by driving more" using more energy in our homes" and buying many more products than !e need. This doesn$t mean that everyone lives this !ay though. %any people !or& very hard to ma&e changes to their lifestyles that lessen their impact on the environment" !hich also helps preserve biodiversity. 'n the contrary" humans are the most polluting species. Earth is very good at recycling !aste" but !e are generating far more !aste than the earth can cope !ith. Pollution occurs at different levels and it doesn t (ust impact our planet) it impacts all species" including man&ind" !ho d!ell on it. In my opinion" humans are to be blamed for the end of diverse life on earth. 'n balance" ho!ever" there are plenty of little steps that people can ta&e to help save the environment. #hile the eco-footprint of each step is small" thousands of people doing the same thing can ma&e a difference. In ma&ing some small changes to the !ay that you do things at home" you are gradually ma&ing a difference" even as an individual. *ou !ill &ill costs and improve your health at the same time" so helping to save the environment isn t a totally altruistic e+ercise, Biodiversity -otes Biodiversity" short for biological diversity" is the term used to describe the variety of life found on Earth and all of the natural processes. This includes ecosystem" genetic and cultural diversity" and the connections bet!een these and all species. The different aspects of biodiversity all have a very strong influence on each other. #e have only (ust started to understand the relationships bet!een living things and their environments. It is helpful to thin& of an ecosystem as a !oven carpet) if you pull on a loose thread it might only affect the thread and those closest to it or it might unravel the !hole carpet.

Biodiversity also helps us in our day-to-day lives. .nfortunately" the greenhouse gases produced by human activities are building up in the atmosphere and causing climate change. /limate change is a ma(or threat to biodiversity. /limate change affects air and ocean temperatures" the length of seasons" sea levels" the pattern of ocean and !ind currents" levels of precipitation" as !ell as other things. These changes affect the habitats and behaviour of many different species. %any !ill not be able to adapt fast enough and may become e+tinct. There are many things that you can do to combat climate change. Planting deciduous trees on the south side of your house or school !ill &eep your house0school cooler in the summer. They !ill help produce o+ygen and remove carbon dio+ide. *ou can also encourage your friends and family to use public transit" carpool and !al& or bi&e !hen they can. The diversity of species on Earth is incredible. 1ight no!" there are more than 2.3 million species that have been discovered and named !hile scientists thin& that there are millions more !e don$t &no! about. The different plants" animals and other forms of life interact !ith each other in so many !ays that !e are still figuring them out. 'ver time" many species of plants and animals have evolved to depend on one another. 4or e+ample" some plants can only be pollinated by a certain &ind of bird or insect. In relationships li&e these" if one species becomes e+tinct" the other species could too. The comple+ relationships bet!een species are often disturbed !hen organisms are transported to ne! places or a ne! element is introduced 5for e+ample" chemicals from pesticides6. This can be by accident or on purpose. 7ometimes they compete !ith species that are already there or they prey on them. It is also possible that they may have no effect on the native species. 8ere are a couple of tips 9 9 9 9 -ever introduce an invasive plant species into an area it does not naturally e+ist -ever release your e+otic pets" including fish or turtles" into the !ild

9 Plant only native species 9 Avoid using pesticides or chemicals on your la!ns 9 or in your garden. Genetic Diversity Genetics ma&e individuals of the same species different from each other. If you loo& at the hair colour of your friends or the different colours of apples in the grocery store you can see the small differences that genes ma&e in members of the same species. It is important for groups of plants and animals" including people" to have genetic diversity. It allo!s groups to adapt to changes in their environment. This could be something li&e an outbrea& of disease or a change in the climate. A larger group has more genetic diversity. This group !ill be stronger and better able to adapt to change. The environment can be bro&en do!n into some basic units: biomes" ecosystems and habitats. A biome is li&e a city. Each city has uni;ue characteristics" including the types of communities 5ecosystems6 and homes 5habitats6 that ma&e it a city 5biome6. /anada$s biomes include the Arctic" Boreal" Prairie" and the Atlantic %arine. #ithin these biomes are ecosystems made up of a distinct population of plants and animals. 4or e+ample a fresh!ater a;uatic ecosystem !ould contain a different assortment of life than a near by deciduous forest ecosystem. Every ecosystem contains a number of different habitats. These habitats are the <homes= of the plant and animal species that live there. Biomes, Eco-Systems and Habitats A biome is li&e a city. An ecosystem is li&e a community in a city. There are many ecosystems in a biome. A habitat is li&e a home. There are many homes in an ecosystem. Ecosystem and habitat loss is the biggest cause in biodiversity decline. People destroy habitats all the time) !hen they cut do!n forests" clear land for farming and build houses or roads. By destroying or splitting up natural areas !e change the environment of the species that live there. These

