CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
OUR SUSTAINABILITY POLICIES
ECOSYSTEM AND BIODIVERSITY
Ecology
Ecology is a discipline which studies the interactions among organisms and their environment. In this definition; organisms mean the communities that consist of human beings, animals and plants. The suitable setting for an organism to live and continue its lineage is called environment. Factors like air, water, light and earth create the environment. Ecosystem is the entire community of living organisms and non-living components.
Ecology is closely related with disciplines like botany, zoology, microbiology, physiology, plant nutrition, anatomy, morphology, pathology, pedology, geology, geomorphology, mineralogy, physics, chemistry, meteorology and climatology. However, ecology differs from other natural sciences at some points in terms of research subject, methods and purposes. Dealing with basic topics that are common for all living organisms and that can have an effect on those living creatures, ecology studies the habitat of the living organisms and their interactions with other living organisms, not specific organs belonging to a living organism and vital activities of those organs.
Ecology is related with all kinds of biodiversity. Topics of interest also include the place of a small microorganism in the conversion of a food and impact of rain forests on the atmosphere. All living organisms need to establish a relationship with their surroundings. Therefore, ecology is significant for the sustainability of both environment and life.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity means the variety and variability of life on earth and ecological process accordingly. Living organisms need clean water, fertile lands, foods and other substances to maintain their lives. All fungi, plants, animals and other living organism that ensure all these constitute the biodiversity.
As biodiversity in a certain region increases, ecological services increase as well. Since a balanced and correct interaction should be formed between the species to ensure the increase, when biodiversity increases, substance cycle and energy flow in ecosystems will be more effective. In contrary, if the variety in ecosystem decrease, ecosystem services decrease as well.
At this point, ecosystem diversity, variability of species and genetic variability stand as three components that complete each other, ensure the complexity and variety of the life on earth and play an efficient role in the continuity of the nature. Components of biodiversity can be defined as follows:
Ecosystem Diversity: The name of the continuous system formed by the interactions of living and non-living organisms in a certain region. Ecosystem constitutes the mechanism of basic ecological processes needed by human beings like oxygen, water circulation, energy flow, soil production.
Variability of Species: The difference of the species in a region, area, habitat or the entire world is called variability of species. It’s the number of existing species. Species can be classified by their common traits. It’s estimated that there are 10 – 80 million species on earth; however, the number of species that are identified and designated by the scientists is only 1.6 million.
Genetic Variability: Each species consists of its own genetic components. Therefore, member of a species can have different genetic components and can be in different populations. To sustain the genetic variability in a healthy way, it’s required to maintain the different populations of a species.
Benefits of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is significant to maintain the sustainability of the existing level in agriculture and animal husbandry, even in technology as well as continuation of the human life. Abundance of plant and animal species ensures economic gain and leads the way for the development in fields like clean water, clean air, forestry and agriculture. Balance of the ecosystems, habitable condition of the world and health of human beings are ensured thanks to the biodiversity.
Benefits of Plant Diversity
Plants prevent the erosion, give organic matters to the soil and play an important role in the continuation of ecosystem by ensuring the nutrition and sheltering of other living organisms. Vegetables and fruits like silverberry, pistacia terebinthus, alfalfa, sorbus, common hawtorn, wild pear, jujube are used in medicine and efficient in production of drugs and healthy life. On the other hand, cottonwood, juniper, oak, pine and acorn are grown in Turkey and make great contribution to the forestry.
Benefits of Animal Diversity
Animals have been used as food source since being domesticated by early man. Some of the insects ensures the pollination of plants and decomposition of organic substances to dissolve into the soil. Fishes like trout, bass and gray mullet that are specific to the country ensure the continuity of fishery and animals like sheep, goat and cow ensure the continuity of animal husbandry.
Benefits of Ecosystem Diversity
People relieves their stress and concerns in their daily lives by going somewhere in touch with the nature and rest their heads in this way. Tourism based on nature is called ecotourism and it has a huge importance recently. The number of people who want to run away from negative factors like the effect of technology on our daily lives, pressures and concerns in business world and noise, crowd and traffic in big cities, and to relax in the heart of nature has increased especially in the recent period.
Sustainability of the ecosystems depends on the variety and health of the species in it. First rule of the continuation of life of human beings is not spoiling the ecosystems. Beside the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystems for the human beings, they also possess their own values and rights to exist. We must protect them not only for our needs and requirements but also for their own values and rights to exist just as all living organisms.
What is an Endemic Plant?
Derived from the Greek word “endomos”, endemic means local or something belonging to that region. If any plant spreads over an area with certain borders, it’s an endemic plant. Plant species or types that spread over only certain regions on earth are called endemic. Antalya chamomile or Pyrus serikensis are examples for endemic plants to these regions.
