View on the Implementation of Biodiversity Conservation
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| Figure 01, the Examples of ecosystem Biodiversity (image credit: Flickr) |
Insight
Biodiversity conservation has faced a dilemma
in today’s generation because of poverty with the daunting tasks within the
working areas of low income from around the globe. These include the parametric
status of education, political and community stability whereas most of the
locals and even the international players have exploited the natural resources
and land on both the developed and developing countries through mining
activities in the
upland resources that result in chaos and toxicity in the long run. The most
common problems have risen from different sectors because of the effects on the
lowland community and health implications.
Reminiscing the lessons we’ve studied in our
University period and biodiversity came across in our course subjects
repeatedly. However, biodiversity, accordingly, provides the raw basis for life
on earth as well as human life, and which the key to safeguarding the wealth of
the world in sustaining a sustainable environment for future generations. And
Figure 01 is one of the examples of ecosystem biodiversity whereas the late great
President Ferdinand Marcos is still on control with the Philippine landscape
during his administration that has the political
will and nation builder in
conserving the ecosystem into a sustainable environment that supposed to be for
generations.
Arguments
The implementation of biodiversity
conservation whereas the world becomes aware of and is a very challenging task
on how these will be implemented for the natural resources reclamation somehow
against the wall
of the oligarchs. Although
all concerned institutions have widely researched and studies on these
particular and by providing guidelines to follow. But these find difficulties
because of greediness, graft and corruption practices in the government sectors
as well as the local government units (LGUs). These cannot be controlled and have
been practicing for decades now, and thus, the effect cannot be resolved
especially with the mounting problems of increasing human populations in the
urban sectors. Because of industrialization, pollutions have emerged into an
unhealthy environment and suffers from the effect of global climate change as
well as land degradation and improper waste disposal that brought the situation
into chaos and toxicity.
Conservation actions are a very challenging
task on how they will preserve because the activities can clash with the local
interests, creating resentment and mistrust after all. However, there are
scientific investigations from around the world that contribute valuable
knowledge of ecology, genetics, and behavior for educational purposes for us to
be aware of global situations. And these have to apply to the conservation of
the knowledge stipulated from them for strict implementation considering
critical elements for food security, sustainable development, and human
well-being.
If these can be implemented strictly, then
we will have a happy ecosystem. And by conserving biodiversity as the author
understand, these will not be ensuring our surroundings a richer and with more
diverse, but securing the resources in pursuing to provide improvements in the
quality of human life and with the biodiversity conservation will have a
guarantee of protecting and enhancing the agricultural sector for our food
security, health and leisure pursuits. The challenge we are now facing in these
phenomena is the whole range with the extraordinarily rich and diverse
ecological inheritance of the tropical regions like the Philippines, which is
now in jeopardy because of graft and corruption practices within the national
government and the local government units (LGUs).
However, the implementation is a very
challenging of the problems we always encounter in our daily lives which
becomes problematic not only for the individual but for the community. As an
example which the author mentioned earlier is human activities, and the human
pressure on the natural environment has gradually increased, thereby,
biodiversity has kept on declining because of human demands. So, the problem is,
how we can resolve and manage the threats we are facing in the biodiversity. And
so far, the world is facing habitat
reduction, habitat fragmentation,
over-harvesting, exotic species, and pollution.
So, what will happen to us now? If these will continues, what might happen in
the next generation? The question in the author’s mind, are we sustaining
sustainable development in securing our children for the next generation and
are we safe?
In aligning with this topic, one of the best
examples of losing
biodiversity in the Philippines is after
Ferdinand Marcos administration whereas graft and
corruption practices are everywhere from national to local
governments. Since Corazon Aquino to Noynoy Aquino, the Philippine
biodiversity became worst. The author is not one of the Marcos
supporters but by experiences and the history will tell how our beloved
Ferdinand Marcos was CORRECT. Now, the author is thankful that we have Mr. Rodrigo
Roa Duterte who has a political will and the Philippine environment is under
recovering and gaining stronger in the prevention of climate change in the
country with robust implementation and desire in sustaining a sustainable
environment for the next generations. But let us discuss as the author has
mentioned earlier on how we can resolve and manage the threats we are facing the implication of losing
biodiversity with the followings;
Habitat Reduction
What happens is, this relates to the three
ecological processes that most closely associated with the habitat reduction of
deforestation, fire, and grazing. From
these implications naturally will reduce the biodiversity from the given natural
landscape at high intensity, and thus, when the land is being developed,
whether these could be for plantations, pastureland or farmland, or as part of
the process of industrialization and urbanization. The resulting conversion
from a natural to a developed state represents a direct loss to the
biodiversity where we are now experiencing these implications in various human
activities. However, regarding the World Resources Institute, there are almost
40% of Earth's land surface that had been converted to cropland and had
occurred mainly at the expense of forests and grassland where the land
transformation has continued today.
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| Figure 02, An Example of Habitat Reduction (image credit; from Tzeny) |
Figure
02 is an example of habitat reduction whereas
the implications of soil degradation and erosion, changes in climatic
conditions, destruction of natural habitats and reduction to biodiversity, and
destruction of a valuable sink for environmental pollutants. And thus, the denudation
effect will always occur in the lowland areas that usually suffer the
community.
