The remarkable benefits of biodiversity

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Earth.org or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The Earth's biodiversity, spanning up to a trillion species, is under severe threat from human activities
• Current biodiversity loss could lead to devastating consequences across social, economic, and environmental spheres

🔭 The context: Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is being diminished at an alarming rate due to factors like habitat destruction, overharvesting, and pollution
• Since 1970, 69% of wildlife populations have declined, altering 75% of land and negatively impacting 66% of oceans and 85% of wetlands

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Biodiversity is crucial for ecosystem stability, disease resistance, climate regulation, and food security
• Its loss disrupts these essential functions, threatening human survival and well-being

⏭️ What's next: Protecting and restoring biodiversity requires global efforts to conserve habitats, manage resources sustainably, and mitigate climate change impacts
• Without these measures, ecosystems and human societies face increased vulnerability to environmental crises

💬 One quote: “The diversity of life on Earth is the defining feature of our planet... It’s very reckless to assume that we can do without them and that we don’t have some responsibility for all those other species.” - Professor Georgina Mace

📈 One stat: Since 1970, the planet has lost 69% of its wildlife populations due to human-induced changes

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