Uses of Biodiversity - Environment

Uses of Biodiversity - Environment

Uses of Biodiversity

Humans derive many direct and indirect benefits from the living world. The uses of biodiversity are briefly described below—

1. Source of Food and Improved Varieties

Biodiversity is of use to modern agriculture in three ways—

(a) as a source of a new crop,

(b) as a source material for breeding improved varieties, and

(c) as a source of new biodegradable pesticides.

Of the several thousand edible plants, less than 20 plant species are cultivated to produce about 85% of the world's food, of which 3 plant species — wheat, corn, and rice (three major carbohydrate crops) yield nearly 2/3 (66.66%) of food sustaining the human population. Fats, oils, fibres, etc., are other uses for which more and more new species need to be investigated.

The domesticated species are crossbred with their wild relatives to improve their traits. Genes of wild species are used to confer new properties, such as disease resistance or improved yield, in domesticated species.

For example, rice grown in Asia is protected from the four main diseases by genes received from a single wild rice species (Oryza Nivara) from India.

2. Drugs and Medicine

Biodiversity is a rich source substances with therapeutic properties. For example:

• Aspirin — an analgesic drug obtained from Filipendula ulmaria

• Morphine (Papaver somniferum), used as an analgesic

• Quinine (Chinchona Officinalis), used for the treatment of Malaria

• Taxol, an anticancer drug obtained from the bark of the yew tree (Taxus brevifolia, Taxus Baccata)

3. Aesthetic and Cultural Benefits

Biodiversity also has great aesthetic value. Examples of aesthetic aspects include ecotourism, bird-watching, wildlife (jungle safari, etc.), pet keeping, gardening, etc.

• The Ayurvedic believes that there is no plant on the earth which is not a medicine; it may be that we are not acquainted with those plants and their medicinal values.

• In a majority of Indian villages and towns, plants like

  • Tulsi (Ocimum Sanctum)

  • Neem (Azadirachta Indica),

  • Banyan (Ficus Religiosa)

  • Khejri (Prosopis Cineraria)

• The various other trees are planted, which are considered sacred and worshipped by people.

Among the auspicious flowers offered in temples are Hibiscus (Hindi Gurhul) offered to the goddess Kali, Datura (Hindi Dhatura) offered to the god Shiva, and so on. Several animals [like oxen (cow-bull), horse, etc.], birds, and even snakes, have been considered sacred.

Today, we continue to recognise plants and animals as symbols of national pride and cultural heritage.

For example:

• National Flower — Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera)

• Nation Tree — Indian Banyan (Ficus Benghalensis)

• National Fruit — Mango (Mangifera Indica)

• National Bird — Indian Peacock (Pavo Cristatus)

• National Reptile — King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

• National Animal — Tiger (Panthera tigris)

• National Aquatic Animal — Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista Gangetica)

• National Heritage Animal — Indian Elephant (Elephas Maximus Indicus)

4. Ecosystem Services

Biodiversity is essential for the maintenance ecosystems and their sustainable utilisation.

These services include:

• Maintenance othe f gaseous composition of the atmosphere

• Climate control by forests and oceanic systems

• Natural pest control

• Pollination of plants by insects and birds

• Formation and purification of water

• Nutrient cycling

Loss of Biodiversity

Quite simply, without biological diversity, we would perish. The global collection of genes, species, habitats, and ecosystems is our real wealth, far more important than money.

The accelerated rates of species extinction that the world is facing now are largely due to human activities.

There are four major causes ("The Evil Quartet" is the sobriquet used to describe them) of biodiversity losses—

1. Habitat loss and fragmentation

2. Introduction of exotic (alien) species

3. Over-exploitation

4. Co-extinctions

Other causes of biodiversity losses environmental pollution, encroachment of forestland, deforestation, etc.

1. Habitat Loss and Fragmentation

• The destruction of habitat is the most important cause of the loss of biodiversity.

• The most dramatic examples of habitat loss come from tropical rainforests. Once covering more than 14% of the Earth's land surface, these rainforests now cover only 6%.

• The Amazon rain forest (it is so huge that it produces 20% of the total oxygen in the earth's atmosphere through photosynthesis.

• Thus, it is called the lungs of the planet, and is being cut and cleared for cultivation of soya beans or for conversion to grasslands for raising beef cattle.

When people cut down trees, fill a wetland, plough a grassland, or burn a forest, then large habitats break up into small fragments.

A forest patch surrounded by croplands, orchards, plantations, and urban areas is are example of a fragmented habitat. With the fragmentation of a large forest tract, species occupying deeper parts of the forest are the first to disappear.

When fragmentation occurs due to various human activities, mammals and birds requiring large territories and certain animals and birds with migratory habits are badly affected, leading to reduced population size to an extent that it becomes vulnerable to extinction.

