What is Biodiversity? - Why is Biodiversity Important? - Download Biodiversity Wallpapers


What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the diversity of life in an area. There are three kinds of biodiversity. One type is genetic diversity which is the diversity of genes in a species. Species need certain genes to survive. If the diversity is lacking, the species may die, and its numbers will diminish. Species diversity (another kind of biodiversity) is the variety of living things in areas such as rainforests, reefs, deserts, tundra, etc. The last type of biodiversity is ecological diversity. It’s the complexity and richness of an entire ecosystem.

Why is Biodiversity Important?


A small idea of how species are interconnected

Biodiversity increases ecosystem productivity; all of the species in that ecosystem, no matter their size, have a big role. A diverse ecosystem can prevent and recover from lots of disasters. Humans depend on plants and animals. For example, one quarter of all prescription medicines in the U.S. have ingredients from plants. If a diverse ecosystem is more productive, it's easier to get these plants.

Humans also directly benefit from a diverse ecosystem: plants, clean water and air, provide oxygen, and control erosion.

Here are some of the major ways biodiversity helps humans:
  • Plants absorb greenhouse gases and help stop global warming.
  • It is easier for biodiverse ecosystems to recover from natural disasters.
  • Healthy biodiversity of species can provide a variety of food (like meat and produce). 
  • Many of our medicinal drugs come from plants. 
  • All of our wood products come from nature. 
  • We can learn more about our earth by observing a diverse ecosystem. 
  • Many recreational areas benefit from a healthy ecosystem, which promotes tourism. 
  • Biodiversity is beautiful and should be enjoyed.
These values are free to us, but as we lose biodiversity the cost of replacing these (if even possible) would be very high!

What Are the Threats to Biodiversity?
There are a lot of threats to biodiversity. We have links to almost all of these on our Threats page. Here are some of the major threats:
  •  Using up natural resources before they can be renewed (over-fishing in oceans, or over-harvesting trees on land)
  • Habitat destruction like clearing forests or draining wetlands for towns or agricultural purposes 
  • Releasing invasive species into foreign ecosystems (like the cane toad in Australia or the zebra mussel in the Great Lakes) 
  • Any kind of pollution (water, air, soil, etc). 
  • Failure of food chains
Those are some of the big threats to biodiversity, and some of those are threats to other things, too. For example, using up natural resources can hurt the world's economy.

Where is Biodiversity Found?
Biodiversity is found wherever there is life which is all around the Coral Reef its very Biodiverseworld. However, some parts of the world are more biologically diverse than others. For example, the Great Barrier Reef contains many different species: 1500 fish, 350 kinds of hard coral, 5000-8000 mollusks, 22 species of sea birds, and many more animals species. Over 30 different species of marine mammals and 6 species of sea turtles are listed as threatened.

In the Amazon Rainforest, over 500 kinds of mammals, 175 lizards and over 300 reptile species live there. About 1/3 of the world's birds live there and about 30,000,000 insect types can be found there.

The African Savannah has about 45 species of mammals, about 500 bird species, and 55 species of acacia (plants that are shrub-like). The savannah has the largest diversity of hoofed animals in the whole world. Overall, biodiversity is found all over the world, and even in your own backyard.

How Can You Help?
Here are a few things you can do to help biodiversity (there are more on other parts of our site).
  • Put out bird feeders, bird bathes, and houses.
  • Put up a bat house. 
  • Be careful not to buy coral, ivory, or tortoise shell products. They come from endangered species.
  • You can volunteer at a nature center, park, or a zoo. 
  • Add mulch to soil to prevent erosion. 
  • Composting can add nutrients to your soil. 
  • Buy organic produce. 
  • Don’t use pesticides; they can kill plants and animals. 
  • Stop junk mail to save paper and protect our forests. 
  • When renovating your house, buy FSC approved wood, because it is harvested in ways that don’t harm the forests. 
  • Use cloth napkins.  
  • Recycle old newspaper and buy recycled paper products. 
  • Use e-mail since it saves paper. 
  • You should always use eco-friendly cleaning products.

United Nations Conference on Biodiversity begins tomorrow in Hyderabad

Hyderabad will play host to the 18-day International Biodiversity Conference of Parties slated from October 1, 2012.

R. Hampaiah, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Bio Diversity Board, said over 8,000 delegates from 193 countries were expected to participate in the summit.

“It will discuss a wide-range of bio-diversity issues. At the end, the outcome of the conference will be named as the Hyderabad Protocol or something to that effect,” he told media persons here today.

To mark the occasion, an Rs 100-crore biodiversity museum will be set up in Hyderabad. While the Union Government will provide the finance, the State Government will contribute 15-acre land for the project, he said, adding that it would take about two years for completion.

Hampaiah said the State Government will showcase the wealth of medicinal plants that the State was bestowed with.

Telugu Article on Biodiversity (Right click on the image & choose "Save  Image
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Underwater Hotel - The Utter Inn, Sweden


Just below the surface of Sweden’s Lake Malaren, there is something waiting for you! It’s not a scary mutant fish, though. In fact, it’s a one-room underwater hotel.

