Imagine if the world is in one color?! No creatures only humankind, Do you feel the loneliness already? Start adding colors to the plants, add animals around the water, a flock of birds to the sky, and gift yourself some fresh air, then embrace the happiness again! This is how important biodiversity to our world, it’s the drive to all beauty and strength of our lovely planet.   

What is biodiversity?  

It’s the variety and variability of life on Earth. It measures the variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level including plants, animals, fungi, and other living organisms.   

What are the Types of Biodiversity?   

Biodiversity includes three main types:   

1.       Genetic Biodiversity: variation among the genetic resource of the organisms  

2.       Species Biodiversity: a variety of different types of species found in an area  

3.       Ecological Biodiversity: the variation in the plant and animal species living together and connected by food chains and food webs 

Why it’s important?  

Biodiversity is the key to a stronger ecosystem, as small changes will have less impact on ecosystem stability. To understand more, let’s think about a lake with only one fish species. If there was an outbreak of disease all the fishes in this lake will die, leaving the birds that depend on eating fish in this area starving, which eventually will cause the complete annihilation of the lake's ecosystem.  

What healthy biodiversity is capable of? 

·       Water and air purification  

·       Fertile soil generation  

·       Nutrient storage and recycling   

·       Recovering from pollution  

·       Climate stability  

·       Continuous ecosystems maintenance  

·       Recovering from disasters, like forest fires, virus outbreaks, etc.   

·       Resources availability for today and tomorrows like food, ornamental plants, breeding stocks, population reservoirs, diversity in genes and others 

·       Opportunities for research, education, tourism, and cultural values 

How to measure BIODIVERSITY?   

Scientists use different methods like the number of different species inhabiting the area, the similarity amongst them, the exclusivity of the species, and the types of ecosystems formed.  

What are the Biodiversity Hotspots?   

Biodiversity hotspots are the geographic areas where high levels of endemic species that have experienced great habitat loss exists. There are about 36 biodiversity hotspots around the world. These hotspots are astonishing! They are full of life and diverse from plants, animals, and other microscopic yet highly important organisms that are only found in these specific geographic areas.   

What causes biodiversity to Decrease?   

Habitat destruction caused by different human activities like overfishing, overhunting, and pollution.   

COVID-19 and Biodiversity   

Many scientific researches showed that since the lockdown, the world witnessed a huge drop in pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, drops in seismic movement, and cleaner waters around the world which all lead to the revitalization of biodiversity.  

What Associations are trying to do to prevent further biodiversity loss?  

·       Conserving plants and animals in their natural habitats 

·       Conserving breeding and feeding areas to help in the multiplication of creatures especially the endangered species 

·       Enacting rules and banning hunting activities   

·       Spreading awareness of the importance of conservation of biodiversity   

·       Avoiding over-exploitation of natural resources   

What can You do to help?  

Simple continuous acts can change the world, don’t you agree? To help to improve the world’s biodiversity you will need to do simple but important acts like; replacing your plastic one-use-bottle with a reusable one, ensuring that lights and all electrical appliances around the house are on when they are only needed, plant some trees in your garden or participate in planting activities. Your small steps will turn into a great leap when multiplied by 8 billion!