Biodiversity Conservation: Harnessing Environmental and Sustainable development

I had the opportune moment to work alongside some friends I have as botanists with a project on Conserving plant biodiversity. They almost turned me to a botanist within few weeks, but trust me, it was an educating and an eye-opening one, also contributing my quota as a strategist and an active Citizen. I never knew how important biodiversity has been to human existence until I got fully involved. Biodiversity conservation has really been making up environmental and a sustainable development for us all either directly or indirectly.

^{Plant Conservation-Pixabay}

The existence of wide variety of plants in the environment is certainly one of the creatures that has made the world so beautiful to live in. Biodiversity contributes a substantial factor in healthy living. Its role in meeting human needs is just so enormous we can't even imagine.

Expanding our knowledge about biodiversity is valuable in bracing up technological innovation and providing an architecture for sustainable development.

Plant Biodiversity plays a robust role for our healthy life on earth, providing us the system backbone in sustaining human race.

The proper management of biodiversity has been a global concern for botanist, conservationist and concerned citizens

The management and preservation of bioresources ensures the proper and adequate life on the planet earth. Plant biodiversity conservation is paramount for human race existence providing critical elements for healthy environment.

Conservation of Biodiversity is a fundamental concern as it is the process that actively retains the diversity of the green-pool with a view to utilizing its potential. Thus, conservation involves maintenance and sustainable utilization of the natural environment. Conservation is a measure to prevent loss of biodiversity, saving species from becoming extinct also protecting the ecosystem from damage so as to promote its sustained utilization.

What are the Significance of Biodiversity Conservation?

Biodiversity is important factor to healthy Living. It is required for human respiration. It is also responsible for relieving pollution and combating soil erosion among others. Biodiversity serves as cushion against excessive variation in weather and climate, it protects us from apocalypse event beyond human control.

Plant bioresources provides food security which helps in life sustainability The cultivation and sustainable use of plant resources for food and agriculture are necessary to ensure crop production and meet growing environmental challenges and climate change.

Conservation of biodiversity aims at supporting sustainable development by adequate protection and usage of biological resources in a suitable and efficient way for the present and future benefit. It is important we all participate in taking care and maintaining biodiversity.

The Threats to Biodiversity

• HABITAT DESTRUCTION: One of the most devastating threats to biodiversity is the loss of habitat due to human activity. Human activities are associated with almost every aspect of biodiversity extinction. Plant biodiversity is being threatened at an increase rate through the results of human activity from urban development. Human population both in space and in resource extraction has posed serious threat to biological conservation. The development of urban areas and extraction resources has contributed to local extinctions, which affects endemic species.

• ‎ CLIMATE CHANGE: The rapid increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, warming the earth leading to climate change contributes to biodiversity threat which is the key determinant to which organism thrive or become extinct.

• ‎POLLUTION: The contamination of natural environment in various forms pose a serious threat to biodiversity.

• ‎DISEASE: The spread or expansion of parasites or pathogens resulting from human activity and the introduction of species also pose threat to the conservation of biodiversity.

• ‎High rate of deforestation is a great threat to biodiversity loss as a result of rising demand in forest product.

• ‎Forest exploitation and vegetation clearance is also a major threat to biodiversity loss. The illegal grazing of livestock in game reserves, fire and excessive use of systemic herbicides are other factors that constitutes to the threat to biodiversity.

How can we Conserve Biodiversity?

The Loss of Biodiversity due to human activities and other factors is putting man's heritage under seriously threat. Therefore, there is need to preserve the resources to guarantee the availability of all potentials for benefit of present and future use.
The botanists and conservationists (the likes of @gentleshaid) will relate so well with the concept of conserving biodiversity. Oh! Pretty much I learnt over the weeks, I rather should claim being a botanist now. (smiles)

Biodiversity is conserved using the in situ and ex situ methods of conservation.

