What is Biological Diversity and Why is it Important?
 Considered broadly, biological diversity is the total of all life on Earth and their genetic make-up, as well as how they interact with the environment. Biological diversity is important to humans. For example, species diversity provides us with resources we need for our food, shelter, and medicine. Genetic diversity is needed for any species to breed effectively, help resist disease, and adapt to changing conditions. This is especially critical in many of our agricultural crops. Community-level diversity or groups of species found in a forest, grassland, or desert provide us with important environmental services such as flood and erosion control, and filtering for water, and conditioning soil. Conserving biological diversity is especially urgent for several reasons. First, rapidly expanding human populations are causing dramatic environmental changes. Secondly, scientists are continually discovering new uses for life's diversity that benefit humans and the environment. Lastly, many of the forms of life and their processes are being lost through extinction--they are gone for all times. Although tropical forests are recognized as having the greatest biological diversity, all locations and environments contain a share. It is the responsibility of each of us to use biodiversity carefully and make certain as much of it as possible exists for our future generations. |
United States of America
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Combined Federal Campaign #10639