Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation (ePub)

Biodiversity is the variety of all the genes, species and ecosystems which are found on our planet. It provides humanity with the cornucopia of goods and services, from food, energy and materials to the genes which protect our crops and cure our diseases. The loss of the earth's biological diversity is one of the most pressing environmental and development issues. Sustainability highlights the idea that the current use of natural resources should not diminish the options of future generations, and maintaining biodiversity is clearly one of the requirements for meeting this goal. Biodiversity conservation addresses the remarkable growth in concern at all levels for living things and the environment, and increased appreciation of the links between the state of ecosystems and the state of humankind. Building on a wealth of research and analysis by the conservation community worldwide, this book provides a comprehensive and accessible view of key global issues in biodiversity. It outlines some of the broad ecological relationships between humans and the rest of the material world and summaries information on the health of the planet. Biodiversity is beneficial to the local environment, and can also be a natural form of crop protection. In conventional agriculture, biodiversity is often eliminated by planting large tracts of fields with a single crop, and killing other species with herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, and fungicides. In the absence of biodiversity, the arrival of a single species can significantly affect crop production, and conventional farmers counter this with chemical killing agents that damage the environmental health of the area. Conservation is the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and natural resources such as forests and water. Through the conservation of biodiversity and the survival of many species and habitats which are threatened due to human activities can be ensured. There is an urgent need, not only to manage and conserve the biotic wealth, but also restore the degraded ecosystems. This book will definitely serve as an excellent reference material and practical guide for teachers, research workers, students and environmentalists.