A Hindu woman performing a religious

ceremony around the tulsi plant

 The ancient Tamil scripture,
Tirukural, advises in verse
324, "What is the good way? It
is the path that reflects on
how it may avoid killing any
living creature;" and in verse
327, "Refrain from taking
precious life from any living
being, even to save your own
life."
 The Rig Veda 1.6.3 states:
"Nature's beauty is an art of God. Let us
feel the touch of God's invisible hands in
everything beautiful.
By the first touch of His hand rivers throb
and ripple. When He smiles the sun shines,
the moon glimmers, the stars twinkle, the
flowers bloom.
By the first rays of the rising sun, the
universe is stirred; the shining gold is
sprinkled on the smiling buds of rose; the
fragrant air is filled with sweet melodies of
singing birds, the dawn is the dream of
God's creative fancy."
The Prophet Muhammad (BPUH)told his
followers they would be rewarded by God for
taking care of the Earth.
In the Quran, Islam's revealed text,
men and women are viewed as God's
vicegerents on Earth. (2:30) God
created nature in a balance ("al-
mizan") and mankind's responsibility
is to maintain this fragile
equilibrium through wise governance
and sound personal conduct.
Matsya purana a religious book, in
which goddess Parvati Proclaimed
“One son is like ten reservoir and
one tree is equal to ten sons”
Varaha purana says “ one who
plants five mango trees does not
go to hell .”
Vishnu Dharmotta claims that “one
who plant a tree will never fall into
hell”
Which do you like better?

A B
Which do you like better?

A B
Which do you like better?

A B
Which do you like better?

A B
Which do you like better?

A B
Which do you like better?

A B
Which do you like better?

A B
What do you think biodiversity means?
 Biodiversity
What does “Bio” mean?

Bio =
 Biodiversity

What does “Diversity” mean?

Diversity = Variety
 Biodiversity is the variety of life on
Earth and the essential
interdependence of all living things

• Scientists have identified more than 2 million species. Tens

of millions -- remain unknown

•The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made possible by

complex interactions among all living things including
microscopic species like algae and mites.
There are 3 components of biodiversity
1. Diversity of genes
Chihuahuas, beagles, and rottweilers are all dogs—but
they're not the same because their genes are different.

Chihuahua Beagle
Rottweilers
 There are 3 components of
biodiversity
Diversity of species
For example, monkeys, dragonflies, and
meadow beauties are all different species.

Saki Monkey Golden Skimmer Meadow Beauty

 There are 3 components of
biodiversity
Variety of ecosystems
Prairies, Ponds, and tropical rain forests are all
ecosystems. Each one is different, with its own set of
species living in it.

Paines Prairie Florida Sand hill Pond

Hoh Rain Forest

Biodiversity has Intrinsic Value

Intrinsic Value = Something that has value

in and of itself
Biodiversity also has utilitarian Value
Utilitarian Value = the value something has as a
means to another’s end.

Utilitarian values include:

• Goods
• Services
• Information
What do we get from biodiversity?
Oxygen
Food
Clean Water
Medicine
Aesthetics
Ideas
Should we be concerned about
biodiversity?
What we know:
The Earth is losing species at an alarming rate

 Some scientists estimate that as many as 3 species per

hour are going extinct and 20,000 extinctions occur each
year.
 when species of plants and animals go extinct, many
other species are affected.
Threats to biodiversity
Habitat destruction
Pollution
Species Introductions
Global Climate Change
Exploitation
 Modern Extinctions
Anthropogenic Causes
• Habitat destruction
• Habitat degradation
• Habitat fragmentation
• Exotic species introductions
• Overexploitation
• Climate change
 Contemporary Extinctions
• Current extinction is referred to as
“the Sixth Extinction”
74 – 150 species / day (Ehrlich &
Wilson 1991)
5.5 – 41 species per day (Pimm et al.
1995)
• Early estimates of species loss due
to tropical
deforestation were quite variable:
5-38% of all species by ~2000
17,500 - 28,000 species / year