The biodiversity found on Earth today is the result of approximately 3.5 billion years of evolution.
The maintenance of biodiversity is important for the following reasons:
1. Ecological stability
Each species performs a particular function within an ecosystem. They can capture and store energy, produce organic material, decompose organic material, help to cycle water and nutrients throughout the ecosystem, control erosion or pests, fix atmospheric gases, or help regulate climate.
2. Economic benefits to humans
Most people see biodiversity as a reservoir of resources to be drawn upon for the manufacture of food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products. Thus resource shortages may be related to the erosion of the biodiversity.