Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the foundation of life on Earth. It underpins the functioning of ecosystems from which we derive essential products and services such as oxygen, food, fresh water and medicines.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines biodiversity as “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems”.
Biodiversity is an essential resource base for development and livelihood security through provision of biological resources and ecosystem services. Effective biodiversity conservation and ecosystems management can lead to higher levels of carbon sequestration and hence climate change mitigation.
In Bangladesh over 60 million people are dependent on aquatic resources every day. The world's poor, particularly in rural areas, depend on biological resources for as much as 90% of their needs, including food, fuel, medicine, shelter and transportation. 70% of the world's poor live in rural areas and depend directly on biodiversity for their livelihoods.
Have we as a nation realised its importance?