Question: Describe the consumptive use value of biodiversity as food, drugs and medicines, fuel and fiber with suitable examples.
Answer:
Biodiversity provides several benefits for the human beings and conditions to drive the process that maintains the global economy and our survival. The consumptive use value of biodiversity as food, drugs and medicines, fuel and fibres are as follows:
- Food: Several varieties of species of edible plants and animals are found. So by seeing the population increasement, man have developed many techniques to grow the crops in very fast rate and new varieties of food. Biodiversity provides foodstuffs like fruits, nuts, honey, spices etc. A number of varieties of plants like coconut, sunflower, mustard, soyabean are the sources of food and making oils. Some animal species are also used as making oil like fish oil etc.
- Drugs and Medicines: Biodiversity is rich in sources which is provided with the therapeutic properties. For example: quinine used for the treatment of malaria, taxol is an anticancer drug, morphine used as an analgesic, drug Reserpine is obtained from the Rauwolfia serpentine which is used for the cure of high blood pressure patients for the control and used to treat the hypertension or relief of psychotic symptoms etc. Some significant portion of drugs are defined or derived directly or indirectly from the bioresources. Some Ayurvedic medicines are also used for the treatment of some diseases that are based on the plant products.
- Fuel and fibres: Fossil fuels like petroleum are obtained from the fossils of organisms. Various plant species like cotton, flax, jute, Abacus etc. ate the major sources of obtaining fibres.
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