Photo: WWF - Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity represents the diversity of all life on our planet.
Biological diversity is the basis and prerequisite for the healthy and natural development of all living beings on our planet. Only throughout biodiversity the planets fauna and flora could develop to todays species-richness.
We humans also come from this biological diversity and our continued existence is directly linked to the preservation of biodiversity.
There are 3 main CRITERIA of BIODIVERSITY:
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the DIVERSITY OF SPECIES and
1.GENETIC DIVERSITY
is the guarantor of biodiversity, because there is no exact copy of a living being. The fewer specimens of a species that exist, the greater the risk of genetic impoverishment and the greater the likelihood that this will lead to the extinction of that species.
2.DIVERSITY of SPECIES
Species diversity includes around 1.9 million known and 8-10 million estimated species of insects, animals, plants and fungi, with insects making up the majority after microorganisms.
3.DIVERSITY of ECOSYSTEMS
There are countless, different, more or less species-rich habitats or habitats. Each ecosystem is capable of surviving on its own, but biodiversity is only possible through their diversity.
Biodiversity is local.
Ecosystems develop from the interplay of specific, regional conditions such as temperature, precipitation, species spectrum, ...
Mankind in conflict with biodiversity
Humans are just one of many species, but with their current 8 billion individuals, they have an enormous impact on our planet.
We therefore also speak of the ANTHROPOCENE, the geological age, which is decisively shaped by the "traces" of man. Throughout the history of the earth, there has not been a species that has had such a strong (negative) impact on the earth.
Human impact on biodiversity
And again, it shows that intensive agriculture has particularly negative effects on biodiversity.
Almost 30% of the loss of biodiversity is due to the conversion and overuse of the soil, as well as to the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides.
We control thereby on so-called 'tipping points 'with irreversible consequences, some of which we cannot yet define precisely.
The particularly valuable ecosystem in Central Europe, 'High Nature Graslands' (extensive, one-shed and species-rich wildflower meadows) has been focussed on genetic diversity in recent yearsand tipping pointsprecisely analyzed.
There is now a scientifically proven tipping point forthe particularly species-rich ecosystems in our homeland, high nature value grasslands. If the HNV share of agricultural land falls below 3% in a region, there will be an exodus of pollinating insects, which will not only destroy the species-rich flora, but also severely endanger the food production of many native vegetables and fruits.
Source: Wikipedia
Three essential "TIPPING POINTS" of our planetary system have already been passed.
All areresult of intensive farming.
"Tipping points are a critical threshold at which a tiny perturbation can qualitatively alter the state or evolution of a system."
(Timothy Lenton - University of Exeter, UK)