Download the socio-economic importance of biodiversity

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
As we all know the earth originated 4500 million years ago. The first life forms on earth have
been reported in the form of the bacteria and algae 3000 million years ago. The first trees
originated in the Devonian period. The humans were first reported in the Cenozoic era. From the
time of origin of the humans, they have been dwelling in the forests as wanderers in search of
food and shelter. The Holy Bible mentions Adam and Eve to be the first human on the earth
dwelling in forests and feeding on the bounties of nature. Man slowly learnt the art of making
fire and cooking food and finally the art of cultivating cereals and pulses and settling down to
give rise to the great civilizations as the Harappan, the Mesopotamian, the Nile Valley and the
Mayan Civilization. There is a very famous phrase saying that “Necessity is the mother of
inventions”. As the needs of the humans have increased, so have the new inventions. By
exploiting the variety of ecosystems man has conquered all the mountains, valleys, rivers and
many in-accessible areas and carved ways through them. It is only with the help of nature that
man has been able to achieve such heights of ambition. He has been able to change the direction
of the rivers, clear huge forests areas for the agricultural land and construction of dams to meet
his needs for water, tame and domesticate many animals like sheep, goat, cow, dogs to fulfill his
needs and demands and also animals like tigers, lions, elephants, seal, dolphins etc to host circus
to earn his living. The nature has and is suffering a lot at the hands of man right from the
beginning of his journey from a nomad to the so called civilized human.
Biodiversity encompasses all the varieties of the plants, animals and living organisms and is of
great concern to the needs of mankind. Man from the date of his origin is evolving, utilizing the
bounties provided by Mother Nature. The biodiversity is abundant and is different in different
ecosystems like fresh water, marine ecosystem, forest, wetlands, and agricultural ecosystems. All
these ecosystems have many ecological niches and directly or indirectly are of economic
importance to man. At the ecosystem level, biodiversity provides the conditions and drives the
processes that sustain the global economy – and our very survival as a species. The ecosystems
provide us with many benefits and services.
As Lord Krishna has said in Mahabharata ,“You should not pray the idols but instead
pray to forests, animals because they give u livelihood!”
Socio economic importance of biodiversity is not complete without mention of coastal waters.
mangroves are the most important part of the coastline. the presence of mangrove ecosystems
on coastline save lives and property during natural hazards such as cyclones, storm surges and
erosion. These ecosystems are also well known for their economic importance. They are
breeding, feeding and nursery grounds for many estuarine and marine organisms. Hence, these
areas are used for captive and culture fisheries. The ecosystem has a very large unexplored
potential for natural products useful for medicinal purposes and also for salt production,
apiculture, fuel and fodder, etc.
But Anthropological pressures and natural calamities are the enemies of the ecosystem. Growing
industrial areas along the coastlines and discharge of domestic and industrial sewage are
polluting these areas. Many studies have highlighted these problems and the conservation efforts
are being considered.
Another important characteristic are the estuaries of Indian coastline. An estuary is a semienclosed coastal body of water. It is here that the river meets the sea in shallow, protected bays.
The estuary serves a banquet of decaying plants, tiny floating plants and animals called plankton,
and little fishes. Millions of sea animals get their start in life feeding in the quiet waters of the
estuary. They can find shelter in salt marshes, beds of slender eelgrass, or wide mudflats. A
range of coastal landforms fit this description, including bays, lagoons, harbours, inlets, sounds,
fiords and swamps.
An estuary has very little wave action, so it provides a calm refuge from the open sea. Some of
the animals, such as flounder, eels, and striped bass are just visitors to the estuary. Small fishes
such as stickleback and mummichogs, mud snails, and oysters may spend their entire lives there.
Flush with nutrients and inhabited by resilient organisms, estuaries are among the most
productive ecosystems on earth. They provide rich feeding grounds for coastal fish and
migratory birds, and spawning areas for fish and shellfish. They are also important in
maintaining the quality of coastal waters.
