Biodiversity and our existence
It has been estimated that more than 50 million species of plants, animals and micro-organisms exist in the world. Out of these, about two million organisms have been identified so far. Our planet's requirement and services depend mainly on biological resources. Human society depends on biological resources, their diversity and the ecosystem that sustain them. Biological resources not only provide us nourishment, clothing, housing, fuel and medicine but also meet other requirements.
Maintenance of ecological balance, conservation of natural resources and prevention of soil erosion may be considered as the examples of indirect use of biodiversity.
The responsible factors for the loss of biodiversity may be natural or artificial. The natural causes include drought, flood, storm, land slides, diseases earthquake etc. The artificial causes include grazing, urbanization, industrialization, scientific and educational research, road and dam construction all leading to destruction of habitat and over exploitation of plants and animals for commercial purposes.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) believes the commitment to reduce biodiversity loss by 2010 will not be met. So it is the right time to preserve biological as well as ecological diversity to achieve sustainable development.
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