Biodiversity

What is it? Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the term given to the ____of life on Earth. The biodiversity we see today is the result of billions of years of ____. It forms the web of life of which we are we so fully ______.

Cont. This diversity is often understood in terms of the wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms. So far, about 1.75 million species have been _____, of about 14 million estimated on earth. Biodiversity also includes ___ differences ___ each species Yet another aspect of biodiversity is the variety of ______ - In each ecosystem, living creatures, including humans, form a community, interacting with one another and the non-living environment.

Biodiversity “hot spots” The world's most remarkable places are also the most threatened. These are the Hotspots: the ___and most ___reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth.

Hot spots cont. Specifically: A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant ____of biodiversity that is under ___from humans. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least ___% or 1,500 species of _____, vascular plants, and it has to have ____at least 70% of its primary vegetation. Around the world, 25 areas qualify under this definition, with nine other possible candidates. These sites ___nearly ___% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with a very high share of native species.

Value of biodiversity Biodiversity provides a large number of goods and services that sustain our lives. ___biodiversity is in our ____. Biological resources are the pillars upon which we build our societies. Nature's products support such diverse industries as agriculture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, horticulture, construction and waste treatment.

Goods and Services for humans provided by ecosystems include: Provision of food, fuel and fiber for clothing Provision of shelter and building materials _____of air and water Detoxification and decomposition of wastes _____and moderation of the Earth's climate Reduction in severity of floods, droughts, temperature extremes and the forces of wind

Cont. Creation and renewal of soil fertility, including nutrient cycling ______of plants, including many crops Control of pests and _____ Maintenance of genetic resources as important inputs to ___varieties and _____breeds, ___, and other products Cultural and aesthetic benefits ______to _____to change

$$$ Economic Values $$$$$ Example 1: A network of marine protected areas ( with the aim of conserving 20%-30% of the seas and oceans) could cost between $5bn and $19bn, but help to secure $70 billion to $80 billion worth of fish catches, and provide marine ecosystem services valued at $4.5 to $6.7 trillion annually. Example 2: The annual economic median value of fisheries supported by mangrove habitats in the Gulf of California has been estimated at $37,500 per hectare of mangrove fringe. The value of mangroves as coastal protection may be as much as $300,000 per kilometre of coastline.

$$$ Economic Values $$$$$ Example 3: Nature-based tourism in Africa generates approximately the same amount of revenue as farming, forestry and fisheries combined. Example 4: The national parks of Canada store 4.43 gigatonnes (billion metric tonnes) of carbon, a service worth between $11bn and $2.2 trillion depending on the price of carbon in the market. The protected areas of Mexico store 2.45 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent – more than five years of Mexico’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2004, and valued at $12.2 billion.

Loss - Why we are losing biodiversity? Species have been disappearing at up to ____ times the natural rate, and this is predicted to rise dramatically. While the loss of individual species catches our attention, it is the ______, ______, and outright ___of forests, wetlands, coral reefs, and other ecosystems that poses the gravest threat to biological diversity.

Forests are home to much of the known terrestrial biodiversity, but about __% of the Earth's original forests are gone, cleared mostly during the past century. Up to __% of coral reefs - among the richest ecosystems - have been destroyed, and one third of the remainder face collapse over the next 10 to 20 years. Coastal mangroves, a vital nursery habitat for countless species, are also vulnerable, with half already gone.

Cont. The loss of biodiversity often _______the _______ of ecosystems, thereby shrinking nature's basket of goods and services, from which we constantly draw. It destabilizes ecosystems, and _____their ability to deal with natural ______such as floods, droughts, and hurricanes, and with human-caused stresses, such as pollution and climate change. Already, we are ___huge sums in response to ___and ___damage made worse by deforestation; such damage is expected to increase due to global warming.

The reduction in biodiversity also hurts us in other ways: Our cultural identity is deeply rooted in our biological environment. Plants and animals are symbols of our world, preserved in flags, sculptures, and other images that define us and our societies.

Taking Action: _____and monitoring the important components of biological diversity that need to be conserved and used sustainably Establishing ______areas to ____biological diversity Rehabilitating and _____ ________ecosystems and promoting the recovery of threatened species

Cont. Promoting public ________ ________people and raising awareness about the _________of biological diversity and the need to conserve it ______on how each country is meeting its biodiversity goals.