Why Conservation of Biodiversity is Important

Biodiversity is basically, “the variation of life on earth”. This variation includes all stages from genetic variation of species to the ecological variations. As existence of life on earth is about 3.5 billion years old, biodiversity which we observe today is a result of evolution of this much time.

Causes of biodiversity:

Unfortunately, due to our contribution in creating disturbances in natural environment by pollution, exploitation of natural resources and indefensible development, we are degrading the ecosystem at a record rate. As a result of these natural disorders we are undergoing sixth extinction crisis on this planet. According to a study, current species extinction rate is between 1000 and 10,000 times larger than it would naturally be.

Why to conserve biodiversity?

The question is why it is important to conserve biodiversity?  Biodiversity conservation is actually saving life on earth in all its forms. It’s all about keeping natural ecosystem healthy and effective. In order to conserve biodiversity, we people should aware; to what extent we are dependent on natural ecosystem and biodiversity.

Biodiversity is life:

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that biodiversity is the keystone of our existence of life on earth. In simple words, biodiversity is life. There are about 80,000 of plants species that are edible, and you would be surprised to know that 90% of world’s food come from only 20 of these species. Hundreds of medicines from plants like penicillin, aspirin, quinine and taxol have saved lives of millions of people

To conserve biodiversity is to conserve life:

Biodiversity is our life support system. From air we breathe to the water we drink and the food we eat, we are wholly dependent on it. Conservation of it is the conservation of life and nature as well. About biodiversity, it is said that “Biodiversity is the way, so don’t let nature go astray”.

As we look deep into the picture, we will see that the connection between biodiversity and our future is closer and closer. Literally, we need to conserve biodiversity in order to live on this planet. 

Use of Biochar to Combat Climate Change

Biochar is a climate saving soil that holds carbon, boost security of food, discourage deforestation and increase soil biodiversity. The procedure makes a highly porous, fine-grained charcoal that helps soils retain water and nutrients. Biochar can be found in all types of soils in the world as a product ofhistoric soil management practices and vegetation fires. Detailed study of dark earths enriched with biochar in the Amazon (terra chatrpreta)leads to a wider awareness of unique properties of biochar as a good soil enhancer. Biochar is a simple tool to enhance food security and diversity of cropland in areas with poorly depleted soils, less organic resources and inadequate supplies of water and chemical fertilizer. Biochar ensures water quality and quantity by enhancing soil retention of nutrients for plant utilization. There are more nutrients present in the soil instead of leaching down groundwater and causing soil pollution.

Biochar production for Climate Change:

Biochar and bioenergy co-production helps combat global climate change. This can be done by substituting use of fossil fuel by sequestration of carbon in stable carbon pools of soil. It can also reduce emissions of N2O. The carbon which is present in biochar can hold carbon in soils and resist degradation for 100-1000 years. It is made by pyrolysis or gassification, a procession which biomass is heated up in the absence of O2. Sustainable biochar practices can manufacture oil and gas byproducts which can be utilized as fueland renewable energy, in addition to producing a soil enhancer. When the biochar is buried into the ground the system becomes "carbon negative."

Agricultural Benefits of Biochar:

Agricultural Benefits of Biochar: Heat produced during biochar manufactureis used to substitute carbon positive energy from the fossils fuel. Itminimizes the requirement of chemical fertilizers, those results in low emissions of greenhouse gases from manufacture of fertilizer. Biocharimproves microbial life of soil, which results into more soil carbon storage.Biocharenhances soil fertilityby stimulation of plant growth, which leads to consumption of more carbon dioxide in a positive feedback mechanism.It alsoreduces emissions of nitrous oxide and methane. These are two potent greenhouse gases.

Biochar Removes Carbon from Atmosphere: 

According to Woolf et al, 2010, sustainable biochar implementation could make a decrease of 12 percent of anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions in a year. The study hypothesized that no conversion from food to biomass, no use of industrial treated waste biomass and extraction rates of biomass that would not result in soil erosion.The figure (Woolf et al, 2010) clears avoided emissions attributable to sustainable biochar generation or pyrolysis of biomass over hundred years, in comparison to the current biomass use. There were 3 scenariosmodeled showing different degrees of requirements on global biomass resources; red is for Maximum Sustainable Technical Potential (MSTP), blue for Medium and black for Low). Sustainable biochar is depicted by solid lines; dashed linesfor biomass combustion. In all three levels sustainable biochar trumped combustion of biomass in terms of avoided emissions of gases.

By : Shoaib Aslam