biotechnology addressing contemporary issues

Ecosystems and Environmental Deterioration


Ecosystems around the world today are suffering from varied degrees of environmental deterioration. The world's declining biodiversity is one of the most important biological issues in terms of conservation as a result. Humans' illegal and disobedient behavior has caused the depletion of natural resources and harm to living things. Poaching, unlawful resource gathering, excessive resource usage, and settlement are a few examples of such behaviors. These behaviors ultimately have negative effects on the socio-ecological systems. Sadly, as the human population grows, businesses expand quickly, technology advances, and consumer spending rise, the demand for these natural resources also tends to rise. Monitoring the progress of environmental decline is an important aspect that will guide decision-making for appropriate solutions to this serious biological issue (Solomona, Gavina and Goreb 1). However, the process is challenging, and for this reason, modern biological monitoring techniques are effective in the course of reducing environmental decline.

Scope of the Problem


Biodiversity decline has serious implications concerning economic, social, ethical and political factors. It is imperative to recognize the importance of flora and fauna in the tourism industry, a field that heavily contributes to the economy. As activities such as poaching and illegal acquisition of other plants and animals continue, the diminishing of these resources means that future tourism prospects will also reduce. Additionally, humans depend on the ecosystem for survival, health, and productivity, for instance, the availability of water, food, building materials and also sources of fuel. Loss of biodiversity directly translates to the inability to satisfy the social needs of food, shelter, and clothing. On the other hand, the decline in the major components of the ecosystem also affects the livelihood, income and local migration of organisms as well as humans leading to ethical implications that go against the ‘do no harm’ principles. Biophysical diversity is composed of microorganisms, flora, and fauna, all of which have been useful in the provision of knowledge beneficial for biology, health, and pharmaceutical science (World Health Organization).

Impact on Knowledge and Exploration


Many fundamental discoveries have been made due to the understanding of biodiversity (Solomona, Gavina and Goreb 2). Its depletion thereof means that sanitation and science discoveries will become limited leading to an increase in diseases and other health challenges. On top of that, past occurrences indicate that occasionally, depletion of natural resources can result in political conflict. Shortage of natural biological products leads to social and economic problems that trigger migration. Movement of people across wider areas and nation barriers tends to create social tensions and political conflicts. Similarly, international disputes are likely to arise as consequences of biodiversity depletion take place in a manner that affects other nations and the global community as a whole. Such impacts include acidification and atmospheric pollution (World Health Organization). The main challenge here is that people do not comprehend the state and distribution of biodiversity, the level of loss and also the future implications.

Solution: Environmental DNA (eDNA)


The answer to this pressing issue lies in the ability to monitor the species and their respective populations adequately so that the information obtained can be relied upon to develop distribution patterns and population estimates. In this way, decision-making and better policies can be developed based on the findings. Traditional monitoring methods are problematic because they cannot correctly identify cryptic species, juvenile stages of life and continuous declines. As such, the use of Environmental DNA (eDNA) is the most efficient modern alternative for large-scale biodiversity monitoring. In this method, genetic material from environmental elements such as soil and water is used. The approach is non-invasive, accurate, cost-effective, sensitive and easy to standardize. Additionally, eDNA is feasible for both aquatic and terrestrial ecologies. eDNA findings are responsible for valuable insights that eventually facilitate the much needed local and global policies for the better sustenance of the environment (Thomsen and Willerslev 2).

Addressing Ignorance and Superstition


Superstition and lack of knowledge hinder the implementation of such monitoring methods and policies. To bring awareness to the global community, in-depth programs that showcase the impacts of biodiversity loss can be useful tools. Likewise, models and well-known examples can be used as proof of the ongoing events. Another approach is to include biology and environmental studies in the education curricula to create awareness and understanding in the young population (World Health Organization).

Conclusion


The key to solving the issue of biological diversity loss lies in the generation of policies that guard these components. This is not possible without the application of monitoring techniques to guide decision making. eDNA is a proven method for this purpose. Ignorance, the progressive rate of depletion and superstition based on religion may hinder the solution. However constant awareness, evidence-based examples and teaching biology in schools go a long way in dealing with this challenge.


Works Cited


Solomona, Jennifer N. , Michael C. Gavina, and Meredith L. Goreb. “Detecting and understanding non-compliance with conservation rules.” Biological Conservation (2015): 1-4.


Thomsen, Philip Francis and Eske Willerslev. “Environmental DNA – An emerging tool in conservation for monitoring past and present biodiversity.” Biological Conservation (2015): 4-18.


World Health Organization. “Climate change and human health: Biodiversity.” 2017. World Health Organization. 5 May 2017.

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