[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 54 (Thursday, March 23, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                     THE DEFINITION OF BIODIVERSITY

  (Mr. GILCHREST asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, what is biodiversity?
  Biodiversity is the overwhelming diversity of life. Each species has 
a definite and specific role to play in sustaining the dynamics of 
ecosystem processes as producers, consumers, decomposers, parasites, 
and predators, and each species occupies a specific niche.
  Biodiversity refers to the harmony and tension that exist between all 
species and ecological systems on the plant. Remove or sufficiently 
damage one of the components and the entire structure is weakened.
  The value of biodiversity to humanity goes far beyond economic 
utility. Humans are a part of the diversity of life. We rely on it to 
sustain our existence on this plant. We cannot continue to exist 
without interaction with other species. We rely on diversity for the 
air we breathe and the water we drink. The value of biodiversity lies 
not only in the utilization value of resources, it lies in the 
intrinsic value of its ability to support life.


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