Forest ecosystem:
Forest comprises of all the wild flora and fauna which directly and indirectly are of economic
importance to man. Forests are source of all the products like fruits, timber, and fuel wood, resins
gums etc and add to indirect values of biodiversity. The services rendered by the biodiversity are
essential for the functioning of the global economy. The biodiversity also has great importance
as a direct source of income and economic development. One example is 'bioprospecting' (the
search for previously unknown biotic products of specific utility, such as natural pesticides, antifungal toxins and ‘oil-eating’ enzymes). Such discoveries join an impressive list of
‘miscellaneous’ goods provided by biodiversity, including many of our most important building
materials (in form of timber woods species like Tectona grandis, Gmelina arborea, Azadirachta
indica, Ailanthus excelsa), fuels (wood of Acacia sps., Eucalyptus), waxes, resins (Pinus sps),
aromatics (Ocimum sanctum, Mentha arvensis, Santalum album, Eucalyptus globulus, guggal,
Boswellia serrata), dyes (Butea monosperma flowers, Lawsonia inermis leaves, rhizome of
turmeric, Acacia catechu (katha) and gums (Gum arabic from Acacia arabica). Even in its
wholly untapped state, biodiversity does great service to economies through ‘ecotourism’. People
taking nature-related holidays contribute at least $500 billion per year to the national incomes of
the countries they visit. Florida’s coral reefs, for example, earn around $1.6 billion per year
through tourism alone. The entire concept of nature tourism is based on the assemblage of trees,
creepers and orchids in a natural wilderness area. The removal of such biological resources
would have direct impact on the local, state or even the national economy. All the countries are
promoting themselves for ecotourism and this will contribute not only to foreign exchange but
will also help to preserve the wild life and biodiversity. The other indirect uses of the forest
involve the benefits as timber, seeds and fruits, acting as pollution sinks, producing oxygen,
resisting soil erosion and helping microclimate.
Agricultural ecosystem:
Biodiversity maintains and enhances soil quality and promotes food security.
Agriculture originated about 12,000 years ago and because of it the humans settled down to live
in colonies. The ancient system of the agriculture was mostly close to the rivers like the Nile
valley civilization close to river Nile, the Indus valley civilization near the Indus and the Mayan
civilization near the Amazon. Agricultural systems made the man civilized. The tribal at many
places have been practicing the Shifting cultivation or Jhum in which they cut a large forest area
and burn it. Then after clearing it they cultivate many crops. This process of cultivation
continues for around 5 years till the land remains fertile. After this period they leave the area
barren for either regeneration of forest or for the soil to become fertile again which takes a time
period of around 20 years. This practice is still being used by many tribal.
Pollination: Biodiversity promotes the pollination in the crops and trees and provides us with the
food grains. Many flowering plants rely on the activities of various animal species – bees,
butterflies, bats, birds, etc. – to help them reproduce through the transportation of pollen. More
than one-third of humanity’s food crops depend on this process of natural pollination. Many
animal species have evolved to perform an additional function in plant reproduction through the
dispersal of seeds. All the living organisms are dependent on one another. If there would have
been no biodiversity there would be no pollination and so there would be no fruits and grain on
which we feed. The bees, wasps, butterfly, birds, bats etc all feeding on the nectar of the
beautiful, colourful and scented flowers carry along with them on their proboscis and legs the
pollens from one flower to another and then only we get such tasty fruits to eat and grains to help
us maintain a healthy diet.
Soil fertility: Without the microbes and soil organisms it would be impossible for the soil to be
fertile and to promote healthy and good crop yield. The activities of microbial and animal species
– including bacteria, algae, fungi, mites, millipedes and worms – condition soils, break down
organic matter, and release essential nutrients to plants. These processes play a key role in the
cycling of such crucial elements as nitrogen, carbon and phosphorous between the living and
non-living parts of the biosphere. The soil maintained by them is converted into the fertile layer
called the “humus”. It takes hundreds of years for its formation and as it is enriched with all the
nutrients which are required for plant growth. All the cereals and cash crops when grown on such
soil give a high yield and helps in improving our economy. Now-a-days the culture of no-tillage
farming is being encouraged. The farmers are encouraged to use more earthworms in such fields
and also in the normal fields. The earthworm (Pheretima posthuma) is a brownish worm which
lives inside the burrows in the soil and on moving it makes tunnels which help in gaseous
exchange and mixing the soil, in turn acting as a plough. That may be the very reason it has been
called as the Farmer’s friend. Their body on death and decomposition adds organic matter to the
soil enhancing its nutrient content. Another concept of organic farming is also being encouraged
in which the dead decomposed parts of animals like bones, blood, horns, hoofs and also their
urine and dungs are used as manure and decomposed to use as compost. The same way the green
legumes rich in nitrogen content or dead and dried and decomposed parts of the plants are used
to enhance the soil quality and nutrient content making the soil fertile for an increased yield by
crops. They contribute in increasing food production and food security.
Pest control: Around 99 per cent of potential crop pests are controlled by a variety of other
organisms, including insects, birds and fungi. These natural pesticides are in many ways superior
to their artificial equivalents, since pests can often develop resistance to chemical controls. These
biopesticides are beneficial and good to use as they do not cause any pollution, they are
biodegradable and non-toxic. The bio-pests have been combined with biotechnology to produce
the organisms called the GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), these organisms in the form
of some transgenic plants and crops help to resist insect and pest, they are tolerant to the
herbicides, they yield more, they are tolerant to the stresses like drought, salinity and there are
GMOs with many more unique features. They can be explained with many examples like the Bt
cotton, where Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis. It is transgenic cotton containing its normal
genome along with the genome of a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis which when consumed by
the bollworms feeding on cotton leaves and bolls they die, but this bacteria has been found to be
harmless to mammals consuming them. There are other such examples of such transgenic crops
like Bt Brinjal, transgenic tobacco, transgenic tomato, golden rice (rich in carotenes) and so on.
