Environmentalists sound the alarm about catastrophicthe reduction of biodiversity on our planet, associated with the activities of modern man, who, for the most part, living in the city, practically does not encounter nature, has no idea about its diversity and can only be seen on TV. This creates in him a feeling of non-participation of biodiversity in everyday life, but this is not so.
What is biodiversity?
Under the term biodiversity scientists acceptedunderstand the diversity of life on Earth - the plants, animals, insects, fungi, bacteria and the ecosystems they form. In this concept there is also a relationship that is present between them. Biodiversity can flow:
- at the level of genes, causes the variability of individuals of a particular species;
- at the species level, reflects the diversity of the species (plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms);
- diversity of ecological systems (ecosystems), this includes the differences between them and different conditions (habitat, ecological processes).
It should be noted that all the above typesDiversity is interrelated. Many ecosystems and various landscapes create conditions for the emergence of new species, gene diversity allows for changes within a single species. Reducing biodiversity speaks of certain violations of these processes.
Environmentalists are now sounding the alarmby the fact that human conditions are violated, environmental processes, man creates new types of plants, animals at the gene level. How this will affect future life on Earth is unknown. Indeed, in nature, everything is interconnected. This is evidenced by the so-called "butterfly effect". About him told the world science fiction writer Ray Bradbury in his story "And the sound of thunder" even in the middle of the last century.
Impossibility of life without biodiversity
The most valuable and important thing that exists on earth -this is biodiversity. Whether we know about it or not, but our whole life depends on the riches of the earth, namely the biological, as animals and vegetation give us it. Thanks to the plants, we get enough oxygen, and the materials based on them give us not only food, but also wood, paper, fabrics.
В наш техногенный век необходимо огромное the amount of energy obtained by burning fuel, which is produced from oil formed as a result of decomposition of the remains of many organisms, plants. Human life without biological diversity is impossible.
Coming to the store, we buy food packed inpackages, little thinking about where it comes from. The life of the majority of the population takes place in an artificial environment that consists of asphalt, concrete, metal and artificial materials, but this does not mean that the consequences of the reduction of biodiversity will bypass humanity.
Life on Earth and its diversity
The history of planet Earth suggests thatvarious times it was inhabited by many living organisms, most of which as a result of evolution, died out and gave way to new species. This was facilitated by the conditions and causes, but even during periods of natural stagnation there was no reduction in biodiversity, the diversity of species increased.
Nature is arranged in such a way that everything in itis in interaction. No species of living organisms can live and develop in a closed environment. This has been shown by numerous experiments on the creation of isolated biosystems that have suffered a total collapse.
Modern scientists have described and studied 1.4million species of living organisms, but according to calculations on Earth there are from 5 to 30 million species that live, develop depending on the conditions. It happens naturally. Living organisms settled the entire planet. They live in water, air, on earth. They can be found in the desert and the North and South zones. Nature provides everything you need to continue life on Earth.
With the help of living organisms passes nitrogen andcarbon cycle, which, in turn, supports the renewal and processing of natural resources. The life-friendly environment that the Earth’s atmosphere creates is also regulated by living organisms.
What helps reduce biodiversity?
В первую очередь сокращение лесных массивов.As mentioned above, plants play a very important role in the life of the planet. Taiga and the jungle are called the lungs of the planet, thanks to them, it receives a sufficient amount of oxygen. In addition, more than half of the species of living organisms exist in the jungle, occupying only 6% of the earth's surface. They are called the genetic fund accumulated over 100 million years of evolution on Earth. Its loss will be irreplaceable and can lead the planet to a complete ecological catastrophe.
The reasons for reducing biodiversity arehuman activities that transform the planet to meet their, not always reasonably increased, needs. Uncontrolled felling of the taiga and the jungle leads to the extinction of many species of life, even unexplored and not described by man, to disruption of ecosystems and water balance.
This is facilitated by deforestation and forest burning,harvesting of various types of plants and fisheries, carried out in a predatory way, the use of pesticides, the drainage of wetlands, the death of coral reefs and the cutting of mangroves, the increase in the number of agricultural land and the area of settlements.
It is clear that the development of technology, technical progress is unstoppable. But it is necessary to take measures to address the environmental problems of biodiversity reduction.
International Convention on Biological Diversity
To this end, the Convention onbiodiversity ”, signed by 181 countries whose governments have committed themselves to conserving it in their countries, have pledged to work with other states and share the benefits of using genetic resources.
But this did not prevent a reduction.biodiversity on the planet. The ecological situation on Earth becomes more threatening than ever. But there is a hope that the common sense that God has bestowed upon man will prevail.
Evolution - the engine of life
The engine of life is evolution, inthe result of which some species die out and new ones appear. All modern living creatures have replaced the extinct, and, as scientists have calculated, of the diversity of species that existed on Earth, their current number is only 1% of the total.
The extinction of species is a natural moment.evolution, but the current rate of reduction of biodiversity on the planet is rampant, there is a violation of natural self-regulation and this has become one of the most important environmental problems of mankind.
The role of the species in the biosphere
The knowledge of humanity about the role playedrepresentatives of a species in the biosphere are negligible. But scientists surely know that every species has a certain meaning in nature. The disappearance of one species and the inability to replace it with a new one can entail a chain reaction that will lead to the extinction of a person.
Necessary actions
The first thing humanity should trysave rainforest. Thereby leaving the opportunity to save some species of living creatures and plants from extinction. Saving the jungle will lead to climate stabilization.
Jungle - a direct source of the richestgenetic material, a treasury of various types of living beings. In addition, it is a source of plants, on the basis of which a person creates unique medicines. Humidifying the atmosphere, rainforests prevent global climate change.
