MODULE 9

Biodiversity and the Healthy Society

Sources:
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]

1. Define biodiversity and its levels;

2. Create a diagram that would show the relatedness of species in forming up a diverse
and healthy society without compromising one another;
3. Identify everyday tasks and evaluate whether they contribute to the wellness and
health of biodiversity and society or not.
• The term “Biodiversity” was first coined by Walter G. Rosen in 1986. According to
International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Sciences (IUCN-NR) in 1998,
biodiversity is “the variety and variability of species of their population, the variety of
species of their life forms, the diversity of the complex association with species with
their interaction and their ecological process which influences perform.”

• Decrease in biodiversity is well-known worldwide. Vertebrates fell to 60% from the

1970s due to human causes. It is anticipated that by 2020, wildlife decline will be 67%
of the present number.
• Moreover, the disappearance of species in a certain environment causes an
imbalance in the ecosystem, producing more chaotic changes that harm the entire
ecosystem ([Link],2016).

• There is a growing importance studying how society, environment, and health is

interrelated to each other, that if human beings fail to recognize the needs of one of
 those components, the other remaining components can be affected and
compromised.

• Thus, it is timely to know about the pressing effects of species being extinct and that
of our ecosystem being imbalanced.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem

• Biodiversity is defined as the vast variety of life forms in the entire Earth. It encompasses
all kinds of life forms, from single-celled organisms to the largest multi-celled organisms.
Its definition is in the structural and functional perspective and not as individual
species.

• Another definition of biodiversity is “the variability among living organisms from all
sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the
ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species,
between species, and of ecosystems.

• Biodiversity is the source of the essential goods and ecological services that constitute
the source of life for all and it has direct consumptive value in food, agriculture,
medicine, and in industry.” (Villaggio Globale, 2009)
• Understanding biodiversity within the concept of ecosystem need thorough study on
the relationship of the biotic, the living organisms and the abiotic, nonliving organisms.

• Interdisciplinary approach is needed to study the ecosystem biodiversity plays a major

role in this natural dynamics. For example, a large number of golden snails in a certain
area of rice field can help predict a low production of rice harvest, since eggs of the
golden snails are considered pest for rice plant.

• On a positive view, the larger number of different species in a certain area can be
a predictor of sustainable life in that area. Sustainability of the ecosystem ensures a
better survival rate against any natural disaster. Therefore, we, as human inhabitants
of the ecosystem, must preserve and conserve the biodiversity of all creatures.

[Link]
[Link]

• In simpler terms, it is true that people will always depend on biodiversity on the
wholeness of our being and in our everyday lives. More so, our health will ultimately
depend upon the products and services that we acquire from the ecosystem.

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

Changes in Biodiversity

• Alteration in any system could bring varied effects. A change in biodiversity could
have unpredictable effects not only in wildlife or marine life but also in human beings.

o For example, humans living the forest would disturb the natural order of life.
o Trees and plants would be affected in
the land-clearing operations where
the houses would be built.
o The animals, insects, and all types of life
forms in the cleared area would either
be displaced or most likely be killed.
o The loss of these life forms could affect
the entire ecosystem
governing that environment. The food
chain might be damaged.
o From this, we can clearly infer that when
our ecosystem is not well taken care of,
biodiversity encounters changes that may impact human health on such
different levels.

Threats to Biodiversity

There are major threats to biodiversity that were identified by the United Nations'
Environment Program (WHO, n.d.). These are the following:
 1. Habitat loss and destruction. Major
contributing factor is the inhabitation of
human beings and the use of land for
economic gains.
2. Alterations in ecosystem composition.
Alterations and sudden changes, either
within species groups or within the
environment, could begin to damage
the entire ecosystems. Alterations in
ecosystems are a critical factor
contributing to species and habitat loss.

[Link]

3. Over-exploration. Over-hunting, overfishing, or over-collecting of species can

quickly lead to its decline. Changing consumption patterns of humans is often cited
as the key reason for this unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.
4. Pollution and contamination. Biological systems respond slowly to changes in their
surrounding environment. Pollution and contamination cause irreversible damage
to species and varieties.
5. Global climate change. Both climate variability and climate change cause
biodiversity loss. Species and populations may be lost permanently if they are not
provided with enough time to adapt to changing climatic conditions.

Consequences of Biodiversity Loss

• Even with the development of technology and science at present, we still have a lot
to learn about biodiversity, more so about the consequences of biodiversity loss.
However, the basic concept about biodiversity loss was from Charles Darwin and
Alfred Russel Wallace.

• Every species in the ecosystems has significant roles, functions, or niches that are
specialized to capture, transfer, utilize and, ultimately, lose both energy and nutrients.
Disturbing their distributions will surely affect its nutrient cycles and soil contents, and
influence environmental conditions such as water cycles, weather patterns, climate,
and other abiotic aspects.
 • The loss of biodiversity has many
consequences that we understand and
many that we do not. It is apparent that
humankind is willing to sustain a great deal at
biodiversity loss if there are concomitant
benefits to society; we hope they are net
benefits.

• In many cases, the benefits seem to

accrue to a few individuals only, with net
societal loss. However, it is extremely difficult
to estimate the future costs of losses in
biodiversity or of environmental damage
(Rainforest Conservation Fund, 2017). As
stated by Tilman. "The Earth will retain its most striking feature, its biodiversity only if
humans have the foresight to do so. This will occur, it seems, only if we realize the
extent to which we use biodiversity (Rainforest Conservation Fund, 2017)."

