Why is biodiversity What is biodiversity?

Areas like tropical rainforests have millions of

important? different species and are very biodiverse. Other
A great biodiversity ensures the areas like the Polar Regions have far fewer
stability of ecosystems by reducing species and are less biodiverse.
the dependence of one species on Biodiversity is specifically the number of
another for food, shelter and the different species. An area with
maintenance of the physical large populations of few species is not
environment. biodiverse.

Biodiversity
The human impact :(
What is the human impact on biodiversity?
The future of the human species on Earth relies on us
maintaining a
good level of biodiversity. Many human activities are
reducing
biodiversity and only recently have measures been taken to
try to
stop this reduction.
 Contaminated water
HOW DOES WATER GET CONTAMINATED? HOW DOES THIS AFFECT BIODIVERSITY?

o In some regions of the world,

open sewers can flow into
waterways like rivers and
streams, which poses significant
health hazards to people who
may consume the tainted water.
o Some farmers overuse
fertilisers, and when it rains a
lot, they can wash off onto the
fields. This may contaminate
surrounding rivers and streams,
causing eutrophication. Even
illicit chemical releases from
factories might cause some
water pollution.

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 deforestation
What is deforestation and why do we do it?
For thousands of years humans have been deforesting
small areas of woodland to build their own houses or
grow crops to feed their families. However, in recent
years the increase in the human population and
development of industrial machinery has meant that
much larger areas have been cleared. This is often by
large companies who deforest to provide land for
cattle, rice fields and growing crops for biofuels.

What effect does this have on biodiversity?

Deforestation destroys the habitats of the organisms
that live there and through this kills individuals of
many species. Scientists estimate that several hundred
species of plant, animal and insect are lost each day
partly as a result of deforestation. This means that
deforestation is causing extinctions and dramatically
reducing biodiversity.

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 Air pollution and
Global warming 
What is air pollution?  What is global
Carbon dioxide is produced by the combustion of
fuels, including fossil fuels. This results in global
warming and the greenhouse effect. Additionally, it
emits nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide, both of
which can result in acid rain. Smog-causing small
smoke particulates are another source of air
pollution. The levels of air pollution in several of the
world's largest cities, like Karachi, Pakistan, and
Delhi, India, are extremely high
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warming?
Global warming is the increase
in the mean temperature of the
Earth. The ten hottest years
since records began have been
in the last 30 years. The mean
increase in the last 100 years
has been less than 1°C. This
might seem small, but is
enough to have devastating
consequences on
many species in different parts
of the world.
presentation title
What are the effects of global warming?
The consequences of global warming are:
• melting of the polar ice caps
• the rise in sea level may one day threaten
many cities such as London, New York
and Amsterdam
• weather patterns will change with more
unusual weather
• animals will migrate towards the poles to
find habitats with suitable temperatures
• tropical diseases may become more
common in other regions, such as the
Europe
• many species will become extinct
4
 Human population increase and its affects
• There are a record number of people alive today, and that number is rising. The number of people on earth
surpassed seven billion for the first time in 2012. There are approximately 75 million more births each year
than deaths. 
Scientists are unsure whether this population increase will continue for
ever. Some think that the human population will continue to increase and
humans will be able to solve any problems that come their way.

Others think that humans will run out of food, fresh water or other
resources and the earth's population will stop increasing, but remain high.
Whereas, other scientists think that the population will reduce
significantly, this is called a crash. In the past, plagues have caused a rapid
decline in the population (note the dips in the graph at 600 CE and 1200
CE), and this could be a possible explanation for a rapid decline in the
population in the future.

As the population grows, the pollution we produce also increases, which

may cause significant issues.

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 Peat Boggs 
what are peat Boggs?
Peat bogs are poorly drained areas made up of
partially decomposed organic matter due to
waterlogging. Bogs are very wet areas of land
without trees in which many types of moss grow.
They are acidic and often have very low levels of This Photo by Unknown author is licensed
nutrients. Here decomposition is very slow and peat under CC BY-SA.
is formed from partially decayed plants. Why are peat Boggs
important?
Peat bogs are a very important store
of carbon. We call them carbon
sinks. If all the peat was removed
How does this affect biodiversity? and burned this would quickly
For many years peat was removed from bogs for gardeners to release a huge volume of carbon
add to their soil or to burn as fuel. This dramatically dioxide into the atmosphere and
reduced biodiversity. Because peat Thistakes
Photosuch a long
by Unknown authortime tounder CC BY-SA.contribute to the greenhouse effect.
is licensed
form, it is a non-renewable energy resource like fossil fuels.

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How are humans trying to help?
Human interaction within ecosystems can have both
positive and negative impacts on the levels of
biodiversity. The increase in the human population and
waste it produces, deforestation, peat bog destruction
and global warming are all
reducing biodiversity. Conservation, the preservation
of ecosystems and the organisms within them, helps
reverse this.
Scientists and concerned members of
the public help maintain biodiversity
by:
introducing breeding programs to help
preserve endangered species, like the
panda
protection and development of new
endangered habitats, often by making
National Parks
replanting hedgerows because there is
higher biodiversity in them than the
fields they surround
reducing deforestation and the release
of greenhouse gases
recycling rather than dumping waste
in landfill sites