FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 11

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 11

BIODIVERSITY AND A HEALTHY SOCIETY

MODULE OVERVIEW

This module focuses on the interconnections among society, environment, and health. It tackles the
value of biodiversity as a source of food, medicine, and other biological resources in relation to the
consumption of goods. The module specifically covers the relationship of biodiversity with (a) health and
medicine; (b) food; (c) energy; (d) water storage and flood control; and (e) air and water treatment.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this Module, you should be able to:

1. identify the importance of biodiversity as a source of different biological resources;
2. discuss the adverse effects of resource depletion on society and the measures to mitigate them; and
3. determine the interrelatedness of society, environment and health

BIODIVERSITY

According to Quinto and Nieva (2018), biodiversity is “the variety of life present in ecosystem.” It is all
the different kinds of life you will find in one area: the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even
microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. It is everywhere and each member work together
to sustain and support life and ensure that balance is retained.

There are three different types of biodiversity: genetic, specific, and ecological diversity:
1. Genetic diversity refers to the individual variations among organisms of the same species, as well as
variations between populations that due to local condition adaptations. These variations among
individuals are passed from one generation to the next.
2. Species diversity refers to the variety of species within a particular region, either in an ecosystem or
the entire biosphere. This is affected by the environmental conditions. Usually, this is used as a
measure of how diverse a certain ecosystem is, since species is the basic unit of biological
classification. The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) defines an endangered species as one that
is “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” Threatened species are
those that are considered likely to become endangered in the near future.
3. Ecological diversity refers to the varieties of ecosystems and the interactions of these species. The
variations of topographical and climactic conditions contribute to ecological diversity.

Society benefits greatly from biodiversity because it acts as a source of biological resources and
essential services such as food, medicine, energy, and more. Therefore, biodiversity can be exploited and
abused. Because of this, humans should be responsible in ensuring that these are protected.

To have a better understanding of the three types of Biodiversity, you may watch the following video
clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK_vRtHJZu4. You may take note of the examples stated.

HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Human health benefits greatly from biodiversity. Many plants are used to treat illnesses since 2600
BC, as exemplified by herbal medicine use. Natural products are used today in the synthesis of drugs in the
treatment of diseases. Some of these are as follows:

i. Cupressus sempervirens (cypress) which has been used to treat coughs, colds, and
inflammation
ii. Commiphora myrrha (myrrh) which has been used to treat coughs, colds, and
inflammation
iii. Salvia apiana (California sage) which has been used to aid in childbirth and help protect
from respiratory ailments according to Indian tribes of Southern California

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Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 11

iv. Alhagi maurorum (camel thorn) used by Israelis, Konkani people, Romans because of its
believed diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, expectorant, gastroprotective, antiseptic, and anti-
diarrheal effects from its manna, a sweet and gummy substance from its stems and
leaves than contain melezitose and sucrose
v. Ligusticum scotium (Scottish lovage) which was believed to treat hysterical and uterine
disorders as well as relieve flatulence and stimulate the senses
vi. Salix (willow tree) where salicylic acid, the active ingredient of the anti-inflammatory drug
aspirin, was derived
vii. Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) where morphine, a painkiller first used in the 1800s,
was derived
viii. Pilocarpus where pilocarpine, a drug used for xerostomia or dry mouth, was isolated and
a treatment for Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that damages the salivary
and lacrimal glands, was derived
ix. Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) where digitoxin, used in the management of congestive heart
failure, was derived
x. Cinchona succirubra Pav. Ex Klotzsch where quinine, used for the treatment of malaria,
was isolated

However, biodiversity loss and environmental hazards pose threats to human health. Some illnesses
are environmentally-linked or related, such as Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, asthma, diabetes, obesity, occupational injuries, dysentery, arthritis, malaria, and
depression. Hazards such as pollution, toxic chemicals, food contaminants, dangerous work, poor housing
conditions, urban sprawl, and poverty also increase the risk of illnesses. The role of organisms in disease
transmission are also more apparent. This highlights the importance of the study of the relationship among
biodiversity, health, and the environment.

FOOD

During Stone Age, humans relied only on hunting and foraging for food. As populations increased, food
demand also increased. This led to the domestication of animals and cultivation of plants. Lands were also
developed for agriculture.

