Why does biodiversity matter?

Moral and ethical reasons

• we share our planet with a huge range of other organisms and we have no right to drive them to extinction
• humans have custody of the Earth and should therefore value and protect the organisms that share the planet with us

Ecological reasons

• the higher the diversity of an ecosystem, the less likely it is to be unbalanced by changes in conditions or threats such as pollution
• all the organisms in an ecosystem interact in many different ways and if one key species disappears, this can affect the whole community
  • we are part of many ecosystems and rely on them in many ways
• ecosystems are of direct value to humans
  • many of the drugs that we use originate from living organisms
  • antibiotics are isolated from fungi and bacteria; anti-cancer drugs have been isolated from plants
  • the Himalayan yew is threatened by over-harvesting for medicinal use and collection for fuel
• if we allow tropical forests with their great biodiversity to disappear, then we are undoubtedly losing species that could be beneficial to us

Aesthetic reasons

• many people gainpleasure from studying or just appreciating the natural world, which continues to provide much inspiration for artists, photographers, poets, writer and other creative people
• wildlife is a source of income for many countries as ectotourism has increased in popularity
  • National Parks tourism provides employment and contributes to the economies of some nations

Social and commercial reasons

• our crop plants do not have as much genetic diversity as their wild…