This presentation uses a systems thinking approach to explain why biodiversity is important.

1. Why biodiversity is important

2. Because…
…all life deserves to
exist in its own right
and is more beautiful
and mysterious than
anything the human
mind can conjure.
“One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity,
of life, of the marvellous structure of reality.”
Albert Einstein

3. Because…
…just as genetic diversity increases the odds of survival
within species, species diversity increases the odds of
survival for life as a whole.
When a species exhibits great genetic diversity, it has a larger pool of genes
available to it. Having more genes makes the species better equipped to respond
to changing conditions.
In the same way, species diversity is nature’s way of assuring longevity for the
existence of life on earth. Species diversity is life’s way of protecting itself.
Humans are only one tiny strand of this magnificent strategy.

4. Because…
…humans are genetically
predisposed to value life,
and by presiding over
species extinction, we
deny our own nature.
Evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson, says species loss may go against biophilia, or the
tendency of humans to focus on life and lifelike processes. If this is true, then
contributing to the destruction of living things goes against what it means to be human.
Source: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/biodiversity-important1.htm

5. Because…
…all the progress ever
made by humans has
drawn its inspiration and
materials from nature’s
bounty.
Humans rely heavily on the great variety of organisms that share the planet with us.
Plants, animals, bacteria and fungi provide raw materials for human use. We base our
diets on food crops and the animals that eat them. We clothe ourselves using material
derived from plant and animal fibres. We take advantage of single-celled organisms,
from bacteria to yeast, to drive important industrial and manufacturing processes.
Almost 40 percent of all prescription drugs sold worldwide contain natural compounds
found in different plant, animal and fungal species [source: USAID]. Penicillin stands as
a classic example of how humankind has benefitted from a drug obtained from another
organism.
Source: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/biodiversity-important1.htm

6. Because…
…a species-rich
ecosystem is more
sustainable than one
which is species-
depleted.
Pollination is just one service provided by the complex interplay of living things.
Ecosystem services also purify water, generate fertile soil, break down wastes, help
control pests and moderate weather extremes.
Source: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/biodiversity-important1.htm

7. Because…
…every species plays a unique part in the
magnificent biosphere that sustains all life,
including humans.
• The biosphere is an awe-inspiring and
delicate system, the complexities of which
we cannot hope to understand. Despite all
our ingenuity, we have never come close to
emulating nature’s beauty, sustainability and
balance.
• Systems thinking tells us that changing one
part of a system can wreak unintended
consequences in another part.
“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever
we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things
connect.”
― Chief Seattle, 1854

8. Because…
…humans and all other forms of life are
interconnected, evolved from the same
source.
…extinction is final and represents the loss
of millions of years of unique evolution.
…there is a virtuous circle at play here
where more life begets more life, and less
life begets less life.
When we destroy other forms of life, we destroy ourselves.