{"id":40427,"date":"2023-02-26T08:30:10","date_gmt":"2023-02-26T08:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greensideup.ie\/?p=40427"},"modified":"2023-03-09T09:24:16","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T09:24:16","slug":"what-is-biodiversity-and-how-to-create-an-ark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greensideup.ie\/what-is-biodiversity-and-how-to-create-an-ark\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Biodiversity (and How to Create an ARK)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Biodoversity

Photo Credit: Ian Sewell<\/p><\/div>\n

What is Biodiversity (and How to Create an ARK)<\/span><\/h1>\n

Along with ‘Sustainability’, a hot topic word right now is ‘Biodiversity’. Used by many, it assumes we all know what it means, but it\u2019s a question I\u2019m often asked; \u201cexactly what is biodiversity?\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Simply defined, it is the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms.<\/a> Nature, the wider community of life, the web of living things, biodiversity is the variety of living species living on our planet, including plants, fungi, microorganisms, bacteria, animals and their habitats. Biodiversity is is every living organism and all the environmental aspects that are needed for its survival such as the oceans, forests, the ice caps, cities and deserts. <\/span><\/p>\n

I’m going to throw a few figures at you now. Please don’t glaze over. Biodiversity is in peril and needs our help.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Biodiversity

Photo Credit: Ian Sewell<\/p><\/div>\n

Biodiversity Collapse<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s been estimated that there are <\/span>8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence, but only 1.2 million species have been catalogued,<\/span><\/a> many of which are insects.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Some areas have a higher density of biodiversity than others. Sadly, thanks to the activities of humans in terms of pollution, population growth, agriculture, habitat loss, pesticide use, greed and subsequent climate change, we are now living in a time of an extraordinary rise of species extinction. <\/span><\/p>\n

A study published during early March has concluded that\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cwe are currently losing species at a faster rate than in any of Earth\u2019s past extinction rates\u201d <\/em><\/span><\/a>and that we are now in the \u201cfirst phase of another, more severe mass extinction.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To put this into an Irish perspective, on the 8th March 2023, the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI) published a report that shows a 56% decline in range or abundance of Ireland’s native plants.<\/a> On the 15th April 2021, Birdwatch Ireland published a report stating that<\/span> 54 out of our 211 bird species are now on Ireland\u2019s \u2018red list\u2019 and at risk of permanent decline<\/span><\/a>. These include the puffin, sparrowhawk, kestrel oystercatcher and kittiwake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On a personal level, my kids, now aged 19, 22 and 24, will never see<\/em> over half the birds that were in our skies when I was their age.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019 the National Parks and Wildlife Service published its third report that outlines the trends in the conservation status of Ireland\u2019s most threatened species <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>The assessment of the overall status of habitats is that 85% of habitats are in Unfavourable (i.e. Inadequate or Bad) status, with 46% of habitats demonstrating ongoing declining trends. This unfavourable status has remained largely unchanged since Ireland\u2019s first assessment back in 2007.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

The Living Planet Report<\/h2>\n

According to<\/span> The Living Planet Report published in 2022,<\/span><\/a> the latest publication reveals global wildlife populations have plummeted by 69% on average since 1970. <\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite us knowing these figures, in 2021 in Ireland alone 2,346.1 tonnes of herbicide (weedkillers) were placed on the market. This is up from 1,844.9 tonnes in 2019. A total of\u00a0 3,091.3 tonnes of <\/span>active ingredient plant protection products<\/span><\/a> were available in the Irish market in 2021, up from 2,971.7 in 2019. Not only are these products harmful for us, they are killing our wildlife.<\/span><\/p>\n