Resetting one’s bearings

The challenge that we face today about species loss is urgent. In 2005, the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) reveals that at least 93 percent of the earth’s species are still unknown. The expanse of this field has done little to entice taxonomic research which, over the years, has begun to lose its appeal. Meanwhile, man’s impact on earth is like stacks of dominoes tumbling down countless tracks. The use of foreign plant strains and animal stocks for farming threatens native species. Excess harvests deplete our food reserves, and unsound methods degrade our food sources. Modern technologies have speeded up climate change, pushing present-day ecosystems to their limits. MEA also reports that higher taxa, for instance, butterflies, corals, frogs, fishes, birds, and mammals are at greater risk. In 2010, a UNEP report states that up to 200 species become extinct worldwide daily. 

Will we be affected if species unknown to us become extinct? Hard to believe as it may seem, man has lived to this day because the surrounding ecosystems have been able to provide him benefits called ecosystem services. These ecosystem services include water for drinking, air for breathing, productive soil and sea where food may be obtained, and many more. Biodiversity, or the diversity of life in an ecosystem, performs the structural and functional processes that drive ecosystems to render ecosystem services. Biodiversity makes the ecosystem sustainable and resilient. So, does it really matter if we lose a few species? Without biodiversity, man’s future looks dim.

We need to reset our bearings. It is not simple to pick up where we left off. We should work at a faster pace, before we lose sight of what lies ahead. Research thrusts are taking a second look at biodiversity. On Nov. 12-16, the University of the Philippines (UP) and the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) are holding a lecture series-workshop on “Integrating Biodiversity Research, Education, Public Engagement and Conservation.” The goals of the workshop are to impart knowledge on systematic biology, education and public engagement; to know and share methods for teaching science through well-thought out exhibits and museums; to strengthen links among the CAS, UP, and other Filipino partners; and to lay the groundwork for future mutual projects. The lectures will be given by Philippine and CAS experts at the auditorium of the National Institute of Physics. Selected participants will engage in practicums which will be held at Pavilion 4 of the Institute of Biology. Science-based knowledge on biodiversity must use formats that can teach the public clearly and quickly. 

Actions that conserve biodiversity need to follow a master plan crafted by the relevant sectors of society, which includes educators, policy makers, biologists, taxonomists, and local communities. The last workshop day shall provide a better chance for minds to meet and discuss the near- and long-term future of biodiversity research and conservation, and education through public engagement. (For queries, call Rose Punay of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies at 929-3940.)

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S. Suzanne Mingoa-Licuanan, Ph.D., is a faculty member of the Marine Science Institute, teaching marine invertebrate physiology in the MSI Graduate Program, and also marine science appreciation at the undergraduate level. She also heads the Giant Clam Culture and Restocking Program. Her interests are marine ecology, ecophysiology of marine invertebrates, and aquaculture. Her e-mail address is [email protected].