Utter Inn is an exclusive offer for those who want to have a rest and feel the pleasure of the nature. It is a typical Swedish red house located on the surface of the water. It has only one room with two beds and a table. This strange whim was conceived by Mikael Genberg, a local artist and sculptor, who wanted to give something unique to the public.Although it opened on the coldest day of the summer of 2000, the hotel attracted people’s attention.

After arriving in the Swedish port of Vasteras, guests are taken across the lake and given the use of an inflatable boat. From there, they are on their own (unless they opt for the deluxe package, in which case their dinner will arrive on another boat later).

From the top of the hotel, guests are free to swim, sunbathe or make their way over to the lake’s uninhabited island before retiring to their own, personal bedroom/aquarium. This one-off hotel really gives its guests the perfect blend of excitement and relaxation.
What makes Utter Inn special is that people can seclude from the noisy world and be surrounded only by water and fish. When guests arrive at the port of Vasteras, they are taken to the hotel and given an inflatable boat. If they prefer deluxe accommodation, someone can deliver dinner by boat in the evening. Otherwise they are left alone during their whole stay.

Utter Inn is also the place where you can overcome your fears. Those who are brave enough can swim, use the inflatable boat to go to an uninhabited island or watch the fish downstairs. If you decide to spend the night 3 meters under the surface of the lake, you will be able to feel the pleasure of being surrounded by fish as you are in an aquarium. When you learn to control your fears, you will feel better, steadier and more alive.

Guests spend their time watching the sunset, passing boats, sunbathing and so on. They are guaranteed new emotions, adventures and an unforgettable stay.
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Twenty20 World Cup 2012 Schedule and - Social Responsibility of ICC World Twenty20


Download Twenty20 World Cup 2012 Schedule

ICC World Twenty20 - Social Responsibility

1. Think Wise
For almost a decade the ICC has been working in close partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF to raise awareness and reduce stigma about HIV and AIDS across the major cricket-playing countries

By providing exposure at its major events and involving elite players, these campaigns have been credited with contributing to reduced levels of stigma and greater levels of awareness in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
During the WT20 players from South Africa and the West Indies will undertake specific awareness-raising activities and a public service announcement featuring Kumar Sangakkara and Virender Sehwag will be screened at all tournament matches.

In keeping with a custom that began in 2004, players from the teams taking part in the men¹s and women¹s semi-finals will wear red ribbons as a sign of solidarity for people living with HIV and AIDS.

The umpires and referees will also sport the Think Wise logo on their shirt sleeves.

To find out more go to www.thinkwisecricket.com

2. Murali Harmony Cup
As part of its commitment to the local community in Sri Lanka, the ICC will be supporting the staging of the Murali Harmony Cup in the build-up to the ICC World Twenty20.

The cricket tournament, dedicated to promoting peace and understanding across Sri Lanka by bringing together young people from across the island, will mirror the format of the ICC World Twenty20, featuring 12 boys teams and eight teams of young women.
The matches will be staged at five venues in the north and east of Sri Lanka, contributing positively to the physical and emotional rebuilding of the region. Over the course of the event in early September, leading international players will conduct master classes for the participants at the rejuvenated school grounds of Oddusudan which will be upgraded as part of the tournament¹s legacy.

The Murali Harmony Cup is run by the Foundation of Goodness and supported by the Mahela Foundation and Sanga¹s Bikes for Life campaign. As well as bringing together young players from across the north and east of Sri Lanka and the three WT20 competition venues, the tournament will feature teams from Seenigama, the cricket village¹ built with the support of international cricket stakeholders in the aftermath of the tsunami in 2004.
In 2012 the Murali Harmony Cup is also being supported by Emirates. The ICC partner will be bringing the winning youngsters to Colombo to watch the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals and sending some of the top-performing players on a tour to Singapore.

Several of the participating teams at the WT20 will also interact with the youngsters during specially-arranged training sessions.

For more information visit www.themuralicup.com

Room to Read
The ICC piloted a partnership with the educational charity Room to Read during the ICC Cricket World Cup and the success of this initiative convinced both parties to extend the relationship through to 2015.

One of the early fruits of this continuation has been the development of local language cricket books to promote literacy, the first of which features local star Angelo Mathews. This book ­ Little Angelo¹s Big Day Out - is available in both Sinhalese and Tamil and will be distributed to youngsters throughout Sri Lanka as part of the WT20¹s local legacy.

Room to Read¹s ambition to promote access to literacy and girls¹ education has resonated with many of cricket¹s leading players and Angelo is joined as a champion of this cause by Virat Kohli and Shane Watson, both of whom will be involved in awareness-raising activities during the tournament.

A major success in 2011 was the joint initiative with Reliance Life Insurance called boundaries for Books¹ which saw the ICC partner make a donation to Room to Read for every six that was hit during the tournament. Reliance¹s commitment helped provide access to education for thousands of boys and girls and it remains a committed supporter of Room to Read

The ICC¹s broadcast partner, ESPN Star Sports, will also be producing a Room to Read public service announcement for the WT20 that will be shown on big screens during the tournament and on television screens around the world.

For more information about Room to Read visit: www.roomtoread.org

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