How Humans Benefit from Biodiversity
Biodiversity is directly linked to the current and long-term sustainability of life on Earth. An environment that’s rich in natural resources and teeming with different species is healthy for its human, animal, and plant populations. The actions of people, companies, and governments matter incredibly in preserving the planet’s biodiversity for future generations. Here’s a closer look at why this is so important.
Food security
Thousands of years ago, humans were only able to eat what they could grow, raise, hunt, or gather in their local area, based on what the soil and the climate would support. Now, our food systems stretch all over the world and we can buy foods that are far from “natural.” However, we still depend on healthy, biodiverse ecosystems for what we eat—because everything we eat is ultimately still just a plant, animal, fungus, or bacteria.
Biodiversity supports a rich and nutritious variety of foods that allow us to consume the full range of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals that our bodies need. In this way, biodiversity is essential for our food systems.
Taking care of the land where farmers grow food and raise animals is critical in protecting biodiversity. Healthy soil contains a diversity of microorganisms, fungi, worms, and decomposed plant and animal matter that encourages plant growth and water retention. A diverse ecosystem also supports pollinators like bees, butterflies, beetles, and moths, which are necessary for crops to reproduce. With rich, healthy soil and abundant pollinators, farmers can grow more food with less need for irrigation and fewer inputs like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Biodiversity also provides a diverse gene pool from which we can selectively breed new varieties of crops and livestock—such as a new variety of tomato that is more resistant to disease. Biodiversity can also be an agricultural risk management tool. For example, corn, wheat, and rice provide much-needed nutrients for people and are a staple crop in almost every culture. The more varieties of these staples that are cultivated, the less likely that entire crops will be wiped out by a pest, fungus, or disease. Genetic diversity also is necessary for animals and plants to adapt to climate change.
Medicine production
The health of every person on the planet is associated with biodiversity. Would you believe many of the pharmaceuticals we take to regulate chronic illnesses and treat disease come from the Earth’s natural resources? These natural medicines can be crucial ingredients in lab-made drugs. For example, 25% of modern medicines are based on plants from the rainforest, while 70% of cancer-fighting drugs are either naturally-occurring or lab-produced and inspired by nature.
The loss of biodiversity could impact access to some of these life-saving plants if they become extinct. Furthermore, as scientists continue to explore the globe, there are many more potential finds waiting to be discovered that might improve treatments and save lives.
Disease prevention
The health of the populace is linked to biodiversity in another way. It’s been documented that when natural landscapes and ocean areas come under protection, the ecological diversity reduces the incidence of infectious diseases. Illnesses like malaria and Lyme disease are good examples of this phenomenon. Moreover, when ecosystems are altered or degraded, this damage can have some dire unintended consequences. For instance, dams and irrigation projects constructed to make way for human development have been associated with malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
In addition, it’s also a fact that animals are the source of around 60% of infectious diseases, while wildlife is responsible for some 70% of emerging infectious diseases. This presents a strong case for humanity leaving ecosystems and wild habitats intact and understanding the risks of deforestation and unchecked urbanization. When their habitats are destroyed, wild animals are forced to live closer to humans, which can encourage the jump of some pretty serious zoonotic diseases from wildlife to humans.
Health and well-being
Biodiversity supports the beauty and vitality of nature that calms our frazzled nerves and brings us peace. There is significant research showing that nature is beneficial for our mental and physical health and general well-being. If you’ve ever felt more upbeat after a stroll in the woods, or calmer after sitting and watching the birds in your backyard, you’ve experienced this phenomenon.
Spending time in nature provides an opportunity to breathe fresh air, get physical exercise, calm the nervous system, and observe an endlessly fascinating variety of life—maybe a ladybug on a leaf, a brilliantly colored wildflower, or giant tree hundreds of years old.
Many cultures recognize the importance of spending time in nature. In Japan, for instance, shinrin-yoku or forest bathing has been popular for decades. Forest bathers spend time walking slowly through the woods, free from distractions, to lower their blood pressure and improve their mood. Here in the West, wellness practitioners are prescribing nature therapy, a similar form of immersion in nature, to their stressed-out patients.
In closing
As more is uncovered about how biodiversity benefits humankind, there’s no doubt that at a minimum it’s vital for food security, medicine, disease prevention, and human health and well-being. This shouldn’t be surprising—after all, we evolved on this planet along with all other life forms. We are most at home in a healthy, biodiverse world.