BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity is short for “biological diversity,” and refers to all the plants, animals, and microorganisms that live on our earth. Currently, scientists have identified about 1.7 million species, but they estimate there are many more -- somewhere between three and 30 million!  But as we learn more about microbes, especially those that live in rich soil, some researchers say there may well be over 100 million species!  

There are many reasons that biodiversity is important to people and ecosystems.  Here are just a few of them.
  • Biodiversity provides us with the foods we need to be healthy, from spinach to walnuts, and with all the varieties we love, from the tiny Sungold cherry tomatoes to the big beefy Brandywines.
  • Biodiverse farms allow farmers to take advantage of natural pest control, and use fewer or no pesticides. Instead of spraying an insecticide, which kills all insects, good and bad, a biodiverse farm lets good insects keep bad ones under control. For a badass example, watch this! http://aplus.com/a/atlas-obscura-lima-beans
  • Biodiverse farms provide valuable ecological services. A healthy soil absorbs carbon from the atmosphere and helps clean the water. And green plants provide oxygen for us to breathe.  
  • Biodiversity helps manage the risks of climate change.  When farmers can no longer rely on predictable weather, the more crops and the the more varieties they plant, the lower their risk of crop failure.
  • Many important drugs have been developed from plants and microbes. Every time a species goes extinct or genetic diversity is lost, we will never know what medical advance we may have missed out on.  
  • Simply for the wonder of the infinite variety of life forms.  There are few things as beautiful, inspiring, and often delicious, as the diversity of life on Earth.

LINKS

Quick overview of the many reasons biodiversity is important.
http://www.globalissues.org/article/170/why-is-biodiversity-important-who-cares
    
The importance of biological diversity in agriculture:
https://www.cbd.int/agro/importance.shtml
http://www.bioversityinternational.org/why-agricultural-biodiversity-matters-foundation-of-agriculture/    
http://www.biodiversitybc.org/EN/main/why/109.html http://www.sustainabletable.org/268/biodiversity
 
Economic benefits of biodiversity:
http://conservationtools.org/guides/95-economic-benefits-of-biodiversity