Page 94 - The Error of the Evolution of Species
P. 94
The Error of the Evolution
of Species
All these delicious foodstuffs that meet our needs, we
obtain from plants and animals. In different parts of the
globe there are different cereals, fruits, vegetables, and ma-
rine and terrestrial animals with different chemical structures
and nutritional values. For example, human beings consume
around 100 million tons of fish a year. 101
Yet only a small part of the biological variety existing to-
day is actually used. According to the well-known environ-
mentalist Norman Myers, for instance, human beings
throughout the course of history have made use of 7,000
species of plants for nutritional purposes. 102 On the other
hand, it is estimated that the total number of edible plants
is at least 75,000. 103 Tropical regions in particular are full of
thousands of plant species of a high nutritional value.
Professor Peter Raven states that some of the 250,000
species of flowering plants can be grown in regions where
agriculture is still not possible, to provide useful products. 104
Most people cannot properly comprehend the impor-
tance of biodiversity. They imagine that all they require are
a few cereals such as wheat, rice and maize, a number of
fruits and vegetables, and a few herds to provide meat and
milk. Of course these few species are sufficient for a per-
son's nutritional requirements. However, these also depend,
directly or indirectly, on a wide range of bacteria, animals,
92