Kimberly Said:

What is the importance of humanity to biodiversity conservation?

We Answered:

Of course for survival of all, the product of 3.5 billion years..but it doesn't mean that we bend our knees to fraudsters/ hijackers to rule over us, no way..

Jackie Said:

Does the conservation of biodiversity clash with the new ideas of renewable resources?

We Answered:

Well, I'm not sure, but if it does, then we need to find a way to lower the demand of energy. You know, like overpopulation. During the time of the civil war, we had 1 billion people roughly. Now we have 7 billion. And the 1st World countries consume a LOT more than before. So if we can lower the population, and consume less resources per person, we won't need to have so much pressure on this clash of renewable vs biodiversity.

My ideology is basically trying to attack the source of the problem, not try to remedy a symptom of it.
As for a book, the only one I can think of (and this relates to my main argument) is The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich.

Heidi Said:

Role of the western ghats in conservation of biodiversity?

We Answered:

South India's vanishing rain forests, the Western Ghats (hill ranges running parallel to the south-west coast of peninsular India) are an area of exceptional biological, cultural diversity and conservation interest. This unique treasure trove - home to a fascinating array of flora and fauna, indigenous people, ancient forts and monuments etc. is facing the wrath of uncontrolled development. Buckling under modern pressures - mining, dams, timber felling- this pristine natural area is fast depleting. Threatened to extinction, the rain forests of Southern India are in a dilapidated state. The Adventurers have taken up various initiatives in the past to endear people to these fast depleting rain forests. A massive initiative to save the rain forests of the Western Ghats has been launched by The Adventurers
*www.westernghats.org

Oscar Said:

what is the importance of biodiversity conservation to humanity?

We Answered:

The answer lies in the mission statement of the Center for Biological Diversity (the first link) below:

"At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law, and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive. We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive."

FYI the term biodiversity was coined by entomologist E.O. Wilson in 1986.

Angela Said:

Any ideas on working projects on biodiversity and its conservation?

We Answered:

It's relatively simple to collect critters from the bottom of streams (benthic macroinvertebrates) and to compute diversity indices to compare clean and polluted streams. There are quite a few diversity indices and, unless you have a computer program to do the computation, you had better pick a simple one, like the runs index.

Collection can be as simple as stirring up the bottom gravel just upstream of a piece of window screen mounted on two sticks. If you contact your state fish commission, you might be able to get a lot of help.

Dora Said:

why does biodiversity conservation not require the preservation of all species?

We Answered:

Perhaps introduced species which are causing loss of biodiversity could be removed, leaving all the other species to increase in numbers? E.g. the cane toad is a major pest in Australia and eats the tadpoles of native frogs, feral cats kill many small mammals and birds, non-native birds may compete with natives for good nesting spaces, etc etc. Remove these problem animals from the system and the biodiversity may increase. Same for plants - noxious weeds which can often completely overgrow an area and smother native species, would need to be removed to give the space back to natives to grow.

Frances Said:

what are the effects of population changes to resource consumption and biodiversity conservation?

We Answered:

I don't know about 5 examples but basically when human population increases, naturally resource consumption increases. As people need more land, food, clean water, fuel, etc and they put out more waste and pollution biodiversity is decreased. So if a thriving wetland is replaced by a new suburb, all of the animals and plants that lived there before die. Many plants and animals are killed directly by bulldozing their habitat, but the effects are much more widespread and indirect. Not only are the wetlands gone, but maybe downstream from the new devlopment other habitats are polluted by wastewater and pollution from the new housing development.


One common theme in conservation is the limiting of development in areas where a species is rare or endangered.
Some people will argue against conservation saying, "Are you going to make the lives of the red-brown dung beetle more important than the lives of humans?" Those people miss the point in that maybe the dung beetle itself is of limited importance by itself in this world, but all things in nature are interrelated. That species of beetle dies, then maybe the birds that fed by eating them also suffer. Maybe the beetles ate a special kind of weed, thus protecting some sort of important plant which houses other species. I'm not a biologist so all of this is just examples thrown out in the air.


Finally, population itself doen not have to increase for there to be a ligger demand on the environment. Currently, several BILLION people in India and China who previously lived with little or no electricity, running water, etc all have come to the realization that they too want to live like Americans. And they want to drive cars and watch big TVs and live in a large house and eat 5 times more food than they have been. If every person on earth used the same resources as the average American, the world would very quickly run our of everything.

I hope this is helpful in some way.