BIODIVERSITY
and the
HEALTHY SOCIETY
Introduction
Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms
from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of
which they are part. It is classified according to habitat or
ecosystem, species and genes. Where several different
species and genera cohabitate, there is rich biodiversity
which is essential for survival.
But nowadays with the limited amount of resources that
the world has, how can survival of the many living
organisms of a diverse region be made possible?
The study of biodiversity involves elements of natural
history, ecology, and environmental science. Students
also will begin to explore the benefits of the wide
diversity of living things.
It is important to understand that biodiversity is
necessary for life and that species preservation is
important to all of us. Every species is linked with a
multitude of others in an ecosystem. Minor disruptions
in a particular ecosystem tend to lead to changes that
eventually restore the system. But large disturbances of
living populations or their environments may result in
irreversible changes.
In this lesson, biodiversity is introduced by having
students identify and talk about what they know about
the various habitats around them, including the amazing
variety of life. It will also make us identify the basic
components necessary for biodiversity, the critical and
countless benefits of habitats, as well as the serious
present and future threats to their ongoing existence.
Furthermore will be determined and concluded the
interrelatedness of society, the environment and health.
People will always depend on biodiversity on the
wholeness of our being and in our everyday lives.
Learning Objectives:
•Explain the meaning of biodiversity
•Discuss the interrelatedness of society, the environment
and health
•Define the role of the environment in addressing the
needs of the society
•Identify ways/measures to protect or conserve
biodiversity
•Reflect on the importance of biodiversity to life/survival.
Biodiversity Defined:
• biological diversity
• variety of life on earth and the natural pattern it forms referring to plants,
animals and microorganisms.
• the vast variety of life forms in the entire earth. It encompasses all kinds of
life forms, from the single-celled organisms to the largest multi-celled
organisms.
There are about 3 to 100 million species in the environment
with only 1.75 million identified species.
The term ‘BIODIVERSITY’ gained immediate acceptance and
was brought to popular attention by the world media during the
Earth Summit in Rio De Janerio in the year 1992
Types of Biodiversity
We need to generate
knowledge & information
from two fundamental
sciences:
Taxonomy
Ecology
to fully understand the
importance of Biodiversity
for human survival.
Taxonomy
study of the general
principles of scientific
classification of organism
acc. to their presumed
natural relationships.
Ecology
study of how living
things interact with
each other and with
their environment.
Threats to Biodiversity (UNEP, WHO)
•Habitat loss and destruction
•Alteration in ecosystem composition
•Over-exploitation
•Pollution and contamination
•Global climate change
Biodiversity Loss
“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)
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.
• 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.
Alteration in Ecosystem composition
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 to
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.
Over-exploitation
•Nutritional composition between foods and among
varieties/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 resulting to creating a big
impact on global nutritional status and human health.
•Almost all living organisms are dependent to 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
Pollution and Contamination
•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
•Some human illnesses that are found to be related with
its environment include the following:
Parkinson’s disease Heart disease
Cancer Asthma
Diabetes COPD
Obesity Occupational injuries
Dysentery Arthritis
Malaria Depression
Global Climate change
• Causes deterioration 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.
• Pesticides play an important role in increasing crop yields, but
they can also pose hazards to human health and the
environment.
• Alternatives to pesticide uses could significantly reduce
agricultural productivity, leading to food shortages and
increased food prices which would, in turn increase starvation
in some parts of the world.
Limitations in understanding the importance of
Biodiversity:
1. Biodiversity conservation strategies focused on
research & policy on global scale without much effect
on local diversity.
2. Lack of site-specific data on species composition of
communities.
3. Biodiversity studies lacking in taxonomic precision.
4. Insufficient biodiversity inventory & assessment.
Environmental Health Regulation
•When drafting and implementing environmental health
regulations, it is important to consider vulnerable
subpopulations.
Vulnerable subpopulation - increased susceptibility to the
adverse effects of an environmental risk factor, due to
their age, genetics, health status, or some other condition.
•Various public health strategies pit the rights of
individuals against the good society, such as mandatory
treatment, vaccination, or diagnostic testing; isolation
and quarantine; and disease surveillance.
• For research to be ethical, human subjects must give consent,
and great care must be taken to ensure that they understand
that they can opt out of the research project.
• Since late 1990’s some pesticide companies have tested their
products on human subjects to gather data to submit to the
government for regulatory purposes.
• Some commentators charge that these experiments are
unethical because they place people at unacceptably high risk
without a clear benefit to society.
• Others have argued that the experiments, if properly designed
and implemented, could produce important benefits to society
by providing useful knowledge about the effects of pesticides
that can lead to strong
Importance of Biodiversity:
affects humans on
various aspects:
Economy
Health
Culture
Aesthetic
Environmental Issues
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Wetlands and Mangroves
Provides Timber & Vegetation Breeding Grounds & Nursery for Fish Provides Wildlife
for Human Use Habitat
Provides Aquatic Food & Resources
Stores Surface Water & Reduces Filters & Recycle
Maintains plants, animals, Flood Damages
& microbial biodiversity P & N release by
Recharge underground Aquifers human activities
Sequester Carbon Provides Outdoor Recreation & Ecotourism
Provides Environmental Education
Forest Ecosystem
Forest canopy & leaf litter protect Forest provides outdoor recreation,
the soil from erosive power of rain education & ecotourism
Forest help maintain the water Forest canopy purifies air
cycle & estabilize local climate by filtering particulates
Forest provides goods such as Forest tree roots binds soils
food, timber & medicine & help prevent erosion.
Forest trees & plants store carbon & help
slow human-caused global climate change
Forest provide critical habitat
for plants, animals, & microbes
Forest soil purify water
acting as a massive filters
Forest soils store
large volume of water
Provides outdoor recreation
Sequesters Carbon
Marine Ecosystem education, & ecotourism
Provides habitat for fish
& other marine animals
Filters and recycles N & P released
by human activity into water Provides fish breeding
grounds & nurseries
Maintain marine plant, animal
& microbial biodiversity
Conclusion
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.
Significant decline in biodiversity has direct human impact
when 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 may even cause political conflict.
A change in biodiversity could have erratic effects not
only in wildlife or marine life but also in human beings
Understanding biodiversity within the concept of
ecosystem needs a through study on the relationship of
the biotic, the living organisms and the abiotic, the non-
living organisms.
Therefore, we, as human inhabitants of the ecosystem,
must preserve and conserve the biodiversity of all
creatures. If we fail to keep the process of taking care of
the ecosystem, it is us who are actually putting our lives
at risk.
Recalling Details
1. Biodiversity
2. Species diversity
3. Ecosystem diversity
4. Genetic diversity
5. Values/Importance of Biodiversity
6. Threats to Biodiversity
7. Conservation of Biodiversity
References
Ilagan, Yolanda A. et al. “Science, Technology & Society” Panday-Lahi
Publishing House Inc. 2018
McNamara, Daniel Joseph S.J. et al “Science, Technology & Society” C&
E Publishing Inc. 2018
https://www.cbd.int/doc/health/cohab-policy-brief1-en.pdf
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/biodiversity-and-
health
http://sciencenetlinks.com/esheets/biodiversity-and-health/
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/biodiversity-conservation-
types-importance-methods.php
