Science, Technology, and Society
Finals
Biodiversity and the Healthy Society
Introduction:
This topic entitled Biodiversity and the Healthy Society discusses the interrelatedness of society, the
environment, and health.
From the early times, when ancient philosophers of nature tried to explain all things as coming from the
elements of water, fire, air, or earth, science sought for the common characteristic, a unifying element,
in all of nature's phenomena. There was a growing awareness of how all living things are related to each
other, an idea called biodiversity. This recognition started when naturalists began to classify organisms
in the natural world using taxonomy, a system devised by Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus. Still used in
the biological sciences today, taxonomy is the hierarchical system of classifying and naming organisms.
However, with a limited number of resources, how do the many living organisms of a diverse region
survive? The answer lies in the way the available energy supply in the world is shared among the
different species through the various ecological relationships. The energy needed to live is shared
among the elements of the living world or passed on from one to another.
I. Learning Objectives:
At the end of this module, students should be able to:
1. Determine the interrelatedness of society, environment, and health;
2. Create a diagram that would show the relatedness of species in forming up a diverse and healthy
society without compromising one another;
3. Identify everyday tasks and evaluate whether they contribute to the wellness and health of
biodiversity and society or not; and
4. Appreciate the value of conserving biodiversity.
II. Lectures
The United Nations (UN) declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity, the International
Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, and the International Year of Youth.
Biological diversity, also known as biodiversity, is the term given to the variety of life on earth and the
natural patterns it forms. This diversity is often understood in terms of the variety of plants, animals,
and microorganisms. About 1.75 million species are identified, mostly small creatures such as insects.
Some scientists believe that there are about 13 million species, though estimates range from three to
100 million.
The loss of biodiversity threatens food supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of
wood, medicines, and energy. It also interferes with essential ecological functions. On December 20,
2006, the UN General Assembly declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. It designated the
secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity as the event's focal point. The assembly also invited
the secretariat to work with other UN bodies, environmental agreements, and organizations to bring
greater international attention to the continued loss of biodiversity.
The International Year of Biodiversity focuses on boosting awareness of biodiversity's importance by
promoting actions to foster biodiversity worldwide. Various partners have committed to actively
participating in or organizing activities and projects for the year-long event.
BIODIVERSITY and ECOSYSTEM
- Is defined as the vast variety of life forms in the entire earth. It encompasses all kinds of life forms,
from single-celled organisms to the largest multi-celled organisms.
- Its definition is in the structural and functional perspective and not as an individual.
Biodiversity is the source of the essential goods and ecological services that constitute the source of life
for all and it has direct consumptive value in food, agriculture, medicine, and industry. (Villaggio Globale,
2009)
- Understanding biodiversity within the concept of ecosystem needs a thorough study on the
relationship of the biotic, the living organisms, and the abiotic, the nonliving organisms.
- An interdisciplinary approach is needed to study the ecosystem
-Biodiversity plays a major role in this natural dynamic.
- Therefore, we, as human inhabitants of the ecosystem, must preserve and conserve the
biodiversity of all creatures.
- In simple terms, indeed, people will always depend on biodiversity on the wholeness of our
being and in our everyday lives.
- Somehow, there are ways and processes in the ecosystem that are not apparent nor
appreciated by us human beings.
- Think about the need to drink clean and fresh water, the need to eat healthy vegetables and
food, or the need for man to transport which makes him rely on fuel.
- All of these are human needs that are answered and provided by our ecosystem.
- Thus, if we fail to keep the process of taking care of the ecosystem, it is we who are putting our
lives at risk.
- A significant decline in biodiversity has a direct human impact when the ecosystem in its
insufficiency can no longer provide the physical as well as the social need of human beings.
- Indirectly, changes in the ecosystem affect livelihood, income, and on occasion, may even
cause political conflict.
TYPES OF BIODIVERSITY
1. Species Diversity- Different types of species in a community- The extent of species diversity in
different areas is referred to as species richness, which is dependent on the varied environmental
conditions- Example: species diversity besides large bodies of water would be richer as compared to are
far from bodies of water
2. Ecosystem Diversity- The different types of ecosystems, such as terrestrial or aquatic, natural or
artificial, are sustained due to their strategic geographical locations on earth.
- Example: forests, grasslands, mangroves, freshwater, marine
3. Genetic Diversity- It is to develop specific characteristics that permit it to adjust to new
environmental pressures, such as climate change or disease.
- Example: human diversity is observed even in closely related individuals due to genetic differences
Mega biodiverse Countries
-refers to top biodiversity
-rich countries, including the Philippines
-the concept is used to highlight awareness of conservation issues around the world
-to quality as a megadiverse country, it must have a high level of endemism (Endemism is the state of a
species being native to a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country, or
other defined zone) and species diversity, as well as have marine ecosystem along its border.
THE INTERACTION OF THE THREE TYPES OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
The three concentric circles show the interplay of the ecosystem, species, and genetic diversity.
The core, genetic diversity, involves the differences in the genetic makeup of the various species that
survive in the different ecosystems found in the biosphere.
Conversely, the ecosystem dictates the types of species that are fit to survive in them; thus,
their genetic makeup allows them to do so.
DISTRIBUTION OF BIODIVERSITY
Climate- Biodiversity affects climate at local, regional, and global levels, consequently, modifications in
land use and land cover that affect biodiversity can affect climate.
Altitude- Low altitudes are more diverse than higher altitudes.
Soils- Organisms living in soil and the mineral and nutrient components act together to produce high
diversity and complexity, feeding back to biodiversity richness through habitat and nutrient provision.
Presence of other Species
-Organisms interact with other organisms in an ecosystem which is known as ecological interaction.
