What Is Biodiversity and Why Is It So Important?

"Biodiversity means the diversity of life - the rich diversity of life forms on our beautiful planet. Biodiversity is the very fabric of life - it provides the conditions for life's emergence and maintenance, and the many different ways in which that life is expressed." (Shiva, page 38)

"The destruction of biodiversity translates into the destruction of the diversity of the livelihoods of the large majority of Third World people who make their living as farmers, fishermen, craftspeople and healers." (Shiva, page 39)

• I can relate to this quote because I have seen it personally in my hometown of Key West. The town has always been a tourist industry driven town run by local businesses. Now, I drive around town and see mom and pop shops replaced by big companies. For example, Pet Supermarket came to Key West about two months ago and and the local pet store that has been there for over 25 years has gone out of business. 

The Erosion of Biodiversity

"Mass extinctions have taken place during geological time, but the erosion of biodiversity has become a systematic product of industrialization." (Shiva, page 45)

• Whole species of animals have suffered from the industrialization of various habitats. The reading gives the example of habitat loss caused by large dams, industrial plantations, highways and the expansion of human settlements. Florida Gulf Coast University is currently struggling with conservation of land area and building to accompany incoming and tenured students on the campus. The need to build is very important for the prosperity of the school, but is it important enough to jeopardize the environment's protection?

The Wealth of the Poor

"This is at the heart of the present conflicts over biodiversity. Systems that destroy biodiversity and those that conserve it both need it. In biodiversity-based economies it is the growth of biodiversity that is the measure of progress. In biodiversity-annihilating economies, it is the growth of money that is the measure of progress. We could, in fact, talk of systems that are life-centered and biodiversity-centered versus systems that are money- and capital-centered." (Shiva, page 55)

• I appreciate Shiva's idea of creating companies and industries based not only on people or money, but on a combination of the two. I feel that companies like this would succeed immensely in today's day where people understand the impact that human beings have had on our environment. Constantly destroying the environment for the sake of monetary benefit is not longer acceptable to the large majority. 

Rich and Poor in Biodiversity

Shiva assesses in terms of biodiversity rather than financial capital. The claim is made that the South is rich and the North is poor when it comes to these terms.

The Empty Earth Syndrome

Shiva describes two root causes of great biological wealth. The first is the 'empty-earth' paradigm, which assumes that ecosystems are empty if not conquered. The second cause is what Shiva calls the monoculture of the mind, which is the idea that the world should be uniform and one-dimensional.