Lessons: Biodiversity, Ethnobotany, Medicine, Sustainable Development
		"The Little Birds" © Usko Ayar & Alfredo Zagaceta C. In this painting we can see many varieties of birds and plants. In the middle there is a bluish bird; on the left side is the Shihuacullo of black and olive green color. Below this is the Tahuicuro and another bird, also red and yellow ones. Among the plants we see the Itininga and parasite plants with dry leaves, lianas and heart shaped leaves too. To the right we see a bird called Serrucho, below this is some huancachitas and the Chui colored yellow. There is an Intipina with flower and the handsaw Intipina. Some bijaus are hanging and we see some dry branches.

Biological Diversity Biodiversity
References & Resources	What is it?
quoted from: The Environmental Database for Use in Schools Engineering Department University of Southampton, England Facts about biodiversity - World Research Institute  Facts about biodiversity - ABE  The Natural Heritage Network  The Rutgers University Biodiversity Index  Tree of Life: Diversity and Unity of Living Organisms  Wildlife Tour / slide show  Biodiversity and the Global Crisis  Biodiversity Action Network  WWW-Ethnobotanical Resource Directory. Dept of Botany, U of FL  World Research Institute Why is this important ?  CEI - Center for Environmental Informatics University of Sunderland	Biodiversity (a shortened version of biological diversity) is a measure of the variety of the Earth's animal, plant and microbial species. It is a phrase which was coined in 1992 when an international convention for the preservation of biodiversity was signed by over 100 world leaders at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Much research has been done in this area and it has been found that the biodiversity of the Earth is far greater than previously thought. For instance, it is now thought that approximately only 1-10% of the world's species of bacterial are known at present. It is important to monitor to ensure that species do not die out unnecessarily. A large biodiversity ensures ecological stability and is a resource for research into new drugs and crops. What's the Problem? Of all the world's species, humans have the greatest effect on the environment. In the 20th century the world's human population has been increasing at an alarming rate. This has meant that more land has had to be excavated to house them and supply enough food for them to have a healthy existance. The problem with this is that the land destroyed is home to many species that can only survive in certain conditions. Once their habitat is destroyed the animal will also die out. So, although this century have provided us with many great people and discoveries the number of animals lost forever is phenomenal. It is not only the destruction of habitats that threaten the Earth's biodiversity, the balance of nature is upset by other activities such as, overfishing, over hunting, cutting down of too many trees as well as by pollution of land, air, oceans and rivers. Habitat Destruction In many areas it is the habitat's destruction that is wiping out many species, for instance, peat bogs are a haven for creatures and these are being rapidly depleted by the intervention of humans. Another example is the destruction of the rain forests in South America. These are home to many species, many of which are unknown to man, so it is crucial that these are not destroyed.