Biodiversity Hotspots
- A region with a high amount of biodiversity that undergoes habitat damage by anthropological activity
is called a biodiversity hotspot
- In other words, a hotspot is rare and cannot be replaced. A hotspot must also have 30% or less of its
original natural vegetation. Hence, it has to be endangered.
- 36 areas qualify as hotspots. They embody just 2.4% of Earth's land surface, but they sustain more than
half of the world's plant species as endemics and nearly 43% of birds, mammals, reptiles, and
amphibians as endemics.
- Conservation International species 36 biodiversity hotspots around the world. All are severely
threatened by habitat loss and degradation, causing their conservation critical to protecting nature for
the advantage of all life on earth.
CHANGES IN BIODIVERSITY
- Alteration in any system could bring varied effects.
- A change in biodiversity could have erratic effects not only on wildlife or marine life but also on human
beings.
- We can infer that when our ecosystem is not well taken care of, biodiversity encounters changes that
may impact human health on such different levels.
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
- Major threats identified by United Nations Environment Programme (WHO, n.d.)
- Habitat loss and destruction
- Alteration in ecosystem composition.
- Over-exploitation
- Pollution and contamination
- Global change
CONSEQUENCES OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS
- Even with the improvement of technology and science at present, we still have a lot to learn about
biodiversity, more so about the consequences of biodiversity loss from Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel
Wallace.
- The particular species making up an ecosystem determine its productivity, affect nutrient cycles and
soil contents, and influence environmental conditions such as water cycles, weather patterns, climate,
and other non-biotic aspects.
- The loss of biodiversity has many consequences that we understand and many that we do not.
- As stated by Tilman, “The Earth will retain its most striking feature, its biodiversity, only if humans have
the patience to do so. This will occur, it seems, only if we realize the extent to which we use biodiversity
(Rainforest Conservation Fund, 2017)"
NUTRITIONAL IMPACT OF BIODIVERSITY
- According to the World Health Organization, biodiversity is a vital element of a human being's nutrition
because it influences food production.
- Biodiversity is a major factor that contributes to sustainable food production for human beings.
- A society or a population must have access to a sufficient variety of nutritious food as it is a
determinant of their health as human beings.
- Nutrition and biodiversity are linked at many levels: the ecosystem, with food production as an
ecosystem service.
- The nutritional composition between foods and among varieties/cultivars/breeds of the same food can
differ dramatically, affecting micronutrient availability in the diet.
- Intensified and enhanced food production through irrigation, use of fertilizer, plant protection
(pesticides), or the introduction of crop varieties and cropping patterns affect biodiversity and thus
impact global nutritional status and human health.
HEALTH, BIOLOGY, AND BIODIVERSITY
- Almost all living organisms are dependent on their environment to live and reproduce. Basic needs of
living organisms such as air, water, food, and habitat are provided by their environment.
- The evolution of human beings was due to improved access to these basic needs. Advances in
agriculture, sanitation, water treatment, and hygiene have had a far greater impact on human health
than on medical- Environmental hazards increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and many
other illnesses. These hazards can be physical, such as pollution, toxic chemicals, and food
contaminants, or they can be social, such as dangerous work, poor housing conditions, urban sprawl,
and poverty.
- Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation and hygiene can lead to infectious diseases, such as
diarrhea, cholera, etc.
- The interrelation between human health and biological diversity is considerable and complex. With the
current biodiversity loss at unprecedented rates, the delicate balance between human health and
biological diversity is at risk.
ENVIRONMENT-RELATED ILLNESS
- Some human illnesses that are found to be related to its environment include Parkinson's disease,
heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, diabetes, obesity, occupational
injuries, dysentery, arthritis, malaria, and depression.
- According to experts, climate change could also have a serious impact on human health and could
deteriorate the farming system, and reduce nutrients in some foods.
- Relationships between human health and the environment raise many ethical, social, and legal
dilemmas by forcing people to choose among competing values. Many of the issues at the intersection
of health and the environment have to do with managing benefits and risks.
- For example, pesticides play an important role in increasing crop yields, but they can also pose hazards
to human health and the environment. Alternatives to pesticides could significantly reduce agricultural
productivity, leading to food shortages and increased food prices which would, in turn, increase
starvation in some parts of the world.
- When drafting and implementing environmental health regulations, it is important to consider
vulnerable subpopulations.
- A vulnerable subpopulation is a group with increased susceptibility to the adverse effects of an
environmental risk factor, due to their age, genetics, health status, or some other condition.
- If an environmental regulation is designed to protect average members of the population, it may fail to
adequately protect vulnerable subpopulations. However, almost everyone in the population has an
above-average susceptibility to at least one environmental risk factor.
- Various public health strategies put the rights of individuals against the good of society, such as
mandatory treatment, vaccination, or diagnostic testing; isolation and quarantine: and disease
surveillance.
- Human rights issues also come up with research on environmental health that evolves human subjects.
- For research to be ethical, human subjects must give consent, and great care must be taken to ensure
that they understand that they can opt-out of the research project.
- Since the late 1990s, some pesticide companies have tested their products on human subjects to
gather data, to submit to the government for regulatory purposes.
-Some commentators charge that these experiments are unethical because they place people at
unacceptably high risk without a clear benefit to society.
- Others have argued that the experiments if properly designed and implemented, could produce
important benefits to society by providing useful knowledge about the effects of pesticides that can lead
to strong regulations.
BIODIVERSITY CONVERSATION
1. Biodiversity inventories
2. Conserving biodiversity in protected habitats
3. Restoration of biodiversity
4. Imparting environmental education
5. Enacting, strengthening, and enforcing environmental legislation
6. Reviewing the agriculture practice
7. Controlling urbanization
8. Conservation through biotechnology
9. Population Control
