Save plankton and bio-diversity for food security

Planktons

Climate is ever-changing. The past million years or so have shown a pattern of glacial advances and retreats, changes in sea levels, changes in rainfall pattern and so forth; all having tremendous impact on the living beings at the time. Nevertheless, it's different now-a-days; when climate changes, so must agriculture and, as has been observed, man, as he is conservative in his agriculture behaviour. Consequently, any rapid change of climate, in whatever direction is bound to decrease food supply. But South Asia is a region of significant importance for its rich phytoplankton, marine and coastal resources, fisheries, and bio-diversity etc. Therefore, it is high time to save phytoplankton and bio-diversity in this region including Bangladesh.
We know that plankton of sea includes a great variety of forms, even more than in fresh water rotifers: the nanoplankton consists mostly of protozoa, algae, bacteria, fungi etc; the green phytoplankton is the primary producer responsible for most of the food we take from the sea. Phytoplankton is heavily implicated in global biosphere equilibrium by driving elemental chemistry in surface oceans, exporting massive amounts of carbon to sediments and influencing ocean-atmosphere gas exchange.
Climate change will alter the marine environment within the next 100 years. Increasing atmospheric CO2 has already caused higher aquatic PCO2 levels and lower pH (ocean acidification) and rising temperature will affect ocean stratification, and hence light and nutrient conditions. Phytoplankton has been affected by these Earth system transformations in many ways, altering the complex balance of biogeochemical cycles and climate feedback mechanisms. Prediction of how phytoplankton may respond at the cellular and ecosystem levels is a key challenge in global change. According to one recent EC study, physiological reactions of important phytoplankton groups such as diatoms, coccolithophores, cyanobacteria to environmental factors will be affected by global change.
However, besides the climate change impacts, we continue to pollute the seas with chlorinated hydrocarbon, insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and thousands of other pollutants until bringing in a worldwide ecological disaster. Subtle changes may already have started a reaction in that area. We have to save our marine resources -- phytoplankton as well as zooplankton -- for protecting food security.
'To quote from a journal Nature,' the 2006 review of the economics of climate change, chaired by economist Nicholas Stern, served as a wake-up call to the need to respond to long-term climatic risks.' Similarly, the final report of the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study, this October, was touted as a stern review for nature. It no doubt made a grim reading that presents the massive price of biodiversity loss, and the destruction of ecosystems and the services they supply.
Climate change is becoming a sensitive factor in human socio-economic activities as anthropogenic activities alter the Earth system. These can entail rising losses and damage associated with climatic hazards, thus requiring urgent and purposeful adaptation to climate conditions and managing climate-related risks. Natural systems such as wetlands, phytoplankton, mangroves, coral reefs and rain forests, Arctic and high latitude ecosystems are especially vulnerable to climate induced disturbances.
The impacts of climate change on biodiversity will of course vary considerably from region to region, partly because changes in temperature and precipitation will differ among regions. The most rapid changes in climate are expected in the far north and south of the planet, and in mountainous regions. Unfortunately, these are the regions where species often have no alternative habitats, a factor that prevents them unlike animals and plants in some temperate regions from migrating or spreading elsewhere to survive.
Other species are vulnerable in different ways. Corals and other organisms living in coral reefs, for example, have already shown devastating losses because of increased water temperatures. Species restricted to small areas, or in small populations, are also particularly vulnerable. Natural ecosystems provide a range of services often not recognised in national economic development accounts but vital to human welfare: regulating water flows, water quality, flood control, pollination, decontamination, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, soil conservation, nutrient and hydrological cycling. Enhanced protection and management of these habitats and biodiversity can mitigate the impacts of climate change and help vulnerable communities to adapt with biodiversity loss increasing at an unprecedented rate in Bangladesh.
According to one recent study focusing on five regions of the world, if the climate continues to warm it could dramatically increase the number of species going extinct. Mid range, predictions suggest that 15 to 37 per cent of species in these regions will be on their way to extinction by 2050 due to climate change. At least 40 percent of the world's economy and 80 percent of the needs of the poor are gleaning from biological resources. Since the 1600 A.D till date, already plant species numbering 654 and animal species numbering 484 are known to have become extinct through greedy human activities.
Plant and animal species are the building blocks of biodiversity and ecosystems and provide us with essential services; not only food, fuel, clothes, medicine but also purification of water and air, prevention of soil erosion, regulating climate, and pollination of crops. They also provide a vital resource for economic activities such as forestry, agriculture, fisheries and tourism as well as having significant aesthetic, and cultural values.
Now, an example, South African Addo national park. While the park covers a large area with a range of elevations, microclimates, and ecosystems, by protecting such a variety of diverse habitats, the park's planners have factored in the effects of climate change, by ensuring that species can migrate to another safe habitat if climate change adversely affects their present one.
In Vietnam, a project to rehabilitate 12,000 hectares of mangrove forest along the northern coast is serving both as a large carbon reservoir and a valuable habitat. Local communities benefit, too, from new fisheries for crabs, shrimps, and mollusks, while the mangroves offer vital protection from tropical storms to villages and ecosystems alike.
Energy production is another area with a strong potential for reducing human impacts on climate while protecting biodiversity. Currently, about 80 per cent of the global carbon dioxide emissions arising from human activities originate from the generation and use of energy from fossil fuels. Renewable energy is widely seen as a desirable alternative. Indeed, in countries where people use wood for fuel, promoting fuel-efficient stoves and biogas can significantly reduce pressure on forests, and thus conserve carbon.
However, some projects that promote renewable energy also have an impact on biodiversity. Large-scale hydropower schemes, for example, can trigger losses of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, inhibit fish migration, and lead to mercury contamination. They can also be net emitters of greenhouse gases, as submerged soils and vegetation decay and lead to the release of carbon dioxide and methane. Similarly, biodiversity conservation should factor in to the design and location of wind turbines. Birds, including several threatened species, have been killed in wind turbines, but simple design modifications can limit these mortalities. Such risks make it important to consider biodiversity issues when formulating policies on alternative energy sources.
In our country, if we will be for setting park projects like our national Botanical Garden then we will have benefited in the forestation and plant diversity areas. At present, government is talking much but result is not apparent. We want government implementation tasks for all sectors. However, we must prioritise the following areas: (1) Greening -- such as forestation plant diversity conservation including park programme, plant a tree per person programme, eco-mind eco-thinking activities; (2) Renewable energy; (3) Energy efficiency; (4) Bio-materials; (5) Sustainable water systems; (6) Waste management and recycling; (7) Saving rivers and canals from pollution and grabbers.
We see that governments and civil societies include environmental activities and anti-global warming activities in their programme around the world and are committing to bio-diversity conservation and marine resources conservation because people, even private sector corporations and companies have benefited greatly from animals, plants, marine waters and foods and rivers. In fine, it is high time eco-development for food security is paid attention in Bangladesh.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman is a botanist and researcher. Email: [email protected].