(N/A) Conservation of biodiversity is the protection,upliftment,and scientific management of biodiversity to maintain it at an optimum level and derive sustainable benefits for present as well as future generations.
Reasons for Conserving Biodiversity:
There are three main categories of reasons for the conservation of biodiversity:
$1$. Narrowly utilitarian: Humans derive countless direct economic benefits from nature,such as food (cereals,pulses,and fruits),firewood,fiber,construction material,industrial products (tannins,lubricants,dyes,resins,and perfumes),and products of medicinal importance. More than $25\%$ of the drugs currently sold in the market worldwide are derived from plants,and $25,000$ plant species are used in traditional medicines.
$2$. Broadly utilitarian: Biodiversity plays a major role in ecosystem services provided by nature,such as:
$(i)$ Production of oxygen (e.g.,Amazon forest produces $20\%$ of the total oxygen in the earth's atmosphere).
$(ii)$ Pollination of flowers by bees,bumblebees,birds,and bats,which is essential for fruit and seed production.
$(iii)$ Control of floods and soil erosion.
$(iv)$ Aesthetic pleasures,such as watching flowers in bloom or walking through a forest.
$3$. Ethical Argument: Every species has an intrinsic value,even if it has no direct economic value to us. It is our moral duty to care for their well-being and pass on our biological legacy to future generations.