The conservation of biodiversity is one of the main tasks that humanity has to solve in the present and in the future. The survival of a person as a species depends on how people manage to preserve nature in the form in which it was in the last few thousand years before the industrial revolution. For the first time in the history of his development, human actions began to threaten his existence.
The importance of the task
Rapid changes in climate, fauna and flora, the extinction of species cannot but affect the lives of millions of people. After all, man cannot live outside of nature. He is its integral part, and together with other inhabitants of the planet participates in the circulation of substances in nature. If people fail to save the planet, humanity will soon die out. Already today, vast areas of once fertile lands and impenetrable forests have turned into deserts. The need to preserve biodiversity arose recently, when human activity became a threat to himself as a species.
Human activity as the main factor of destruction
Over the past two hundred years, people have made a tremendous breakthrough in science. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries is the time when cars, trains, planes, electricity, and electronic devices were invented. Plants and factories with smoking pipes and wastewater appeared in cities.
In agriculture, too, changes have occurred. People began to use not only powerful modern equipment, tractors and combines, but also various chemicals and fertilizers; to plow and use new lands. Human activity destroys the natural habitat. Wild animals and plants simply have nowhere to live. Having lost their natural habitat, they are dying out.
The damage caused by hunting and poaching
Hunting for rare species of animals and plants causes considerable harm. In this case, organisms and plants of a high level suffer mainly. Those who find it most difficult to adapt to new conditions, but at the same time they are the most important in the food chain. The disappearance of one species means the death of others associated with it. For example, the extermination of wolves that feed on deer will lead to an increase in the population of the latter. The number of deer will increase so that they do not have enough food. Mass death of artiodactyls will begin.
Naturally, the extinct species will be replaced by others, nature does not tolerate emptiness, but what kind of animals and plants will they be? Can a person coexist peacefully with them? Man is a complex multicellular organism that cannot change as quickly as protozoa and bacteria. Therefore, it is important to preserve nature in the state in which it is now or several centuries ago. People simply cannot survive if biodiversity is destroyed, as the natural habitat disappears.
Reasons for the destruction of biodiversity
The main problem of biodiversity conservation is the irresponsible attitude of man to the environment. This applies not only to the thoughtless waste of natural wealth. A person clogs air, soil, water with hazardous substances. Piles of rubbish scattered all over the planet. Moreover, it is made of substances that do not decompose over time or whose decomposition period is millions of years. Garbage appeared even in Antarctica, which was previously considered the cleanest mainland. The greatest environmental damage is caused by:
- Industrial emissions. During combustion, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released, as well as volatile sulfur compounds, which mix with water droplets in the atmosphere. Because of this, it rains acid, killing all life.
- Discharge of sewage from enterprises into rivers and lakes. Wastewater contains compounds of heavy metals and toxic organic compounds (fuel oil, pesticides). They lead to waterlogging of the reservoir, the death of fish, shellfish, some species of algae.
- Oil and gas leaks. They are dangerous both at sea and on land. Any plant or animal caught in oil spills or under a stream of gas will die.
- Landfill instead of recycling. Landfills and landfills cause irreparable damage to the environment. Most of it either does not decompose or, when decomposed, releases hazardous substances into the environment.
- Changing the landscape. This applies not only to the construction of cities and factories, but also to the digging of quarries, the construction of dams and dams, and the drainage of swamps.
- Deforestation. The destruction of the forests of Siberia, North and South America, Africa, Australia has led to dramatic climate changes. Forests not only processed most of the carbon dioxide before, they prevented the growth of deserts. They were home to many species of animals that, having lost their habitat, go out into the city and attack people.
The most dangerous thing is that if you do not take measures, the consequences will become irreversible. Only a change in the behavior of all people will help to avoid disaster. A threat to the existence of mankind is the main reason for maintaining the biodiversity of the planet. People will have to rebuild their behavior, attitude to nature. Otherwise, they are waiting for the painful process of extinction.
