The importance of biodiversity

Jul 1st 2019

The importance of biodiversity

First of all, what is biodiversity? According to Greenpeace biodiversity is nothing more than the biological diversity of our environment which can be categorized into the diversity of species, the genetic diversity within the species and the diversity of ecosystems such as forests and the sea.

Why is biodiversity important? We would like to introduce you to three out of many reasons. 

It is estimated that there are between 10 and 100 million species on our planet earth. Currently about 1.8 million are known. An extinct species is lost forever and there is no possibility to bring it back. We as humans are one out of this 1.8 million species and should take care not to endanger or eradicate another species. 

All species are dependent on each other and if one species becomes extinct mostly other species become so too.  To exemplify it one can take the example of the Dodo. After the Dodo became extinct on the island of Mauritius in the 17thcentury, a tree species called Calvaria major was not able to propagate anymore. The reason is the thickness of its seed coat which hinders a germling to break it open. However, if a seed was eaten by a Dodo and got in contact with a Dodo’s digestive juices a germling was able to break through the seed coat.

Biodiversity is the basis of several industries and most of our food. The economic value of the pollination of the bees is estimated between 150 und 600 billion Swiss franc depending on the formula. The economic value of drugs which agent is based on fungal, bacteria, plants or animals is estimated between 80 and 160 billion Swiss francs.

So, what can we all do to support biodiversity? Migros, the biggest retailer in Switzerland, views besides reducing the environmental pollution and taking care of the habitat of animals and indigenous flora, the plantation of domestic plants as an important aspect to support the biodiversity. By doing so one provides food and creates habitats for animals. Gardens with log piles and heaps of leaves are great habitats for many animals and other wild animals too. Basically, the wilder a garden is and the higher the amount of domestic plants is, the more valuable it is for biodiversity. However, in order to support biodiversity, it is not necessaryto have a garden. On balconies and window cills one can plant and sow plants for example which are nourishment for bees and butterflies. 

The current media presence of biodiversity offers clearly many chances for the green industry which just need to be grabbed. 

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