Biodiversity Paper

Superior Essays
In our planet, all life depends entirely on the variety of life existing on it and the services and goods it provides. The biological diversity within the planet such as the relationship between each specie all play a significant role. For instance, the way in which mussels help purify water affects humans and how trees provide oxygen for living species. The variety of life within our planet can be described as biodiversity. Biodiversity can be described as an umbrella term that elucidates the variety and variability of nature. It encompasses three basic levels of organisation in living systems: the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels (Admin). However, within this paper, biodiversity will be explained on a much smaller scale, which is to …show more content…
With that being said, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), every second, a parcel of the Amazon Rainforest the size of a football field disappears in order to create more land for companies to build on. For instance, in the year of 2004, the Brazilian government earned approximately 10 billion dollars by flattening areas in the Amazon in order to build soybean farms (The Economy). However, many fail to understand the mass amount of oxygen that the Amazon forest produces for the world. In fact, more than 20 percent of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon which is home to more than an estimated 10 million species (plants, animals, insects and microorganisms) (Rainforest Preservation Benefits). For instance, species such as echinacea purpurea and slippery elm which are commonly used for medical purposes, can be greatly affected due to the loss of land. Echinacea purpurea can be used for colds, upper respiratory tract infection, slowing healing wounds and inflammation while slippery elm is known for healing wounds, ulcers, burns, cough relief and many more. Each one of these plants can greatly help mankind along with the millions of other species residing in such lands (Ehrlich & Roberson). Furthermore, without the Amazon Forest, events such as global warming, flooding, and soil …show more content…
For instance, animals such the Amur Leopard, Amur Tiger, and the Red Panda are species that have been classified as endangered species because of human proceedings (Endangered Species Conservation). Although every year we are meant to lose 1 to 10 species, we are currently losing approximately 1,000 to 10,000 times the average amount in accordance to the background extinction rate (Extinction). With this in mind, there are currently less than 60 Amur Leopards in the wild and 200 in captivity with fundings furnished by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) (Endangered Species Conservation). Furthermore, in order for the Amur Leopard to be considered “not at risk” of extinction, there has to be a minimal amount of 100 species in existence. However, in 2007, the Amur Leopard had reached the nadir of their sufferings with only 37 of its kind left in the wild (Hearn). Moreover, the Amur Tiger, also known as the Siberian Tiger, is also an endangered animal with only 540 left in the world. The Siberian tiger has been considered endangered since even before the 1940’s since at the time, there were only 40 remaining tigers in the wild (Endangered Species Conservation). Sans these two carnivorous species, the Amur Leopard and the Amur Tiger, our vegetation and animal community could be negatively affected due to the fact their prey, deers, rodents, and wild boars, will have a massive increase

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