Creation of a committee and state responsibility for nature conservation
The reaction of the world community to too rapid changes in the world was the creation of an environmental organization (WWF). Principles and methods for biodiversity conservation have been developed. Thanks to the efforts of this organization, the extinction of species has been stopped or slowed down. The main direction was the distribution of responsibility for reducing the number of rare plants and animals in the territory of a country. Each state has become responsible for all changes in the population of endangered species on its territory.
To fulfill the task of nature conservation, monitoring is first carried out, that is, information on the state of flora and fauna is collected, then it is analyzed, and then they are looking for ways to preserve biodiversity and ways to increase the number of endangered species. Scientists have observed and studied animal and plant species before, but then other tasks were set. About two hundred years ago, the main task was to find, describe and calculate the number, determine the class and type. In our time, this is not enough, scientists also have to monitor the dynamics of changes in numbers, determine the cause of its sharp decline and develop recovery measures.
What measures are being taken?
The world community has developed and adopted some tools to reduce the negative impact on nature due to human activities. Basically, these are new environmental safety standards and quotas for emissions and the use of natural resources. And if there are no complaints about environmental standards, then many ecologists have questions about the distribution and redistribution. According to the rules of each country, quotas are determined according to the size, they can be sold to other countries.
On the one hand, this seems fair, but on the other, it leads to distortions in the system. As a result, in some countries the emissions are terrifyingly huge, the ecology of the territory is undergoing tremendous harmful effects. In others, the environmental situation is within acceptable limits. But all plants and animals, including humans, live on the same planet, where everything is interconnected.
It turns out that in one state the natural ecosystem will be completely destroyed, and in another it will be preserved, which means that everyone will lose. For example, in one place on the planet the air was contaminated with lead compounds. The wind will blow them all over the earth. Not only air, but also soil and water will be infected.
The magical effect of environmental standards
The greatest impact is the application of environmental standards. They not only limit emissions, but also encourage manufacturers to use more advanced production methods, renewable energy sources and organize the processing of waste and garbage instead of storing them at special landfills. The main condition for the conservation of biodiversity is to prevent the complete destruction of the ecosystem both on a separate territory and on the entire planet. This problem and solve environmental standards. However, there is another problem: what to do with endangered species? Restoring and maintaining the ecosystem is not enough for this. More active steps are needed to increase the number of species of animals and plants that are on the verge of extinction.
Cloning as a way to restore a population
The most radical way to restore and support the population of an animal is considered cloning. It is used only if the number has decreased to several tens or even units of individuals. This is an extreme measure, since cloning is expensive, and the prospects for increasing the population are foggy, since genetically offspring of clones will be less viable.
New ark
One of the large-scale projects created by the World Wildlife Conservation Organization was the creation of a new ark in the Arctic. It contains seeds and genetic samples of almost all plants and animals known to people. And although it is created in the event of a global man-made disaster, in the future it may turn out to be a good tool for restoring a population of certain species if they cannot be preserved. Such a biodiversity conservation strategy may seem like a fantastic idea, but in reality it may be more effective than others. Technologies are developing, and it is possible that in the future people will be able to restore their previous biodiversity, if necessary.
Reasons for the destruction of biodiversity in Russia
The main reason for the rapid extinction of species in Russia is poaching, including from its immediate neighbors. Poachers almost completely exterminated the Ussuri tiger. His skin and body parts are used in Chinese traditional medicine. They are very expensive, therefore, despite the threat of harsh punishment, tigers continue to be exterminated, however, recently it has become more difficult to do. There are no more than 400 of them left, and scientists conduct intensified monitoring.
In order to restore the population, they also use a method of growing animals and plants, first in artificial conditions, after some time they begin to prepare for independent life in the wild, and then they are released into the wild. They continue to be monitored, and in some cases they provide veterinary care. But this method of preserving biodiversity is not suitable for all living organisms, as some animals do not tolerate the state of captivity.
Ways to increase the population of endangered species in Russia
One of the most effective ways to preserve biodiversity in Russia is the creation of reserves, monitoring and restricting the hunting (catch, collection) of rare, endangered animals and plants. A large territory of the country allows you to create extensive protected areas. Due to their large area, they are very similar to their natural habitat, which is favorable for the reproduction of animals that can hardly tolerate captive conditions.