Biodiversity is the variety of all living things on Earth, from microscopic organisms and plants to whole ecosystems and animals. It includes the genetic variation that distinguishes them, which is essential for their adaptation to environmental challenges. Biodiversity is also the foundation of a healthy sustainable food system and a rich source of natural medicines.
The current pace of biodiversity loss poses major risks to the sustainability of human societies and the planet. It threatens to diminish critical economic and other benefits that we derive from nature, including clean air, water, and food security, and a wide range of ecosystem services like waste treatment and habitat restoration.
Biodiversity loss is largely driven by our expanding population and growing demand for natural resources, particularly oil, timber, land, and freshwater. We must shift towards a more regenerative approach to development that values and sustains biodiversity.
In addition, climate change is causing species to move or die out altogether as their habitats are lost and become less hospitable. Changing this trajectory will require us to reduce our carbon footprint, protect remaining biodiversity hotspots, and adopt new agricultural techniques that prioritize biodiversity.
Prioritizing biodiversity can have a positive impact on local economies, including sustainable agriculture and sustainable forestry, which provide employment to millions of people worldwide. Likewise, regenerative methods such as polyculture and agroforestry help keep soil fertility high, whereas traditional monoculture crop fields are dependent on fertilizers. Moreover, protecting a small percentage of the world’s most biodiversity-rich areas could secure much of the global “irrecoverable” carbon, which would reduce emissions and stabilize the climate.