What does biodiversity mean to you personally, if anything?
Please be as honest and spontaneous as possible in your answer. This is not a test.
Answers (15)
Dan S
Advertising Genius at www.MyAdWorked.com
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Biodiversity is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. My old ecology professor was extremely good at emphasizing the importance of promoting biodiversity. Unfortunately, I think today it's become sort of a buzz word. Truth is we need the creepy crawlies, the hairy mammals, the flying birds, the lizards, slimy fish, the cute and the ugly animals. Not just dolphins and puppies.
A plentiful but balanced eco-system where fauna and flora support each other. As an example, the rainforests on the Hawaiian island of Kauai are supremely biodiverse.
Existence.
Essentially it is the web of life that enables all things to co-exist, despite our best collective efforts to abuse and exploit the planet's resources.
Ecosystems have a structure to carry out specific functions (i.e., predation, pollination, gas exchange, decomposition). Biodiversity measures the number of players available to carry these functions out. In some ways, it can be a misleading term; on my Preserve we have almost as many types of weeds as we do native plants. In that case, it's like having an artificially inflated number of players on a baseball team; you think you have 20, but in reality, 1/2 of them are benched and unable to carry out the function you need.
It's a bit of a thought trick to realize that you have to practice invasive weed control in order to promote biodiversity, but that is what it comes down to. Yellow Starthistle, Avena fatua, and the like are all doing just fine in their home ranges. If we don't minimize their presence HERE, we will end up with fewer and fewer players on the field, and eventually, the game will be over.
Scott B
Business Development Exec in Sustainability & AEC Sectors ; Guest Columnist on Greenbiz, TriplePundit & Cleantech.com
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On a personal level? Here are some thoughts:
- When I run the trails on Mt Tam I can take in everything: birds, trees, moist air blowing in off the Pacific...knowing that we need all of the 'moving parts' in order for any one species to survive and flourish...
- When I am with my kids; in the Sierra, on the coast, in our backyard....engaging with them on the interaction of habitat, resources, and our relationship with our surroundings...
(is that too much? Now I am self conscious....)
Links:
It's important. But how does this compare to the price of gasoline, economic development or fouled air.
Biodiversity is the term that describes of all living creatures on the planet, both above and below ground. Biodiversity is severely compromised by the burning of fossil fuels, and the resulting global climate chaos, because the niches available to species are altered, reduced, or imposed upon by new species or disturbance regimes.
The common misconception is that biodiversity is best represented on the surface of the earth. This is known to soil scientists as above-ground bias. Actually, in most temperate and tropical ecosystems, 1/2 or more of the biodiversity is contained in the soil, and these microorganisms are essential to the species above ground (for example, nutrient cycling is microbially mediated).
Curtis A
Technology entrepreneur: software, semiconductors, design, energy efficiency
Biodiversity is for me a religious value, i.e., it is one of those things that makes the world spiritually rich.
Raman V
Intrapreneur, Entrepreneur [Open Networker, all invites welcome - rvaidy5@yahoo.com] 1500+ connections
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Bio diversity is essential for everyday life to exist. Personally [As a person who is self concious and know that reasonable biodiversity is necessary for existence], the following:
1. If biodiversity exists, great resource for technology and new innovations for new business technologies and green energy
2. If bio diversity is declining, then creating an genetically modified system would be my next entreprenural venture or things to support the agter effects
3. If there is risk, then I see opporutnities for business and also can support the environment [win win situation]
Octavio B
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Hi Marguerite,
Biodiversity is the living expression of a delicate balance between environmental conditions that affect viability and sustainability of entire ecosystems and natural habitats, and the living creatures that integrate a rich flora and fauna living in perfect symbiosis, occupying a particular niche in the trophic chain and generating a myriad of nutrients for humans and other living organisms.
Human specie is the unique living creature having the capacity of rationalizing through language and applying a superior intelligence to intervene, modify and in some circumstances, destroy entire ecosystems and natural habitats affecting negatively the sustainability of our natural environments.
The awareness created about the impending risks the the humankind faces for the global heating phenomena and its potential of affecting negatively the quality of living of generations to come, has arisen a growing consciousness about the relevance, pertinence and convenience of preserving our natural environments and ecosystems by supporting from a business perspective, environmental projects to provide a balance between industrial activity and environmental health as integral part of corporate social responsibility projects.
In short, being Green in the way on which we manage and operate the current industrialized economy will be instrumental in preserving a healthy, rich and beautiful biodiversity for the years to come.
I hope this helps you.
Octavio
Alaka Y
Writer: Technical Communication, Instructional Design, Creative
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Rather than defining it, I would say that it is what I experience when I go to a jungle and what seems worth living for;
cheerz,
Alaka
Patrick H
President, FinÆnviro ; Financial Advisory & Investment for Environment and Renewables
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The sum of life forms that have adapted to various environmental niches (including urban or suburban ones). That sum can be viewed as a treasure trove with potential answers to food, health, aesthetic, environmental or spiritual needs. The richer the diversity, the more chances there are to find answers to unexpected situations like pest attack or epidemic, or to prevent them altogether (some species or strains will resist better, so diversity creates natural barriers).
The increasing human population, its connectivity and, so far, lack of conscience that biodiversity is an asset, has brought it under threat. Reconciling development and biodiversity is as much a cultural challenge (biodiversity as part of a sustainable development agenda in education) as a scientific one (understanding how to efficiently harness ecosystems without jeopardizing their diversity and balance). We can, and must, rise to that challenge or face a poorer future.
P.H.
Lavinia W
Founder and CEO, Brilliant Minds, Sweet Hearts
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M,
This is not something I could answer factually and is to me a question to learn from in interactive conversation.
Best,
Lavinia
Biodiversity is to me both fauna and flora, all animals and plants that live on this planet.
Protecting biodiversity is thus protecting Earth.
Steve B
Director of Broadcast Strategy at ITV plc
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Hi Marguerite,
For me bio-diversity means living (bio) and variety (diversity).
However, as a concept I think it describes the planet's active store of animals and plants. Under stable conditions the likelihood is that there is more bio-diversity available in the eco-system than is required to sustain many animal/plant types. Hence, we can witness individual species disappear with little or no immediate effect on the environment.
However, when one or more environmental variables change significantly, the eco-system with the most variety in its 'store' will have the greatest probability of adapting to the new situation.
So, while I am not sentimental about individual species and do not believe we should try to fix the current levels of variety and protect all species, I think we do need to ensure the natural environment can support the widest bio-diversity possible. Even without our negative inputs the environment is ultimately beyond our direct control. All we can do is make sure our actions do not inhibit the ability for bio-diversity to thrive and develop.
Obviously, since plants and animals are largely dependent on their direct environment we need to protect the non-living as well.
The law of Requisite Variety states that - 'The larger the variety of actions available to a control system, the larger the variety of perturbations it is able to compensate'.
Steve
