In just 50 years since 1970, animal populations have declined by an average of nearly 70%.
Most of this is thought to be caused by human activities, including deforestation.
The issue of biodiversity is not just someone else’s problem, it is one of the major social issues of our time.
In fact, it is said that more than 75% of the world's major agricultural products are influenced by pollinators such as bees.
Losing just a single species could mean we would no longer be able to enjoy dessert apples, morning coffee, or vegetable salads.
Our lives are based on an exquisite balance
of an ecosystem.
In just 50 years since 1970, animal populations have declined by an average of nearly 70%.
Most of this is thought to be caused by human activities, including deforestation.
The issue of biodiversity is not just someone else’s problem, it is one of the major social issues of our time.
In fact, it is said that more than 75% of the world’s major agricultural products crops are influenced by pollinators suchas bees.
Losing just a single species could mean we would no longer be able to enjoy dessert apples, morning coffee, or vegetable salads.
Our lives are based on an exquisite balance
of an ecosystem.
Biodiversity refers to the rich variety of all living things on earth, including animals, plants, and even E. coli and bacteria.
However, it does not simply mean that there are many types of plants and animals, but also refers to a complex and diverse ecosystem that includes the connections between living things that have been nurtured over a long history.
Let’s learn about the diversity of life on this earth and its current status.
All living things, no matter which species, cannot survive on their own.
All living things interact directly or indirectly with many other living things,
forming a magnificent circle of life.
Examples of different ways living things interact with each other
This is a relationship essential for each other to survive, like the bee that obtains flower nectar as food and the flower that sustains the species by having the bee carry its own pollen. This relationship is known as "mutualism".
A relationship in which one survives by unilaterally receiving benefits from other living things, such as the remora fish, which protects itself from predators by attaching itself to the shark's belly. This relationship is known as "commensalism".
Each living thing has its own individuality, and within this, there are various levels of diversity even when it comes to biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity states that there are three levels of diversity:
The main cause of this loss of biodiversity is our involvement in the environment.
In the past, there has been a history of large-scale extinctions of living things such as dinosaurs, but it is said that the speed of extinction will increase by 1,000 to 10,000 times
if humans are involved.
To date, there are between 1.4 and 1.8 million species of wildlife that have been scientifically recognized and named. Including predicted unknown living things, the number of species is said to reach 10 million.
However, it is said that 0.01% to 0.1% of the total population becomes extinct each year.
Daily actions (examples)
