- Choose whether you think biodiversity matters more for anthropocentric reasons or ecocentric reasons and use information from the module to support your answer. Then, create a system diagram that shows how humans impact rainforests, specifically the deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest..
As much as I would like for biodiversity to matter more for ecocentric reasons, I really believe it matters more for anthropocentric reasons. With the advancement in medicine, there are a lot of regions that contain lifeforms for medicinal purposes. Plants and animals are constantly being identified that provide humans with sources of food and other uses. Scientists are always learning about new species and our knowledge of biodiversity is constantly increasing. I think that biodiversity really impacts how we live our lives as humans. With technological advancements, countries that aren’t as biodiverse are able to get the benefits of countries that have more biodiversity. Other anthropocentric reasons for why biodiversity matters include plants and animals purifying water and air, pollinating crops, and cycling nutrients. If we didn’t have such a biodiverse climate and atmosphere, we would not be able to live the way we do. That makes me wonder if we will be able to maintain this biodiversity with the way people are living. We are already seeing negative effects through deforestation and overfishing and that may extend to other areas of biodiversity as well.
Below is the link to my diagram.
Geog Mod 10
I think you are right that is mostly important to conserve biodiversity for anthropocentric reasons. We do have an ethical duty to protect the planet, but without humans in the picture obviously that does not make sense. Because we are the only conscious beings on the planet, it is our duty make it the most stable, livable place it can be. Thankfully, that requires us to take care of the other species on the planet. Read my post at https://sites.psu.edu/geog30/?p=58395&preview=true
Hi I am Jake! I think your post was very good. The diagram was a good touch. Bringing in anthropocentric and ecocentric aspects was a good addition. I chose a similar area to you because I chose to write my module on Australia. I would have used my hometown but it is too small to find information about it. Good job again on your post. If you would to read mine, here it is: http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/04/15/module-10-biodiversity-18/
Hello Rachel!
I stopped by your post due to its controversial nature. It’s always interesting to see the differing opinions on such a strong topic. Feel free to stop by my post if you want: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/04/15/module-10-biodiversity-conservation-challenge-bernstein/
I must say first off that I agree with a lot of your statements. What I find interesting though is that even though our knowledge of biodiversity is increasing and we are continually finding out how important these animals and plants are, we still take advantage of them (and in many cases deplete them). If not out of the concern of humans themselves, I personally also wonder about the food chain and its effects on other life. As one can see in many examples throughout time, the eradication of one species often has dire effects for the others above and below it. Along with your line of thoughts, I don’t see us maintaining the current level of biodiversity with the way things are progressing now.