Module3 Lesson5

PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Old Nalsian Road, Nalsian, Calasiao, Pangasinan, Philippines 2418

Tel. No. (075)522-8032/Fax No. (075)523-0894/Website: www.philcst.edu.ph
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED, Member: Philippine Association of Colleges and
Universities (PACU), Philippine Association of Maritime Institutions
(PAMI)
Lesson 5: Anthropogenic Impact: Biodiversity Loss
Introduction:
The biosphere which is the world of life is the region of the earth’s surface where all living
things live and interact with one another. Variations lead to richness of biodiversity and this
richness in biodiversity leads to ecological stability in an area. A change in biodiversity richness
and evenness is an indicator that some species are disappearing and may soon become extinct
if existing traits cannot adapt to the changing environment.
How do we contribute to the loss of biodiversity? What actions are made by community,
government, and civic organizations to protect and conserve biodiversity
Lesson Proper
Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used
more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem. It refers to every living
thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are
around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million
species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that
millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.
Biodiversity varies in terms of geographical location, which is said to be high in the tropics
but decline to poles due to amount of sunlight. On the other hand it constitutes the most important
working component of a natural ecosystem. It helps maintain ecological processes, creates soils,
recycles nutrients, has a moderating effect on the climate, degrades waste, controls diseases and
above all, provides an index of health of an ecosystem. Providing food, medicines and a wide
range of useful products, it is the natural wealth that exists on land, in freshwater and in the marine
environment. Plant diversity alone offers more than just food security and healthcare for the one-
quarter of humanity who live their lives at or near subsistence levels; it provides them with a roof
over their heads and fuel to cook, and, on average, meets 90 per cent of their material needs.
There are kinds of biodiversity that are essential to preserve ecological systems and
functions.
1. Genetic diversity – a measure of the variety of different versions of the same genes within
individual species. When species reproduce, the genes of each mate contribute to the
characteristics of the progeny. Accordingly, no two members of the same species are
exactly alike.
2. Species diversity - the number of different species within individual communities or

ecosystem.
2. Ecological diversity - the number and variability of ecosystems in an area including the
(PAMI)
number of niches, trophic levels, and ecological processes that capture energy, sustain
webs, and recycle materials within this ecosystem.
How many species are there?

The 1.4 million species presently known probably represent a small fraction of the total
number that exist [table 1]. Based on the rate of new discoveries by research expeditions
especially in the tropics taxonomists estimate that somewhere between 3 million and 5 million
different species maybe alive today. In fact, there may be 30 million species of tropical insects
alone. About 70% of all known species are invertebrates.
There are many ways of measuring biodiversity. Two of them are species richness and
species evenness. Species richness refers to the number of species in a particular place. This is
the most common type of biodiversity index. Another way is species evenness which refers to the
extent to which individuals are distributed evenly among species. It gives information about the
relative quantities or proportion of individuals belonging to different species.
Biodiversity Hotspots
Biodiversity is not evenly distributed. It is richer in the tropics and other localized regions.
Several factors affect the diversity of flora and fauna. These are climate, altitude, soil and
presence of other species. Large numbers of them are formally classified as rare or endangered
or threatened species.
Most of the world’s diversity is concentrated near the equator, especially tropical rain forest
and coral reefs. Only 10 to 15% can be found in America and Europe.
Areas isolated by water, deserts or mountains can also have high concentrations of unique
species and biodiversity.
The hotspots collectively make up 1.4% of the earth’s land but contain as many as 44%
of all vascular plant species, 29% of the world’s endemic birds species, 27% of endemic mammal
(PAMI)
species, 38% reptile species and 53% of endemic amphibians species.
How do we benefits from biodiversity?

We benefit from other organisms in many ways, some of which we don’t appreciate until
a particular species or community disappears.
1. Food
Many wild plants species could make important contribution to human food
supplies either as they are or a source of genetic material to domestic crop. Noted
tropical ecologist Norman Myers estimates that as many as 80, 000 edible wild plants
species could be utilized by humans. On the other hand, many kinds of animals are
utilized as foods; however most consumption is focused on a few species only.
2. Drugs and medicines
Living organisms provide us with many useful drugs and medicines [table 2]. More
than half of all prescriptions contain some natural products. The United Nations
Development Programme estimates the value of pharmaceutical products derived
from developing world plants, animals and microbes to be more than $30 B per year.
3. Ecological benefits
Soil formation, waste disposal, air and water purification, nutrient cycling, solar
energy absorption and food production all depend on biodiversity. In many
environments, high diversity may help biological communities withstand environmental
stress better and recover more quickly than those with fewer species.
In addition, it is estimated that 95% of the potential pests and disease carrying
organisms in the world are controlled by natural predators and competitors.
4. Aesthetic and cultural benefits
Millions of people enjoy nature based activities like hunting, fishing, camping,
hiking and wildlife watching. Thus, many communities are finding that local biodiversity
can bring cash to remote areas through ecotourism. The activities provide invigorating
physical exercise, and contact to nature can have psychological and emotionally
restorative. In many cultures, nature carries cultural connotations and a particular
species or landscape may be inextricably linked to a sense of identity and meaning.
(PAMI)
What threatens biodiversity?

