02 | December | 2011

The most significant areas that we need to focus on is without doubt Biodiversity and Evolution. The term “biodiversity” was first used in the 1980s by scientists to refer to the richness of biological variation on Earth or within a particular region.When thinking about Evolution what comes to my mind is the Evolution of The Human Being and then when I think about the Biodiversity what comes after is the time of dinosaurs and how or why they disappeared. After a point of time a mass extinction happened and then nothing was the same in earth. New species started to appear and the old ones disappeared totally.

In Earth’s history over and over the years there was a development from tiny microbes to multiple kinds of species.

But what is a species? A species is a particular type of organism or, more precisely, a population or group of populations whose members share certain characteristics and can freely breed with one another and produce fertile offspring. From the other hand a population is a group of individuals of a particular species that live in a particular area. Over eons of time, our planet’s species and populations have been molded by the process of biological evolution” Through the evolution our Earth is rich in diverse types of species that develop and change over time.

What is the Biological evolution? The Biological evolution is no more than the genetic change in populations of organisms across generations and these genetical changes are the ones who cause alterations in species’ appearance or behavior over the years.

Did you know that approximately 1.7 million species of plants, animals, fungi, microbes, and other forms of life have been identified and named by biologists, but estimates of the total number of species on this planet vary greatly, from ten million to one hundred million? Scientists are engaged in several efforts around the world to identify and number undiscovered species, and many environmental laws, such as the Endangered Species Act, focus on preventing their disappearance or extinction.

This can cover distinct populations of the same species (rice, for instance, exists in thousands of distinct varieties) or genetic variation within the same population (cheetahs in Africa, for example, lack genetic diversity in that all members are very similar in their genetic makeup). Scientists also refer to ecosystem diversity, noting the presence on Earth of a wide variety of natural habitats that contain differing varieties of life and ways in which species interact with each other.In addition to such direct benefits, the world’s diverse living creatures working in concert provide important ecological “services” such as air and water purification, climate regulation, erosion control, and providing oxygen in the atmosphere that humans need to breathe.

Human activities such as hunting, fishing, logging, the conversion of natural habitat into farmland and urban areas, and the spread of non-native species into fragile ecological areas are all blamed for species extinction and declining biodiversity.Moreover, Avery and others contend that most known extinctions have taken place on islands, which have small populations that are highly vulnerable to extinction and therefore do not necessarily demonstrate the existence of a biodiversity crisis elsewhere.People who may be concerned about the fate of the panda or blue whale may feel less sense of loss if an undiscovered species of beetle in the tropical rainforest becomes extinct—a far more likely scenario.

Since human activities are believed to be the main threat to biodiversity, most proposed solutions—such as setting aside land as wildlife habitat, banning hunting of animals, restricting logging—inevitably result in restrictions on human activities and create economic burdens. … But some observers argue that due to the scientific uncertainty as to the extent and ramifications of loss of biodiversity, broad conservation measures attempting to restrict human activities might not be warranted or should at least be weighed against other social goals.

Many scientists believe the twenty-first century will be a crucial time in determining the fate of many of this planet’s species and that actions people take now will have a significant and lasting legacy.Though the impacts are extreme, saving the environment is not a lost cause. There are infinite ways of cleaning up our atmosphere, revitalizing lost habitat and wilderness, and reducing our pollution and impacts on the environment. We can still change this planet for the better and restore everything good that nature provides. We need to change our lifestyle if we want to stop the loss of biodiversity on earth. It’s time to embrace going green!