Biodiversity on the Decline

The link between biodiversity and climate

Biodiversity is the variety of life within our biosphere, planet Earth. By life, we mean humans, animals, fish, trees and plants, bacteria, and so on. This diversity of life is incredibly important to keep the different processes going that make our planet habitable. The interaction and dependency between plants, animals, and ecosystems keeps our environment healthy, life-supporting, and resilient.

Biodiversity also helps keep the climate cool, especially trees and seaweeds. Trees and seaweeds capture CO² from the atmosphere and store it. When they die, they fall to the ground or ocean floor, where they rot, and store the captured carbon in the ground. But those trees and seaweeds need other forms of life to survive. For instance, kelp need sea otters to help get rid of sea urchins because sea urchins munch on the kelp roots, destroying kelp forests. When sea otters eat sea urchins, this helps the kelp survive. However, without sea urchins, the kelp would grow unchecked and the kelp forest would suffocate itself. This is a perfect example of how nature keeps itself in balance.

Credit: artpictures

In turn, a stable climate keeps biodiversity thriving. Many species are struggling with global warming, Large mammals in Africa are struggling to find drinking pools and food. Corals are very delicate creatures, suffering severely from ever warmer and more acidic water, leading to the largest mass bleaching event at the Great Barrier Reef.

Extinct is forever

Direct human impact is increasingly driving back biodiversity. This is the case with bottom trawling which destroys seabed life and ecosystems. Bottom trawling isn’t just bad for biodiversity, but the gasses released while uprooting the bottom of the ocean are greenhouse gasses. Cutting down the Amazon rainforest upsets one the most important water cycles on our planet. The Amazon is also one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, and species are dying out, species that only exist in the Amazon, and may never return after a critical decline in population.

Credit: NC State University

Small creatures have a big effect

Pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, have an important place in our own food supply chain and without them, humanity would be in an immediate food crisis. Pollinators are the insects responsible for the food on our tables. Without them trees and plants would not produce any fruit or vegetables. Farmers and urbanisation are mostly responsible for the rapid decline of pollinators. The best thing is, anyone can help pollinators, especially people in urban areas:

• Plant pollinator friendly plants that are native to your area.

• A wooden block with 6 to 10mm holes in it can help bees find a home. Wasps won’t even like it ;)

• Resist the urge to rake your leaves in the fall, dead leaves and plant material are food and shelter for pollinators in the winter.

• Don’t use pesticides!

• Wildflowers, many of which are considered weeds, are full of nectar. Try to identify the weeds popping up in your garden, and if you find they are helpful to pollinators, consider letting them grow and bloom!

RESOURCE

Linkages Between Biodiversity and Climate Change and the Role of Science-Policy-Practice Interfaces for Ensuring Coherent Policies and Actions