‘Maintaining biodiversity at its present level is impossible if people are going to achieve a reasonable standard of living in the near future.’
The UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 defined biodiversity as being the variability between all living organisms, terrestrial, marine and aquatic. This includes the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. A reasonable standard of living does not mean that a person should live at a luxury level, but neither does it mean that a person should only live at a subsistence level. It should be somewhere in between where the person can afford to eat nutritious food, buy clothes for different weather and situation, keep their house clean and be able to devote some time for leisure activities.
Development has been the approach taken by many to improve their standard of living. Development can increase income and therefore, can improve quality of life. However, development often results in a decrease of biodiversity as the environment is often drastically altered to make room for the development.
Biodiversity is especially affected in the Tropical Equatorial Biome where biodiversity is very high. The biodiversity is high due to the climate allowing for a yearlong growing season. The climate has a constantly high temperature of around degrees, varying by only a few degrees throughout the year due to its position close to the equator where there is an overhead sun. There is also a high rainfall of around 2000mm a year due to convectional currents, also a consequence of the overhead sun. The yearlong growing season means there is always a supply of food for animals to maintain their populations. The climate allows for a large biomass of vegetation too, which means lots of species can grow and provide food for a large variety of animal species, further increasing biodiversity.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) possesses one of the planet's largest remaining tropical rainforest. At least seventy-five percent of its original forest cover is still standing, occupying vast, biologically rich tracts over 100,000 square miles in all. Its forests provide the habitat
Development has been the approach taken by many to improve their standard of living. Development can increase income and therefore, can improve quality of life. However, development often results in a decrease of biodiversity as the environment is often drastically altered to make room for the development.
Biodiversity is especially affected in the Tropical Equatorial Biome where biodiversity is very high. The biodiversity is high due to the climate allowing for a yearlong growing season. The climate has a constantly high temperature of around degrees, varying by only a few degrees throughout the year due to its position close to the equator where there is an overhead sun. There is also a high rainfall of around 2000mm a year due to convectional currents, also a consequence of the overhead sun. The yearlong growing season means there is always a supply of food for animals to maintain their populations. The climate allows for a large biomass of vegetation too, which means lots of species can grow and provide food for a large variety of animal species, further increasing biodiversity.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) possesses one of the planet's largest remaining tropical rainforest. At least seventy-five percent of its original forest cover is still standing, occupying vast, biologically rich tracts over 100,000 square miles in all. Its forests provide the habitat