Biodiversity is the difference between living organisms from various sources, including terrestrial, marine, and desert habitats, and the ecological complexes of which they are part. The richness and variety of life on earth are defined by biodiversity. It is our planet’s most dynamic and important feature. Life will not be sustainable without biodiversity.
Direct values
- Plants are an immediate incentive to sustainability since they are the main advantage of supplying food that can legally be harvested and spent.
- In terms of the fact that for a considerable period of time, the forest has produced wood that is used as fuel that is used for gas, fire, heating, as well as other mechanical processes.
- Considering the fact that traditional medicinal practices use plants, drugs and medications is an immediate incentive to biodiversity.
- In view of the fact that fuel is an immediate incentive for biodiversity for a substantial period of time
Indirect values
- In view of the fact that multiple plants and animals are seen as holy and sacred and are cherished and respected in some rigid nations, cultural and traditional beliefs are an aberrant incentive for biodiversity.
- Ethical principles are a backhanded encouragement to its biodiversity as it associates with biodiversity conservation where the moral dilemma of ‘all living things must be protected’ is enhanced.
- Aesthetic values are an abnormal motivation for biodiversity as distinctive scenes at undisturbed spots are excellent to watch and provide options for leisure exercises that advance the eco-travel industry that further develops zoological nurseries, national parks, structuring.
Biodiversity encompasses the variety of plant and animal species in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Direct values of biodiversity include an actual economic impact that can be gained through the various life forms. For example, imagine that behind your house is a large tract of land—over one hundred acres. That land has a direct value because there are likely resources on it that you could use if you want or need to do so. You could cut down some of the trees and sell the wood for firewood or (if you have some incredible hardwoods) for construction or furniture making. If your land has a pond, it likely has fish that can be sold as food. If you are incredibly fortunate, you might learn that the land rests atop an underground oil reservoir. You'll be able to profit nicely from your land.
Indirect values of biodiversity reflect the intrinsic value of the land. Perhaps you enjoy the aesthetic value of the open land; it brings you peace to sit in the midst of it and not hear anyone around. Or perhaps the land reminds you to be more environmentally conscious and to value all ecosystems more. The land brings is now valuable to you in ways other than money; this is its indirect value.
Value of biodiversity: Biodiversity provides a variety of environmental services from its species and ecosystems that are essential at the global, regional and local levels. Biodiversity is essential for preserving ecological processes, such as fixing and recycling of nutrients, soil formation, circulation and cleansing of air and water, global life support, maintaining the water balance within ecosystems, watershed protection, maintaining stream and river flows throughout the year, erosion control and local flood reduction. Food, clothing, housing, energy, medicines are all resources that are directly or indirectly linked to the biological variety present in the biosphere.
Consumptive use value: A straight consumptive use is the direct utilization of timber, food, fuelwood, and fodder by local communities. The diversity of organisms provide food, clothing, shelter, medicines, proteins, enzymes, papers, sports goods, musical instruments, beverages, narcotics, pets, zoo specimens, tourism, and raw material for business prospects, etc.
Productive use value: This category comprises marketable goods. The biotechnologist uses bio-rich areas to prospect and search for potential genetic properties in plants or animals that can be used to develop better varieties of crops for use in farming and plantation programs or to develop better livestock. To the pharmacist, biological diversity is the raw material from which new drugs can be identified from plant or animal products. To industrialists, biodiversity is a rich storehouse from which to develop new products. For agricultural scientists, biodiversity is the basis for developing better crops. A variety of industries, like pharmaceuticals are highly dependent on identifying compounds of great economic value from the wide variety of wild species of plants located in undisturbed natural forests called “biological prospecting”.
Social values: Social value of biodiversity prospecting motivated habitat conservation in some areas, as traditional societies valued it as a resource. Ecosystem people value biodiversity as a part of their livelihood as well as through cultural and religious sentiments. A great variety of crops have been cultivated in traditional agricultural systems and permitted a wide range of products to be grown and marketed throughout the year and acted as insurance against the failure of one crop. In recent years, farmers have begun to receive economic incentives to grow cash crops for national or international markets, rather than to supply local needs. This has resulted in local food shortages, unemployment, landlessness, and increased vulnerability to drought and floods.
Ethical and moral values: Ethical values related to biodiversity conservation are based on the importance of protecting all forms of life against illegal activities like cloning of animals, smuggling of valuable biodiversity instances, bio-piracy, illicit trade, etc. In India, several generations have preserved nature through local traditions. However, immediate benefit rather than ethics appears to be modern man’s objective.
Aesthetic value: Biodiversity is a direct source of pleasure and aesthetic satisfaction – its contribution to the quality of life, outdoor recreation and scenic enjoyment. They provide opportunities for recreational activities such as hiking, canoeing, bird watching, river rafting, rock climbing, trekking, parasailing, bird watching, and nature photography. The designing of thousands of new horticultural species, wildlife conservation, landscape luxury, national parks, zoological and botanical gardens, snake, crocodile, butterfly parks, and biotechnologically manipulated novel curios species added to the existing aesthetics.
Option value: Keeping future possibilities open for their use is called ‘option value’. It is impossible to predict which of our species or traditional varieties of crops and domestic animals will be of the greatest use in the future. Important ecosystem services and uses for plants and animals are still unknown and await discovery. It becomes valuable if targets are based on the policy of obtaining wealth from wastes.
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