Biodiversity is not a limited concern. This is a topic that affects all living things, whether they are plants, organisms, or animals. Protecting biodiversity is all about finding real ways to coexist without harming one another. It also involves committing to practices that consider diverse ecosystems and habitats around the world. We can participate in the protection of biodiversity by becoming knowledgeable about the things we buy, consume, and use. How we treat the environment is also how we treat biodiversity. The main driver of biodiversity loss remains human’s use of land primarily for food production. Human activity has already altered over 70 percent of all ice-free land. When land is converted for agriculture, some animal and plant species may lose their habitat and face extinction.
But climate change is playing an increasingly important role in the decline of biodiversity. Climate change has altered marine, terrestrial, and freshwater ecosystems around the world. It has caused the loss of local species, increased diseases, and driven mass mortality of plants and animals, resulting in the first climate-driven extinctions. On land, higher temperatures have forced animals and plants to move to higher elevations or higher latitudes, many moving towards the Earth’s poles, with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems. The risk of species extinction increases with every degree of warming.
Tackling the biodiversity crisis will require cooperation at all levels of society, from intergovernmental agreements down to local community action. Individuals can play their part in creating institutions and electing leaders who can help to safeguard biodiversity. Reconnecting with nature and encouraging others to do the same can help people to learn more about local ecosystems, respect them and treasure them. Consumers can have an impact through what they buy and use in their day to day lives. Certain products such as cotton have a disproportionate effect on biodiversity. There is also overconsumption of high environmental footprint meat, especially beef, in many parts of the world. Those with savings and pensions can choose to invest in ways that promote rather than harm biodiversity.
Reducing what we waste and throw away can play a part in lowering pollution levels and the over-exploitation of natural resources. Huge amounts of food are wasted and by repairing rather than replacing electrical items, and getting more use out of the clothes we already own, consumers can have a positive effect on biodiversity that could also save us money. Biodiversity is more than simply the collection of plants and animals on earth; it is about local ecosystems and promoting healthy conditions for organisms to thrive.