Importance of Biodiversity: Utilitarian, Ecosystem Service and Ethical Values
The importance of biodiversity refers to the direct, indirect and ethical reasons for protecting biological variety, including useful products, ecosystem services and the responsibility to allow other species to exist.
In one line: Products, services and responsibility: these are the three reasons.
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- Biodiversity supports human life and ecosystem stability in several ways.
- Narrowly utilitarian value includes direct benefits such as food, medicines, fibres, timber and industrial materials obtained from organisms.
- Broadly utilitarian value includes ecosystem services such as pollination, oxygen production, climate regulation, soil formation, nutrient cycling and water purification.
- Ethical value means species should be protected not only for human use but also because every organism has a role and a right to continue in nature.
- Exam answers should classify the reason correctly and add examples instead of writing a general statement that nature is useful.
Example
Rule to remember
Key rule: direct products are narrowly utilitarian; ecosystem services are broadly utilitarian; moral responsibility towards other species is ethical value.
See it worked out
Follow the example line by line, then use the same method on new questions.
Worked example
If a question asks whether oxygen release by green plants is narrowly or broadly utilitarian, classify it as broadly utilitarian because it is an ecosystem-level service, not a harvested product.
Method you can reuse
- 1Read the example carefully.
- 2If humans directly use a product from an organism, classify it as narrowly utilitarian.
- 3If the benefit comes from ecosystem functioning, classify it as broadly utilitarian.
- 4If the question asks why species should be protected even without known use, write ethical value.
Visual tip
A value-map can show biodiversity at the centre with three branches: direct products, ecosystem services and ethical reasons. Labels should include food, medicine, pollination, nutrient cycling and species existence.
Check yourself
Answer the question in your head before opening the answer.
Try it yourself
How is broadly utilitarian value different from narrowly utilitarian value of biodiversity?
Think first, then show answerHide answer
Common wrong answer
Writing that pollination by insects is narrowly utilitarian.
Why it loses marks: Pollination is an ecosystem service supporting reproduction and food production.
Don't mix this up
Exam tip
Write it in the exam
Each point is worth about one mark. Write point 1 for a 1-mark question and keep adding points as the marks go up.
How CBSE asks it
Answer plan
- 1
Enough for 1 mark
The importance of biodiversity refers to the direct, indirect and ethical reasons for protecting biological variety, including useful products, ecosystem services and the responsibility to allow other species to exist.
- 2
Add for 2 marks
Example: Honeybees and other pollinators support crop production. Forests help regulate climate and water cycles. Medicinal plants are examples of direct biological resources used by humans.
- 3
Add for 3 marks
Biodiversity supports human life and ecosystem stability in several ways.
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