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Overview of Biodiversity


            Biodiversity is a term that has many different meanings to many different people, but the brass tax is "biodiversity is the sum of organisms that include plants, animals, microorganisms and the ecosystems" (Krishnan, 2008, p. v). Biodiversity within a given ecosystem increases output because each species, regardless of size, plays an important role within that ecosystem (Shah, 2011). If any one of those species were to become extinct, the whole ecosystem would suffer. Based on this alone it should hold that people would place a high priority on the protection of biodiversity, but because the effects of losing biodiversity are less immediately apparent in their effect on humans, policymakers have essentially placed biodiversity on the back burner (Dale, 2011). It is imperative that a higher importance be placed on biodiversity so as not to cause additional irreparable harm to this wonderful place we call home.
             Importance of Biodiversity.
             According to Rahul Srivastava (2006), biodiversity plays an important role in the functionality of ecosystems. It is believed that all species contribute in some way to an ecosystem, whether it be related to the capture and storage of energy, production or decomposition of organic matter, the cycling of water and nutrients, controlling insect populations, battling erosion, or regulating the climate, no job is too small. Not only are these all functions needed for the ecosystem to survive, research also suggests that greater diversity within an ecosystem will permit it to better deal with stresses, allowing it to thrive. This all lends itself to human survival. The human species depends on our natural environment for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, our survivability is contingent on our continued use of the land for food, agriculture, and medicine. According to M. P. Dahiya (2006), out of the 25 top selling drugs of 1997, 10 of those were naturally based; and approximately three quarters of the worldwide populous relies on traditional medicine for their health care.


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