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Committee: Special Committee on Sustainable Development
Chair: Michelle Lu
Issue: 802 Implement effective measures to prevent biodiversity loss.
General Overview of the Topic
We need a healthy biodiversity, because it offers us many natural services. Natural
services offered by a healthy biodiversity include ecosystem services, biological resources
and social benefits. Biodiversity refers to the “number, variety and variability of biological
diversity on Earth.” (MultiCiencia) Biodiversity enriches different ecosystem’s productivity;
therefore, each living species has an important role to play in the ecosystem. However,
due to human-driven factors, loss of biodiversity may be reaching the point of no return.
Biological causes of biodiversity loss include loss of habitats, introduction of exotic
species, over-harvesting of biodiversity resources and homogenization of species in
agriculture. Therefore, it is important to find effective measures before biodiversity loss
reaches the point of no return.
Definition of Key Terms
Biodiversity: The number, variety and variability of biological diversity on Earth.
(MultiCiencia)
Biodiversity Loss: Loss of biological diversity in an environment, which we call the result
desertification.
Species Diversity: It measures the number of species in a certain area and their relative
abundance. (MultiCiencia)
Taxic Diversity: It measures the taxonomic dispersion of species. (MultiCiencia)
Functional Diversity: It evaluates the richness of functional features and interrelations
within an area. Also, identifying the food webs. (MultiCiencia)
Genetic Diversity: The variation of the set of genes carried by different organisms.
(MultiCiencia)
Ecosystem Diversity: The variation of natural settings within different communities and
ecosystems. (MultiCiencia)
Biological Species Concept: It defines a species as a group of interbreeding populations
isolated from other such groups. (MultiCiencia)
Morphological Species Definition: It defines a species according to a given set of common
features. (MultiCiencia)
Evolutionary Species Concept: It defines a species by its shared evolutionary history.
(MultiCiencia)
Genotypic Cluster Definition: It uses genetic “gaps” to distinguish one species from
another. (MultiCiencia)
Monoculture: A form of agriculture practice in which farmers nourish and produce only one
type of crop.
Homogenization: The act of blending into a uniform mixture. (Merriam Webster)
Nitrogen Cycle: A process in which nitrogen is used and converted between various
chemical forms through both biological and non-biological processes.
Habitats: a place or environment where certain group or organism lives.
Exotic Species: Non-indigenous species, a species that has been introduced from another
geographic region to an area outside its natural range. (MultiCiencia)
Indigenous Species: Native species.
Coevolution: Evolution involving successive changes in two or more ecologically
interdependent species that affect their interactions. (Merriam Webster)
Background to the Topic
“ At least 40 percent of the world’s economy and 80 percent of the needs of the
poor are derived from biological resources. In addition, the richer the diversity of life, the
greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive
responses to such new challenges as climate change.” (The Convention about Life on
Earth)
With a great biodiversity, ecosystem’s productivity increases, offering us a greater
variety of everything. A large number of plant species offers us a greater variety of crops.
Also, it ensures sustainability of all forms of life. Most importantly, biodiversity offers
healthy ecosystems to withstand greater disasters of all forms. Biodiversity is important to
sustain a stable food webs. Unstable food webs can cause major disasters within the
ecosystem. Extinction of a certain species can cause the extinction of another species. All
living forms on Earth- from bacteria species to enormous blue whales- they are all
interrelatedly connected to one and another. In a food chain pyramid, the primary
consumers rely on producers, the secondary consumers rely on primary consumers and
tertiary consumers rely on secondary consumers to survive. An extinctions in any food
chain level can trigger a disturbance in the whole ecosystem. When secondary consumers
become extinct, primary consumers naturally increase. An increase in the amount of
primary consumers put more pressure on the producers; eventually, there will be a lack of
vegetation affecting the precipitation pattern. When precipitation pattern is affected,
desertification of a region cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is important to maintain a right
balance between all energy levels of the food chain pyramid.
In the past, species extinct and newer species evolve to replace the empty place in
the food chain. Since our planet came to existence, it has undergone five mass
extinctions. All of these mass extinctions wiped out 99 percent of both plant and animal
species. The most well known mass extinction happened 65 million years ago with the
extinction of dinosaurs. Before we take over and destruct for our own good, the mother
earth can recover quite fine. However, the rate of evolution today is very different. The rate
of extinction is much faster than the rate of evolving species. If the rate doesn’t reach a
balance, the whole life cycle on Earth will definitely be affected.