^{Conservation methods: Figure created by me @olajiddkehinde}

In situ is a site-based protection and management of biodiversity of targeted species in their natural habitats so that the natural evolutionary processes can be maintained. In situ way of conserving plants biodiversity is a key to conserving biodiversity. In his strategy, one would have to find out an area with high biodiversity i.e. the area in which number of plants are highly present, after which this high biodiversity area is covered in the form of natural park or biosphere reserve. In this way, biodiversity can be conserved in their natural habitat from human activities.
‎In situ method of conservation aim at conserving the biological diversity and biological integrity of plants and microorganisms so as to ensure their self-perpetuation and unhindered evolution of living sources

Ex situ method of biodiversity conservation is a way of complimenting the in situ method outside their natural habitat. It involves conservation of bioresources which draws on a diverse body of techniques and facilities. Ex situ method of conservation is a viable way for saving plants from extinction, and in some cases, it is the only strategy to conserve some species.

Ex situ methods of conservation are performed in the following ways;

• BOTANICAL GARDEN: Botanical gardens are central in the ex situ conservation and exploration of the global plant biodiversity. Botanical garden serves as a museum for plant, playing role as recreation and tourist attraction.

• ‎FIELD GENE BANK: This is an ex situ approach of plant biodiversity conservation involving the process of conserving recalcitrant trees,crops and medicinal plant which has proved very useful ensuring protection and security of plant which is lacking in the in situ gene banks and reserves.

• ‎TISSUE CULTURE: Tissue culture is simply a process of reproducing plants. It is very effective in developing disease free, clean plant stock. The technique ascertains the production of abundant material of plant resources by reproducing some form of duplicates from original species

• ‎SEED BANK: Seed bank is an efficient and effective way of storing and conserving plant seeds. It is an effective and efficient way method of storage. involving keeping seeds in packets an stored in facilitating at certain temperature and humidity.

• ‎CRYOPRESERVATION: Cryopreservation is also an important ex situ approach. It is a technique that ensures safe, long-term conservation of genetic resources of plant species by maintaining, living cells, organs and microorganisms at very low temperature.

General Importance of Biodiversity

• ECOLOGICAL VALUE: Biodiversity is the major tool in the sequential balance of CO₂/O₂ in the environment. No doubt biodiversity contributes to the maintenance of CO₂/O₂ balance.

• FOOD SECURITY: The diversity of plant resources is crucial to the breeding of food crops. Plant genetic resources are essential biological basis for providing more and better food for rural and urban consumers enhancing farmers incomes and stabilizing foods.

• HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND SECURITY: Biodiversity has been an essential part of human development and human security through the provision of biological resources and ecosystem service.

• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Biodiversity conservation leads to sustainable use of resources, providing the development that meets the need of the present and future generation.

• AESTHETIC VALUE: Biodiversity conservation also provides aesthetic value to the environment, providing the environment the beauty of plant resources

Here are some suggested measures towards biodiversity conservation

• Public education awareness through mass media to achieve education and awareness on the value of biodiversity and need for their conservation and sustainable use.

• The control of land degradation by government and policy makers.

• Effective land use planning to integrate biodiversity conservation and development

• Adequate funding strategies for biodiversity conservation.

• Proper and strengthened biodiversity conservation development through research and development in higher institution and organisations.

• Adequate maintenance of protected areas of in situ conservation such as forest reserves, game reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

• The integration of biological considerations in national planning, policy and decision making.

• The support for biodiversity through provision of financial grants.
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CONCLUSION

Biodiversity has proven to be the basis of human survival and economic development but the loss of biodiversity has posed some serious threat to the survival of mankind. As the conversation of biodiversity is a global concern, several strategies are adopted in understanding and conserving plant diversity throughout the world. Biodiversity conservation provides sustainable use of these resources to ensure present and future generation benefit.

This study explained the concept of plant biodiversity and the significance of its conservation alongside the threats and pressure on plant biodiversity and methods in which plant biodiversity can be conserved to support sustainable development by protecting and using biological resources in ways that do not dwindle the world's bioresources or destroy important habitat and ecosystem. Adequate plant biodiversity conservation leads to sustainable use of resources which helps in provision and development of friendly and Sustainable environment.

REFERENCES

• Conservation Biology

• Environmental Pollution

• Omicsonline

• Biodiversity

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