For too long, biodiversity has been viewed as somehow insignificant when compared to the "big issues" of the 21st century  -  like poverty, terrorism and security, global economics and climate change.

The tendency to denigrate biodiversity came about for many reasons,  including:

• The idea that, somehow we humans  are different from and separate to nature  - "we are not animals" 
• The perception that benefits from the environment like clean air and water cannot be measured or have a monetary value attached
• The lack of political will and political short-termism - face it, the environment has not been an emotive vote-grabber in the same way as, say, health, crime, or housing.
• A global economic system that is skewed in favour of rich nations who rely on the biodiversity of poorer nations.  It is the "bully in the school yard"in action here.
• As a society or a humanity we seem unable to see how things seemingly different are connected, how things relate to each other and impact one another. Governments in particular fail to show that biodiversity is linked to standard of living, the weather, the availability of food and water, the opportunities for income generation from tourism etc.

Biodiversity is the bedrock of environments, ecosystems and habitats.

You may ask, what has biodiversity ever done for me?

Every day, biodiversity feeds us, fuels us, clothes us, shelters us and heals us.  Without biodiversity, there are no trees for logging, fish for commercial or subsistence fisheries, food plants for agriculture, pollinators for food crops, even wildlife from forests to coral reefs for tourism.

The benefits of biodiversity – often called ecosystem goods and services – may be grouped as follows:

Provision – biodiversity provides all living organisms with food, water, fibres, fuel and medicine.

Regulation – biodiversity and its life-support systems regulate climate, water and the spread of disease.

Cultural – people need connection to nature. There are numerous spiritual, aesthetic, recreational and learning benefits.

Supporting life systems like primary production, soil formation and nutrient cycles.

Simply stated, without biodiversity, there are no livelihoods.

But biodiversity is also directly related to the quality of life you may expect.  Consider -

• Security – including personal safety, secure resources, access to resources, and disasters.
• Basic needs – including livelihoods, sufficient food, shelter, and access to goods.
• Health – including strength and feeling well, access to clean air and water.
• Good social relations – including social cohesion, mutual respect and the ability to help others. Essentially, biodiversity gives us more freedom of choice.

Biodiversity – threats. The HIPPO in the room.

The great biologist E. O. Wilson (Wilson 2002) sums up the situation with the acronym, ‘HIPPO’, or:

H for habitat destruction, disturbance and fragmentation.

This is possibly the greatest cause of species decline. Fragmented habitats lead to isolated small populations of species - especially vulnerable to genetic in-breeding, random genetic drift, demographic factors and random events from warfare to extreme weather.  This results in a loss of genetic variability which leads to a reduction in the reproductive fitness of individuals and the adaptability of populations. As a consequence, there is lower reproduction and higher mortality. Populations become even smaller. The result may be a spiralling vortex to extinction.

I is for introduced and invasive species.   Introduced species often become invasive when they breed and out-compete or eat the natives. Invasive species of fauna and flora, land and water, are of grave concern.

P is for pollution. The industrialised ‘west’ has been polluting en masse for two centuries since the industrial revolution. Now, nearly emerging economies of India and China (and South Africa) are following in their footsteps. How far would you go to change your life? A recycled plastic bag? A self-inflicted ban on flying? Breeding… or not breeding?

P is for population – human population. There’s rather a lot of us – 6.7 billion at the present time with projections of an increase to peak at 9.2 billion by 2050. Not all places have similar population growth rates. The rate is negative in central and eastern Europe and South Africa, for example, but increasing in Latin America, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.

O is for over-exploitation. From tiger medicines to elephant tusks, from forest trees to oceanic fish, we are living beyond our means – consuming the equivalent of what three planets would produce per year. We do not consume equally. The richer nations far outstrip the poorer ones in terms of consumption. As a species, we have become predominantly urban and increasingly disconnected from nature. We are drawing on nature’s capital rather than living off its interest – our ecological footprint currently exceeds the capacity of Earth resources to support us by 25%.

Information extracted from www.cbd.int