Reasons for the Conservation of Biodiversity

1
Reasons for the Conservation of Biodiversity
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Economic Reasons

• Medicines or other resources may be found in
  organisms growing in the wild
• New crop plants of farm animals could be
  developed from wild species or existing varieties
  could be improved using genes from wild species
• Ecotourism represents a considerable income

3
Ecological Reasons

• Native species are adapted to local conditions,
  whereas alien species that might replace them are
  unlikely to be so well adapted
• Species in natural communities are
  interdependent, so if one species become extinct
  the rest is threatened
• Damage to ecosystems can have widespread effects
  including erosion, silting up of rivers, flooding
  and even changes to weather patterns

4
Ethical Reasons

• Every organism has the right to live
• The wildlife of each area has cultural importance
  to the local human population and it is therefore
  wrong to destroy it
• It is incorrect to deprive future generations
  their right to enjoy the benefits of biodiversity
  and the resources that Earth provide us

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The Value of the RainforestWhat do we lose?

• Productivity
• 69 of the earths productivity
• Pockets of endemism
• Species richness
• Important mutualistic ecologic relationships (man
  being much dependent
• Support a multitude of plants, animals, and other
  species survival
• Medicinal value
• Life-saving cinchona tree Cinchona spp. quinine
  for malaria
• Mexican yam Dioscorea spp. diosgenin to produce
  cortisone and hydrocortisone for various
  allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever,
  ulcerative colitis, sciatica, Addisons disease
• Rosy periwinkle Catharanthus roseus from
  Madagascar produces 75 different alkaloids, two
  vincristine and vinblastine used in the tx of
  cancer.
• Food
• Cocoa, tea, coffee, pineapple, sugar, banana,
  rice, orange, tomato, spices, eggs (from the
  Asian jungle fowl) originates in the tropical
  forests.

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The Value of the Rainforest

• Atmospheric stability
• Reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere
• Produce O2
• Prevents the albedo effect
• Contributes with the hydrological cycle
• Genetic banks
• Tropical rainforests contain genetically pure
  traits
• Improvement of animal stock could help improve
  beef production by revitalizing domestic breeds
• Unidentified species
• Resources (industrial/commercial potential)
• Gums and resin car tires, chewing gum, paint,
  cosmetics, latex
• Houseplants
• Spices
• Source Newman, Arnold 1990 Tropical Rainforest
  A world survey of our most valuable
• and endangered habitat. Eddison
  Sadd Editions. New York.
• 46,500 sq miles (120,425 sq Km) of tropical
  rainforest disappear annually.