We are sure that we are the most evolved living species on this planet?

The International Day of Biological Diversity, also called the Day of Biodiversity, is celebrated around the world on May 22. It is a day to remember the signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Did you know that only about 15% of the world’s biodiversity is known to us? Find out more.

WHAT KINDS OF SPECIES ARE THERE ON EARTH?

Before coming up with a solution, it’s important to know what “biodiversity” or “biological diversity” means.

EXPLAIN BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity is the sum of all the plants, animals, and microorganisms on Earth, as well as the natural patterns that make them up. It is very important to understand biodiversity within each species, between species, and in ecosystems.

CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

The main goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was signed in 1992, are to promote three steps toward a sustainable future: conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its parts, and fair and equal sharing of the benefits of using genetic resources. Up to this point, 193 countries have signed on to the convention.

Every two years, the governments of the countries that want to join get together to talk about how things are going, set priorities, and make work plans.

The Convention says that it is okay to use species, genetic resources, and ecosystems for human benefit as long as biodiversity is kept safe. It also uses the precautionary principle, which says that taking action to solve a problem shouldn’t be put off because there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support biodiversity loss or reduction. Because of this, it is a tool that helps long-term growth.

EARTH GROUPINGS

There are many more species than the 1.3 million that have been named and described so far. Based on the most accurate count, which was done by the University of Hawaii, there are about 8.7 million species on Earth.

Even with these numbers, the dance of numbers is important, and the many studies that have been done give different estimates. For example, some say there are 100 million species.

CLAIMS OF SPECIES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

In this article about classification and phylogeny, we talked about how species are put into groups, so we won’t go over it again here. We want to see how species are spread across the different kinds of living things.

Most species are animals, which make up 76% of all species. Arthropods, which make up 86% of all known living things, have the most species, with about 1.2 million different kinds. We are a long way from this number because chordates only make up 4% of all species, or about 61,000 species. On the other hand, there are about 85,000 different kinds of mollusks.

WHAT CAUSES EXTINCTION OF SPECIES?

Human actions kill off species because the principles of sustainable development are not always followed. Among them, we should pay special attention to the following:

Ecosystems are being destroyed and changed. One example is the destruction of the rainforest. In many tropical places, like Southeast Asia, huge swaths of forest are cleared to make room for palm trees, which produce the well-known palm oil. Because of this, many species, like orangutans, are in danger of going extinct. To avoid this, don’t buy things with palm oil! Another example is how huge dams divide rivers and make it hard for fish like salmon, eels, and lamprey to move freely between rivers and the sea.