What is the role of biodiversity in maintaining environmental balance and the importance of biodiversity ?

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example, A larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops. Greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms.

Importance of Biodiversity:
Biodiversity has a number of functions on the Earth. These are as follows:
1. Maintaining balance of the ecosystem: Recycling and storage of nutrients, combating pollution, and stabilizing climate, protecting water resources, forming and protecting soil and maintaining ecobalance.
2. Provision of biological resources: Provision of medicines and pharmaceuticals, food for the human population and animals, ornamental plants, wood products, breeding stock and diversity of species, ecosystems and genes.
3. Social benefits: Recreation and tourism, cultural value and education and research.

The role of biodiversity in the following areas will help make clear the importance of biodiversity in human life:
1. Biodiversity and food: $80\%$ of human food supply comes from 20 kinds of plants. But humans use 40,000 species for food, clothing and shelter. Biodiversity provides for variety of foods for the planet.
2. Biodiversity and human health: The shortage of drinking water is expected to create a major global crisis.
3. Biodiversity also plays an important role in drug discovery and medicinal resources. Medicines from nature account for usage by $80\%$ of the world’s population.
4. Biodiversity and industry: Biological sources provide many industrial materials. These include fiber, oil, dyes, rubber, water, timber, paper and food.
5. Biodiversity and culture: Biodiversity enhances recreational activities like bird watching, fishing, trekking etc. It inspires musicians and artists.