Biodiversity month

September is World Biodiversity Month, so it might be a good time to revisit some past posts that emphasise the value of biodiversity.

• Time for some shark love and Sharks – who needs them? These two posts talk about what sharks do for the ecosystem in their role as apex predators. Without sharks the oceans would have a very different balance of life forms, and phytoplankton, which are responsible for at least half the replenishment of oxygen in our atmosphere, would decrease dramatically.
• Tiger, tiger, burning bright provides another view of the role of apex predators, this time terrestrial. Apex predators of all kinds are under threat for a variety of reasons: illegal hunting for skins and body parts, destruction of habitat, reduction in prey populations, etc. The population size of apex predators tends to be lower, too, since it takes many prey to sustain a predator. This means that they’re at more risk of dropping below the level of genetic diversity sufficient to sustain a healthy population.
• Wild and wilder and Super trees and regeneration look at two ideas for the revegetation of Britain, and revegetation in general.

Finally, a grab bag of posts discussing why biodiversity is important – you might be surprised by some of the information here.

• A world without borders
• Where’s the value in biodiversity?
• Henry Ford’s biggest mistake
• Painkillers from poisons
• Great balls of fire
• Deforestation and the genetic resources of tropical trees
• Why do we need biodiversity?
• Complexity breeds stability?
• The greatest extinction on Earth – life in the Anthropocene
• What is biodiversity, and why does it matter?
• Valuing biodiversity

That should give you plenty to think about today – maybe we can make this biodiversity month a month in which we make some changes in the way we as a society value biodiversity, and begin to conserve it.

[Feature image: Bornean clouded leopard. Image by Spencer Wright, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0]