Nutritional Impact of Biodiversity

 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.
 [Link]
[Link]

• Nutrition and biodiversity are linked at many levels:

o the ecosystem, with food production as an ecosystem service;
o the species in the ecosystem; and,
o the genetic diversity within species.

• Nutritional composition between foods and among varieties/cultivars/breeds of the

same food can differ dramatically, affecting micronutrient availability in the diet.

• Healthy local diets, with adequate average levels of nutrients intake, necessitates
maintenance of high biodiversity levels. 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 (WHO, 2007).

[Link]

[Link]
Health, Biology, and Biodiversity

• Almost all living organisms are

dependent to their environment to live
and reproduce. Basic needs of living
organisms such as air, water, food, and
habitat are provided by its environment.

• The evolution of human beings was due

to the improved access to these basic
needs. Advances in agriculture,
sanitation, water treatment, and
hygiene have had a far greater impact
on human health than medical
technology.
[Link]
medicine/

• Although the environment sustains human life, it can also cause diseases. Lack of
basic necessities is a significant cause of human mortality.
• Environmental hazards increase
the risk of cancer, heart disease,
asthma, and many other illnesses.
These hazards can be physical,
such as pollution, chemicals and
contaminants or they can be
social, such as dangerous work,
poor housing conditions urban
sprawl, and poverty. Unsafe
drinking water and poor
sanitation and hygiene are
responsible for a variety of
infectious diseases, such as
schistosomiasis, diarrhea,
cholera, meningitis, and gastritis.
In 2015, approximately 350,000
children under the age of live
(mostly in the developing world)
died from diarrheal diseases
related to unsafe drinking water,
and approximately 1.8 billion
people used drinking water
contaminated with feces. More
than two billion people lacked
access to basic sanitation.

• The interrelation between human health and biological diversity in considerable and
complex. With the current biodiversity loss at unprecedented rates, the delicate
balance between human health and biological diversity is at risk.

• Interestingly, according to experts, climate change could also have a serious impact
on human health and could deteriorate farming systems and reduce nutrients in some
foods. In this case, biodiversity increases resilience, thus helping adjust to new
environmental conditions.

• Safeguarding of coral reefs, for instance, is essential to reduce the risk of floods, as this
extraordinary ecosystem can reduce wave energy by 97%, thus protecting over 100
million people all over the world.
 [Link]

• Relationships between human health and the

environment raise many ethical, social, and
legal dilemmas by forcing people to choose
among competing values. Many of the issues
at the intersection of health and the
environment have to do with managing
benefits and risks.

• For example, pesticides play an important role

in increasing crop yields, but they can also
pose hazards to human health and the
environment. Alternatives to pesticide use
create trade-offs in health. [Link]

• The extreme action of stopping all pesticide uses could significantly reduce
agricultural productivity. leading to food shortages and increased food prices which
would, in turn, increase starvation in some parts of the world.

• Public health authorities have opted to regulate the use of pesticides to enhance
food production while minimizing damage to the environment and human health.
Energy production and use help sustain human life, but it can also pose hazards to
 human health and the environment, such as air and water pollution, oil spills, and
destruction of habitats (Rensik & Portier, 2017).

[Link]

• Human rights issues also come up with research on environmental health that involves
human subjects. For such research to be ethical, human subjects must give consent,
and great care must be taken to ensure that they understand that they can opt out
of the research project.
o Since the late 1990s, some pesticide companies have tested their products on
human subjects to gather data to submit to the government for regulatory
purposes.
o Some commentators charge that these experiments are unethical because they
place people at unacceptably high risk without a clear benefit to society.
o Others have argued that the experiments, if properly designed and
implemented, could produce important benefits to society by providing useful
knowledge about the effects of pesticides that lead to stronger regulations
(Rensik & Portier, 2017).
ACTIVITY 1: WATCH and LEARN! Retrieve this video by accessing the given link below and
answer the succeeding questions.

Mga tanong:
1. Ano ang biodiversity?
_________________________________
_________________________________

2. Ano ang bumubuo ng biodiversity?

_________________________________
_________________________________

3. Anu-ano ang mga kahalagahan

[Link] ng biodiversity?
_________________________________
_________________________________

4. Bakit ang Pilipinas ang tinuturing na isa

sa may pinakamayamang biodiversity?
_________________________________
_________________________________

5. Ano ang ibig sabihin ng biological

hotspot at bakit kabilang ang pilipinas
dito?
[Link] _________________________________
_________________________________
6. Anu-ano ang mga dahilan ng biodiverrsity loss na nabanggit sa video?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

7. Anu-ano ang mga nabanggit na hakbang upang mapangalagaan ang ating biodiversity?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

For the second video,

1. What are the levels of biodiversity?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

2. What are the roles of individual species mentioned in the video in terms of maintaining
healthy biodiversity?
_________________________________________________________________________
 _________________________________________________________________________

3. What are the advantages of having high genetic diversity of within and between species level?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

4. Why are corals described as a keystone or important species, in this video?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

5. What are the causes of coral destruction as describing in the video?

_________________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 2: STUDENT’S REFLECTION: Answer the following questions.

ACTIVITY: ADVOCACY WRITING.

1. Think creatively of an advocacy that you think is timely to express in terms of

promoting biodiversity conservation.

2. Present or express your advocacy in the most creative way that you know. See the
provided sample.

Instruction: Identify True or false.

Prieto, N. G., Vega, V. A., Felipe, E. F., & Meneses, J. L. (2019). Science, Technology and
Society. LORIMAR PUBLISHER, INC.

Serafica, J. J., Pawilen, G. T., Caslib, B. N., & Alata, E. P. (n.d.). Science, Technology and
Society (1st ed.). REX Bookstore.