Biodiversity and it's importance according to Vandana Shiva Journal #1

In Vandana Shiva's article, "What is Biodiversity and Why is it so Important?  Which is featured in the book; University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future,  gave the readers a bit of background information about biodiversity and also provided some insight to what it might/should mean to us as human beings, the top of the food chain, the main assailants of the world today. According to Shiva, human beings are responsible for the alterations made to certain species as well as the deterioration of this planet. Shiva states that we are trying to control things that nature normal takes care of and we are interjecting in that cycle and thus, messing everything up. I personally agree with her, it makes me incredibly irritated when people create a disturbance  in the natural cycle and then complain about it's outcome. This has nothing to do with biodiversity but it does, however, have a lot to do with sustainability; it is our duty as human beings to preserve nature and instead, we are tearing down habitats left and right. When we tear down the habitats that house many and most of the animals, where do we expect them to go? They wander into our neighborhoods in search for food and then we complain and order a death warrant. It's our fault in the first place and I think that's exactly what is wrong with society today; we don't take any responsibility for our actions and don't think of the repercussions. Shiva, I'm sure, feels similar as she states that there are an estimated 3.6-100 million species in the world and humans are only ONE of those species and we must remember that. Just because we are on the top of the food chain does not mean we need to ruin everything below us. Biodiversity is extremely important because it heightens productivity and all species have an important role in the ecosystem. Shiva explains the connection between biological and cultural biodiversity, how they are both intertwined and when one is affected, the other suffers as well.

In Jane Goodall's article, "Hope for Animals and Their World" Jane Goodall warns us of the impending extinction of certain animals and how humans have had a grave influence on the animals and their world. Also, in the article, Jane Goodall offers an idea of how we can turn things around.