Biodiversity

6. BIODIVERSITY - Biodiversity is all the living things on our planet and the ecosystems they inhabit.

- It is essntial to achieving an ecological balance on Earth.

- The abundance of different species is the result of the evolution of life over millions of years and its adaptation to conditions in the physical environment.

- The areas of the planet that are richest in biodiversity are the equatorial and tropical regions, due to their temperature and moisture conditions.

- As latitudes increase, the number of species drops.

6. BIODIVERSITY LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY - Human activity has negativ effects on ecosystems and leads to the loss of biodiversity.

- The effects are: 1. Species extinction causes by changes in their natural environment.

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This dissappearance affects other organismsand their ecosystems.

For humans, this means a decrease in food and the loss of other natural resources.

2. Deforestation - It is the destruction of forests due to the tree felling or burning : - to obtain wood - to use the land for agriculture, livestock or construction.

3. Desertification: - It isthe loss of fertility due to erosion.

- It is aggravated by human activity such as overgrazing and deforestation.

6. BIODIVERSITY 1.

PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY Preserving the Earth’s biodiversity is a global necssity for every country in the world.

Any change in one part of the Earth can have consequences in another region of our planet.

Environmental policies intended to protect biodiversity are: Protecting endangered species: -

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2.

Through laws which prohibited hunting, fishing or felling these species Limit these activities to specific periods or locations Through control the methods used to capture them Regulate their international trade.

Protecting the habitat of species: - By creating protected natural areas (national parks, nature reserves‌) where certain activities are limited or prohibited.