International Day for Biologocial Diversity
May 22nd marks the International Day for Biological Diversity.
Biodiversity is a word we hear used a lot these days, but many people may not really know what it means or why it is important. Biodiversity is one word to describe all life on Earth, and it is the foundation of healthy and functional ecosystems.
Biodiversity isn’t just related to the diversity of plants and animals, but is also the diversity of genes, and at a larger scale the diversity of habitats and ecosystems. Within ecosystems, species interact with each other and their environment, and different species have different roles within the ecosystem, forming links and connections between them. If a species starts to decline in numbers, the connections between that species and others gets weaker and the connection will be broken if that species becomes extinct. The breakdown of these links means that the ecosystem does not function as it should and the ecosystem services that it would normally provide (e.g. oxygen, clean water, food, fuel, soil formation) may no longer exist. For example if a species of pollinator decreased significantly or became extinct, they would no longer pollinate various plants, some of which may be a food source for humans and other animals.
Biodiversity is decreasing at alarming rates at a global scale, however there are lots of actions that we can all take as individuals to help conserve biodiversity such as avoiding the use of herbicides, using peat free compost, and reducing the amount of mowing in our gardens and green spaces. We are often so busy in our daily lives that we do not stop to notice the environment around us.
A simple action you can take on this International day for Biodiversity is to simple stop, look, and listen. Notice any plants and animals around you, do you know what they are, can you name them? If not, try to find out! The more we notice and appreciate our environment they more likely we are to protect it, so taking short moments to notice nature can be a great place to start. At Wetland Surveys Ireland we work with community groups and other organisations to help promote awareness about biodiversity through talks and outreach events and by creating Biodiversity Management Plans. We have created a freely available interactive Biodiversity Story Map and education pack for younger audiences which you can access here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/876bbffbec0f4e00abeab8d311f85f1f