At the start of 2024 I want to share with you my resolution to continue working for Biodiversity, and I hope you will join me?
Let me tell you why I work so hard for biodiversity:
It used to be thought that biodiversity loss had little impact on ecosystem functioning, as early experiments trying to study biodiversity effects were too short-term in their scope. For example, in an experiment where researchers seeded patches of grassland with varying numbers of species, the first few years provided similar results whether the plot had eight or more species or fewer than that. But after a decade, when those same plots were examined, the plots with greater biodiversity also had a greater abundance of plant life. This was explained by the fact that different species have different niches or ways they utilize the resources around them, and when several species are growing together, they end up having a wider set of mechanisms which they can use to gain resources needed for life.
Relating this message to our world today, a further meta-analysis of 192 studies of species richness (another name for biodiversity) and its effect on ecosystems found that biodiversity loss is among the major drivers of ecosystem change in the world today. This means that any loss of biodiversity in an ecosystem has adverse effects on how that ecosystem functions. A conservative estimate was that when more than 40 percent of the species in an ecosystem disappear, the effects were estimated to be as significant as those caused by major drought.
The science has been quickly building to show that biodiversity means a healthy environment. In fact, by now over 500 controlled experiments have shown that biodiversity loss reduces ecosystem stability and productivity. Yet, until fairly recently there was a prevailing opinion among scientists that biodiversity would have rare or weak effects in nature due to abiotic effects and complex interactions. However, in a landmark study in 2017 through the analysis of 133 estimates reported in 67 different field studies, researchers showed that biomass production increases with species richness throughout a wide range of ecosystems and wild species.
So, will you join me? There are many ways to promote biodiversity. If your work or life doesn’t include it already, here are some simple things perhaps you can consider:
Plant in a garden,
Pick up litter, don’t pollute,
Plant native wildflowers,
Plant a tree,
Conserve water,
Visit a botanical garden,
Supporting the birds, reptiles, mammals, and plants that live in your neighborhood,
Supporting institutions that promote the protection and restoration of biodiversity,
Supporting local and regional projects aimed at tackling biodiversity loss,
Supporting political action committed to protecting and restoring biodiversity….
Start the year right! Doing something for Biodiversity is doing something for yourself!
A Resolution for Biodiversity