Habitat Fragmentation
The overall loss in the habitat for wild
plants and animals have faced the degree of
fragmentation whereas all animals are always on the move,
seeking out with fresh supplies of food and water, as well as searching for
mates and seeking to defend their territories. However, many species today are
now vulnerable to the human development that begins to fragment the natural
habitats we have that limit the freedom of animals to move from one resource
area to the next.
In Figure
03 is an example of habitat fragmentation, again, the destruction of
natural habitats and reduction to biodiversity because of human activities.
Over-Harvesting
Over-harvesting happenings because of the
heavy pressure on the stocks by the human activities with the natural resources
precipitate a collapse in abundance resulted in over-exploited, and depleted,
despite the expenditure of considerable scientific and political effort. The
depletion of natural resources occurred in the past decades up to the present
with the combination of the strong demand for wildlife products in domestic and
international markets, which is due to the harvesting technology. And because
of destructive
practices have been collapsed using explosives and poisoning, and
these how difficult to design and implement with the policies for a new horizon
ensuring sustainable use of natural resources in the next generation.
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| Figure 03, An Example of Habitat Fragmentation (image credit; CTV News) |
In Figure
04 whereas the landslide happened in the country is an example of
over-harvesting in the upland resources and when the heavy rains or typhoon
comes, denudation effect will always occur in the lowland areas that usually
suffer from the community.
Exotic Species
Of the many plants and animals have been
deliberately introduced by humans into new areas, and others have been
dispersed accidentally through an unintentional inclusion with other
consignments, such as wild seed amongst crop seed, insect pests with host
plants, or parasites with host animals.
In the below image, Figure 05 is one of the examples of exotic species, which are now
endangered species.
Pollution
As we are experiencing nowadays, massive pollution
of soil, water, and the atmosphere is everywhere and becomes toxic as part of human
activities and these are most commonly associated with
industrialized nations like in Qatar as an example and discussed in my previous
article published in the CEAI Viewpoint Journal March 2018 Edition entitled ‘Environmental
Possibilism” which also published in the LinkedIn Publishing
platform with this link.
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| Figure 04, An Example of Over Harvesting (image credit; Flickr) |
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| Figure 05, An Example of Exotic Species (image credit; Gap Year) |
However, because of these effects, it is
increasingly affecting the biodiversity in the vicinity of urban cities; and in
the areas of mining that pollutes the lakes, marshes and other wetlands due to
the chemical poisons that have been collected. As an example, you can read the
author’s article, “Ethical Position and Perspective on the Environment We Live
In” published on the LinkedIn Publishing platform with this link.
Also, with the use of fertilizers in
agricultural practices with the chemical pollution that affects the
biodiversity of wetlands, which usually affect the country’s food security.
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| Figure 06, An Example of Pollution (image credit; Suarticlese) |
Like in Metro Manila or other industrialized
regions suffer in the worst effects of air pollution
produced from soot, smog, sulfur dioxide and other harmful gases in the
atmosphere that affects humans health because of the consequences of human
activities. And with these atmospheric pollutants produced are severe impacts
on biodiversity causing global warming, raising the acidity of rain that causes
acidification of rivers and lakes. On the other side aspect of atmospheric
pollution that has been created is the rising level of emission of greenhouse
gases where the carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and other
greenhouse gases are the implications in the warming of the Earth’s climate.
In Figure
06 is one of the examples of chemical pollution in the agricultural sector
and practices in farming, which is too dangerous to human health.
Conclusion
As we all know and based on the lessons we
have learned from our University reminds me that biodiversity, again, it
provides the raw basis for life on earth as well as human life, and which
the key to safeguarding the wealth of the world in sustaining a sustainable
environment for future generations. Therefore, the implementation of
biodiversity conservation can be either problematic or challenging, and these
will depend on how the government will lead to this problem. The only thing the
author can see that if the government will limit the graft and corruption
practices and following the rule of law,
these will contribute a sustainable
environment that will help the community as well as our mother
earth. Thereby, with those great many technical and political issues this has
been resilient for years that need to be resolved to develop successfully
community-based conservation in protecting biodiversity. However, we understood
that community-based preservation cannot provide an instance and magic in
fixing the problems of declining biodiversity. But a full commitment must be
adhered to and well-implemented from national government unto the local
government units that must improve the effectiveness of the conservation in
sustaining a sustainable
environment for the next generations. And thus, success can be
obtained and is more likely to follow where the vision to conserve is
accompanied by clear objectives, careful and well-informed planning, sound
management practice and sufficient resources as well as good governance in
helping the nation into greatness once again.
Write-Up
References can be Read from this Links;
Gomeseria,
RV; (December 2018); “Environmental
Advocacy & Conservation Personal Journal & Reflections;”
Durreesamin Journal (ISSN: 2204-9827) December Vol 4 Issue 3; the Year 2018
Gomeseria, RV; (2019,
January); "View on the Implementation of Biodiversity Conservation;” Retrieved from; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330601292_View_on_the_Implementation_of_Biodiversity_Conservation
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