Why Is Biodiversity Important? (2023)

FAQs

Why Is Biodiversity Important? ›

Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.

Utilitarian values include the many basic needs humans obtain from biodiversity such as food, fuel, shelter, and medicine. Further, ecosystems provide crucial services such as pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests.

Biodiversity gives resilience—from the microbes that contribute to the formation of the human biome to the genes that help us adapt to stress in the environment—supports all forms of livelihoods, may help regulate disease, and is necessary for physical, mental, and spiritual health and social well-being.

Biodiversity helps ecosystems provide oxygen, clean air and water, plant pollination, pest control, wastewater treatment, and other functions. Cultural importance: Australian culture is inextricably linked to biodiversity through expressions of identity, spirituality, and aesthetic appreciation.

Scientists often speak of three levels of diversity: species, genetic, and ecosystem diversity. In fact, these levels cannot be separated. Each is important, interacting with and influencing others. Changes at one level can cause changes at other levels.

Wildlife support healthy ecosystems that we rely on.

Whether in a village in the Amazon or a metropolis such as Beijing, humans depend on the services ecosystems provide, such as fresh water, pollination, soil fertility and stability, food and medicine.

Final answer: The most important reason for the decrease in biodiversity is habitat destruction.

Biodiversity conservation protects plant, animal, microbial and genetic resources for food production, agriculture, and ecosystem functions such as fertilizing the soil, recycling nutrients, regulating pests and disease, controlling erosion, and pollinating crops and trees.

What are three benefits of high biodiversity? ›

Beyond its intrinsic value, biodiversity is necessary to human survival. Ecosystem diversity is crucial to ecosystem integrity, which in turn enables our life support, giving us a livable climate, breathable air, and drinkable water.