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reasons for maintaining biodiversity (economic reasons (continuous…
reasons for maintaining biodiversity
aesthetic reasons
presence of different plants and animals in our environment enriches our lives e.g. relaxing on the beach or walking in local park
patients recover more rapidly from stress and injury when supported by plants and a relatively natural environment
natural world provides inspiration for musicians and writers
economic reasons
soil erosion and desertification can occur as a result of deforestation - reduce country's ability to grow crops and feed people - can lead to resource and economic dependence on other nations
important to conserve all organisms used to produce items
non-sustainable removal of resources will lead to collapse of industry in an area
once all raw material lost - not economically viable to continue industry
large scale habitat and biodiversity losses mean species with potential economic importance may become extinct before they are discovered
continuous monoculture results in soil depletion
depletion of soil nutrients makes ecosystem more fragile
farmer will be increasingly dependent on expensive pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers
high biodiversity provides protection against abiotic stresses and disease - change in conditions or disease can destroy entire crops
areas rich in biodiversity provide an attractive environment - promote tourism in an area - leads to economic advantages
greater diversity in an ecosystem, greater potential for manufacture of different products in future
may be beneficial to humans
plant varieties needed for cross breeding, can lead to better characteristics e.g. disease resistance or increased yield
genetic engineering - make crop plants and animals more efficient, reducing land required to feed more people
ecological reasons
organisms are independent on others for survival
removal of one species may have significant effect on others e.g. food source or place to live lost
keystone species - species that play a key role in maintaining structure of an ecological community
disproportionately large effect on environment relative to their abundance
affect many other organisms in an ecosystem and help to determine species richness and evenness in a community
when a keystone species is removed, habitat is drastically changed
all other species are affected and some may disappear altogether
human activity increasing biodiversity
natural habitat created by human intervention and management of land
e.g. sheep grazing on downlands - enables rare species to survive
maintaining grass at low levels - allows plantains that caterpillars feed on to thrive and maintain biodiversity