BIOB50H3 Lecture Notes - Caribbean Monk Seal, Javan Tiger, Thylacine
Document Summary
Countries came together to say that we have a biodiversity crisis. 1992 united nations earth summit in rio de janeiro de ned biodiversity as the variability among living organisms from all sources, including: diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems . Biodiversity is the variation of life, includes variations in genes, forms, and functions. We get most of our medicine from organism. They operate in ways that can help us solve many problems. Organisms can provide pollination service, an utility in nature. Control water system and/or make it clean. Therefore we need biodiversity to help maintain a healthy environment. Biodiversity tell us where we came from, tell us about our history. Nature helps us understand ourselves, if we protect it we can learn more about ourselves. Current extiction rate is up to one thousand times higher than the fossil record. Projected future extinction rate is more than ten times higher than current rate.