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Human Well-Being

Biodiversity is intrinsically valuable to human well-being. The services supported by genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity supply people with many basic necessities and contribute to human health and safety. Biodiversity can also be an economic boon for societies, providing unique products and jobs that enhance economic security and contribute to political and social stability. Additionally, biodiversity has cultural value as a source of nationalistic and ethnic identity and for the psychological benefits it affords. The potential biodiversity holds for improving human well-being is as expansive as the resources themselves.

One of the most valuable functions of biodiversity is its contribution to human health. Ecosystem services provide humans with essential necessities such as shelter, nutritious food, breathable air, drinkable water, and fuel. It also helps keep pathogens in check. Without the wide array of animals and fiber bearing plants, human adaptation to the world's ecosystem conditions might have been impossible. South Americans, for instance, spun wool from Alpacas to keep warm in cooler areas, while in the extreme cold of the Arctic, Inuits used seal and other animal hides for warmth. Ecosystems also host the land forms and natural tools for sheltering populations, including clay to make bricks and plant fibers for roofing. Furthermore, they provide fuel sources with which people can regulate ambient temperature, cook food, or boil water to kill pathogens.

Indirect effects of biodiversity on human well-being, which can influence the stability of economic, political, and social systems, are also important. A loss or lack of biodiversity can result in limited resources with which to meet a society's basic needs, a situation which can increase political and social instability as people compete for access to resources. Furthermore, degrading ecosystems such as from large scale deforestation can disrupt a region's economy by causing shortages of clean water and food as soil quality degrades.

The world economy, especially the pharmaceutical and commodities sectors, relies on the benefits of biodiversity. New medicines are often based on chemicals found in plants, animals, and micro-organisms; of the 150 drug which are prescribed most often, nearly 50% are derived from living things. Some commodity plants, such as cocoa, coffee, and bananas, are only able to grow in certain climates and are the focus of local economies. In Brazil, for example, the coffee industry employs about 5% of the workforce. The coffee plant's genetic diversity as well as diversity of the geographic environment it is grown in, creates a thriving marketplace where certain types of coffee have become quite valuable.

Biodiversity, through the shared experience of ecosystems, can also be central to cultural identity. Local habitats and species play a part in recreational activities, religious institutions, and cultural expressions. In India, for example, a lotus flower is the symbol of the national political party, as well as a symbol of divine beauty in traditional Hindu paintings. In China, the flower is often embroidered on intricate silks symbolizing purity and elegance. Many other cultures also incorporate patterns reflecting regional biodiversity into traditional clothing. These garments, made from a diversity of fibers, are often dyed and decorated with a wide variety of plants, all inspired and sustained by local biodiversity. Handicrafts, in general, are cultural expressions which often depict local species. These symbols show up in other places, such as in folklore and creation stories, where they embody cultural values and act as a tool for people to understand and interpret their world. The symbols also transmit cultural beliefs to other generations and to outsiders: think for example, about the attributes conveyed by national symbols like the bald eagle or the maple leaf.

Research shows that there are psychological benefits for humans in interacting with ?nature,? as well as in the aesthetic value of green spaces. Watching a bird in a tree or listening to the sound of a river can be relaxing and improve a person's sense of psychological well-being. The psychological or health benefits of exploring a new ecosystem or viewing native wildlife have made regions with high biodiversity attractive to tourists. The nature tourism industry is central to many local economies, with biodiversity's value often becoming a factor in why property rates of houses or hotel rooms with a natural view cost more than those without.

Nature tourism is one example of an industry that uses incentives to conserve biodiversity, because their livelihoods depend on it. Incentives matter in conservation because even if humans consciously understand how their everyday lives are reliant on biodiversity, they may not take steps to preserve it. The job of policymakers, scientists, and economists is to find and enact measures which enable the public to benefit the most from the valuable services biodiversity provides.

Updated by Skyler Treat & Nicole Barone Callahan

Horticulture: the Psychological Benefits from Gardening
This article discusses the benefits people derive from natural interaction and what motivates people to garden.

Biodiversity and its Value
This paper published by the Australian Government discusses the ways biodiversity benefits people through ecosystem services, biological resources, and social benefits.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Biodiversity Synthesis, Key Messages
These key messages from the Encyclopedia of the Earth briefly summarize the value of biodiversity and its future conservation.

Trees for Life: Aspen in Myth and Culture
The Aspen has held significance for cultures worldwide; much of that significance is illuminated in this article by a group working to restore the Scottish Highland.


Valuing the Benefits of Biodiversity
This comprehensive paper on the value and valuation of biodiversity uses United Kingdom-based case studies.


Biodiversity, Culture, and Health
Susette Biber-Klemm, a Swiss academic, writes on the Convention for Biological Diversity's regulations for researchers using traditional knowledge and plants. The article discusses specific practices for establishing and maintaining fruitful relationships.


The Importance of Biodiversity
This article from the Quebec Biodiversity website addresses the argument in the science community between intrinsic and anthropocentric values of biodiversity.

Voices of the Earth
This excerpt for the UNEP and Intermediate Technology publication provides an overview of the spiritual and cultural value biodiversity holds for indigenous cultures around the world.


Save the Moonflower

Why Preserve Biodiversity?

The Nature of Poetry
Living things and wild places often elicit strong emotional reactions. In this activity from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, students read poems that relate to biodiversity, comparing different themes and tones. Students will then write their own poetry to capture an emotion they've had about a species or landscape. [Grades 5-8]


?The Business of Coffee? Metropolis, 2008.

Clay, Rebecca. ?Green is Good For You,? Monitor on Psychology. American Psychological Association, 2001.

Cracraft, J., and F.T. Grifo, eds.1999. The living planet in crisis: Biodiversity science and policy. New York: Columbia University Press.

?Recreational Fishing Services? NOAA Fisheries: Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 2007.


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Related Pages

Value of Biodiversity


This page was last updated on August 8, 2008.
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