Notes on Biodiversity and Human Well-Being

Biological diversity is shortened to biodiversity. It shows the number, diversity, and variability of living species, as well as how they change over time and from one region to another. Biodiversity comprises genetic variety within species, species diversity across species, and ecosystem diversity (ecosystem diversity).Biodiversity is crucial in all ecosystems, not just “natural” ones like national parks or nature preserves, but also “managed” ones like farms and plantations, as well as urban parks. The various benefits supplied by ecosystems to humans are based on biodiversity.Even with the methods and data sources available, exactly quantifying biodiversity is difficult. However, precise answers are rarely required to fully comprehend biodiversity, how it is evolving, and the causes and effects of that change.

Importance of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is necessary for nearly every aspect of our life. Biodiversity is important to us for a variety of reasons, some practical and others personal. This means that we value biodiversity for both its societal advantages and its intrinsic value. Food, fuel, shelter, and medicine are all utilitarian gains that people obtain from biodiversity.Pollination, seed dispersion, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and pest control are all key services performed by ecosystems. Biodiversity has value in terms of previously unknown benefits, such as novel drugs and other services. Biodiversity is valued by humans for many reasons, including spiritual and religious ones.

Biodiversity’s intrinsic value refers to its inherent worth, which is unaffected by who or what values it. This is a philosophical concept that is sometimes referred to as the inalienable right to exist. Finally, the value of biodiversity can be understood in terms of the bonds humans form and attempt to maintain with one another and with the rest of nature.

We may value biodiversity because it has an impact on who we are, how we interact with others, and our societal standards. People’s individual or community sense of well-being, environmental responsibility, and connectedness are all influenced by relational values. Different biodiversity values are important because they can have a daily impact on people’s conservation decisions.

Relationship between Biodiversity and Human Beings

As society seeks to move toward more sustainable development paths, it’s critical to understand the relationship between biodiversity (genes, traits, species, and other dimensions) and human well-being (HWB; i.e. health, wealth, security and other dimensions). We look at how published conceptual frameworks take into account the extent to which biodiversity– HWB linkages are being integrated into public discourse and scientific research, as well as the implications of our findings for long-term development.

We have steadily changed our view of biodiversity from seeing it as an external commodity that may influence HWB to seeing it as intrinsic to HWB. Trends in the literature show that the phrases biodiversity and sustainable development are becoming more widely used in the public, scientific, and policy realms, although mostly as separate rather than related concepts. We propose that biodiversity be explicitly included as a set of internal factors that both influence and are influenced by HWB in a consensus framework for sustainable development.

This will improve clarity and assist in the development of coherent research and policy agendas. We also believe that, in the absence of this relationship in development, otherwise well-intentioned policies may unwittingly reduce biodiversity. Such biotic depletion could keep HWB at a minimum or cause it to fall, halting or reversing progress toward sustainable development.

The Importance of Biodiversity to Human Health 

Our most basic human right is to be healthy. For most people, it entails a condition of comprehensive social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and cultural well-being, not merely freedom from illness. Being healthy and having the ability to care for our own and our family’s or community’s health is determined by a variety of factors, including our economic standing and, ultimately, our environment. As a result, one of the most significant indices of long-term development is health.

Human health is built on the foundation of biodiversity. The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can bring major health advantages by securing the life-sustaining commodities and services that biodiversity delivers to humanity. On the other hand, continued global biodiversity loss poses a direct threat to human health and well-being. No human population can thrive without a healthy global environment capable of supporting a diverse range of species.

Biodiversity Supports Food Security, Dietary Health, Livelihood Sustainability

Genetic diversity in food systems is important for crop development and food security, as well as for promoting tolerance and resilience to environmental pressures like pests and diseases that affect crops and livestock. Diets rich in a variety of food species support good health and can assist to prevent disease by correcting micronutrient and vitamin shortages. As a result, agricultural biodiversity loss may endanger human health, livelihoods, and food and nutrition security in the future.

Biodiversity Provides Important Resources for Medical Research

Anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry research in animals can lead to significant advances in human medicine. Bears (for insights into osteoporosis, cardio-vascular disorders, renal disease, and diabetes), sharks (osmoregulation and immunology), cetaceans (respiration and treatments for divers suffering from decompression sickness), and horse-shoe crabs (optometry / ophthalmology and molecular cell biology) are examples of species of interest to medical science.

Conclusion

The amount, variety, and variability of living creatures are reflected in biodiversity. It encompasses diversity within and between species, as well as within habitats. The concept also includes how variety changes over time and from one region to another. Certain characteristics of biodiversity can be monitored using indicators such as the number of species in a certain area.

The benefits that individuals receive from ecosystems are known as ecosystem services. Biodiversity is crucial to the functioning of ecosystems and the myriad services they provide. Nutrient and water cycling, soil formation and retention, resistance to invasive species, plant pollination, climate regulation, and pest and pollution control are all examples of ecosystem services. It matters which species are plentiful as well as how many species are present for ecosystem services.