Old Biodiversity Case Studies

This page contains biodiversity case studies in older versions of Biodiversity

Note: Some of the items on this page may be out of date or have bad links

Ecosystem Services (original list)

• Food and fuel - especially important for subsidence farmers and fisherman. Biodiversity acts as a safety net.
• Provision of habitat
• Medicines and biochemicals - a majority of the medicines used are derived from plant, animals, or micro-organisms
• Recreational, educational, and spiritual values - for example, hiking, fishing, gardening, forest monasteries
• Climate control - size and shape of landscape over large areas affects the local climate
• Carbon sequestering - greater species biodiversity of plants increases the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere
• Water quantity and quality - dense vegetation reduces erosion and improves water quality
• Protection against natural disasters - complex patches of vegetation reduce flooding and can give protection from winds and sea intrusion
• Soil fertility - fast-growing, nutrient-rich plants increase soil fertility; dense root systems prevent soil erosion. Greater species diversity increases soil organic matter.
• Pollination and seed dispersal - A large number of plants require insects and other animals for pollination and seed dispersal

Black-footed Ferret

Black-footed ferret

Their main food source

Polar Bear

Polar Bear

Hotspots

S. America Atlantic Forest

Mangroves

Mangrove pictures

threats to mangroves

International Year of Biodiversity

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity

Endangered Species

Rarest Otter

Russian tiger habitat gets a boost with protection of key tree species

Ecosystems

Coral Reefs

Lake Baikal - The deepest lake in the world (maximum depth = 1600 m). It holds about 20% of the world's surface fresh water.

Reserves

Galapagos Islands

Everglades and Madagascar Forests

Ecosystem Services

Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human Well-Being

Convention on Biological Diversity

Major Advances on Global Agreement on Planet's Genetic Resources

World governments fail to deliver on 2010 biodiversity target

The above articles talk about the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is an international treaty that was adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. There will be a major conference on this convention in October 2010.

Biodiversity and Agriculture

Ethiopia's Agricultural Self-Sufficiency

Farm animal diversity

Urban Biodiversity

European Union's biodiversity campaign

Biopiracy

Biopiracy

Darwin's Finches

Drawin Finches