Dear Mr Prime Minister Tony Abbott,
I am writing to express my concern over inadequate preservation of biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable. According to Tim Flannery, between 1995 and 2008, the number of small mammals in Kakadu National Park declined by 75% and one third of the species that were recorded in 1995 can no longer be found. I find these statistics appalling and believe that biodiversity is a big contributor to our modern way of life and more funding should be allocated to preserve plant and animal species in Australia.
Firstly, plants provide many different elements needed for traditional and modern medicine. According to the International Union for conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than 70 000 plant species are used in traditional and modern remedies. Without medicine, slowly the human survival rate of diseases and even the common cold would decline and a lot of people would not survive their childhood. Biodiversity is essential for the survival of plant species needed for medicine.
Secondly, healthy ecosystems are more likely to recover from disaster. If a disaster such as a cyclone or volcanic eruption hits, larger areas and greater variety of plants and animals will help them to begin to regrow and flourish. If we reduce the biodiversity to only the species that we need, they won’t be able to survive if any type of disaster that restricts growth were to hit. These species may be needed for animals to survive or for medicine.
Furthermore, species depend on each other for survival and we depend on those species for our survival. If one or more species dies, those that feed off of that species will have a lack of food. If that second species dies of starvation, the species that feeds on it will starve. This will generate a domino effect and can kill or severely damage an ecosystem.
Additionally, Greater variety of crops and meat and helps provide raw materials such as natural resources, wool, etc. Insects are needed to help fertilise the grass to make crops healthy. Animals provide food and resources. A variety of crops and animals are needed for a healthy diet as they provide the necessary nutrients such as calcium, fibre, iron, protein and vitamins.
In conclusion, biodiversity is necessary for not only the survival of natural environment, but also the survival of humans. I urge the Prime Minister to allocate more funding to protecting and restoring biodiversity so that future generations can have a happy and healthy environment.
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