Biodiversity in Plants and Animals: Definition, Examples, Importance, Threats

The diversity of organisms that make up our natural world, including animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms, is referred to as biodiversity. In intricate web-like ecosystems, these different species and creatures work together to maintain equilibrium and sustain life. Everything in nature that we require for survival, such as food, clean water, medicines, and shelter, is supported by biodiversity. However, we risk disturbing the balance of ecosystems and destroying biodiversity as we put more stress on the world by utilising and consuming more resources than ever.

The Flora and Fauna

According to the WWF's (World Wildlife Fund) 2022 Living Planet Report, the number of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians worldwide has decreased by an average of 69% since 1970. The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services 2019 landmark Global Assessment Report revealed that 1 million animal and plant species are currently in danger of extinction, the most significant number in recorded human history.

About 66% of the ocean's and 75% of the land's environment have seen considerable change.

Today, agricultural or livestock production takes up over a third of the planet's land area and nearly seventy-five per cent of its freshwater resources. The effects of other stressors on nature and our well-being are exacerbated by climate change.

Ocean overfishing, forest destruction, water pollution, and climate change are all the results of human activity. Biodiversity is being impacted by these actions everywhere, even in the most remote places like our own backyards.

Even the most important centres of biodiversity in the world are not immune to pressure from humans. More than 1,400 distinct animal species and at least 15,000 different plant species may be found on Borneo, a sizable island in southeast Asia.

The tallest tropical trees coexist alongside iconic fauna like orangutans, pygmy elephants, clouded leopards, rhinos, and probosci's monkeys.

Additionally, there are more than 50 kinds of pitcher plants that trap and eat insects and other tiny animals. Up to 3,000 varieties of orchids, flying, colour-changing frogs, and dart-firing slugs can all be found in the wild.

But Borneo's immense natural resource richness has drawn more people than just those who enjoy the outdoors. Large-scale, worldwide interests have been attempting to take as much as they can from the island for many years, including rubber, gold, diamonds, and other metals and minerals, as well as hardwood trees, coal, and rubber. To make room for lucrative palm oil plantations, forests are destroyed. Even Borneo's unique plants and animals are hunted, harvested, and trafficked for sale.

The Importance

This strain results in a rapidly shifting landscape that nature cannot keep up with. In just 40 years, Borneo's forests have lost 30% of their original cover. We have lost half of all highly endangered Bornean orangutans in the last two decades.

Even the most significant carnivorous pitcher plant, the nepenthes rajah, is in danger. The biodiversity web is starting to fall apart due to our actions of removing its threads.

But resilience is one of the most lovely aspects of biodiversity.

The ecology will adapt if you reduce the pressure, manage resources wisely, and allow time. Biodiversity and nature will rebound. In Borneo, WWF is actively striving to achieve this. We've identified the threats and are working to address them.

For example, we're working with local communities and international governments to set aside protected lands and stop illegal deforestation.

We're also collaborating with businesses to ensure that the paper, lumber, and food products you use daily are responsibly sourced.

We are employing the same strategies—analysing the distinct challenges and coming up with creative solutions—to stop biodiversity loss worldwide.

We must rebuild the web of biodiversity that sustains the iconic species we all adore to protect it. We achieve this by reevaluating how we use natural resources, reducing pressure, and allowing ecosystems to recover. Plants, insects, fish, birds, animals, and even people profit from the process.

Biodiversity in Plants

Earth's diverse plant life is a valuable resource for agriculture, habitation, and the provision of food. Throughout human history, thousands of plant crop species have been discovered, created, utilised, and depended upon for food and agricultural output. Bushes, grasses, herbs, shrubs, trees, vines, ferns, and mosses are some of these plants. Plants give us the oxygen we breathe as well as the sugars that serve as our body's primary source of energy through the process of photosynthesis.

As a result of interactions between humans and ecosystems for specific food and development necessary for human population survival, regardless of pests, climatic changes, diseases, droughts, and other unanticipated environmental events, there is an excellent variety in biodiversity. Only a small number of crop species currently meet the needs of the entire global human population for food and necessary energy. Temperatures.

Biodiversity in Animals

Like plants, animals have a diverse range of species, and many have been tamed, domesticated, and used for food production, agriculture, and as the primary source of natural capital for the growth of livestock. This is essential for both maintaining rural development and food safety. Its management, however, has been appalling. It is heartbreaking that so many animals have vanished off the face of the earth in recent years.

Therefore, preserving the biodiversity of plants and animals is imperative.

Impact on Human Health

As scientific evidence on the global health effects of biodiversity loss grows, the importance of biodiversity to human health is emerging as a political concern on a worldwide scale. This issue is closely related to climate change, as many of the anticipated health risks of climate change are linked to changes in biodiversity

According to a study co-authored by Felicia Keesing, an ecologist at Bard College, and Drew Harvell, associate director for Environment of the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) at Cornell University, the species that increase disease transmissions, such as that of West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and Hantavirus, tend to be those that survive. This is because species that act as a barrier to the spread of infectious diseases are the ones that are most likely to become extinct.

Future human health is further hampered by the world's scarcity of drinking water and the growing demand for it. The failure of organisations supporting the preservation of water resources and the success of water suppliers in increasing supplies are contributing factors to the issue. While the distribution of clean water is improving, it is still uneven in several regions. Only 71% of the world's population, according to the World Health Organization (2018), used a drinking water service that was securely regulated.

Dietary health and nutrition security, infectious disease, medical research and medicinal resources, and social and psychological health are some health issues influenced by biodiversity.

Additionally, it is well known that biodiversity plays a significant part in post-disaster rescue and recovery operations and in lowering disaster risk.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, a virus or other pathogen is more likely to encounter resistance in a diverse population. Therefore, it spreads more readily in a population with comparable genetic makeup. For instance, a world with more extraordinary biodiversity had a lower chance of experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The availability of medical resources and the development of new drugs both benefit significantly from biodiversity.

At least 50% of pharmaceutical compounds sold in the US are derived from plants, animals, or microbes. Around 80% of the world's population relies on natural medicines (used in either modern or traditional medical practice) for primary healthcare.

The medical potential of a minimal subset of wild species has been studied.

Bionics has made significant progress thanks to biodiversity. Evidence from market analysis and biodiversity science suggests that the decline in pharmaceutical industry output since the mid-1980s can be attributed to a shift away from natural product exploration ("bioprospecting") in favour of genomics and synthetic chemistry. Claims about the value of undiscovered pharmaceuticals may need to provide more motivation for businesses in free markets to search for them due to the high cost of development.

On the other hand, natural products have a long history of fostering important economic and medical innovation. Although improper bioprospecting can worsen biodiversity loss and violate the laws of the communities and states from which the resources are taken, marine ecosystems are significant.

Key Points

• The diversity of organisms that make up our natural world, including animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms, is referred to as biodiversity.

• The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services 2019 landmark Global Assessment Report revealed that 1 million animal and plant species are currently in danger of extinction, the most significant number in recorded human history.

About 66% of the ocean's and 75% of the land's environment have seen considerable change.

• The tallest tropical trees coexist alongside iconic fauna like orangutans, pygmy elephants, clouded leopards, rhinos, and probosci's monkeys.

• Only 71% of the world's population, according to the World Health Organization (2018), used a drinking water service that was securely regulated.

• At least 50% of pharmaceutical compounds sold in the US are derived from plants, animals, or microbes. Around 80% of the world's population relies on natural medicines (used in either modern or traditional medical practice) for primary healthcare.