Biological diversity is currently decreasing at an alarming rate and this could result
to biodiversity loss. Loss of biodiversity refers to either the ongoing extinction of
species at a global level or the local reduction or loss of species in a given habitat. The
scale of the problem: in the last 40 years, we have lost 52% of planetary biodiversity
and lost 58% of vertebrates on land, sea and air - the vertebrate figure could rise to
66% by 2020.
1. Habitat loss and fragmentation
A habitat is the place where a plant or animal naturally lives. Habitat loss is
identified as main threat to 85% of all species described as threatened or
endangered. In addition to loss of habitat area is habitat fragmentation – the
reduction of habitat into smaller and smaller scattered patches. It reduces
biodiversity because many species require large territories to exist. Other
species such as forest interior birds reproduce successfully only in deep forest
or other habitat far from human settlement.
Fragmentation also divides populations into isolated groups. Small isolated
populations are vulnerable to catastrophic events, such as a single storm or
disease outbreak. Very small populations may not be enough breeding adults
to be viable even under normal circumstances.
2. Over – exploitation for commercialization
Over exploitation of resources has coasted more environmental
degradation than earning. For example shrimp farming in Thailand results in
wetland destruction, pollution of coastal waters and degradation of coastal
fisheries. Scientific studies show that environmental degradation from shrimp
farming cost more than the earning through shrimp exports
3. Invasive species
Invasive species are “alien” or “exotic species which are introduced
accidentally or intentionally by humans. They can be thought of a biological
pollution. Freed from predators, parasites, pathogens and competition that kept
them in check, in their native home, formerly mild mannered species can turn
into super aggressive “weedy’ invaders in a new habitat.
4. Pollution
One of the most difficult problems to overcome since pollutants does not
recognize international boundaries. We have known that toxic pollutants can
have disastrous effects on local population of organisms. Pollutants like DDT,
PCB’s and dioxins in fat can weaken the immune systems that make animals
vulnerable to infections.
5. Global climate change
Many climatologists believe that the greenhouse effect is likely to raise
world temperatures by about 2 o C by 2030 meaning the sea level will rise by
around 30 – 50 cm by this time. Global warming plus human population growth
and accelerating resource use will bring further losses in biological diversity.
6. Population growth and over consumption
From a population of 1 billion at the beginning of 19th century, human
population is now more than 6 billion. Such rapid population growth has meant
a rapid increase in the exploitation of natural resources – water, land and
minerals. 25% of the population consumes 75% of the world’s natural
(PAMI)
resources.
7. Illegal wild life trade
Recreational hunting and collecting: hides, skin, tusk, meat, fur,
chemical content taken for monetary or aesthetic value or simply ego in the
case of hunting with no purpose other than the thrill of the kill. In the last
decade, over one third of African elephants have been killed by hunters and
poachers to fuel the ivory trade.
Fashion: fur clothing and reptile skins for bags and accessories are just
two of the more obvious fashion-driven pressures on the natural world.
Medicinal or traditional medicinal demand: traditional medicines often
drive significant demand for animal and plant material which can only be
obtained by killing the providing life form. For example, Rhino horn is highly
prized in Asian cultures for its claimed medicinal properties.
8. Species extinction
Extinction is a natural process. The geological record indicates that many
hundreds of thousands of plant and animal species have disappeared over the
eras as they have failed to adapt to changing conditions. Recent findings
however indicate that the current rate of species extinction is at least a hundred
to a thousand times higher than the natural rate.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN], assessed 44,
838 animal species all over the globe and came out with a red list of threatened
species. The red list gives an inventory of the global conservation status of
threatened species. Of this number, 3,246 are critically endangered, 4,770 are
endangered and 8, 912 are vulnerable to extinction. In the Philippines, the
Philippine eagle tops the ‘red list’ among the critical endangered species with
only 180 to 500 mature Philippine eagles left in the wild and in captivity. Other
endemic Philippine species included in the list include the Cebu flowerpecker,
Philippine cockatoo, Philippine crocodile, Visayan warty pig and Tamaraw. By
the numbers
• 75%: terrestrial environment “severely altered” to date by human actions
(marine environments 66%).
• 47%: reduction in global indicators of ecosystem extent and condition
against their estimated natural baselines, with many continuing to decline by
at least 4% per decade.
• 28%: global land area held and/or managed by Indigenous Peoples ,
including >40% of formally protected areas and 37% of all remaining terrestrial
areas with very low human intervention.
• +/-60 billion: tons of renewable and non-renewable resources extracted
globally each year, up nearly 100% since 1980
• 15%: increase in global per capita consumption of materials since 1980.
• >85%: of wetlands present in 1700 had been lost by 2000 – loss of
wetlands is currently three times faster, in percentage terms, than forest loss
The staggering rate of irreversible biodiversity loss around the globe holds serious consequences
for medicine and public health.
1. Loss of potential medicine
(PAMI)
Traditional medicines continue to play an essential role in health care, especially

