Which one of the following examples represents a broadly utilitarian argument that says that biodiversity plays a major role in many ecosystem services?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Pollination (due to which we get fruits or seeds)
The reasons for conserving biodiversity are grouped into three kinds. The narrowly utilitarian reason is the direct products we take from nature, such as food, firewood, fibre, construction material and industrial products. The broadly utilitarian reason is the ecosystem services that nature gives us, such as the oxygen from forests and pollination. The ethical reason is that every species has its own value and we must care for it.
(1) Pollination (due to which we get fruits or seeds) — Correct. Pollination is an ecosystem service. Bees, bumblebees, birds and bats carry pollen, and without them plants cannot give us fruits or seeds.
(2) Industrial products (tannin, lubricants, dyes, resins, perfumes) — Incorrect. These are direct products taken from plants. They belong to the narrowly utilitarian argument.
(3) Food (cereals, pulses, fruits) — Incorrect. Food is a direct product of nature, so it is a narrowly utilitarian reason.
(4) Firewood and construction materials — Incorrect. These are also direct products, so they belong to the narrowly utilitarian argument.
NCERT Extract:
Why Should We Conserve Biodiversity? – “… The broadly utilitarian argument says that biodiversity plays a major role in many ecosystem services that nature provides. The fastdwindling Amazon forest is estimated to produce, through photosynthesis, 20 per cent of the total oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere. … You can get some idea by finding out how much your neighborhood hospital spends on a cylinder of oxygen. Pollination (without which plants cannot give us fruits or seeds) is another service, ecosystems provide through pollinators layer – bees, bumblebees, birds and bats.”