Scientific Role of Biodiversity – Biodiversity and Conservation

Biodiversity is a large word for a term describing the rich diversity of life on this planet. Since life began on Earth it has been evolving each species into a more complex form.

Life has been able to become so diverse because of the unique adaptations of different species for survival in their environment. This gives us a clue as to how life will continue to evolve.

Biodiversity is a system in constant evolution, from a viewpoint of species, as well as from viewpoint of an individual organism.

The average half-life of a species is estimated at between one and four million years, and 99 percent of the species that have ever lived on the earth are today extinct. The number of species globally varies from 2 million to 100 million, with 10 million being the best estimate.

New species are regularly discovered most of which are yet to be classified. Tropical forests are very rich in biodiversity. Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.

It represents a wealth of systematic ecological data that help us to understand the natural world and its origins. Today’s biodiversity is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans