TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY TO CANADA
A CONSTANTLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
STRATEGIES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY BIODIVERSITY?
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY TO CANADA
Biodiversity conservation can be justified on ecological, social, economic, cultural and moral grounds, but our self-interest is obvious. Biodiversity is important to us for two primary reasons. Diversity within species, between species and among ecosystems enhances the possibilities available to them in evolutionary processes, increasing their resilience to changing environmental conditions. An example of the importance of this to humans is the use of genetic resources from wild relatives of domesticated species to develop hardier varieties of crops. Secondly, the diversity of species and ecosystems contributes to the life sustaining mechanisms of the planet. A loss of biodiversity may impair important ecological functions and result in a degradation of the environment that may ultimately affect human welfare. Impoverished soils, for example, may jeopardize the regeneration of a forest following logging.
In Canada, many of our major industries rely on the exploitation of natural resources, such as forests and fisheries. Agriculture depends on the availability of productive soils and clean water. Recreational pursuits such as fishing, hunting and birding require abundant and accessible wildlife populations, and tourists come from around the world to share our natural splendour and to participate in activities that may no longer be available in the regions where they live.
Hundreds of communities across Canada depend on natural resources for their very survival. The impacts on Newfoundland communities of the collapse of the northern cod fishery are well documented. According to the Canadian Forest Service, there are 309 communities that rely on the forest products industry for more than 50% of their revenue base. Hundreds of other communities rely on a healthy agriculture industry. When revenues from tourism and recreation based businesses are added in, the economic dependence of these communities on healthy resources becomes more evident. Many of these resource dependent communities are remote from major centres of population and have little alternative economic options. While the relationship between biodiversity conservation and the health of these communities differs, all are dependent to some degree on the health and integrity of the ecosystems that support their primary economic activities.
Clearly, biodiversity conservation has potential social and economic benefits for Canadians. The diversity within and among species and ecosystems ensures our ability to derive diverse and continued benefits from our natural resources. The conservation of biodiversity contributes to the health and integrity of ecosystems and the potential for all species, including our own, to survive and evolve.