in primary health care. Traditional medicines are estimated to be used by 60% of the
world’s population and in some countries are extensively incorporated into the public
health system. Medicinal plant use is the most common medication tool in traditional
medicine and complementary medicine worldwide
2. Nutritional impact
Biodiversity plays a crucial role in human nutrition through its influence on world
food production, as it ensures the sustainable productivity of soils and provides the genetic
resources for all crops, livestock, and marine species harvested for food. Access to a
sufficiency of a nutritious variety of food is a fundamental determinant of health.
3. Infectious diseases
Human activities are disturbing both the structure and functions of ecosystems and
altering native biodiversity. Such disturbances reduce the abundance of some organisms,
cause population growth in others, modify the interactions among organisms, and alter the
interactions between organisms and their physical and chemical environments. Patterns
of infectious diseases are sensitive to these disturbances.
Major processes affecting infectious disease reservoirs and transmission include,
deforestation; land-use change; water management e.g. through dam construction,
irrigation, uncontrolled urbanization or urban sprawl; resistance to pesticide chemicals
used to control certain disease vectors; climate variability and change; migration and
international travel and trade; and the accidental or intentional human introduction of
pathogens.
4. Climate change, biodiversity and health
Biodiversity provides numerous ecosystem services that are crucial to human well-
being at present and in the future. Climate is an integral part of ecosystem functioning and
human health is impacted directly and indirectly by results of climatic conditions upon
terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Marine biodiversity is affected by ocean acidification
related to levels of carbon in the atmosphere. Terrestrial biodiversity is influenced by
climate variability, such as extreme weather events (i.e. drought, flooding) that directly
influence ecosystem health and the productivity and availability of ecosystem goods and
services for human use. Longer term changes in climate affect the viability and health of
ecosystems, influencing shifts in the distribution of plants, pathogens, animals, and even
human settlements.
Important Actions to protect biodiversity loss

1. Protect habitats
2. Control invasion of foreign species. Introduction of foreign species not native in the area can
upset the balance among organisms in that area. They can prey on native species or compete
with them for food or space.
3. In Situ conservation. These are areas or regions that are made into national parks, marine
sanctuaries, wildlife refuges and other protected areas by law. This will ensure that plants and
animals in these regions are preserve and protected.
4. Restore damage habitat
5. Wildlife farms. They take away pressures from hunting some endangered species such as
crocodiles by raising the in numbers and commercially selling their parts
6. Conservation organization. Examples are the World Wide Fund for Nature, Biodiversity
Conservation Network and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
(PAMI)
7. International treaties and national government laws and policies

a. Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species [CITES] ban the hunting,
capturing and selling of threatened or endangered species
b. Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD]
c. Philippine Endangered Species Act [RA 9147] known as Wildlife Resources
Conservation and Protection Act.

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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Old Nalsian Road, Nalsian, Calasiao, Pangasinan, Philippines 2418

Lesson 5: Anthropogenic Impact: Biodiversity Loss

2. Species diversity - the number of different species within individual communities or

How many species are there?

species, 38% reptile species and 53% of endemic amphibians species.

How do we benefits from biodiversity?

What threatens biodiversity?

Traditional medicines continue to play an essential role in health care, especially

Important Actions to protect biodiversity loss

7. International treaties and national government laws and policies

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