2. Introduction of Exotic/Alien Species

New species entering a geographical region are called exotic or alien species.

When exotic/alien species are introduced unintentionally or deliberately for whatever purpose, some of them turn invasive and cause the decline or extinction of indigenous or native species.

Invasive species are considered second only to habitat destruction as a major cause of the extinction of species. Exotic/alien species have a large impact, especially in island ecosystems, which harbour much of the world's threatened biodiversity.

Examples:

• Invasive weed species: Carrot grass (Parthenium), Lantana camara, Water hyacinth (Eichhornia)

• Predatory fishes: Nile perch, African catfish (Clarias Gariepinus)

Nile perch, an exotic/alien fish introduced into Lake Victoria (South Africa), threatens the entire ecosystem of the lake by eliminating several native species of the small cichlid fish species that were endemic to this freshwater aquatic system.

Similarly, the recent illegal introduction of the African catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) for aquaculture purposes is posing a threat to the native catfishes of India.

3. Over-Exploitation

Humans have always depended on nature for their three basic needs — food, clothes, and shelter (as symbolically said in Hindi Roti, Kapada & Makaan), but when need turns to greed, it leads to over-exploitation of natural resources.

• Examples of many species extinctions in history are the Dinosaur, the Mammoth, etc.

• Examples of recent extinctions are Steller’s sea cow, Passenger pigeon (North America), Dodo (Mauritius), Quagga (Africa), Thylacine (Australia), and three subspecies of tiger (Bali, Java, Caspian).

Presently, many marine fish populations around the world are over-harvested, endangering the continued existence of some commercially important species.

Examples of Over-Exploitation

Many plant and animal species have been over-exploited by humans, sometimes to the point of extinction.

1. Rauvolfia Serpentina (Hindi Sarpagandha, used to treat snakebite, nervous disorders, tranquilizers, cholera, etc.) is threatened in India due to over-collection.

2. Many species, such as elephants and tigers, are killed or poached for their skins, tusks, claws, etc., which have high commercial value.

3. Several snake and bird species are caught and smuggled out for their curiosity value for children and as pets.

4. Marine fauna are under great threat from over-exploitationn largely as a result of mechanised fishing and increasing international fishing operations in Indian waters.

4. Co-Extinctions

• When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it in an obligatory way also become extinct.

• In the case of coevolved plant-pollinator mutualism, the extinction of one invariably leads to the extinction of the other.

• When a host fish species becomes extinct, its unique assemblage of parasites also meets the same fate.

5. Environmental Pollution

Soil, water, and air pollution affect the functioning of ecosystems and may reduce or eliminate species.

Examples:

1. A long-term study in Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur (Rajasthan) showed high levels of pesticide residues in Sarus Cranes.

2. These toxic residues would lead to a high mortality rate among the cranes and eventually to a decrease in their population.

3. At the Jim Corbett National Park, near Ramnagar, Nainital (Uttarakhand), studies on the effects of DDT on the breeding of the grey-headed fishing eagle show that DDT causes egg-shell thinning, which leads either to the eggs not hatching or to the death of the fledglings.

Water Pollution:

• Water pollution affects aquatic biodiversity. In India, industrial effluents are destroying coral reefs and other marine life.

• A thin film of oil (oil leaks from tankers, etc.) can spread across the water surface, reducing the penetration of sunlight.

• The impermeable oil film reduces the exchange of gases in the water. This can lead to a disruption in the respiration of aquatic organisms, thus killing them.

Biological Magnification:

• Through the food chain, some harmful chemicals unknowingly enter our bodies and accumulate there.

• This phenomenon is known as biological magnification.

Final Thoughts

Biodiversity is the foundation of life on Earth, providing essential resources, medicines, and cultural value. It plays a vital role in sustaining ecosystems, regulating climate, and maintaining the gaseous balance of our atmosphere. From wheat, rice, and corn to life-saving drugs like Quinine and Taxol, biodiversity directly supports human survival.

However, human activities such as habitat loss, over-exploitation, and the introduction of exotic species are driving alarming rates of extinction. The Evil Quartet — habitat destruction, invasive species, overuse of resources, and co-extinctions — remains the leading threat to global biodiversity, while environmental pollution further accelerates the decline through effects like biological magnification.

Loss of biodiversity not only endangers wildlife but also undermines human food security, health, and economic stability. Protecting biodiversity means protecting ourselves, as every species plays a role in the intricate web of life.

Conservation efforts, sustainable resource use, and strict control of invasive species are urgently needed, and every individual’s actions — from reducing pollution to supporting ecosystem restoration — can help reverse the damage.

The future of our planet depends on valuing and safeguarding biodiversity today.