Final answer:
Maintaining biodiversity is ethically significant because humans have a moral duty to minimize harm to other species, and our psychological health benefits from biodiverse natural environments.
Step-by-step explanation:
One ethical argument for maintaining biodiversity is that humans have a moral responsibility to inflict as little harm as possible on other species. Harvard entomologist E. O. Wilson suggests that our evolutionary history has adapted us to live in natural environments, and built or city environments introduce stressors that negatively impact our health and well-being. The psychological regenerative benefits of natural landscapes backed by research echo this sentiment.
To preserve these benefits, as well as honor our ethical obligations, conserving biodiversity is fundamental. Moreover, the economic benefits of biodiversity add an instrumental argument to the ethical position, emphasizing conservation biology's close relationship with ethical considerations and economic development.