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Loss of biodiversity - caused and solved by globalisation?: Difference between revisions
Loss of biodiversity - caused and solved by globalisation? (view source)
Revision as of 19:52, 10 January 2010
, 19:52, 10 January 2010→Definition and Distribution
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''“"Biological diversity" means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.”'' (UN, 1993, p. 146). | ''“"Biological diversity" means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.”'' (UN, 1993, p. 146). | ||
The following text covers all three dimensions of this definition- genetic, species and ecological diversity. However biodiversity is often equated with the rate of species. Because quantifying the other two dimensions is even harder there will be given just an amount of species- epitomizing the other two: There are different estimations about the whole quantity of species, realistic ones are about 13.5 Millions, but just 1.5 Millions are currently described (cf. Gaston & Spicer, 2004, p. 48; UNEP, 2007, p. 162). | The following text covers all three dimensions of this definition- genetic, species and ecological diversity. However biodiversity is often equated with the rate of species. Because quantifying the other two dimensions is even harder there will be given just an amount of species- epitomizing the other two: There are different estimations about the whole quantity of species<ref> For further reading visit [http://knol.google.com/k/how-many-species-on-earth# ''How many species on earth?''] </ref>, realistic ones are about 13.5 Millions, but just 1.5 Millions are currently described (cf. Gaston & Spicer, 2004, p. 48; UNEP, 2007, p. 162). | ||
The distribution of this variety is much clearer: In geographic terms biodiversity is concentrated near to the equator- the tropical regions contain at least two thirds of all extant teresstrical species (cf. Gaston & Spicer, 2004, p. 89). In social terms it must be emphasized, that there is a global asymmetry between diversity and material wealth: the major remaining sites for biodiversity conservation lie primly within the developing world (cf. Swanson, 1999, p.312). These two distributions are not related to each other. | The distribution of this variety is much clearer: In geographic terms biodiversity is concentrated near to the equator- the tropical regions contain at least two thirds of all extant teresstrical species (cf. Gaston & Spicer, 2004, p. 89). In social terms it must be emphasized, that there is a global asymmetry between diversity and material wealth: the major remaining sites for biodiversity conservation lie primly within the developing world (cf. Swanson, 1999, p.312). These two distributions are not related to each other. | ||