'Our true challenge today is not debts and deficits or global competition but the need to find a way to live rich fulfilling lives without destroying the planet's biosphere, which supports all life. Humanity has never before faced such a threat: the collapse of the very elements that keep us alive' - Geneticist David Suzuki
An apple is an easy thing to take for granted. If you live where apples grow in abundance, you might assume they are readily available and that you may pick from a wide range of variety. However, did you know that there might be far fewer types to choose from than there were 100 years ago? Reports have it that between the years 1804 and 1905, there were about 7,098 varieties of apples grown in the US. Today 6,121 of those [86 percent] are extinct. Pears have fared similarly. About 88 percent of 2.683 varieties once grown are now extinct. In addition, when it comes to vegetables, the numbers that have vanished is even worse.
Something is disappearing and its called biodiversity - not only the rich variety of species of living things but also the rich variety of types found within species. Does diversity really matter? As long as we can all have something to eat. Many scientists say it does. Although the role of biodiversity is still being debated, a number of environmental experts say that it is essential to life on earth. They say that it is just as vital to the plants we grow for food as it is to those growing wild in the forest, jungles and grasslands of the world. Diversity within species matters too. The numerous strains of rice, for instance, increases the probability that some strains will have the means to resist common plagues.
The extinction of plants can affect food crops in at least two ways. First by wiping out the wild relatives of cultivated crops, which is a potential source of genes for future breeding, and second, by reducing the number of strains within cultivated species. However, more than just food is at stake. About 25 percent of commercially manufactured medicines are derived from plants, and new medicinal plants continue to be found. Yet, plants are constantly being driven out of extinction. Could we be, in effect, sawing off the very branch that supports us?
According to the World Conservation Union, out of some 18,000 species of plants and animals investigated, more than 11,000 face extinction. Of course, the earth still produces a prodigious amount of food, but for how long can a burgeoning human population feed itself if the planet's biodiversity dwindles? Usually in response to economic pressures, planting uniform crops promises ease of harvesting, attractiveness of the product, resistance to spoilage, and high productivity. These trends began in earnest in the 1960's with what came to be the green revolution. Through massive government and corporate campaigns, farmers in famine-prone lands were persuaded to replace their diverse crops with uniform, high-yield grains that were not even cheap and they depended heavily on chemicals like fertilizers not to mention heavy and costly equipment like tractors. Unfortunately, what they didn't realize was that if all grains were uniform with no diversity, and a disaster should strike, such as a plague, almost all crops would be affected and there would be no other species of crops to rely on.
The study of genetics has given rise to a lucrative new industry called biotechnology. As the name suggests, it blends biology with modern technology such as genetic engineering. Some of new biotech companies are working feverishly to patent seeds that give a high yield, that resist disease, drought, frost and the need for hazardous chemicals. Like the green revolution. Some scientists say the gene revolution as it is being called, may contribute to the same problem of uniformity - genetic uniformity.
There are environmental scientists who feel that the role of biodiversity is still poorly understood and perhaps exaggerated by some of their colleagues. Whether the worst fears of environmentalists are justified or not, you may find it difficult to feel confident about future of this planet, but there is still hope.
- ROTIMI ALAGBE
