Why is Biodiversity important?
Aside from the obvious moral reasons for looking after biodiversity, quite simply without it we would not be able to survive on Earth.
That’s kind of a big deal. Here are seven reasons why:
That’s kind of a big deal. Here are seven reasons why:
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FoodIt’s easy to think of biodiversity just as furry creatures running around the woodland far removed from our daily lives. However, biodiversity sustains us every day; it's in our lunchboxes and on our plates at every meal. We eat a huge variety of mammals, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains; all derived from a living species that is part of biodiversity. Just think, how many different species will you eat today?
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MaterialsIt’s hard to go about daily life without coming into contact with some sort of material derived from biodiversity. We use wood from trees to build houses, furniture and to make paper, as well as burning it to keep warm. We use skins, wools, silks and cotton for our clothing. Have you used any biodiversity today? Are you wearing any biodiversity today?
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Cotton plants (Credit: Cotton Source)
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Madagascar periwinkle (Credit: Kew Science)
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MedicinesWhen we're sick and go to the doctor probably the last thing on our minds is biodiversity. However, we have a lot to thank nature for as many of the medicines you receive come from a plant, animal or microbe. In fact, you might be surprised to know that about half of the top 100 prescription medicines in the US come from biodiversity!
To give some examples: the painkiller Morphine comes from the Opium Poppy (flower); Aspirin comes from the Willow tree; blood pressure medicines come from the Pit Viper (snake); the Madagascan Periwinkle (flower) has given us medicine to treat cancer while microbes have given us all our antibiotics such as penicillin. |
AirWhatever about food and medicine, you definitely won’t make it to break time without air! Thankfully, we have our friendly trees to suck up our carbon dioxide waste and swap it for some useful oxygen. It takes about 7 to 8 trees to support the oxygen requirements for each person. How many trees are needed for your classroom? What about your school?
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CleaningThere's no such thing as a spring clean for mother nature - she's at it all year long! From plants and trees purifying our air of unwanted chemicals to filtering out pollutants from our waters, biodiversity is excellent at balancing our natural systems. It also does it free of charge!
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RecyclingWhat would our soils be without our mini-farmers? Worms, bacteria, fungi, algae, insects, ants, beetles and mites are working day and night recycling nutrients and giving us healthy soils in which to grow our food. It’s amazing to think that there are more microorganisms in a single teaspoon of soil than there are humans on earth. That’s over 7 billion creatures… in a teaspoon!
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WELLBEINGUs humans have evolved for millions of years surrounded by nature - it’s no wonder we love it! That’s why we like woodland walks, cute puppies and giving each other flowers - it's in our DNA! However, as we move towards lifestyles that are far removed from nature it's important not to forget the power that biodiversity can have on us. It's a growing area of scientific research but it's already very clear to researchers that even short periods of time surrounded by biodiversity can have a great impact on our physical and mental wellbeing.
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