BLOGGING THE VIEW: 8 facts to know ahead of International Day for Biodiversity
The planet's survival depends on the interaction of millions of species that exist across diverse habitats. Celebrate biodiversity by shopping consciously, caring for the environment, and playing your part ...
On 22 May, we celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity – the cornerstone of a stable planet and healthy ecosystems that sustain us all.
This is a great excuse to ditch the screens and get out in nature, enjoying a hike in a reserve, swim in the ocean, or just some time out in the garden.
There’s life happening all around you, and it’s time you learnt a bit more about it.
1. Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth and encompasses a diversity of ecosystems supporting a diversity of species.
2. It’s estimated there are 8.7 million species of plants and animals on earth, with around 1.7 million actually identified. Scientists believe millions of species are yet to be discovered.
3. Biodiversity is important for livelihoods, as more than 3 billion people depend on coastal biodiversity for their income. It is essential for health as the species work together to provide us with ingredients for a balanced diet, with a quarter of all drugs derived from rainforests – including more than 70% of cancer drugs.
4. One of the biggest threats to biodiversity loss is deforestation through urbanisation and agricultural expansion. Tropical forests cover less than 10% of the earth but host around 90% of the species. The Amazon has already lost 17% of its forest cover, with 17% of its rainforests degraded. As of 2021, just 9% of the world’s forests remain intact.
5. Nature is declining at a faster rate than at any other time in human history, with around 1 million animal and plant species on the brink of extinction.
6. The biodiversity found within the ocean is also paramount to all life on earth, but over-fishing is changing the ecological balance of food chains, impacting biodiversity. Pollution, too, is destroying marine and freshwater habitats, with one in three freshwater species now threatened with extinction.
7. Because butterflies are highly reactive to their environments, their populations can be used to indicate areas that are struggling.
8. Some say biodiversity is a bigger threat than climate change – once a species is extinct, it cannot be brought back. Without immediate action by all of us, we could be heading towards widespread ecological collapse.
Sources:
www.ing.com
www.greenpeace.org