Nutrition and biodiversity are linked at many levels; the ecosystem, with food production as an
ecosystem service. Nutritional composition between foods and among varieties/cultivars/breeds of the same
food can differ dramatically, affecting micronutrient availability in the diet.

According to the World Health Organization, biodiversity is a vital element of a human being’s nutrition
because of its influence to food production. Biodiversity is a major factor that contributes to sustainable food
production for human beings. A society or a population must have access to a sufficient variety of nutritious
food as it is a determinant of their health as human beings.

Biodiversity is necessary for growth of crops. About 39 of the 57 leading global crops need pollinators.
Agrobiodiversity, "the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms at the genetic, species
and ecosystem levels that sustain the ecosystem structures, functions and processes in and around
production systems, and that provide food and non-food agricultural products,” became the result of this
necessity. Intensified and enhanced food production through irrigation, use of fertilizer, plant protection
(pesticides), or the introduction of crop varieties and cropping patterns affect biodiversity and thus impact
global nutritional status and human health.

To learn more about food nutritional impact of biodiversity, please read T.C.H. Sutherlands’ article
entitled Food Security: Why is biodiversity important? (www.cifor.org/library/3577/food-security-why-is-
biodiversity-important/).

ENERGY

Humans rely on energy provided by ecosystems to do the necessary activities in order to survive.

Below is a timeline highlighting the developments in energy utilization and inventions. Please refer to
your STS textbook, Quinto and Nieva, pages 151-153, to learn more about this topic.

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Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 11

Year Developments
Stone Age  heat energy
1000 BC  Coal
400 BC  water energy/ hydropower
1300  Windmills
1820  natural gas
1830  electric generator
1850  commercial oil
1860  first solar powered system
1892  geothermal energy
1942  first nuclear fission reactor
19 and 20 century
th th
 utilization of coal energy

Though it is not apparent that energy utilization has an effect on biodiversity, the risks that energy
sources and energy demands pose are seen as threat to biodiversity by many environmental organizations. .
These threats include wildlife mortality, habitat loss, fragmentation, noise and light pollution, invasive species,
and changes in carbon stock and water resources. Examples that could be cited were nuclear reactor
accident in 19179 at Three Mile Island near Middletown, Pennsylvania, the biggest oil spill in the US waters,
the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1980 in Alaska, the coal ash spill in Tennessee, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and
the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan (Battaglia, 2013).

WATER STORAGE AND FLOOD CONTROL

As you have seen from previous modules, the earliest civilizations were situated near bodies of water
because livelihoods depended on it. Water was also used for irrigation and floodways were used to prevent
flooding due to tides. By the late 19th century, dams were built for water supply and irrigation.

Drinking water was very important. About 2000 years ago, wells were used in the Middle East
because of the demand for drinking water. Aqueducts were invented and built by Romans and Greeks to
maintain stable water supplies.

The relationship between biodiversity and water resources is very important. Forests filter and store
freshwater, as well as affect transpiration and evaporation. Roots and leaves promote infiltration of water to
aquifers. Percolation allows water to move into rivers and lakes.

Though flooding is mostly known to cause extreme damage such as property damage and crop
damage, flooding can also help famers distribute and add nutrients to soil, making the soil healthier and more
fertile for cultivation. Floods can also add nutrients to rivers and lakes thus improving the ecosystem.

Virtually all of Earth’s ecosystems have now been dramatically transformed through human actions.
More land was converted to cropland in the 30 years after 1950 than in the 150 years between 1700 and
1850. Between 1960 and 2000, reservoir storage capacity quadrupled and, as a result, the amount of water
stored behind large dams is estimated to be three to six times the amount held by rivers. Some 35% of
mangroves have been lost in the last two decades. Roughly 20% of the world’s coral reefs have been
destroyed and an additional 20% have been degraded. (greenfacts.org)

AIR AND WATER TREATMENT

When there are excessive amounts of certain gases in the air, the capacity of the environment to
clean itself and be resilient is diminished. Too much nitrogen stimulates growth of nitrogen-loving plants, but
diminishes the occurrence of others. It also reduces forests’ resilience against drought, frost, pests, and
diseases. Also, water has a high nitrate concentration limit, making its protection of plant species to be
difficult.

