Biodiversity

The diversity of life on Earth is impressive and critical for our survival. This diversity extends to millions and perhaps billions of species, to thousands of unique ecosystems, and even to the microscopic level of genes and inheritable material. Unfortunately, global biodiversity at all levels is threatened by species extinction, habitat fragmentation, natural resource exploitation, and invasive species. Each of these threats demand organized and effective policy responses at the local, regional, state, or international level. The policy responses also should involve a variety of stakeholders that have vested interests in preserving and conserving biodiversity around our planet. Biodiversity has intrinsic value and it has enormous utilitarian value and must be protected if life on Earth is to be sustained.

Identify three major threats to global biodiversity and explain how and why these three threats negatively affect biodiversity. Describe one positive role that nonprofit organizations, state/local governments, and the international community can each play in protecting biodiversity from these threats? Evaluate the threats you discussed and select which threat you consider as the most harmful to global biodiversity. Discuss how this specific threat can be eliminated or mitigated.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.