Conservation for the People

Services were divided into four categories: provisioning (supplying products such as food or genetic resources), regulating (contributing regulatory functions such as flood

control), cultural (supplying nonmaterial bene- fits such as a sense of spiritual well-being) and supporting (providing basic elements of the eco- system, such as soil formation).

Hot spots- small areas that harbor a great variety of en- demic, or native and geographically restricted, plant species.

Preserving biodiversityfor its own sake, particularly in areas called hot spots, is not working as a conser- vation strategy.

Focusingonprotecting ecosystems vital to peo- ple’s health and material needs makes more sense.

■ Such ecosystems would include not only forests but also wetlands that maintain clean water, mangroves that shield against storms and reefs that sustain fisheries.

■ Saving these sites can preserve biodiversity and ensure that people are apriority.

At- tempts to eradicate predators more than a cen- tury ago have jeopardized human health today.

Key Points:

Services are divided into four categories:

provisioning (supplying products such as food or genetic resources)

regulating (contributing regulatory functions such as flood control)

cultural (supplying nonmaterial bene- fits such as a sense of spiritual well-being)

supporting (providing basic elements of the eco- system, such as soil formation)

Hot spots - small areas that harbor a great variety of endemic, or native and geographically restricted, plant species. Preserving biodiversity for its own sake, particularly in areas called hot spots, is not working as a conservation strategy.

• Focusing on protecting ecosystems vital to people’s health and material needs to make more sense.
Such ecosystems would include not only forests but also wetlands that maintain clean water, mangroves that shield against storms and reefs that sustain fisheries.
Saving these sites can preserve biodiversity and ensure that people are a priority.
• Attempts to eradicate predators more than a century ago have jeopardized human health today.

Benefits of Rare Species:

The plants and animals most central to ecosystem services and human economy tend to be fairly abundant. But rare species still have a crucial role as insurance. With global climate disruption and massive modification of land, the rare species of today may become theabundant species of tomorrow, and so we should save as many as possible.

Chernobyl Health Article

Chernobyl’s Disaster Effects on Biological Systems

Cells: Portions of 300 rems or more cause temporary hair loss, but also more significant internal harm, including damage to nerve cells and the cells that line the digestive tract. Severe loss of white blood cells, which defend the body from infections, are also an effect of radioactivity on human cells. The victims that experience the Chernobyl radiation poisoning have a more likely chance of getting diseases.

Tissues: RAD is a unit of radiation that can be absorbed by tissue. "Rad" stands for "Radiation absorbed dose". After Chernobyl it was superseded by gray. 100 rad equivalent to 1 gray. 1000 rad of high-energy radiation, delivered at one time, is fatal to humans.

Organs: Due to the cells being damaged, normal organ functioning is decreased. This leaves them weakened and vulnerable to infections, and since the cells are also attacked, there is no system to protect the organs.


Populations: Populations were critically effected by Chernobyl because many died of cancer, birth defects, stillborns, radiation poisoning, and many more. Also, many people have growths on (mainly) their face and ingrown body parts.


Ecosystems: The radioactive materials released by the accident had many immediate harmful effects on plants and animals living within 20 to 30 km of the Chernobyl power plant at the time of the accident. However, there are no reports of any such radiation-induced effects in plants and animals outside this area, referred to as the Exclusion Zone. Each plant and animal responded differently to the accident depending on the dose of radiation received and sensitivity to radiation.