Biodiversity: Importance and Benefits

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Evolution is the process of developing new structures over time and ages. There could be a misconception that evolution is all about change in the physical properties of man. For example we may think that evolution is all about a man developing from simple cell microorganisms through levels like monkeys to what he is today. Though this is a fact in the face of contemporary views on evolution, it is not the only aspect of evolution in question.

Change in so many structures of the earth has lead to many other forms of evolution resulting from the forces acting from these changes. Change in character is also a form of evolution; change in tendencies is also a form of evolution and, change in views and conceptions about certain issues is also a form of evolution and so many other things which are evolutions in their own way. In brief, we talk about change as a result of time and other forces when we talk about evolution. (Greig-Gran, 256-312)

Human beings have a tendency to value long term benefits over short term benefits. Short term benefits are the benefits that someone receives after a short period of time while long term benefits are the ones that one gets after a long period as the term itself points out. Mostly, people prefer to venture in short term benefits rather than long term benefits whether in business or any other activity which they engage in (Patent 46-59).

Over time people have changed from preferring long term benefits to preferring short term but this is not absolute since there are also changes from short term to long term. For example, people have evolved from preferring huntering and gathering to cultivation of crops which take a longer period of time to reap or harvest. This helps them to survive in a world where food supply is decreasing day after day. Initially people thought of long term benefits and that is why they reproduced.

How ever, most of the changes have been a shift from preferring long term benefit to preferring short term benefits. The technological advancements are some of the causes for this change. For example in the field of agriculture, people have developed new breeds that develop faster and that take a short time to grow and be harvested. Where the concept of shortening the time came from is a matter of time also and simply a matter of evolution though it may also been caused by some forces acting on the environment. (Greig-Gran 256-312)

Technological advancements have also contributed to this shift. Increase in population is also a factor that leads to such a change. People have mated at very high rates and this calls for increased amounts of food. There has been an evolution from growing long term crops to growing crops that a very short period of time to develop completely. People have started to use fertilizers to speed up the growth; genetically modified crops which grow first are replacing the normal crops that used to take a long time to develop.

This is due to the fact that man is evolving from the tendency of valuing long term benefits to a tendency of valuing short terms benefits. This kind of crops did not exist before, but they are common today. This and many others illustrate that man has changed or evolved from valuing long term benefits to valuing short term benefits and there is no going back because evolution does not regress and besides its evident that we are moving ahead and not backwards. (Patent 46-59).

So how can we quantify biodiversity? The view of so many people is that we should not question the importance of natural provisions. But we have to understand that human nature benefits from these provisions whether in the long term or in the short term. This way, he should also conserve biodiversity and we must know the worth of biodiversity. The cost benefit analysis can be used to do this. Through this we can know how changes in biodiversity can affect the welfare of human nature. These changes in biodiversity can be influenced by man in one way or the other and this is why the cost and benefits of this activities or actions have to be calculated.

For example in the year 1995, Alaskan gray wolfs which had been extinct from 1930 were re-introduced in the Yellowstone national park. The cost here had to be calculated because it is an activity that involves spending. The benefits have to be compared to the cost of the operation. Short term benefits and long term benefits should be assessed. (Greig-Gran 256-312)

Three quantities can be use to determine the worth of conserving biodiversity. These are direct use value, indirect use value and non use value. From this we can come up with a relationship to determine the value of biodiversity. Thus

Value (Benefits) of conserving biodiversity = direct use value +indirect use value +non use value.

Where, direct use refers to the present and the expected benefits of the program in comparison to the cost involved. In this case we will consider the value of preserving biodiversity. Thus

Direct use=Expected benefits-cost of operation

Indirect use value is the value of those things that can not be bought or sold but have some benefits. In ecosystems, these values include the carbon cycle, purification of air, preservation of water sheds and others. (Greig-Gran 256-312)

Non use values are the benefits people get if they don’t use biodiversity. For example, in a case of extinction, people like visiting the extinct sites to see what has happened. If the species are replaced, then this will not happen. Some of these values can not be determined easily but since we must quantify the value of biodiversity, we must determine them under whatever cost. (Greig-Gran, 2006)

The benefits of biodiversity are both long term and short term. Human beings get so many benefits from biodiversity. These services may include food, wood, nitrogen fixation, pollination, and beauty. Other services include maintenance of climate and life, prevention of overflow of water and famine, natural bug’s control, and even spiritual enrichment. Some of these benefits are long term while others are short term. (Greig-Gran, 256-312)

Quantifying the relative merits of short term unsustainable versus long term sustainable usage may not be an easy task. So many quantities have to be considered. One starts by determining which benefits are long term and which ones are short term. This introduces a quantity of time. The time taken by an ecosystem to bring some benefits is a function of the value of the ecosystem. Another quantity is the degree of sustainability which is a probability quantity. Through experience and statistics one can determine the sustainability of a certain benefit of biodiversity. All these functions combined together will lead to the quantification of both long term and short term biodiversity usage. This can be summarized by the relationship (Maclaurin 17-217)

Long term benefit is a function of time and sustainability.
Short term benefit is a function of time and sustainability.
Total benefit is a function of long term benefits and short term benefits

Human beings were created to benefit from the provisions of nature. There can always be a balance between all aspects and members of an ecosystem. This becomes impossible when man exploits the natural environment and destroys the biodiversity instead of conserving it. Let’s join hands and let’s make a decision to take care of nature so that nature can take care of us. (Chivian 19-434)

Works cited

Chivian, Eric. & Bernstein, Aaron. “Sustaining life; How human health depends on biodiversity” Oxford University Press. 2008:19-434.

Greig-Gran, M. “Is tacking deforestation a cost-effective mitigation approach?” International Institute for Economic Development, 2006: 256-312.

Maclaurin, James. & Sterelny, Kim. “What is biodiversity?” University of Chicago Press. 2008:17-217.

Patent, Dorothy “Biodiversity” Sandpiper press. 2003:14-106.

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Biodiversity: Importance and Benefits

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