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Ngwashi, Larrison Abimnwi 1839720 Wendy Thatcher Applied themes in English 603-BXE-DW 2020-11-17

Its roots are deeply imbedded within our past, but it is what will shape our future

Imagine that mother nature was to create the perfect structure. One where each and every element within this structure plays a role in its prosperity. One where not necessarily every element is essential but is still needed. One where the continuation of life on our beloved planet depends on. One word; Biodiversity! Biodiversity is an important structure that needs to be protected at all cost. Essentially, it is the variety and variability of life that is on the earth which are dependent on each other. For an element so incredibly important, you would be surprised by how endangered it actually is. Though, as endangered as it is, its also important to note that as much as they those who endanger it, there are those who fight and struggle to see that it is protected by developing various ideas and methods to further protect it because they are more than aware of the consequences that would befall us if changes are not made.

What is biodiversity? It’s the variety of life on earth that comes in so many different forms such as plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, etc. According to scientist from the National Geographic, there are roughly 8.7 million species of plants and animals but only roughly 1.2 million have been

discovered. As the centuries and millennia’s have gone by, species have evolved and developed traits that differentiate them from others. As species evolve, certain are no longer capable of reproducing together. They are then classified as being different from what they once were. Biodiversity is everywhere around us. It can be found in the smallest of fields to the biggest of rainforest, from the coldest of places to the warmest, etc. All of the Earths species work hand in hand to maintain the ecosystem that we live in. A great example of this would be bees. Bees pollinate most of the worlds plant which produce almost all of the food in the world. If all the bees where to suddenly die, it would cause some kind destabilizing effect in our ecosystem that could prove fatal.

As abundant in different species as Earths biodiversity is, with so much not having been discovered yet, there is so much that is currently being threatened with extinction due to our activities. There are even those who theorise that we humans are virtually parasites that live off the Earth, never really doing any good towards mother nature but constantly hurting her. One of the biggest threats to our biodiversity would be the agrichemical companies that control almost all our seeds. Their engineered crops have completely taken over the fields of farmers. As was explained within the movie Seed: The Untold Story, due to the industrialisation of agriculture, we have lost 94% of the variation of seeds that we once possessed. If that number doesn’t shock you maybe the fact that roughly 85% of farm products made at home here in Canada are GMOs will. To put this into perspective so you may better understand, think about the unknown number of animals out there

who lost their sources of nutrition. Its not only nutrition that is affected by the actions of large corporations. There is also the environmental factor to consider. We can’t forget about the farmers

who are obligated to use GMOs in their fields. To properly grow, those GMOs need to be sprayed with various chemicals that not only negatively affect the crops but the soil on which they grow.

Biodiversity does so much more than the average person gives it credit for and must be protected at all costs. A healthy and diverse ecosystem will clean our water and air, keep our soil healthy, prevent climate change and does two of the three Rs: reduces and recycles. Healthy ecosystems are the footings of our civilization. Without them, everything would just cease to function. As stated by the European Commission on Environment, having a diverse and variable ecosystem doesn’t just benefit us with diversity, but also protects us. If a natural disaster where to occur, an ecosystem would have a better chance of survival if most of its population is diverse rather that most of it being a few species of animal, plants, bacteria, fungi, etc. We are all responsible when It comes to doing our own little part but at the end of the day, everything is in the hands of the government and the major agriculture corporations. Newer laws must be made to protect what should be most important to us, the planet that we call home. To conclude, biodiversity is essential to our survival and the well being of our world. It is the variety and variability of life one Earth such as plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, etc. It is constantly in danger due to the actions that we as a people take and it is up to us: the people, the government

and the major corporations to take action and fix the mistakes that we have created before it is too late. As David Suzuki once said: “If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.” It is up to us to fix the mistakes of the past so that there may be a brighter and more prosperous future.

Bibliography: National Geographic Society. “Biodiversity.” National Geographic Society, 5 June 2019, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biodiversity/. Seed: The Untold Truth. Jon https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5971724/

Betz,

Taggart

Siegel.

23

September

2016,

Chivian. “Why Do We Need to Protect Biodiversity?” Why Do We Need to Protect Biodiversity? - Environment - European Commission, 14 Sept. 2020,ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/intro/index_en.htm....