Biodiversity
By Sherrie Ottinger (The Tennessee Dirtgirl)
Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is the multitude of living things that make up life on Earth. It encompasses the 8 million or so species on the planet—from plants and animals to fungi and bacteria—and the ecosystems that house them such as oceans, forests, mountain environments and coral reefs. As ecosystems evolve in nature, they become more diverse. This diversity creates more resources (not less) in a system. This is because diverse plants and species need different nutrients to thrive, and they each generate abundant resources that they can share. Biodiversity is the rich variety of life on Earth. There's variety in genes, variety among species, and a variety of ecosystems. Everything is interconnected, or dependent on everything else!
Is there ever a time when diversity isn’t necessary or important? I don’t think so. Just as a fire flickers, dances, and moves, and is always changing…. just as a stream is in constant movement, creating ripples, waves, and sunlight diamonds, so is the world we live in, naturally. Looking back over a millennium, one can see how things never stopped evolving, because stopping is death. Our planet is in perpetual motion, change, growing, and for life to survive, it must continue to change as well. An integral part of that change, at this point, is how humanity adapts, and becomes a part of positive change, with respect to care of the planet we all depend on for life. Every species, no matter what family they belong to, is totally dependent on Earth for all things. Air, soil, water, and organic matter left behind from lives before us are the threads that hold it all together. I believe it’s time we become aware, and take responsibility for the use and care of the only planet we can survive on.
