Biodiversity - Economic Role of Biodiversity
Origin of Life and Biodiversity Evolution | Benefits
of Biodiversity | Ecological
Role of Biodiversity
Economic Role of Biodiversity | Ethical
Role of Biodiversity | Scientific
Role of Biodiversity | Measurement
of Biodiversity
Biodiversity: Time and Space | Species
Inventory | Hotspots of Biodiversity | Threats
to Biodiversity
Biodiversity Management: Conservation,
Preservation and Protection | Juridical
Status of Biological Diversity
Economic Role of Biodiversity
For all humans, biodiversity is first a resource for daily life. Such 'crop diversity' is also called agrobiodiversity.
Most people see biodiversity as a reservoir of resources to be drawn upon for the manufacture of food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products. This concept of biological resources management probably explains most fears of resources disappearance related to the erosion of the biodiversity. However, it is also is the origin of new conflicts dealing with rules of division and appropriation of natural resources.
Some of the important economic commodities that biodiversity supplies to humankind are:
- biodiversity provides food : crops, livestock, forestry, and fish;
- biodiversity has a role in medication. Wild plant species have been used for medicinal purposes since before the beginning of recorded history. For example, quinine comes from cinchona tree (used to treat malaria), digitalis from the foxglove plant (chronic heart trouble), and morphine from the poppy plant (pain relief). According the National Cancer Institute, over 70 % of the promising anti-cancer drugs come from plants in the tropical rainforests. Animal may also play a role, in particular in research. It is estimated that of the 250,000 known plant species, only 5,000 have been researched for possible medical applications. -
- Industry : for example fibers for clothing, wood for shelter and warmth. Biodiversity may be a source of energy (such as biomass). Other industrial products are oils, lubricants, perfumes, fragrances, dyes, paper, waxes, rubber, latexes, resins, poisons and cork can all be derived from various plant species. Supplies from animal origin are wool, silk, fur, leather, lubricants, waxes. Animals may also be used as a mode of transport.
- Tourism and recreation: biodiversity is a source of economical wealth for many areas, such as many parks and forests, where wild nature and animals are a source of beauty and joy for many people. Ecotourism in particular, is a growing outdoor recreational activity.
Ecologists and environmentalists were the first to insist on the economic aspect of biological diversity protection. Thus, Edward O. Wilson wrote in 1992, that: The biodiversity is the one of the bigger wealths of the planet, and nevertheless the less recognized as such..
Estimation of the value of biodiversity is a necessary precondition to any discussion on the distribution of biodiversity richnesses. This value can be divided into use value (direct such as tourism or indirect such as pollination) or non-use or intrinsic value.
If biological resources represent an ecological interest for the community, their economic value is also increasing. New products are developed thanks to biotechnologies, and new markets created. For society, biodiversity also is a field of activity and profit. It requires a proper management setup to determine how these resources are to be used.
The majority of species have yet to be evaluated for their current or future economic importance.
From Wikipedia.