18.3.1

Importance of Biodiversity

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Advantages of Maintaining Biodiversity

There are ecological, economic and aesthetic reasons why maintaining biodiversity is advantageous to both humans and other organisms within the ecosystem.

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Ecological reasons

  • Ecosystems are a complicated web of interdependence.
    • Protecting key species whose extinction would greatly affect the existence of other species in the ecosystem is essential to prevent its collapse.
    • Humans need to maintain ecosystems to sustainably obtain the resources we need, such as food, water and air.
  • Conservation of species is also important for maintaining genetic resources to call on in the development of new medicines.
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Economic reasons

  • Continuous monoculture can leach nutrients from the soil and cause future crops to become poorer in yield.
    • Crop rotation can help avoid this and improve the structure of the soil for more productive yields.
  • Cutting down trees results in the loss of topsoil from bedrock, causing instability on sloping ground and increased risk of landslides.
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Aesthetic reasons

  • Protecting landscapes is important for human mental health.
    • Interaction with nature helps to promote good mental health and relieve stress.

Methods of Maintaining Biodiversity

There are a number of different initiatives and organisations, both national and international, set up with the aim of conserving species and maintaining natural biodiversity.

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Conservation in situ

  • In situ conservation involves designating an area specifically for protecting the species within it by monitoring and maintaining the habitats to promote biodiversity.
    • Marine conservation and wildlife reserves are examples of in situ conservation.
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Conservation ex situ

  • Ex situ conservation, in contrast, involves artificially collating collections of species with the aim of increasing their numbers to avoid extinction.
    • Examples of ex situ conservation include seed banks, botanic gardens and zoos.
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CITES

  • CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) is an international agreement between over 180 governments.
    • The agreement ensures that licenses are required to import or export specific animals or specimens who are at risk of extinction, in order to protect these species.
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CBD

  • The CBD (Rio Convention on Biological Diversity) is an international agreement between 150 governments, involving:
    • Development of national biodiversity strategies and action plans to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable use of natural resources.
      • Land development now requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to inform how it would affect biodiversity and measures to reduce the impact.
    • International cooperation and sharing of technologies and research.
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Countryside Stewardship Scheme

  • The Countryside Stewardship Scheme is a UK scheme that provides grants for farmers, foresters, woodland owners and land managers to make improvements to the environment, including:
    • Flood risk management.
    • Conservation and restoration of wildlife habitats.
    • Reduction of water pollution.

Jump to other topics

1Cell Structure

2Biological Molecules

3Enzymes

4Cell Membranes & Transport

5The Mitotic Cell Cycle

6Nucleic Acids & Protein Synthesis

7Transport in Plants

8Transport in Mammals

9Gas Exchange

10Infectious Diseases

11Immunity

12Energy & Respiration (A2 Only)

13Photosynthesis (A2 Only)

14Homeostasis (A2 Only)

15Control & Coordination (A2 Only)

16Inherited Change (A2 Only)

17Selection & Evolution (A2 Only)

18Classification & Conservation (A2 Only)

19Genetic Technology (A2 Only)

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