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Malaysia's Biodiversity
| "I have a dream
I dream of animals which roam wild and free
I dream of trees whose branches touch the sky
Everything was so beautiful
I could actually taste the breeze
I could breathe the air
I have a dream
But it seems to be fading away" |
Biodiversity is a major issue today. It is a relatively new word contracted from biological diversity. What exactly does it mean" The UNEP describes it 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. In short, biodiversity simply means "variety of life". It is a characteristic of nature, a defining characteristic of life. Life comes in an almost infinite variety of fascinating and enchanting forms. Without diversity, life is not conceivable.
Convention on Biological Diversity -CBD
On 29th December 1993 Malaysia became a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and has played a significant role among the developing countries in ensuring that equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the biodiversity-rich countries go to improve the standard of living in the countries of the origin of biodiversity. Having ratified the CBD, Malaysia has initiated a Biodiversity Country Study. One of the important aspects of this study is to present the state-of-the-art socio-economic factors affecting biodiversity. Besides that, the National Policy on Biological Diversity has been formulated to conserve Malay-sia's biodiversity and to ensure that its components are utilised in a sustainable manner for the continued progress and socio-economic development of the nation.
Megadiversity
Malaysia has realised the rich biodiversity that it harbours. This country has been identified as one of the world's megadiversity areas with extremely rich biodiversity. There are well over 15,000 flora species known to exist, 286 species of animals, 150,000 species of invertebrates with insects being the largest single group,1,200 species of butterflies, 12,000 species of moths and over 8,000 species of fishes. The tropical forests, the oldest and most biologically diverse ecosystem on earth, cover much of the country.
At this time, there is a growing need to conserve our rich and most valuable natural asset, biodiversity. Biodiversity affects our lives in many ways but we are seldom aware of it directly. The many advances in agro-industries, fisheries, forestry, development of new drugs and maintaining ecological balance can be attributed to the biotic resources. Without biodiversity, all of these advances would have been impossible. Little do we realise as well that biodiversity is connected to the social and religious dimensions of our lives.
Biodiversity and the community
When we say social dimension it means that the exploitation of biodiversity is required to be carried out in tandem with strengthening community involvement. Cultural dimension on the other hand requires that exploitation of biodiversity be compatible with the culture and values of the people affected by it. Most traditional societies in this country hold special places for certain animals in their cultural and social activities. For example, the Ibans in Sarawak worship the hornbill as their war god, known as the Singalang Burong. These chosen animals play an important role in death, birth and marriage rituals. Modern symbols can never replace their significance in these important ceremonies. Plants act as homes to various spirits in many pagan societies. When these plants are destroyed, say by logging, it is believed the spirit is being chased away and no longer welcomed in that area. The area will be cursed by the spirit and the people will suffer from the terrible consequences brought by the curse such as floods or landslides. These spirits are important in their social and belief systems. Therefore, these aspects must be respected by all concerned while using these resources.
Traditional healing properties
Looking back to the years before modern medicine was discovered, we ask ourselves how the people back then managed to find cures for their various ailments. Biodiversity held the answers and the ancient ones wisely exploited its riches for their medicinal purposes. Leaves from the "yellow fern" were used to treat headaches and babies with "yellow skin" syndrome. Nowadays, the overwhelming biological diversity in our tropical and virgin forests are still being utilised for its medicinal values. For example, quinine from the cinchona tree has been discovered to be effective against malaria. Horseshoe crabs which live in our marine coastal waters have a blood clotting agent which is used to detect potentially fatal bacteria in vaccine, drugs and other medical devices. The millipedes which can be found in our jungles, when burnt and mixed with warm water is used for treating asthma. The medical secrets life science holds for us is overwhelming. If we were to lose all our significant patches of forests then it would be a waste to know that there could have been a cure for diseases which seem incurable now.
Genetic diversity
Biodiversity is a basic concept for the understanding of nature. We need to cherish the genetic diversity which occurs within nature itself - on the level of species and ecosystems. When natural habitats are converted for other land uses, the wild relatives of useful strains of our economic crops, fruit trees, vegetables, domesticated animals etc. are often lost. In situ conservation ensures large natural genetic reservoirs. Without this, we make our food supplies vulnerable to diseases. Therefore genetic diversity, as an important aspect of biodiversity cannot be ignored. The consequences of the loss of biodiversity are drastic and terribly frightening at the same time. The loss of biological diversity leads to global change and threatens ecosystems integrity. Indirectly, it threatens perhaps human existence itself. When we destroy much of our country's biodiversity, unsuspected dynamics changes will be produced and this can seriously endanger our crops and domestic animals. An ecosystem which is not in the state of equilibrium will never return to its previous state when the compulsion is removed.
Conclusion
Conservation is absolutely necessary and extremely important in the issue of the country's rich and overwhelming biodiversity. Where would we be without this amazing natural resource" Our world depends entirely on this generous gift from Mother Earth. It has given us so much and we have done very little for it in return. So, let us repay it by protecting and preserving it with total commitment and dedication. Let us put limits on our actions towards this amazingly rich biosphere which has borne us. Let us take full responsibility for whatever we do and keep the promises we make to preserve the very source of our life-biodiversity. The well-being of all organisms around us lies in our hands. Our very lives depend on what we choose to do. To preserve and protect or to plunder and destroy, the choice is ours.
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