Ozone can also affect the environment depending on its amount and location. Ground level ozone,

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created by chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the presence of
sunlight, promote early flowering that affect synchronization of pollinators and flowers, damage leaves of
salad crops, and reduce crop yield (for example, in 2000, wheat and tomato yield decreased by 14 and 9
percent, respectively).

If vegetation is damaged, the sink capacity for carbon dioxide and ozone is reduced. In effect, the
water cycle is affected.

PROTOCOLS ON BIODIVERSITY

We, as human inhabitants of the ecosystem, must preserve and conserve the biodiversity of all
creatures. In simple terms, it is true that people will always depend on biodiversity on the wholeness of our
being and in our everyday lives.

Somehow, there are ways and processes in the ecosystem that are not apparent nor appreciated by us,
human beings. Think about the need to drink clean and fresh water, the need to eat healthy vegetables and
food, or the need of man to transport which makes him rely on fuel. All of these are human needs that are
answered and provided by our ecosystem. Thus, if we fail to keep the process of taking care of the
ecosystem, it is us who are actually putting our lives at risk.

Significant decline in biodiversity has direct human impact when ecosystem in its insufficiency can no
longer provide the physical as well as social need of human beings. Indirectly, changes in the ecosystem
affect livelihood, income, and on occasion, may even cause political conflict. (WHO, n.d.).

Major threats biodiversity identified by United Nations’ Environment Programme are: habitat loss and
destruction; alteration in ecosystem composition; over-exploitation; pollution and contamination; and global
climate change.

There is a need to enhance the implementation of regulations and worldwide protocols. These include:

1. Montreal Protocol. It is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out
the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on
16th September 1987, and entered into force on 1st January 1989.

2. Kyoto Protocol. It is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part one) global warming is occurring and (part
two) it is extremely likely that human-made CO 2 emissions have predominantly caused it. The Kyoto
Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February
2005. There are currently 192 parties (Canada withdrew from the protocol, effective December 2012)
to the Protocol.

3. Cartagena Protocol. Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an

international agreement on biosafety as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity
effective since 2003. The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential
risks posed by genetically modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. The Protocol
entered into force on 11 September 2003. As of December 2019, the Protocol had 172 parties, which
includes 168 United Nations member states, the State of Palestine, Niue, the European Union, and
now Uzbekistan signed on October 25, 2019.

The loss of biodiversity has many consequences that we understand and many that we do not. As
stated by Tilman, “The Earth will retain its most striking feature, its biodiversity, only if humans have the
prescience to do so. This will occur, it seems, only if we realize the extent to which we use biodiversity
(Rainforest Conservation Fund, 2017)”

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Module Output

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Study Guide in GE 6: Science, Technology, and Society Module No. 11

Make a proposal plan on how to mitigate threats to biodiversity. State ways on how to solve these issues.
Criteria is as follows:

Content – 30 %
Presentation – 30 %
Organization – 30 %
Grammar – 10%
Total 100%

SUMMARY

The following learning points summarize what you have learned in this section:

 Biodiversity is the variety of life present in ecosystem.

 Biodiversity and human health, energy, air, and water are interrelated. Loss of biodiversity and the
degradation of environment has negative effects on human life.
 To ensure that there are prevented, we must ensure that the protocols agreed upon by nations
worldwide are enforced.

REFERENCES

1. MacNamara, D., Valverde, V., and Beleno, R. (2018). Science, Technology, and Society. pp. 96-104.
Quezon City: C&E Publishing.
2. Quinto, Edward Jay M. and Nieva, Aileen D. (2019). Science, Technology, and Society. pp 147-162.
Quezon City: C&E Publishing.
3. Serafica, J., et al. (2018) Science, technology and society. pp. 122-132. Quezon City: Rex Bookstore.
4. Sunderland, T. (2011). Food security: why is biodiversity important? International Forestry Review.
13(3), pp. 265-274. Retrieved from http://www.legato-project.net/NPDOCS/13-3-IFR-copy.pdf

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