A healthy biodiversity offers us many natural important services. Natural services
offered by a healthy biodiversity can be further divided into ecosystem services, biological
resources and crucial social benefits. Almost all cultures rely on biological diversity in order
to survive! Since the prehistoric times, we rely on nature more than nature rely on us. We
rely on nature with a great biodiversity to sustain our own needs. As much as we destroy
to satisfy our own needs, we forget to protect it. We rely on nitrogen fixing bacteria to grow
crops. If all consumers, specifically apex predators are killed, herbivores will clear all the
producers, leaving us with no water to consume. On the other hand, if all producers,
specifically plants are wiped off, the wild animals will have no shelter and invade our
territory. Environmental wise, we rely on a healthy biodiversity for water resources, fertile
soil, nutrients, pollution absorption, stable climate change, recovery from inevitable natural
disasters. Biologically, we need a well biodiversity for food, medical resources,
pharmaceutical drugs, wood products, ornamental plants, future resources, population
reservoirs and different environmental ecosystems. Socially, we depend on great
biodiversity for future researching, education and monitoring and diverse cultural values.
The major direct causes of loss of biodiversity are caused by human beings.
Biological causes such as the loss of habitats are caused by human disturbance on a
world wide scale. We continue to destroy the tropical forest; we continue to pollute rivers
and coral reefs. The introduction of exotic species is also another crucial cause of the loss
of biodiversity. While some introduction are accidents, most are introduced on purpose.
Animals such as cane toads, foxes, rabbits and cats are introduced to Australia causing
the extinction of many indigenous species. Not only Australia, the introduction of new
species have caused the extinction of at least 18 fish species in the North American river.
Introduction of Nile perch has also caused a catastrophic change in the biodiversity of
Lake Victoria in East Africa. Over-harvesting including illegally hunting wild lives and overdestruction of forest for wood are other reasons of biodiversity loss. As I stated previously,
all species on Earth rely on each other. If one happens to disappear, the species relying
on it face extinction as well. Species that co-evolve with another rely on each other. Moabi,
a common tree in West- Africa depend on the elephants for reproduction. Elephants eat
the fruit of Moabi; then, the seeds are extracted for cooking oil. In other words, elephants
are Moabi’s pollinators. With the reduction of elephants in countries such as Ivory Coast,
Ghana and Benin, the distribution of the tree is deeply affected. Homogenization in
agriculture, forestry and monoculture cuts down the use of types of machines and tools
needed to plant and harvest, and the types of chemical supplements, because limited
number of species are planted. The variety of banana species are diminishing due to
homogenization. As for monoculture, it is equivalent as “putting all your eggs in one
basket. So that if a farmer loses his one and only crop- as a result of disease or adverse”
(Goodall 38)- he is in danger financially. In the past, the farmers usually have another kind
of crop coming along to help keep his bank balance healthy. To keep their only crops
alive, the modern farmers add chemical fertilizers, which often contain lead, arsenic, and
sometimes mercury, and sprays chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides on the crop.
According Darwin’s idea of the Survival of the Fittest, it is natural for the insects that prey
on that crop to build up resistance to the chemicals. Unfortunately, the modern famers will
spray increasing amounts of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides and use more fertilizer.
The chemicals we used eventually sinks into the soil and becomes completely depleted of
nutrients that the farm’s entire ecosystem is on chemical life. As a result, we polluted our
own environment causing inevitable changes in ecosystem that threaten the world’s
biodiversity.
On the other aspect, human’s ecological change also causes biodiversity loss. As
the world population grow world wide, our demand for resources increase, especially basic
necessities of life such as food production. Since 1999, the population of the whole world
have reached 6 billion. It is estimated that global population will reach 8 billion by 2025.
High concentration of people can result in the further destruction of terrestrial, aquatic, and
marine biodiversity. In short, demographic change also causes biodiversity loss.
Major Countries and Organizations Involved and Their Positions
Countries with high population such as Latin American countries and African
countries cause an increase in energy consumption and natural resources; therefore,
creating an imbalance between production and consumption rate. When either one rate is
greater than the other, biodiversity within an ecosystem is disturbed. In the LEDCs (Less
Economically Developed Countries), the poor are indirectly causing a great loss of
biodiversity. Rural poverty can not be prevented in LEDCs (Less Economically Developed
Countries); therefore, the poor, specifically farmers fails to assume the long-term effects
on economy and environment. Poor people such as the farmers, fishermen and nomads
get what they can to support themselves. On the other hand, they forget to invest in
resource conservation and management.
Deforestation causes the loss of biodiversity. In Mexico, about “70 to 80 percent of
the 40 million hectares of the country’s temperate and tropical forest” (Multiciencia 14) are
divided into plots for both families and wealthy individuals. Currently, Mexico faces the
highest rate of deforestation in the world.
In Ghana, mining is responsible for biodiversity loss. Gold mining is often practiced
in the south-western region of the country. During mining activities, forests are destroyed.
Although the gold mining companies are forced to compensate and to “re-green” the area,
the companies plant plants from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) instead of
the indigenous plants. The fact that the companies plant exotic species instead of
indigenous species deeply affects the once healthy biodiversity.
The promotion of building roads and dams in Brazilian Amazon causes the
indigenous species to face extinction. Instead of protecting the original forest, 55 percent
are destroyed and replaced with new agriculture plantations. The plants that are used to
replace the original forest includes pineapple, pepper, maracuja, banana and palm. After
the depletion of soil, the area is left to erosion.