The germplasm of many crop varieties is being conserved as done by NBPGR (National Bureau
of Plant Genetic Resources), Lucknow so as to produce plants of the desired characteristics when
required by hybridization or by the GMOs method. This way the biodiversity in combination
with technology for betterment of mankind can work wonders and increase food production in
the present scenario where floods, droughts and many natural calamities are more frequent.
Provision of food security: Food security is offered by agriculture, with 90% of food being
derived from slightly more than 100 plant species out of a quarter of a million known to exist.
According to Wilson (2003), only three plants species-wheat, rice and rice stand between
humanity and starvation. Only 20 plant species provide food to most people world over because
they have been brought under settled cultivation. Ethnobotanical studies reveal a much wider
spectrum from nature-extending to 30,000 species, use of which is known to the indigenous
people and tribal communities. Biodiversity provides the vast majority of our foodstuffs. The
annual world fish catch, for example (averaging 100 million metric tons), represents humanity’s
most important source of wild animal protein, with over 20 per cent of the population in Africa
and Asia dependent on fish as their primary source of protein. The algae like Spirulina,
Chlorella, Ulva, Porphyra etc are also good sources of proteins and are used for making soups.
Not only plants but also animals provide food security. In the world only 20% of the population
is vegetarian and the rest are non-vegetarians. Terrestrial animals like goat, sheep, buffalo, cow,
ducks, poultries etc supply an array of food products: eggs, milk, milk products, meat, etc. So
animal husbandry and poultry keeping are being encouraged as a source of food security.
Aquaculture of all the aquatic organisms like prawns, shrimps, octopus, crabs, lobsters, clams is
being done all over the world and such cultures are helpful in maintaining the food security and
also in earning a lot of foreign exchange. Wild biodiversity provides a wide variety of important
foodstuffs, including fruits, game meats, nuts, mushrooms, honey, spices and flavourings. These
wild foods are especially important when agricultural supplies fail. Indeed, wild biodiversity
guards against the failure of even the most advanced agricultural systems. For example, the
productivity of many of the developed world’s agricultural crops is maintained through the
regular assimilation of new genes from wild relatives of these crops. These wild genes offer
resistance to the pests and diseases that pose an ever-evolving threat to harvests. All the above
components of biodiversity not only offer food but also suffice mans needs by providing him
with money.
Health care: The World Health Organization estimates that 80 per cent of people in the
developing world rely on traditional medicines derived mainly from plants. In Southeast Asia,
for example, traditional healers use some 6,500 different plant species to treat malaria, stomach
ulcers, syphilis, and other diseases. Biodiversity is also critical to the 'formal' health sector of the
developed world. A recent survey showed that of the top 150 prescription drugs used in the
United States, 118 are based on natural sources. Of these, 74 per cent are derived from plants.
Microbes and animal species have also contributed a range of medicines, including Penicillin
(derived from the fungus Pencillium notatum) and several drugs – including anesthetics– derived
from the skin secretions of tree-frog species. The medicinal importance of biodiversity is
particularly impressive considering that only a tiny fraction of earth’s species have been
thoroughly investigated for medicinal properties. The investigative process is continually turning
up new pharmaceuticals of great promise. A recent study of cone snails, for example, has
identified a painkiller that is up to a thousand times more effective than morphine, but without
morphine’s addictive properties. There are many plants which are used for preparation of the
medicines like Vinca rosea (periwinkle) with two alkaloids like vinblastine and vincristine which
are used for curing cancer-Hodgkin’s disease and lymphocytic cancer. Almost all the plants have
medicinal importance like tea gives caffeine which stimulates the nervous system, Papaver
somniferum (opium) yields cocaine which is an analgesic, Colchicum autumnale yields
colchicine which has anticancer property, Cinchona tree bark yields quinine with antimalarial
property, the roots of Rauvolfia serpentina yield reserpine used to reduce high blood pressure
and so on.
Income generation: Plantations of many important trees yielding fruits like mango, apple, litchi,
strawberry, cashews, walnut, tea, coffee, fibres (like Crotolaria juncea (jute), Coccus nucifera
(coconut), Hibiscus malvacearum (cotton)) etc. Bagasse from sugarcane, cyperus and grasses are
raw material for paper production. The bee rearing as Apiculture for production of honey is also
a commercialized. The sericulture for the production of silk by rearing the silkworms on the
Morus alba (mulberry trees) produces commercial and very fine silk. Growing economically
important trees like mango, sag, sal, mahuda etc along with the food crops as agroforestry also
promotes more biodiversity and act as source of income. Horticulture involves growing
economically important crops, vegetables (olericulture), flowers (floriculture), fruits (pomology)
and ornamental plants. All these branches of horticulture are being encouraged acting as a source
of earning money. The fibers and silk are used in textile industries for preparation of the clothes,
bags, carpets, baskets etc. and are were a good source of income as cottage and small scale
industries. The leather as derived from the skin of some of the animals are used in preparing
clothes, coats, shoes and covers of the sofa. The silviculture practices also help in plantation of
timber and fuel wood which would also help to suffice the needs of the rural people for fire wood
and will provide food security at times of unfavourable climate.
