"The outstanding scientific
discovery of the twentieth century is not television, or radio, but rather
the complexity of the land organism. Only those who know the most about
it can appreciate how little we know about it. The last word in ignorance
is the man who says of an animal or plant: "What good is it?"
If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether
we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built
something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard
seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution
of intelligent tinkering."
Aldo Leopold
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is about all different forms of
life, how they are different and how they are alike at the same time.
Before starting let's quote the latin sentence: Varietas delectat (diversity
makes us happy). This reflects philosophical and aesthetical importance
of diversity.
Different forms of life
There are various forms of life on earth, which
are simply classified for ease of recognition into groups called "kingdoms",
such as, animals, plants, fungi and other kingdoms containing unicellular
organisms, which we cannot see by naked eye. There are then the sublevels,
which bear fewer species with greater similarities as we descend down
the levels of classification.
Among the many subgroups of animals, for example spiders and insects belong
to the same "phylum" (a level of classification), whereas they
still form two different "classes" (a lower level of classification).
Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are the subgroups of animals
that have a backbone and are called "vertebrates". These groups
have many different characteristics and adaptations both among themselves
and within the groups. Plants are classified according to how they reproduce,
that is by producing seeds or in some other way. The ones that produce
seeds to reproduce are further grouped into the ones that form flowers
and bear their seeds in their "fruits", which are indeed the
cover for the fertilized seed; and others that keep their seeds "unenclosed",
in cones. An apple tree and an oak are examples of fruit-bearing plants,
whereas a pine is obviously a cone-bearing one.
These examples might give a clue about the diversity of living things,
how they resemble each other and how they differ. Biodiversity represents
varieties of life in all levels:
¦ Varieties inside one species
¦ Varieties between different species
¦ Varieties of ecosystems
An important point about biodiversity is that it is not just an indicator
of the number of species. It is very important to see are those species
authentic for that region and habitat. For example, if we make a small
village inside a big forest that was once inhabited by 150 bird species,
it can happen that only one bird species will disappear because the forest
is still big enough to support other the 149 species. On the other side,
pigeons and sparrows will invade the village, and the region will have
150-1+2=151 species. Now, is that increased biodiversity? Of course not.
The ecosystem has lost one authentic species and gained two common and
widely spread.
Helpful guidelines
Explaining of biodiversity from bigger to smaller
differences may be a good way to start. First we can explain differences
between plants and animals (kingdoms). After that it's good to give an
example of vertebrates and invertebrates and then continue with examples
of birds and frogs and other vertebrates. Then, for example, about different
bird families, then genera and then differences between species...
Stories about biodiversity through the history of planet can be used to
show its importance and how biodiversity is the answer to all the changes
on the face of the Earth. (During the Jurassic, dinosaurs were dominant
species and there were just few mammal species. But after extinction of
dinosaurs, small mammals continued evolution, and evolved into dominant
animal group). You never know what can be important during evolution.
Importance of preserving biodiversity can be shown through Bible and Qur'an
stories of Noah's Ark or The Ship of Noah, if we are working with religious
children.
During field trips we should show and explain as much living creatures
as possible. There are a lot of different species in nature and nobody
is able to know all of them, but we can bring colored field guides (for
birds, flowers, trees…) and use them together with children.
Both local and global biodiversity should be taught, but local is more
important due to the possibility of practicing in nature. For teaching
about global diversity we can use documentaries, slides, maps, encyclopedias.
If the trainer thinks that children can understand that biodiversity is
the result of evolution and how that had happened, it should be explained.
Excursions through different habitats may be useful (woods, plains, rivers...)
combined with explanations of different forms of biodiversity (species)
in those habitats and ecological reasons for differences. If we compare
lists from different ecosystems we can ask children about what is different,
what is not and why. After that the trainer can lead an excursion through
city or town to show small biodiversity there is in those places.
Importance of Biodiversity
Scientific: There are so many ideas for people in the nature. (e.g. the
dragon-fly gave the idea for a helicopter) Every form of life is different
and can give us some great ideas.
There are about three million species discovered until now, but there
are about ten million that are undiscovered (some scientists predict a
hundred million).
Practical: All the animals and plants used in
agriculture are descendents of wild ones. There are still great possibilities
of domestication of some wild species. Who knows, maybe this will be the
solution for famine.
It still unknown what healing possibilities are hidden by all the plants
on earth. Maybe we are destroying our own medicine.
Aesthetic: Everyone who goes through nature
knows how strong and beautiful those experiences are. They enrich our
souls and spirits and make our lives more beautiful.
Cultural: There are so many stories about animals
and plants in all cultures. They are the inspiration for many comics,
movies and cartoons.