Question

Ecosystem biodiversity can be best preserved by

• A. Creating a preserve in an urban area
• B. Building botanical gardens based on the ecosystem
• C. Preserving a few very large areas on an ecosystem
• D. Preserving many small areas of an ecosystem
• E. Creating greenbelts along creeks in roadways in urban areas

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Preserving a few very large areas on an ecosystem

Ecosystem biodiversity can be best preserved by: preserving a few very large areas on an ecosystem.

The extinction of plant and animal species is not only decreasing Earth’s biodiversity and depriving humans of potential resources for food, medicine, and simple enjoyment of nature; it is endangering the functioning of ecosystems and potentially precipitating a cascading effect of increased ecosystem loss and further erosion of biodiversity.

Ecosystems are critical to human welfare. They sequester carbon, produce oxygen, generate chemical energy from sunlight, and are integral to soil formation, nutrient cycling, food production, wood and fiber production, the regulation of water flow, and the transference of water to the atmosphere.

Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber, and fuel. This has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth.