Environtmental and Global Health

Archive for the ‘Biodiversity’ Category

Hunting, killing and exploitation of animals .- hunting vermin and predators to their demise has been the practice until very recently. They were a threat to livestock, hunting and man and for that reason sought to eliminate animals such as wolves, bears, birds of prey, and so on.

Hunting has played a double role. At times it has served to preserve hunting grounds and places protected natural parks that are valuable today. In the case of other species has led to its extinction or near, as was the case of the Dodo, the fledgling American bison American prairie, the European vultures, some varieties of whale, and many other animals.

At present the trade of exotic species, collecting, capturing species with purported healing properties (especially valued in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia), mass tourism, etc.. threat to many different species. Read the rest of this entry »

The growing impact of human activities on nature is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity. The main cause is the destruction of ecosystems of great interest, when put into cultivation land clearing forests or draining wetlands when conditions change water or air pollution or where habitats are destroyed in extracting resources.

Besides hunting, the introduction of alien species and other actions have caused the extinction of a number of species.

Human activities which are causing species extinction and a further loss of biodiversity are:

Alteration and destruction of ecosystems .- The destruction of the rainforest is the greatest threat to biodiversity and species richness that is huge. Other very delicate ecosystems and diversity are the coral reefs and in recent years are having serious problems with difficult solutions. They are also considerably damaged wetlands, marshes, etc.. Read the rest of this entry »

Diversity is not only the kinds of organisms and should be distinguished:

a) specific diversity more apparent .- Biodiversity and first grasp the species. But it is very important to consider the importance of both genetic diversity and the ecosystem.

b) Genetic diversity .- Although individuals of a species have essential similarities between themselves are not all equal. Genetically different and there are also different varieties and breeds within species.

This diversity is a wealth of species that facilitates its adaptation to changing environments and evolution. As we shall see, from a practical standpoint, it is especially important to maintain genetic diversity of the species we use on crops or livestock. Read the rest of this entry »

Biodiversity is the variety of life forms and adaptations of organisms to the environment found in the biosphere. It is also called biodiversity and is the great richness of life on the planet.

The organisms that have inhabited the Earth since the dawn of life to date have been mixed. Living things have evolved continuously, forming new species while others went extinct.

Different kinds of living beings that inhabit our planet today are the result of this process of evolution and diversification coupled with the extinction of millions of species. It is estimated that survive today only about 1% of the species that have ever lived on Earth.

The extinction is therefore natural, but the changes that humans are causing in the environment in recent centuries are very dangerously accelerating the pace of species extinction. It biodiversity is declining alarmingly. Read the rest of this entry »