The Benefits of Biodiversity

Monitor Lizard(Varanus albigularis) in Kruger

 The word “biodiversity” was first coined in the 1980’s and is, quite obviously, a contraction of “biological diversity”. Interestingly, the topic- as a stand alone- didn’t catch mainstream academic and societal attention until the 1990’s, by which time it was already considered to be a crisis discipline. While definitions for biodiversity vary, a generally accepted example would be “The diversity of life in all its forms and at all levels of organization; & the processes that link them with each other and the abiotic environment”. A broad, encompassing definition which brings together the 3 accepted branches of biodiversity: Genetics, Species and Ecosystems (ESA 1997).


With the defining of biodiversity as a concept came the need for its application, and understanding of its relevance, to the human species. Some argued that biodiversity has value completely separate to the human context (Soule 1985)- intrinsic value- while others sought to further understand biodiversity from the perspective of value derived by Homo sapiens- instrumental value. While the scopes of these definitions have been tweaked over the years, only one acknowledges humankind as part of the natural world- instrumental value (Kareiva & Marvier 2012).


In fact, with the interconnectedness of ecosystems to even a global level, along with the fact that our species has evolved alongside our “wild” counterparts, one could argue that intrinsic value does not exist. At least, that the only place intrinsic value can possibly exist- in context- is in theory and fictional scenarios. This, as we are a part of the planetary natural system and as such, depend on it and it on us, though not to the same degree .


If we accept the complexity of the global system (biosphere) and understand that each smaller ecosystem plays a part in regulating the overall system (directly or indirectly), then we further acknowledge that all biodiversity has objective, instrumental value- perceived or otherwise. 


As has been stated, the development into what is modern day humanity occurred- broadly- through the same evolutionary means (Marlowe 2005) as other species with which we share the planet. We’ve been a part of the overall natural system from the start and as such, one can argue that we are a completely natural part of this world. With this in mind, one can tackle the question of biodiversity.


Simply put, biodiversity equates to variety and variety ultimately equates to opportunity and resilience to change (Kareiva & Marvier 2012). Biodiversity isn’t only good for nature, but for us as a species. One can further argue that the acknowledgement of this benefit- by people- grows with human involvement and dependence on that biodiversity.This is where the concept of utilization comes in.


The natural world provides us with a lot: ecosystem services, cultural and recreational benefits, health (mental and medicinal) benefits, as well as economic (Justus et al 2009). The diversity of these benefits relies greatly on the number of different ecosystems that exist. In short, the more biodiversity that exists, the more we benefit as a species. 


The value and importance of biodiversity is measured in terms of human benefit because that’s the only true metric by which we can objectively measure. But this is neither an issue nor a cause for concern as we are a part of the natural order (Justus et al 2009)(Kareiva & Marvier 2012)- what benefits biodiversity benefits us as a species. Much of the natural destruction we’ve seen came about- at least in part- as a result of the fact that humanity stopped valuing biodiversity. This, partially due to a lack of understanding brought on by the increased physical and metaphorical distance between humanity and nature. 


Biodiversity, as a whole, is vital to the planet’s health and ultimately our continued existence as a species. Further, it’s only through our re-engagement with the natural world that we will once again begin to understand and value the benefit that biodiversity provides to us all. It’s this understanding of value that will likely mobilize the global population into actively protecting this resource.  


Black Rhino(Diceros bicornis) in Etosha

References


Biodiversity - Ecological Society of America (1997) esa.org. Available at: https://www.esa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/biodiversity.pdf (Accessed: February 7, 2023).

Justus, J. et al. (2009) “Buying into conservation: Intrinsic versus instrumental value,” Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 24(4), pp. 187–191. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2008.11.011.

Kareiva, P. and Marvier, M. (2012) “What is conservation science?,” BioScience, 62(11), pp. 962–969. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2012.62.11.5.

Marlowe, F.W. (2005) “Hunter-gatherers and human evolution,” Evolutionary Anthropology, 14(2), pp. 43–82.

Soule, M. (1985) “What is conservation biology?,” BioScience, 35(11), pp. 727–734. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/1310054. 





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