10. What are the importance
to maintain biodiversity and the conservation of wildlife and their
habitats? Suggest ways to protect the endangered species.
a. Ecological and biological
importance
The importance of biodiversity in the
scope of biology and ecology is listed below:
1. All life forms are parts of the nature and each of
them has a specific role in it. The loss of any one life for is irreversible.
2. Every species helps scientist understand how life has
evolved and how it will continue to evolve.
3. The organisms in an ecosystem are interdependent. Each
species forms important parts of food chains and plays a specific role in the
ecosystem. For example, herbivores consume producers and transfer energy and
essential nutrients to carnivores, and detritivores speed up the cycling
processes of essential materials. This maintains a self-sufficient ecosystem.
4. The diversity of ecosystems is biologically important.
It is because organisms usually live in particular types of habitats, where the
physical factors are suitable for them to survive.
5. Biodiversity is an important part of our heritage,
just like art, language and other cultural achievements. Humans have the role
of stewardship of the natural world.
b. Economic and medicinal
importance
The importance of biodiversity to
economy and medicine is listed below:
1. Nearly 90% of food crops are domesticated from wild
tropical plants. Plant breeders and farmers rely on their genetic diversity to
improve crop yield, develop new crop strains, and increase the resistance of
crops to pests and diseases.
2. Most of the wild plants supply oils, dyes, fibre, paper and other useful products.
3. About 80% of the world’s population relies on plants
and plant extracts as medicines, which are called herbal medicines.
As a result, loss of species would mean loss of resources for human in the production of food, medicines, and many other useful items.
c. Aesthetic and recreational importance
Wild
plants and animals are a source of beauty, wonder, joy and recreational
pleasure for people. Wildlife tourism is a fast-growing way of tourism. It
enables people to visit natural environments for relaxation. It also helps to
educate people about the importance of conservation of the natural environment.
As a kind of business, it can also generate a considerable amount of revenue
for private sectors and the government every year.
d. Moral consideration
Every wild species has an inherent
right to exist or to struggle for survival without human interference, just
like every human being has the right to survive. In other words, each species
has its intrinsic value on the Earth, irrespective of its usefulness to human.
Therefore, human have no right to kill wildlife or disturb their survival.
In additional to preserving individual
species, attention should also be placed on the whole spectrum of biodiversity.
Hence, it is also important to protect entire ecosystem.
In Hong Kong, the government has
adopted policies to protect wildlife, including the following:
1.
Establishment of nature reserves
is an effective means of protecting wildlife.
2. Legislation
for controlling the import, export and possession of endangered species.
3. Establishment
of the Endangered Species Resources Centre by the Agriculture, Fisheries and
Conservation Department can help to educate the public about the protection of
endangered species.