On May 22nd, Biodiversity Day, we celebrate the diversity of life forms present on planet Earth, in cluding the wide variety of plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms that exist, such as genetic differences within each species and the variety of ecosystems and the multiple interactions they harbor. According to the UN, human activityhas already alteredthree-quarters of the Earth’s environment and about 66% of the marine environment, and according to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), more than one million animal and plant species are in danger of extinction. The main global factors driving biodiversity loss are directly linked to the current model of productive development such as climate change, the introduction of invasive species, overexploitation of natural resources, loss of species habitats, pollution and urbanization. All of them are articulated in a downward spiral that is leading to the collapse of the world as we know it and putting all forms of life at risk, including our own. The loss of biodiversity damages the functioning of ecosystems, makes them more vulnerable to disruption, and undermines their ability to provide the services that humanity requires. The consequences are radical changes in the distribution of ecosystems and species, which in turn, further feedback the effects of climate change: rising sea level, disappearance of glaciers and large coral reefs,unpredictable and extremeweather events like droughts and storms … without biodiversity, there is no possible way out of the socio-environmental crisis we are experiencing, with its many associated challenges: safeguarding health, food security, accessto safe water, among others. To ensure that all human beings live in a more sustainable world, the protection and preservation of all ecosystems, as well as the biological diversity that inhabit them, is a necessary and nonnegotiable condition. In the world, more than 3,000 million people depend on marine biodiversity and coastline to survive, and another 1,600 million depend on forests. It seems unusual to have to say and repeat something so basic, but it is not without necessity in the times we live in: to preserve all the species of the Earth is vital to guarantee our own survival. Species extinction has serious impacts on ecosystems, which can lose their functions by eliminating species that are the links of food chains. In turn, these imbalances generated in the trophic chains can lead from the appearances of pests to the destruction of very large plant areasor even entire ecosystems. It is necessary to realize that the extinction of species threatens our own survival by endangering our food, our health or our well-being, the possibility of obtaining medicines, raw materials, air, and pure water.
How can we protect and preserve the biodiversity of our planet while curbing and mitigating the effects of climate changeand ensuring accessto safe water and healthyfood for all? The answeris one: regenerating and recovering our bond with nature. On May 22nd, Biodiversity Day, we celebrate the diversity of life forms present on planet Earth, in cluding the wide variety of plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms that exist, such as genetic differences within each species and the variety of ecosystems and the multiple interactions they harbor. According to the UN, human activityhas already alteredthree-quarters of the Earth’s environment and about 66% of the marine environment, and according to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), more than one million animal and plant species are in danger of extinction. The main global factors driving biodiversity loss are directly linked to the current model of productive development such as climate change, the introduction of invasive species, overexploitation of natural resources, loss of species habitats, pollution and urbanization. All of them are articulated in a downward spiral that is leading to the collapse of the world as we know it and putting all forms of life at risk, including our own. The loss of biodiversity damages the functioning of ecosystems, makes them more vulnerable to disruption, and undermines their ability to provide the services that humanity requires. The consequences are radical changes in the distribution of ecosystems and species, which in turn, further feedback the effects of climate change: rising sea level, disappearance of glaciers and large coral reefs,unpredictable and extremeweather events like droughts and storms … without biodiversity, there is no possible way out of the socio-environmental crisis we are experiencing, with its many associated challenges: safeguarding health, food security, accessto safe water, among others. To ensure that all human beings live in a more sustainable world, the protection and preservation of all ecosystems, as well as the biological diversity that inhabit them, is a necessary and nonnegotiable condition. In the world, more than 3,000 million people depend on marine biodiversity and coastline to survive, and another 1,600 million depend on forests. It seems unusual to have to say and repeat something so basic, but it is not without necessity in the times we live in: to preserve all the species of the Earth is vital to guarantee our own survival. Species extinction has serious impacts on ecosystems, which can lose their functions by eliminating species that are the links of food chains. In turn, these imbalances generated in the trophic chains can lead from the appearances of pests to the destruction of very large plant areasor even entire ecosystems. It is necessary to realize that the extinction of species threatens our own survival by endangering our food, our health or our well-being, the possibility of obtaining medicines, raw materials, air, and pure water.
How can we protect and preserve the biodiversity of our planet while curbing and mitigating the effects of climate changeand ensuring accessto safe water and healthyfood for all? The answeris one: regenerating and recovering our bond with nature.