Why Should We Conserve Biodiversity? Three Arguments
Biology · Biodiversity and Conservation · NEET
NCERT groups the reasons to conserve biodiversity into three arguments: narrowly utilitarian (direct benefits like food, medicine and bioprospecting), broadly utilitarian (indirect ecosystem services like oxygen from the Amazon and pollination), and ethical (every species has intrinsic value and we owe it to future generations). Memory hook: think NARROW = money in your pocket, BROAD = free services from nature, ETHICAL = no money at all, only duty.
The three NCERT arguments for conserving biodiversity: narrow (direct products), broad (ecosystem services), and ethical (moral duty). Oxygen and pollination are always broad, not narrow.
Your doubts, answered
What is the exact difference between the narrowly and broadly utilitarian arguments?
Narrowly utilitarian = DIRECT economic benefits you take out and use or sell: food (cereals, pulses, fruits), firewood, fibre, construction material, industrial products (tannins, dyes, resins, perfumes) and medicines. Broadly utilitarian = INDIRECT ecosystem SERVICES nature performs for free: 20% of Earth's oxygen from the Amazon through photosynthesis, and pollination by bees, birds and bats. Rule of thumb: narrow = a product in your hand, broad = a service in the background.
Why is oxygen a broadly utilitarian benefit and not narrowly utilitarian?
Because oxygen is a SERVICE performed by the ecosystem (photosynthesis by the Amazon forest), not a product humans directly harvest and sell. Narrowly utilitarian benefits are things you extract and use directly like food and drugs. NEET loves flipping this, so remember: Amazon oxygen and pollination are ALWAYS broadly utilitarian.
What is bioprospecting and which argument does it belong to?
Bioprospecting is exploring molecular, genetic and species-level diversity for products of economic importance (like new drugs). It gives DIRECT economic profit, so it belongs to the NARROWLY utilitarian argument. This is a favourite one-word NEET answer (asked in 2019 and again in 2026). Do not confuse it with biopiracy (illegal use of bioresources).
Which argument has NO economic value at all?
The ETHICAL argument. It says every species has intrinsic value even if it has no current or economic value to us, and we have a moral duty to hand our biological legacy to future generations in good order. If the reason mentions duty, morality, intrinsic value or future generations, it is ethical, not utilitarian.
Is more than 25% of drugs coming from plants a narrow or broad benefit?
Narrowly utilitarian. Medicines are a direct product. NCERT states more than 25% of drugs sold worldwide come from plants and 25,000 plant species are used in traditional medicines. This is a common data point NTA turns into a fill-in-the-blank.
⚠️ The NEET trap ✗ Placing Amazon oxygen production and pollination under the narrowly utilitarian argument because they clearly benefit humans. ✓ Oxygen from the Amazon and pollination are ecosystem SERVICES, so they belong to the BROADLY utilitarian argument. Only direct extractable products (food, medicine, bioprospecting) are narrowly utilitarian. 🧠 If nature does the WORK for you (oxygen, pollination) it is BROAD; if you TAKE a product (food, drug) it is NARROW.
Real NEET questions
NEET 2019 (Odisha) / 2026
Exploration of molecular, genetic and species level diversity for novel products of economic importance is known as:
A · Biopiracy
B · Bioenergetics
C · Bioremediation
D · Bioprospecting ✓
Solution: Bioprospecting is the exploration of molecular, genetic and species-level diversity for products of economic importance, a NARROWLY utilitarian reason to conserve biodiversity. Biopiracy is the unauthorised use of bioresources, bioenergetics is energy flow in organisms, and bioremediation uses organisms to clean pollutants. NCERT Class XII, Ch 13, p.223: "bioprospecting (exploring molecular, genetic and species-level diversity for products of economic importance)."
Solved Biodiversity and Conservation NEET PYQs
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
What are the three arguments to conserve biodiversity?
Narrowly utilitarian (direct economic benefits), broadly utilitarian (ecosystem services), and ethical (intrinsic value and moral duty).
Which argument is considered the most obvious?
NCERT says the narrowly utilitarian arguments are the most obvious because humans derive countless direct economic benefits from nature such as food, fibre and medicine.
Give one example each for the three arguments.
Narrow: bioprospecting for new drugs. Broad: 20% of Earth's oxygen produced by the Amazon forest. Ethical: every species has intrinsic value that we must protect for future generations.
How much of the Earth's oxygen does the Amazon produce as per NCERT?
About 20% of the total oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, produced through photosynthesis. This is a broadly utilitarian ecosystem service.
Why is this topic important for NEET?
NCERT phrases each argument with fixed keywords and NTA repeatedly tests one-word answers (bioprospecting) and asks you to classify examples like oxygen and pollination, so knowing which benefit belongs to which argument scores easy marks.