When global cultures are homogenized, when monoculture is practiced and when
large private companies come to overpower a country’s agricultural business, biodiversity
is disappearing. After WWII more and more modern farmers, especially those of US,
decided to grow food with poisons, which are the genetically modified food/ genetically
modified Roundup and developed by the large private companies, such as Monsanto.
Unlike indigenous species, The Round-Up-Ready seeds are genetically alternated to
contain pesticides, herbicide and fungicide. These genetically modified crops and foods
cut down the use of chemical supplements and poison the insects over a longer period
than the farmer who would spray the crops once or twice. Today, the most common
genetically modified crops and fruit are corn, soya beans, sugar cane and long lasting
tomatoes. Critics fear that less developed countries are becoming dependent on the rich
western world. Usually, it is the large private companies in the west that have the means to
develop genetically modified plants. By making the plants sterile these large companies
can prevent farmers from growing plant seed for the following year- forcing them to buy
new rice from the companies.
Timeline of Events
1971- Ramsar Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar. (ramsar.org)
1972- World Heritage Convention was adopted to protect outstanding natural and cultural
heritage and species. (whc.unesco.org)
1974- UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programm developed the concept of
Biosphere Reserves to protect the environment that people sustainably interact with, and
subsequently launched its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 1976. Areas of
terrestrial and coastal ecosystems protected and recognized by national governments are
biosphere reserves. These areas promote solutions to conserve and protect the land,
water and biodiversity. Collectively, over 500 biosphere reserves in over 100 countries
around the world form the WNBR (World Network of Biosphere
Reserves).(whc.unesco.org)
1992- The Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted and calls for Parties to
establish national regulations to protect biological diversity. Currently, the Convention
includes a program of work on protected areas. (cbd.int)
January 10, 2010- Biodiversity loss is ‘wake-up call’. (un.org)
November 2, 2010- UN Member States adopted a new 10-year global strategy designed to
halt the loss of the world biological diversity. (un.org)
December 2, 2010- Ocean failing the acid test. The Chemistry of the oceans is changing at
a rate not seen for 65 million years, with implications for marine biodiversity and food
security. (un.org)
Important and Relevant Documents
The main purpose of the World Heritage Convention, developed in 1972 is to
preserve cultural sites and to conserve nature. The convention recognizes the importance
of finding a balance between human destruction and nature’s recovery ability. To reach
this goal, the States Parties are asked to identify potential sites and find ways to protect
and preserve them. By signing the World Heritage Convention, States Parties are
committed to conserve both the World Heritage sites and its national heritage. The States
Parties are also responsible for reporting their progress regularly. Moreover, the
convention encourages States Parties to promote programs and to adopt measures within
regions. (whc.unesco.org)
The Ramsar Convention, also known as The Convention on Wetlands of
International Importance is an intergovernmental treaty and the only global environmental
treaty that deals with the protection of particular ecosystem. The wetlands protected by the
Convention includes lakes and rivers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands and
peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, near-shore marine areas, mangroves
and coral reefs, and human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs, and
salt pans. The Ramsar Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all
wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a
contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.
(ramsar.org) Moreover, The Ramsar Convention ensures member countries to use their
wetlands wisely. “Unlike the other global environmental conventions, Ramsar is not
affiliated with the United Nations system of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, but it
works very closely with the other MEAs and is a full partner among the the biodiversityrelated cluster of treaties and agreements.” (rasmar.org)
The main objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are to
conserve and protect biological diversity, sustain the use of the resources of biological
diversity and share equitable benefits arise from genetic resources. (cbd.int)
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is established in 2000. Through goal 7;
ensuring environmental sustainability, both marine biodiversity and terrestrial biodiversity
are protected. Through target 7a, policies and programs are developed to protect the
environmental loss. Target 7b attempts to achieve the reduction of biodiversity loss by
2010. (undp.org)
Previous Attempted Solutions: Analysis of Their Failure/ Success
Lately, the LERU (League of European Research Universities) urges to recognize
the importance of doing further biodiversity research to create new policies and goals that
halt biodiversity loss. According to the United Nations, 2010 is also known as the
‘International Year of Biodiversity’. Since the previous attempts to halt biodiversity loss
have all failed in Europe, the United Nations is desperate for member states to create new
policies to conserve the biodiversity in diverse ecosystems. The LERU (League of
European Research Universities) also invites additional support from research universities,
working group of any kind, experienced policy makers and other influential people. By
doing so, the LERU (League of European Research Universities) wishes to establish
concrete and consistent policies in biodiversity protection and to raise public awareness of
the importance of biodiversity.
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Appendix (Useful Links)
- CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
- UN (United Nations): http://ww.un.org/english/
- UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization):
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/
- UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) http://www.unep.org/
- Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/
- Global Issues http://www.globalissues.org/