Why is Biodiversity Important? Presentation Working version, December 2003 prepared by M.F. Laverty and E.J. Sterling Reproduction of this material is authorized by the recipient institution for non-profit/non-commercial educational use and distribution to students enrolled in course work at the institution. Distribution may be made by photocopying or via the institution's intranet restricted to enrolled students. Recipient agrees not to make commercial use, such as, without limitation, in publications distributed by a commercial publisher, without the prior express written consent of AMNH. All reproduction or distribution must provide full citation of the original work and provide a copyright notice as follows: "Copyright 2003, by the authors of the material, with license for use granted to the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation of the American Museum of Natural History. All rights reserved." This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement program (NSF 0127506), and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Grant Agreement No. 98210-1-G017). Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Museum of Natural History, the National Science Foundation, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. : Why is Biodiversity Important? Presentation Working version, December 2003 prepared by M.F. Laverty and E.J. Sterling Reproduction of this material is authorized by the recipient institution for non-profit/non-commercial educational use and distribution to students enrolled in course work at the institution. Distribution may be made by photocopying or via the institution's intranet restricted to enrolled students. Recipient agrees not to make commercial use, such as, without limitation, in publications distributed by a commercial publisher, without the prior express written consent of AMNH. All reproduction or distribution must provide full citation of the original work and provide a copyright notice as follows: "Copyright 2003, by the authors of the material, with license for use granted to the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation of the American Museum of Natural History. All rights reserved." This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement program (NSF 0127506), and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Grant Agreement No. 98210-1-G017). Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Museum of Natural History, the National Science Foundation, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Why is Biodiversity Important?: Why is Biodiversity Important?
Values are Subjective: Perspectives and Scales: Values are Subjective: Perspectives and Scales Land developer Government agency Local communities Oil company Aquaculture company Environmental group
The Value of Biodiversity : The Value of Biodiversity Intrinsic/inherent value
Extrinsic/utilitarian/
instrumental value
Intrinsic/inherent value : Intrinsic/inherent value The value of something independent of its value to anyone or anything else
A philosophical concept
Categorizing Values: Categorizing Values
Direct Use Value: Goods: Direct Use Value: Goods Food
Building Materials
Fuel
Paper Products
Fiber (clothing, textiles)
Industrial products (waxes, rubber, oils)
Medicine
Food: Food Today, most people rely on ~20 types of plants, and only 3 to 4 are staple crops.
Diversity is critical for developing new strains and breeds, i.e. that suit a particular environment or are resistant to pests or disease and as a source of new crops
Building Materials, Paper Products, and Fuel: Building Materials, Paper Products, and Fuel
Fiber: Fiber Source: USDA Photo b Ken Hammond Source: USDA Cotton Program
Industrial Products: Industrial Products
Medicine: Medicine About 80% of the people in developing countries use plants as a primary source of medicine.
57% of the 150 most-prescribed drugs have their origins in biodiversity
Traditional Medicine:Basis of Many Drugs : Traditional Medicine:Basis of Many Drugs
Indirect Use Values: Services : Indirect Use Values: Services Regulating global processes, such as atmosphere and climate
Soil and water conservation
Nutrient cycling
Pollination and seed dispersal
Control of agricultural pests
Genetic library
Inspiration and information
Scientific and educational
Tourism and recreation
Cultural, spiritual, and aesthetic
Community Resilience
Strategic
Global Processes: Atmospheric Regulation: Global Processes: Atmospheric Regulation
Photosynthetic biodiversity created an oxygenated atmosphere, and also has the potential to moderate the rising amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide linked to global climate change
Global Processes: Climate Regulation: Global Processes: Climate Regulation Forests and other vegetation modify climate: by affecting sun reflectance, water vapor release, wind patterns and moisture loss. Forests help maintain a humid environment, for example, half of all rainfall in Amazon basin is produced locally from forest-atmosphere cycle
Soil and Water Conservation: Filters excess nutrients and traps sediments that would otherwise impact neighboring marine and aquatic areas
Other services:
Minimizes damage from waves and floods
Serves as a nursery for juvenile commercial fish
Provides habitat for many birds, fish, and shellfish
Soil and Water Conservation Example: Coastal wetlands and mangroves
Nutrient Cycling: Nutrient Cycling Biodiversity is critical to nutrient cycling and soil renewal
Decomposers such as algae, fungi, and bacteria
Pollination and Seed Dispersal: Pollination and Seed Dispersal Many flowering plants depend on animals for pollination to produce food.
30% of human crops depend on free services of pollinators; replacement value estimated billions of dollars/year in US alone
Source: Spector© AMNH-CBC
Source of Inspiration or Information: Source of Inspiration or Information Biomimicry
Applied Biology
Medical Models
Education and Scientific Research
Medical Models: Medical Models Hibernating bears may improve the treatment of:
trauma patients
kidney disease
osteoporosis
Spiritual and Cultural Values: Spiritual and Cultural Values The survival of natural areas and species are important to different cultures around the world.
Thousands of cultural groups in the world, each have distinct traditions and knowledge for relating to natural world
Aesthetic Value : Aesthetic Value
Ecological Value: Does Diversity Make Communities More Resilient?: Ecological Value: Does Diversity Make Communities More Resilient? Resilient ecosystems are characterized by:
Constancy (Lack of fluctuation)
Inertia (Resistance to perturbation)
Renewal (Ability to repair damage)
Not all species are critical to an ecosystems function; many fill redundant roles; basis for community resilience and integrity
If too many species or keystone species are lost, eventually it leads to the failure of ecosystem function
Kelp Forest Food Webs: Kelp Forest Food Webs
Non-Use or Passive Values: Non-Use or Passive Values
Existence value
Bequest value
Potential or Option value
Why Do Values Matter?: Why Do Values Matter?
Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements