Biodiversity - the variability among living organisms from all Human Health – the state of overall social, emotional,

sources, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic physical, spiritual and cultural welfare. Being well, and the
ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are capacity to look after our health depends upon a range of
part; this includes diversity within species, between species, factors like our economic status and our environment.
and of ecosystems.
Foundation for Human Health - by securing the life-
- total of all plant and animal life of the planet, and the sustaining goods and services which biodiversity provides, the
planet itself – the air, water and land that supports conservation and sustainable use can provide significant
animal and plant life. benefits to our health.

ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION Supports Food Security, Dietary Health, and Livelihood

Sustainability – genetic diversity in food systems provides the
Species - group of organisms so similar to another that they foundation of crop development and food security and
can breed and produce fertile offspring. promotes resistance and resilience to environmental distress.
Population - group of individuals of a single species living Diets-based promote health and help protect against diseases.
together within a particular geographic area. They interbreed Loss of agricultural biodiversity can threaten health, livelihood
and compete with each other for resources. sustainability and security of food and nutrition

Community - different populations that live together in a Biodiversity provides important resources for medical
defined area. research - studies of wildlife research, anatomy, physiology
and biochemistry can lead to important developments in
Ecosystem - collection of all organisms that live in a human medicine.
particular place together with their nonliving environment.
Biodiversity provides important resources for traditional
Biome - group of ecosystems that have the same climate and and modern medicine – biodiversity loss impacts on
similar dominant communities community traditions and livelihood centers (IP and local
communities) on traditional medicinal practices that utilize
Biosphere - portion of earth that supports life is called the
wild animals and plant.
biosphere. The biosphere extends several km up in the
atmosphere to the deepest parts of the ocean. Biodiversity plays a role in the regulation and control of
infectious disease - biodiversity loss and change in ecosystem
Biological variety can be observed at three levels:
increases the risk of spread of infectious disease. Without
1. Genetic Variability within Species greater understanding to o disease ecology, there is also a risk
that programs to tackle infectious disease may have negative
Genetic Diversity - every individual in species differs impact by use of biocides and other chemicals and wildlife
widely from other individuals in its genetic makeup due to culls.
large number of combinations possible in the genes.
Biodiversity has social, cultural and spiritual importance
2. The Species Variability within a Community within communities – ecosystem change can result in
disconnection of populations from open spaces, with loss of
The Species Diversity – every natural and man-made
sense of place. An awareness of environmental values and
ecosystem is made up of a variety of animal and plant species.
respect for other species has been associated with reduced
a. Species richness – number of species that live in a propensity towards anti-social behavior in children and young
certain area. adults.
b. Species evenness – even distribution of organisms in
Conservation of biodiversity is essential for climate
a place.
change adaption – climate change will have significant
3. The Organization of Species in an Area into
impacts on human health, which mostly are directly associate
Distinctive Plant and Animal Communities
with climate change impacts on ecosystems.
The Ecosystem Diversity – there are a large variety of
The Five Primary Values of Biodiversity
different ecosystems on the Earth.
1. Money – the natural world provides humans with raw
a. Aquatic ecosystems – coral reefs, mangrove, forests,
materials for direct consumption and production to
and estuaries
make money.
b. Terrestrial ecosystems – deserts, forests grasslands,
2. Ecological Life-Support – nature delivers supply of
tundra and savannah
oxygen, clean water, pollination of plants, pest
The Importance of Biodiversity control, and so on.

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 Ecosystem services – the multitude of resources and However, only around 1.2 million of species have
processes that are supplied by biodiversity to human been identified and described so far, most of which
beings. are insects.
3. Recreation – tourism gains commercial benefits
from biodiversity. The benefits of rejuvenation may
be obtained.
4. Cultural – the expression of identity or through
spirituality or an aesthetic appreciation. Spiritual
values are a subject of such connections, an
opportunity to explore questions about the meaning
of the universe through contemplation of biodiversity.
5. Scientific – systematic ecological data helps us
understand the natural world, its origins, and the
place of the human species within it.

Threats to Biodiversity

1. Climate change - this increase in the temperature of

the atmosphere has major effects on the environment
such as the seasons, rising of the sea levels, and
glacial retreats.
2. Habitat Loss and Degradation - the habitat can no
longer accommodate and support the life of the
organism’s present, thereby declining their
population.
3. Pollution - may impact biodiversity by altering
genetic diversity within populations. It also reduces
the reproductive potential of biota and reduces crop
or natural vegetation production.
4. Invasive Species - introduction of exotic or unnatural
species to a foreign habitat can cause major threats to
the native species as they often become subjected to *A mean, fast-growing and invasive tree species introduced to
great competition for resources, disease, and the Philippines because it can out compete many local trees for
predation. space and sunlight
5. Overexploitation - Overharvesting species and
natural resources at rates faster than they can actually Swietenia microphylla or Mahogany - successful at invading
sustain themselves in the wild. natural forests due to the following attributes of the species.
6. Other Potential Threats - there are still a lot of The fruit of mahogany is a capsule and contains an average of
drivers that may either directly or indirectly 62 winged seeds (Anonymous, 1930). The number of seeds a
contribute to the loss of biodiversity. Human-induced mahogany mother tree can disperse is considerable.
activities which include economic, technological and
scientific, cultural, and demographic factors also have Rhinella marina or cane toad - also known as the giant
an impact on biodiversity. neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad
native to South and mainland Central America, but which has
Philippines: A Biodiversity Hotspot been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the
Caribbean, as well as Northern Australia.
 Philippines is the world’s second largest archipelago,
located in the southeast region of Asia and
westernmost Pacific Ocean. It is considered to be a
mega – diversity country because of the exceptional
diversity in ecosystems, species and genetic resources
found within its 7,100-island territory.
 Philippines is known to be a home to 52,177
described species of which 50% or more are believed
to be endemic. It is possible that the Philippines may
practically have more biodiversity on a per unit basis.
 Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7
million species of plants and animals in existence.
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