Are you seriously claiming that, say, the sand of the Sahara (or the ice at the south pole) is as rich as, say, the Amazonian rainforest?

Sure I guess technically anything is an ecosystem, but some clearly support far more life (and variety of life, and sometimes exclusive life) than others. They obviously have different ecological "value".

Also pumping oil in the desert doesn't lead to the local residents being able to set their tap water on fire, you know, the way fracking can.