The Critical Connection Between Biodiversity and the Environment

An exploration as to why biodiversity is critical to a safe environment

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth. There are different types of biodiversity; it is often used as an umbrella term to refer to gene, ecosystem, and species diversity. Even humans play a role in the biodiversity of the Earth. 

Why is biodiversity important?

To put it simply, the greater the biodiversity, the more secure and resilient all life is. All life on Earth is intricately linked in one diverse web, and when one section of the system is hurt, it doesn’t take long for the rest of the web to feel its effects. In this way, the more biodiverse an ecosystem is, the more resistant it is to different stressors. 

Diagram depicting how life on Earth is interconnected. (sourced from https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/basic-page/energy-and-matter-cycles)

Humans depend on biodiversity to survive and thrive. Whether living in a rural village or a big city, humans rely on various ecosystems to provide fresh water, pollination, soil fertility and stability, food, and medicine. Many industries that make up our economies depend on biodiversity, such as agriculture, construction, medical, pharmaceutical, and even fashion. Aside from providing us with resources, biodiversity also holds cultural importance. Our variable environment has played an important role in the shaping of our spiritual and religious lives, our art, and the ways we pass down our heritage and traditions.

What role does biodiversity play in protecting our climate?

Nature has proven time and time again its ability to adapt and recover from catastrophe. In our current climate crisis, we have to depend on nature’s resilience. A recent study shows that one-third of the emissions reduction needed by 2030 will be achieved by nature, and in order to sustain this prediction, we need to protect the biodiversity of our Earth. Currently, land and ocean systems play an important role in absorbing greenhouse gas emissions. They are natural carbon sinks, processes that absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they release. Some ecosystems that are critical in sequestering carbon (capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide) are peatlands, mangroves, seagrass meadows, and kelp forests. In addition to emissions reductions, nature plays a critical role in reducing the impacts of climate change-related events such as flooding and storms. The more we destroy our biodiversity, the less nature there will be to protect us from climate change.

-Sophie Wassef

Sources

• https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/biodiversity/ 

• https://www.amnh.org/research/center-for-biodiversity-conservation/what-is-biodiversity 

• https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/biodiversity 

• https://www.conservation.org/blog/why-is-biodiversity-important 

• https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/climate-solutions/biodiversity-and-nature-based-solutions 

• https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-are-climate-change-and-biodiversity-loss-linked.html