Conservation of Biodiversity: Opportunities and Challenges

This essay includes a review of major strategies for preservation of earth’s biodiversity including the biodiversity “hotspots,” “Wildlands Project,” and the “consensus” strategy. The essay includes a review of reasons for protecting biodiversity including the deep ecology, inherent value argument, and a review of philosophies and organizations that place low value on preservation of biodiversity. Local, national and international organizations working for protection of biodiversity are discussed. The paper concludes that preservation of significant portions of the global biodiversity is cost-effective, reasonable, and prudent. The paper calls for international organizations, national governments, and regional and local communities to focus attention and resources on preservation of biodiversity as a high priority of action because to do otherwise could cause irreversible harm to the diversity of life on the planet.