Varsity faced by the biodiversity
Each and every thing on which we depend is derived from nature, making it important for our
social, physical and mental well being. We should be thankful to the nature for its bounties
which it provides us. But we are overexploiting the resources provided to us.
The shifting cultivation is damaging to the ecosystem as large areas of the forest are cleared and
along with them many other animals and plants are also sacrificed for developing agricultural
field. Hence biodiversity is destroyed. Another such example which involves a huge clearance
of the forest is the plantation of tea and coffee, they being beverages and of great economic
importance.
The use of pesticides, floods, rain water, wind etc all lead to the fertile soil being carried away
causing soil erosion. This makes the soil barren and unfit for cultivation. The running of the
pesticides and fertilizers used in agricultural field when carried into the water bodies leads to the
excess growth of the algae called the algal bloom which further lead to eutrophication consuming
all the oxygen from the water and leading to the death of other aquatic organisms.
It has been rightly stated “There is a place for man’s need but not for man’s greed.” But man
to suffice the thirst for his greed, which is never quenched and he keeps on exploiting the
resources of nature. He is indiscriminately cutting down trees for building landscapes and
flyover, bridges, and dams and for increasing the area under agriculture. Due to his mass
exploitations the balance of nature has been disturbed, the ever increasing population and
vehicular and industrial pollution are all leading to the emissions of hazardous gases which are
not only impacting the ecosystem functioning but are also having adverse effect on the health of
plants, animals and humans and also monuments and metals. The excess emission of the
greenhouse gases leads to the global warming which further impacts the climate causing climate
change. The costs of which are very severe in terms of variability in rainfall, temperature,
increase in the number of the cyclones, hurricanes, storms, floods and droughts and also melting
ice from the glaciers and ice sheets and the poles leading to the submergence of the islands and
many human inhabitations due to rising of the sea level. Indonesia being the biggest exporter of
raw material for paper making is cutting the trees at a very fast pace which will be very difficult
to replenish.
The mangroves acting as coastal guards and protecting the coastal areas and human inhabitations
from the impacts of the storms, tides and cyclones have been cut down clearing large areas for
the creation of the SEZ (special economic zone) and also ports. They have also been cut due to
the shrimp farming which is catching pace in the aquaculture. The mangroves themselves act as a
separate ecosystem with their huge roots acting as shelter for the crabs, lobsters, fishes during
their breeding time and also some algae. They also prevent the impact of the rising sea level to
some extent.
The poaching of the animals for their horns, teeth and skin to produce expensive products is
another example of human brutality to the animals. It also involves the clinical trials done on the
animals by the pharmaceutical for testing of the medicines.
Bird trade:
The only way to prevent and stop the brutality of the humans towards nature can be through
awareness programmes and also by providing employment to one and all. The government and
the NGOs have taken many steps in this direction. The rural and tribal masses are being educated
to make them educated to protect and conserve the ecosystem rather than just using it for their
selfish need.
Spiritual / cultural value of biodiversity
It’s no mystery why people are prepared to spend so much to get close to nature. Human beings
instinctively derive aesthetic and spiritual satisfaction from biodiversity. Recent studies have
begun to confirm what has always been known: our emotional wellbeing is enhanced by the
proximity of natural beauty. The umbilical bond between humanity and biodiversity is reflected
in the art, religions and traditions of diverse human cultures: a spiritual heritage that will be lost
for all time if its basis – nature itself – continues to be destroyed. It might have been the reason
for the worshipping of nature as god and goddesses as mentioned in our ancient Indian
mythologies. It is mentioned in the Vedas that the man in ancient times worshipped the sun, the
moon, the sky, the rivers (Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Godawari), the land, some trees (banyan
tree, neem tree, tulsi), some animals (cow, ox, lion, tiger, snakes), some areas in the forest were
declared as sacred groves and only saints were allowed to stay there. We as Hindus worship
many gods, Shiva with the snakes and ox, Ganesha with the mouse, Kartikeya with the peacock,
goddess Parvati with the lion. All the gods appear with one animal or the other and hence
emphasise on the conservation of nature which will be for our own betterment. All these
strategies seem to us now that it was in a way to develop our psychology so as to conserve the
biodiversity in one way or the other by worshipping and protecting the animals and plants.