Life on earth is wondrously diverse. It is made up of keystone species that sustain a profusion of ecosystems all over the world. These systems?are finely balanced and interdependent.?Remove one keystone species and an entire ecosystem will be drastically changed or could even collapse.?This structure is shockingly delicate, but when shielded from degradation, it can also be tremendously resilient.?The earth’s biodiversity—its flora, fauna and microorganisms—provides the bedrock upon which human existence emerged and on which we now fully depend for our?livelihoods, clean air and water, food, energy and well-being.?Though we humans share the earth with the rest of its life forms, and we are an integrated part of its biodiversity, we?have an outsized impact on the health of the planet.?Recognizing our footprint and working earnestly towards sustainable existence within these systems, rather than dominating or destroying them, is the looming challenge of the twenty-first century.
By most measures, we are currently failing to meet this urgent need. The earth’s biodiversity is disappearing at a staggering pace. The 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, issued by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), found that many within decades, unless action is taken.
Climate change and the rapacious, mismanaged and often corrupt use of our precious natural resources have?led to habitat loss; human and animal conflict; wildlife trafficking and poaching; chemical and plastics pollution; rising sea levels, ocean acidification and the destruction of our coral reefs; soil erosion; and deforestation. This destruction affects?us all, but mainly impacts the most vulnerable among us. A noted that "although climate change is a worldwide phenomenon, poor people and poor countries are more severely affected by its negative effects.”?According to the , published by the United Nations, "almost half a billion people depend at least partially on small-scale fisheries, which account for 90 per cent of employment in fisheries worldwide”.
But is there a path forward? On this question, we cannot demur. The answer must be a resounding yes. Our survival depends on it.?My hope is not derived from a quixotic belief in a magic bullet, but rather by witnessing and engaging with substantive efforts by conservationists, scientists, indigenous peoples, governments and millions of individuals aiming to preserve biodiversity so that all people and creatures can sustainably share in the earth’s bounty now and in the future.
There are big ideas for addressing these issues, such as the selling of carbon offsets, payments for ecosystem services, the remodeling of conservation finance, and?ecotourism. Ambitious programs include ? of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, whose founder, E.O. Wilson (1929-2021), that “only by setting aside half of the planet in reserve, or more, can we save the living part of the environment and achieve the stabilization required for our own survival.” International treaties are in place, such as the recently negotiated agreement known as the , which will establish marine protections in international waters and set global standards for assessing?commercial?activity in the ocean, among other long-sought protections. Finally, paradigm shifts are underway that focus on local community engagement, combating green-washing, and investment in community-run initiatives, all of which converge to raise awareness, encourage innovation and pave the way to incremental change. We must accelerate our efforts.
Over sixty years ago, in 1962, Rachel Carson galvanized the grassroots environmental movement with the publication of her book,?Silent Spring.?In it, she?described the unintended consequences of the use of chemical pesticides, particularly the compound known as DDT, on our crops. Carson meticulously illustrated how chemical pesticides did not exclusively affect the insects that were being targeted. DDT entered the food chain through our water, contributing to the collapse of bird and fish populations. Traces of DDT were eventually found in people, even without direct exposure. Despite intense opposition to the book’s findings from the chemical industry, Carson's work prevailed. In the United States, it led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency by President Richard Nixon in 1970; the Clean Water Act by Congress in 1972;?and the Endangered Species Act, also by Congress, in 1973. Ten years after the publication of?Silent Spring, in 1972, DDT?was banned for most uses in the United States.
In our technology-driven world, nature?provides a refuge and solace from our industrialized existence. But more importantly, biodiversity?supplies all humanity with our very sustenance. As we confront the challenges of climate change, we must recognize that we are one of many species in the Tree of Life. As Carson so simply and elegantly expressed in Silent Spring, “In nature nothing exists alone.”
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