changes can force the animals" plants" and microorganisms to move or go e+tinct. *ou can help by creating habitats in your bac&yard" schoolyard or community garden. Plant different &inds of vegetation 5shrubs" trees" grasses" etc.6 in clumps to ma&e habitats for different insects and animals. Environment/Climate Water Facts 7eventy-five percent of the Earth$s surfaces is !ater. 'f that !ater" >3? is salt !ater. 'f the @? fresh!ater 'nly 2? is accessible 5the rest is loc&ed in underground a;uifers and0or is froAen6. /anada has BC? of the !orld$s fresh!ater" even though a lot of it is loc&ed a!ay. Biodiversity is essential in maintaining and balancing the environment !e rely on to live. #ithout the various plant communities that provide us !ith essential biological services" !e !ould be much less comfortable. The follo!ing loo&s at the important role plants play in establishing a healthy environment. 8o! plants benefit the environment Plants all over the !orld clean our air by removing the carbon dio+ide from it and producing the o+ygen that !e need to breathe. By ta&ing carbon dio+ide out of the air plants also help decrease the ris&s of climate change. 4orests and !etlands also help us by filtering fresh!ater so !e can use it again and again. This is very important because the !orld has a limited supply of fresh!ater. Plants also help our environment by controlling flooding and mudslides. Plants help control flooding in t!o !ays: the roots push the soil apart" letting the !ater soa& into the ground easier) and they slo! do!n the moving !ater" giving it more time to soa& into the ground. Plants help control mudslides because their roots hold the dirt in place and help to &eep it from sliding do!n a slope. These are (ust t!o !ays that plants help our environment from being damaged by !eather. If you plant trees and shrubs on sloped areas you can help control flooding and mudslides too,

8umans depend on biodiversity to provide us !ith food. Gro!ing the food that !e eat depends on a number of different factors. Traditional farming tries to use &no!ledge gained over hundreds of years about the natural biodiversity of the land and then use this information to decide !hat to gro!. This involves considering many different things" including crop rotation and diversity" farm siAe and pest control. The practice of changing the crops on a piece of land on a regular basis" also &no!n as crop rotation" is important to save or increase the mineral content of the soil" increase crop yields" and get rid of !eeds" insects and plant diseases. 4or many years the practice also involved using chemical fertiliAers to promote plant gro!th and chemical pesticides to control pests that damage the crop. 'ver time studies sho!ed that the chemicals used in the fertiliAers and pesticides contaminated the plants being gro!n and thus the people and animals that ate them. The chemicals !ere also found to seep into !ater tables" rivers and streams. Today there is a gro!ing movement to embrace organic farming. 'rganic farming is the process of producing food naturally. This method avoids the use of synthetic chemical fertiliAers and genetically modified organisms to influence the gro!th of crops. The main idea behind organic farming is Aero impact on the environment. In the end" the food produced via organic farming is better for your health and the environment that ma&es it possible. Did you know Although some insects are considered pests" other insects such as bees and butterflies are beneficial. These insects" along !ith bats and birds" pollinate >C? of all flo!ering plants and about 3D? of the !orld$s main types of crops. 8uman activities are responsible for most of the loss in biodiversity throughout the !orld. #ith an increasing population" !e are consuming more and more natural resources.. #e do this by driving more" using more energy in our homes" and buying many more products than !e need. This doesn$t mean that all /anadians live this !ay though. %any people !or& very hard to ma&e changes to their lifestyles that lessen their impact on the environment" !hich also helps preserve biodiversity. Biodiversity is important since it provides us !ith ra! materials that !e use to ma&e products such as clothes" shoes and paper. And although !e use many natural products and materials in our daily lives" !e also use many human-made chemicals--cleaners" fertiliAers" bug spray" pesticides" and many others. Even though !e use them to help us" they have many side

