Biodiversity and the Healthy Society

From the early times, when ancient philosophers of nature tried to explain all things as coming
from the elements of water, fire, air, or earth, science sought for the common characteristic, a
unifying element, in all of nature’s many phenomena. There was a growing awareness of how all
living things are related to each other, an idea called biodiversity. This recognition started when
naturalists bagan to classify organisms in the natural world using taxonomy, a system devised by
Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus. Still used in the biological sciences today, taxonomy is the
hierarchical system of classifying and naming organisms. It builds on the ability of the mind to
find the common in the diverse, one in the Many. It is a system commonly used today and shows
that though the living organisms in the world are so diverse, they still share many traits.

Where several different species and genera cohabitate, there is rich biodiversity. One of the basic
laws of the living is that of self-preservation. An organism will sacrifice all it has to ensure its
survival. However, with a limited amount of resources, how do the many living organisms of a
diverse region survive? The answer lies in the way the available energy supply in the world is
shared among the different species through the various ecological relationships. The energy
needed to live is shared among the elements of the living world, or passed on from one to
another.

Biodiversity is the source of the essential goods and ecological services that constitute the source
of life for all and it has direct consumptive value in food, agriculture, medicine, and in industry.
(Villaggio Globale, 2009)

Therefore, we, as human inhabitants of the ecosystem, must preserve and conserve the
biodiversity of all creatures. In simple terms, it is true that people will always depend on
biodiversity on the wholeness of our being and in our everyday lives.

Thus, if we fail to keep the process of taking care of the ecosystem, it is us who are actually
putting our lives at risk. Significant decline in biodiversity has direct human impact when the
ecosystem in its insufficiency can no longer provide the physical as well as social need of human
beings. Indirectly, changes in the ecosystem affect livelihood, income, and on occasion, may
even cause political conflict. (WHO, n.d.).

Changes in Biodiversity

❖ Alteration in any system could bring varied effects.

❖ A change in biodiversity could have erratic effects not only in wildlife or marine life but
also in human beings.
❖ We can clearly infer that when our ecosystem is not well taken care of, biodiversity
encounters changes that may impact human health on such a different level.

Threats to Biodiversity

Major threats identified by United Nations’ Environment Programme (WHO, n.d.)

❖ Habitat loss and destruction

 ❖ Alteration in ecosystem composition.
❖ Over-exploitation
❖ Pollution and contamination
❖ Global climate change

Consequences of Biodiversity Loss

❖ Even with the improvement of technology and science at present, we still have a lot to
learn about biodiversity, more so about the consequences of biodiversity loss. However,
the basic concept about biodiversity loss was from Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel
Wallace.
❖ The particular species making up an ecosystem determine its productivity, affect nutrient
cycles and soil contents, and influence environmental conditions such as water, cycles,
weather patterns, climate and other non-biotic aspects.
❖ The loss of biodiversity has many consequences that we understand and many that we do
not.
❖ As stated by Tilman, “The Earth will retain its most striking feature, its biodiversity, only
if humans have the prescience to do so. This will occur, it seems, only if we realize the
extent to which we use biodiversity (Rainforest Conservation Fund, 2017)”

Nutritional Impact of Biodiversity

❖ According to the World Health Organization, biodiversity is a vital element of a human

being’s nutrition because of its influence on food production.
❖ Biodiversity is a major factor that contributes to sustainable food production for human
beings.
❖ A society or a population must have access to a sufficient variety of nutritious food as it
is a determinant of their health as human beings.
❖ Nutrition and biodiversity are linked at many levels; the ecosystem, with food production
as an ecosystem service.
❖ Nutritional composition between foods and among varieties/cultivars/breeds of the same
food can differ dramatically, affecting micronutrient availability in the diet.
❖ 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 on their environment to live and reproduce.
Basic needs of living organisms such as air, water, food, and habitat are provided by its
environment.
❖ The evolution of human beings was due to the improved access to these basic needs.
Advances in agriculture, sanitation, water treatment, and hygiene have had a far greater
impact on human health.
❖ 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 can lead to infectious diseases,
such as diarrhea, cholera,
❖ 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.

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.
❖ According to experts, climate change could also have a serious impact on human health
and could deteriorate farming systems and reduce nutrients in some foods.
❖ Relationships between human health and the environment raise many ethical, social, and
legal dilemmas by forcing people to choose among competing values. Many of the issues
at the intersection of health and the environment have to do with managing benefits and
risks.
❖ When drafting and implementing environmental health regulations, it is important to
consider vulnerable subpopulations.
❖ A vulnerable subpopulation is a group with an increased susceptibility to the adverse
effects of an environmental risk factor, due to their age, genetics, health status, or some
other condition.

The 2010 International Year of Biodiversity

Steffen Thorsen

The United Nation (UN) declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity, the
International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, and the International Year of Youth.

Biological diversity, also known as biodiversity, is the term given to the variety of life on earth
and the natural patterns it forms. This diversity is often understood in terms of the variety of
plants, animals and microorganisms. About 1.75 million species are identified, mostly small
creatures such as insects. Some scientists believe that there are actually about 13 million species ,
though estimates from three to 100 million.

The loss of biodiversity threatens food supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and
sources of wood, medicines, and energy. It also interferes with essential ecological functions. On
December 20, 2006, the UN General Assembly declared 2010 as the International Year of
Biodiversity. It designated the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity as the
event’s focal point. The assembly also invited the secretariat to work with other UN bodies,
environmental agreements, and organizations to bring greater international attention to the
continued loss of biodiversity.
The International Year of Biodiversity focuses on boosting awareness of biodiversity’s
importance by promoting actions to foster biodiversity worldwide. Various partners have
committed to actively participating in or organizing activities and projects for this year-long
event.

BIOTECHNOLOGY

The Biodiversity International has released a module titled “Law and Policy of relevance to the
management of plant genetic resources” (Bragdon et al., 2005) which aims to help professionals
in managing, conserving, and using plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. The module
provides the following.

1. Biotechnology uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make

or modify products or processes for a specific use.
2. Genetic engineering is a technique that allows genes and DNA to be transferred from one
source to another. It leads to the production of living modified organisms (LMO’s) or
genetically modified organisms (GMO’s)
3. Modern biotechnology gives scientists molecular tools for obtaining a better
understanding of the structure and function of genes in living organisms.

Modern biotechnology paves the way for new developments on food and agriculture.
Particularly, it aims to develop new precision tools and diagnostics; speed up breeding gains and
efficiency; develop pest- and disease-resistant crops; combat salinity, drought, and problems of
agriculture; enhance the nutritional quality of food; increase crop varieties and choice; reduce
inputs and production costs: and increase profits (Bragdon et al., 2005)