Environtmental and Global Health

Archive for the ‘Biodiversity’ Category

Habitat destruction is the greatest current threat to biodiversity. A study by Conservation International showed that 23.9% of Earth’s biogeographical systems have been completely transformed by human (36.3% excluding the icy surfaces of rocks and deserts), 24.2 % partially well preserved and there are only 51.9%, a figure that drops to only 27% with the exception of sterile surfaces.

There are only unprocessed 51.9% of land area, approximately 90 million km2. Areas partially transformed by human activity are 41 million km2 (24.2% of the land) and areas completely transformed by man over 40 million km2, 23.9% of total land area . However, these figures are misleading, to include large areas of deserts, rocks or ice, which are uninhabitable or have little significance from the standpoint of biological diversity. Read the rest of this entry »

There are two approaches to conserve biodiversity, protect species and individual stocks and protect habitats in which they live. The essential thing is the conservation of entire ecosystems, ensuring their functionality.

Efforts directed towards the species and populations, while important, require a great deal of time and effort, these measures include legal protection of individual species, management plans and ex situ conservation, ie to protect populations plants and animals in zoos and seed banks.

Ex situ conservation serves as insurance against the loss of genetic diversity and species in nature as seedlings to reintroduce or enhance wild populations. Moreover, seed banks are a source of genetic diversity for agricultural research. Read the rest of this entry »

There are two approaches to conserve biodiversity, protect species and individual stocks and protect habitats in which they live. The essential thing is the conservation of entire ecosystems, ensuring their functionality.

On 22 May, is celebrated World Biodiversity Day. The loss of genetic diversity, species and ecosystems is one of the greatest dangers for the future of humanity. Another more insidious threat is the development of transgenic crops, and can have serious consequences throughout the century, when public pressure does not stop its development.

Every year thousands of species disappear and with them new opportunities for agricultural crops, industrial products or medicines to cure diseases. With the loss of diversity, increased uniformity, dependence on a few varieties of plants for food, and especially increases the vulnerability to pests and diseases. Read the rest of this entry »

Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety of life. This new concept includes several levels of biological organization. Embraces the diversity of plants and animals that live in one place, their genetic variability, the ecosystems of which form part of these species and landscapes or regions where ecosystems are located. Also includes ecological and evolutionary processes that occur at the level of genes, species, ecosystems and landscapes.

The concept was coined in 1985 at the National Forum on Biological Diversity, the United States. Edward O. Wilson (1929 -), an entomologist at Harvard University and a prolific writer on the subject of conservation, who titled the publication of the results of the forum in 1988 as “Biodiversity.” Read the rest of this entry »

Biodiversity and diversity “terms that mean the same? possibly victims of the trivialization and many more …

If we look at web definitions of these two words at random could find:

Biodiversity:
“Referring to the wide variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns that shape out of thousands of millions of years of evolution by natural processes and also the increasing influence of human activities.”

“The variety of life, including diversity at gene, species and ecosystems.” Read the rest of this entry »

The sea occupies three quarters of the surface of our planet and contains 95% of the biosphere, with a much higher biodiversity than the land environment. Throughout evolution, marine organisms have developed complex coping mechanisms and survival, usually associated with the production of a wide range of unique chemical entities.

Until relatively recent years have not been able to overcome the technical limitations that prevented exploiting this vast biological richness, but results in just the last two decades make the sea in a vast factory of products with therapeutic potential.

Noscira was created with the aim of exploiting the diversity of the marine environment in a new therapeutic area. To this end an agreement was made with Pharmamar gives us exclusive access to the world’s largest collection of privately owned marine organisms to find molecules with therapeutic potential in diseases of the nervous system. This obviously constitutes a major competitive advantages Noscira business project.

#Natural eutrophication.

Eutrophication is a process that is slowly occurring naturally in all lakes in the world, because all nutrients are received.
#Eutrophication of human origin.

Human discharges accelerate the process to make, often in a serious pollution problem. The main sources of eutrophication are:

*urban discharges, which are detergents and organic waste
*Livestock and agricultural discharges, contributing fertilizers, organic wastes and other wastes rich in phosphates and nitrates.

The degree of eutrophication Read the rest of this entry »

A river, lake or reservoir eutrophication suffer when their waters are richer in nutrients. It might seem at first glance it’s good that the waters are well packed with nutrients, because that could live easier living. But the situation is not so simple. The problem is that if there is excess nutrients plants grow in abundance and other agencies. Later, when they die, rot and fill the water smells and give it a foul, drastically reducing its quality.

The putrefaction process consumes large amounts of dissolved oxygen and water are no longer suitable for most living things. The end result is an ecosystem all but destroyed.

Eutrophic and oligotrophic water Read the rest of this entry »

Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms, terrestrial, marine and water ecosystems and the ecological complexes they are part: this includes diversity within species, between species and within and between ecosystems.
The diversity of human culture can be considered as part of biodiversity.

Because it has several attributes that can be considered a solution to the problems of survival in a particular environment (nomadic, crop rotation). It also helps people adapt to environmental changes. Cultural diversity is reflected in the diversity of language, religious beliefs, practices of land management, art, music, social structure, the selection of plants in food and all the attributes of the community.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Laboratory for Tropical Crop Fruit Breeding and Biotechnology of the Plant Department of Biotechnics participate in a project to residents of developing countries to deliver food to all vital components. The emphasis is on improving the quality of traditional crops. Thus, both the use of (often expensive) food avoided. Secondly, within this approach to the conservation of biodiversity.

The Leuven researchers will focus more specifically focus on the role of the banana in a balanced diet. A particular banana variety with orange flesh from the south of the Pacific, for example, delivers all the daily per fruit vitamin A that a man needs. Bananas with improved nutrition are thus already a major step forward in need of some 400 million people in developing countries.

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