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Consequences of Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity loss has significant negative consequences. It leads to declines in ecosystem functioning and stability. Biodiversity loss means fewer wild foods and reduced nutritional security. It results in less productive and resilient agricultural systems and reduced access to traditional medicines. Loss of ecosystem services can increase disease burdens and affect labor. Biodiversity also supports human health by providing nutrition, medicines, clean water and habitat. Loss of biodiversity undermines nature's ability to sustain human life and health.

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2K views15 pages

Consequences of Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity loss has significant negative consequences. It leads to declines in ecosystem functioning and stability. Biodiversity loss means fewer wild foods and reduced nutritional security. It results in less productive and resilient agricultural systems and reduced access to traditional medicines. Loss of ecosystem services can increase disease burdens and affect labor. Biodiversity also supports human health by providing nutrition, medicines, clean water and habitat. Loss of biodiversity undermines nature's ability to sustain human life and health.

Uploaded by

Mac Gudisan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Consequences

of
Biodiversity
What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is all the


different kinds of life
you'll find in one area—
the variety of animals,
plants, fungi, and even
microorganisms like
bacteria that make up our
natural world.
What is Biodiversity Loss?
Biodiversity loss, also
called loss of biodiversity, a
decrease in biodiversity within
a species, an ecosystem, a given
geographic area, or Earth as a
whole.
Biodiversity is not just about the
wealth of nature but also about the
health of nature. Loss of
biodiversity undermines
ecosystems’ abilities to function
effectively and efficiently and thus
undermines nature’s ability to
provide us with a healthy
environment. This is particularly
important in a changing climate
where loss of biodiversity reduces
nature’s resilience to change.
What are the Consequences of
Biodiversity Declines?
There is considerable evidence
that contemporary biodiversity
declines will lead to subsequent
declines in ecosystem
functioning and ecosystem
stability (Naeem et al. 2009).
Biodiversity Fewer wild foods.

decline/loss Reduced nutritional security.


means:
Poorer pollination

Less productive and resilient agricultural systems.

Reduced access to traditional medicines and lost opportunities for


drug development, as well as translating into higher disease burdens.
Lost ecosystem services can affect gender specific labor burdens (for
example where women walk further for fuel or clean water).
Biodiversity loss can also make private sector investments riskier.

As for climate change, biodiversity loss compromises adaptive


capacity, exacerbates natural disasters, and often reduces carbon
storage.
Nutritional Impact of Biodiversity
 According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
biodiversity is a vital element of a human being’s nutrition
because of its influence to food production.
 Biodiversity is a major factor that contributes to
sustainable food production for human beings.
 Access to a sufficiency of a nutritious variety of food is a
fundamental determinant of health.
 Nutrition and biodiversity are linked at many levels:
the ecosystem, with food production as an ecosystem
service; the species in the ecosystem and the genetic
diversity within species.
Nutritional composition between foods and
among varieties/cultivars/breeds of the same
food can differ dramatically, affecting
micronutrient availability in the diet. Healthy
local diets, with adequate average levels of
nutrients intake, necessitates maintenance of
high biodiversity levels.
Intensified and enhanced food production
through irrigation, use of fertilizer, plant
protection (pesticides) or the introduction of
crop varieties and cropping patterns affect
biodiversity, and thus impact global nutritional
status and human health.
Health, Biology, and Biodiversity
 Almost all living organisms are
dependent to their environment to
live and reproduce. Basic needs of
living organisms such as air, water,
food, and habitat are provided by its
environment
 Advances in agriculture, sanitation,
water treatment, and hygiene have
had a far greater impact on human
health than medical technology.
 Although the environment sustains human life, it can
also cause diseases.
 Lack of basic necessities is a significant cause of human
mortality.
 Environmental hazards increase the risk of cancer,
heart disease, asthma, and many other illnesses. These
hazards can be physical, such as pollution, toxic
chemicals, and food contaminants, or they can be
social, such as dangerous work, poor housing
conditions, urban sprawl, and poverty. Unsafe drinking
water and poor sanitation and hygiene are responsible
for a variety of infectious diseases, such as
schistosomiasis, diarrhea, cholera, meningitis, and
gastritis.
 Biodiversity supports human and societal
needs, including food and nutrition security,
energy, development of medicines and
pharmaceuticals and freshwater, which together
underpin good health. It also supports economic
opportunities, and leisure activities that contribute
to overall wellbeing.
 The interrelation between human health and
biological diversity is considerable and complex.
With the current biodiversity loss at
unprecedented rates, the delicate balance
between human health and biological diversity
is at risk.
Biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and
disease share many common drivers. Human
disturbance of ecosystems and biodiversity loss
are increasingly linked to the 3 occurrence and
risk of diseases spread of zoonotic and vector-
borne diseases. In many instances, climate
change acts as a threat multiplier. Changing
weather patterns can shift the geographic range,
seasonality, and intensity of transmission of some
climate-sensitive diseases, particularly vector-
borne diseases.

Environment-Related Illnesses
 Some human illnesses that are
found to be related with its
environment include Parkinson's
disease, heart disease, cancer,
chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, asthma, diabetes, obesity,
occupational injuries, dysentery,
arthritis, malaria, and depression.
What can I do as an
individual to protect
biodiversity?

-End-

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