Biodiversity is the variety of life, its ecosystems, species, populations and genes. Human actions towards the land, freshwater and oceans have already caused biodiversity to decline.
Plants have formed the basis of traditional medicine systems that have been in existance for thousands of years. The first records are from Mesopotamia and data from about 2600 BC, among the substances used were oils of cedurus species(cedar) and cupressus semepevirens(cypress). All of which are still being used today for the treatment of various ailments.
Current usage of plant derived materials include Quinine,Arteminisinin among others. Microbially derived agents include The tetracyclines, the Anthracycline, the Aminoglycosides,penicilins and cephalosphorins. From the perspective of biodiversity, the most diverse organisms on the planet are microbes. It is estimated that less than 5% of all microbial flora have been inesitgated to date. In one cubic centimeter of soil, more than 1000 different species of microbes have been found.
Lets conserve our biodiversity for our own good, lest we perish.
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