We are the solution: Celebrating Biodiversity
Banner photo Wayne Kaulbach
Biodiversity is you and me and some 14 million other species living on planet earth today. We are all descended from a common ancestor which lived between 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago, and we are all connected.
As David Attenborough so aptly states, “the more biodiversity, the more secure all life on earth is, including ourselves.”
Every day we rely on a surprising number of species in direct and indirect ways. There’s the food we eat and all that it depends on to grow and thrive, including billions of micro-organisms in the soil and the pollinators who help it reproduce. There are some 60,000 species of trees, who turn the carbon we breathe into the wood for our homes and paper - and of course, oxygen. There are approximately 4,000 species of plankton in the ocean - these oxygen-giving photosynthesizers form the basis of the marine food web; and there are the apex predators - wolves, bears, sharks, and whales, for example - who keep entire ecosystems in balance by controlling the populations of other key species in the food web.
Pollution, climate change, exploitation, and habitat loss due to industrialization and development all threaten biodiversity. Scientists estimate that current rates of extinction are one hundred times the natural rate, and millions of species are at risk of extinction within decades. Read more here.
At the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, the UN adopted the Convention on Biodiversity, which recognized that the conservation of biodiversity is “a common concern of humankind.” The convention, now signed by 190 countries, calls for the conservation of genetic resources by preserving sensitive ecosystems, the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems, and for creation of laws to protect endangered plant and animal species. One hundred and ninety countries have signed on to the convention.
On May 22, you can join people around the world in the celebration of the International Day of Biodiversity. The 2021 theme for this event is: We’re Part of the Solution. So, what can you do to actually be a part of the solution?
First of all, consider, appreciate, and learn more about the species that surround you every day, meet some new ones and get to know them. Did you know that the South Coast of British Columbia is a hotspot for biodiversity? According to the South Coast Conservation Association, There are more than 260 species in this region listed as either threatened or endangered, including the Olympia Oyster, the only oyster native to this province; and Townsend’s Mole - not to be confused with the Coast Mole; and the Coastal Giant Salamander.
Download the iNaturalist app and take a walk in the woods or down to the beach. Judith Holm created the Biodiversity Squamish project on iNaturalist. As a result, we have a comprehensive species list compiled from people using the app in the Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere Region.
Connect with local organizations who research and protect local ecosystems and specific species from supporting their work, and check out this extensive list of biodiversity-supporting actions put together by The Nature Trust of British Columbia and the Habitat Conservation Trust. There is just so much you can do!
Take time to enjoy a virtual extravaganza through the weekend of May 22, as the Convention on Biodiversity celebrates Globalbiofest shines a light on global biodiversity loss; weird, wonderful, and hopeful conservation stories as well as challenges faced by the scientists, explorers, and conservationists on the frontlines of the race to save the diversity of life on this planet.
AND finally, take pride in the fact that as a recognized biosphere region, Howe Sound part of a global network committed to restoring ecosystems, revitalizing cultures, integrating traditional knowledge and science alongside human communities and the natural world they are a part of.
This blog post was researched and written by Meribeth Deen.