Biodiversity - Science Articles

Consequences of Changing Biodiversity

Interesting Quotes

“Fossil-fuel combustion and deforestation have increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) by 30% in the past three centuries (with more than half of this increase occurring in the past 40 years).”

“We have more than doubled the concentration of methane and increased concentrations of other gases that contribute to climate warming.”

“In the next century these greenhouse rate as a consequence of human activities. Already we have caused the extinction of 5–20% of the species in many groups of organisms and current rates of extinction are estimated to be 100 1,000 times greater than pre-human rates.”

“In the absence of major changes in policy and human behavior, our effects on the environment will continue to alter biodiversity.”

What the Article is About

The article included many informing graphs, such a a graph on the global number of species of birds, mammals, fish and plants that are currently threatened with extinction. Other included graphs showed the ecosystem and societal consequences of change in biodiversity over time.The article is also about how the human impact on the world and how it has triggered the sixth major extinction event in the history, causing so many disruptions in the natural environment. These changes in the biodiversity affected the ecosystems and led to many consequences for the free services we get from nature. We need to preserve our biodiversity for future global environmental problems.

Biodiversity Hotspots for Conservation Priorities

Interesting Quotes

“The 25 hotspots contain the remaining habitats of 133,149 plant species (44% of all plant species world-wide; Table 1) and 9,645 vertebrate species (35%; Table 2). These endemics are confined to an aggregate expanse of 2.1 million square kilometres, or 1.4% of the Earth's land surface. They formerly occupied 17.4 million square kilometres or 11.8% of the Earth's land surface. They are so threatened that, having already lost an aggregate of 88% of their primary vegetation, they all seem likely, in the absence of greatly increased conservation efforts, to lose much if not most of their remaining primary vegetation within the foreseeable future.”

“We could go far towards safeguarding the hotspots and thus a large proportion of all species at risk for an average of $20 million per hotspot per year over the next five years, or $500 million annually. Although this is 12.5 times the annual average of the $400 million spent on hotspots over the past decade, it is still only twice the cost of a single Pathfinder mission to Mars, which has been justified largely on biodiversity grounds (the search for extraterres-trial life). The $500 million annually is to be compared, moreover, with a recent estimate47 for a comprehensive conservation programme to protect biodiversity world-wide costing $300 billion annuallyÐa total that should, in turn, be compared with subsidies of various sorts that degrade environments and economies alike, amounting to $1.5 trillion annually world-wide.”

What the Article is About

This article was on 'biodiversity hotspots'. Conservationists can not assist all the species under a treat only due to lack of funding, which is why they mapped out the 'biodiversity hotspots' where concentrations of species are going through a large loss of habitat. The idea is to support the most species, at the least cost. As many as 44% of all species of vascular plants and 35% of all species in four vertebrate groups are confined to 25 hotspots comprising only 1.4% of the land surface of the Earth.

Citing My Sources

Chapin III, Stuart, Erika Zavaleta, Michelle Mack, Sandra Díaz, Valerie Eviner, Rosamond Naylor, Peter Vitousek, Heather Reynolds, David Hooper, Sandra Lavorel, Osvaldo Sala, and Sarah Hobbie. "Consequences of changing biodiversity ." Insightreview Articles 11 May 2000: 234-242. Print.

Myers, Norman, Russell Mittermeierē, Cristina Mittermeierē, Gustavo Fonsecaģ, and Jennifer Kent. "Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities ." Nature Feb. 2000: 1-6. Print.