effects. To+ins and pollution are very harmful to biodiversity. The chemicals that !e use end up in our !ater!ays. Plants and animals are &illed by oil spills. #ildlife gets caught in plastic trash. *ou get the idea, There are many things that you can do to help. 7tart by as&ing yourself a fe! ;uestions about !hat you buy. Eo you really need the item or (ust !ant it? Is the product made using environment-friendly materials and processes? 8o! far does the product have to travel to get to me? #hat is the social and environmental reputation of the company that ma&es the product? Is the product able to disposed of in a manner that doesn$t negatively impact the environment? In the end it is up to us to ma&e informed choices in our daily lives. Cultural Diversity /ultures developed in part because people adapted to the environment !here they lived. This resulted in different languages" traditions" customs" &no!ledge and beliefs that have been passed do!n through generations. The environment influenced the development of cultures" and similarly our cultures influenced the ma&eup of the local environment. 4or e+ample" food is an important part of culture. This affects the crops people gro!" animals that they raise or hunt and the !aste products that they send bac& into the environment. Throughout history" biodiversity has been very important in inspiring many cultural traditions. This can be seen in the music" ceremonies" holidays" mythology and decorations used by different cultures around the !orld. Protecting biodiversity helps preserve many of these cultural traditions. Protecting cultural traditions helps protect the natural biodiversity of the land the culture needs for survival. !ver"e#$loitation %any species from around the !orld are threatened because of overe+ploitation. This is !hen our use of that species or resource renders it near e+tinction. 'ver-harvesting is a big problem !ith many of our natural resources. The harvesting of forests and the e+traction of oil and gas are e+amples of nonrene!able resources !hose over-use has severely impacted local environments and biodiversity. 'ver-e+ploitation is also a large problem for !ildlife. 4ish are a very good e+ample of this. Every year over FC million fish are caught for human consumption. 7ometimes the !ay that the fishing is done destroys marine

habitats and catches many other marine animals by accident. These practices cause marine populations to shrin&. 7pecies trade is a very big problem in many countries. Thousands of plants and animals are ta&en from their natural habitats every day to be sold" traded or made into various products" including gifts 5ivory from elephant tus&s" coral" sea turtle shells and reptile s&ins are popular souvenirs that threaten species6. 'ther products" li&e traditional /hinese medicines" can also be made using threatened and endangered animals. 4or e+ample" tiger bone !as often used to help relieve s!elling and pain. Animals are often traded as !ell. But it$s not (ust the large animals that are trapped and traded. Insects li&e butterflies are also illegally traded. W%at is an Ecosystem An ecosystem includes all of the living things 5plants" animals and organisms6 in a given area" interacting !ith each other" and also !ith their non-living environments 5!eather" earth" sun" soil" climate" atmosphere6.

In an ecosystem" each organism has its o!n niche" or role to play. /onsider a small puddle at the bac& of your home. In it" you may find all sorts of living things" from microorganisms" to insects and plants. These may depend on non-living things li&e !ater" sunlight" turbulence in the puddle" temperature" atmospheric pressure and even nutrients in the !ater for

life.

This very comple+" !onderful interaction of living things and their environment" has been the foundations of energy flo! and recycle of carbon and nitrogen. Anytime a Gstranger$ 5living thing5s6 or e+ternal factor such as rise in temperature6 is introduced to an ecosystem" it can be disastrous to that ecosystem. This is because the ne! organism 5or factor6 can distort the natural balance of the interaction and potentially harm or destroy the ecosystem. .sually" biotic members of an ecosystem" together !ith their abiotics factors depend on each other. This means the absence of one member" or one abiotic factor can affect all parties of the ecosystem. .nfortunately ecosystems have been disrupted" and even destroyed by natural disasters such as fires" floods" storms and volcanic eruptions. 8uman activities have also contributed to the disturbance of many ecosystems and biomes.