Who Will Protect the Web of Life?/The Intricate Web of Life

Do We Need All These Species?

Is there a reason to be concerned about the loss of life's diversity? Do we really need such a variety of species?  Many respected experts insist that the answer is yes. Earth's endowment  of species provides humans with food, useful chemicals, and many other products and services. Think, too, about the potential benefits that undiscovered species may hold for mankind.   For example, it has been estimated that 120 of the top 150 prescription drugs used in the United States come from natural compounds.  Thus, in losing the flora of the world, mankind also loses the opportunity to find new drugs and chemicals.  "Every time we lose a species, we lost an option for the future," says Sir Ghillean Prance, a director of Kew Gardens in London.   "We lost a potential cure for AIDS or a virus-resistant crop. So we must somehow stop losing species, not just for the sake of our planet but for our own . . .needs and uses." 

We also need natural ecosystems to provide essential services on which all living things depend.  The production of oxygen, the purification of water, the filtering of pollutants, and the prevention of soil erosion are all vital functions performed by healthy ecosystems.  

Insects provide pollination services. Frogs, fish, and birds controls pests; mussels and other aquatic organisms cleanse our water supplies; plants and microorganisms create our soils. The economic value of all these services is immense.  A conservative estimate of the monetary benefits of biodiversity worldwide is around 3,000 billion dollars per year, at 1995 prices.

Despite our dependence on the diversity of life, however, the world seems to be in the midst of an  extinction crisis that has threatened the intricate web of life. Now at a time when we are beginning to understand the vital role of biodiversity, humans are causing more extinctions than ever before! Is man, though, in a position to solve the problem!  What does the future hold for the variety of life on earth?  

Next time: Who Will Protect the Web of Life?/What Does the Future Hold?

From the Awake! magazine