Biodiversity is everyone's business... by protecting natural biodiversity we are protecting our planet... for ourselves and for future generations.

The term "biodiversity" (formed by joining "biological" and "diversity") refers to the great number and wide variety of organisms in the world: plants and animals, including humankind. "Natural biodiversity" refers to the normal plant and animal associations that occur in a particular place.   Natural biodiversity can vary widely from place to place, creating the tremendous diversity of ecosystems (prairie, coral reefs, alpine meadows, tropical rainforests, savannas, rivers, deserts, etc.) that together create a rich, wonderful and healthy planet.

Benefits of Biodiversity

Biodiversity exists as part of the functioning and interaction of healthy intact ecological systems.   Natural biodiverse ecosystems provide many benefits including:

• Ecological services such as air and water purification, water cycling, pollination, and nutrient cycling.
• Foods and medicines are derived from many plants and animals; plants being nurtured in healthy ecosystems by healthy soil and waters, that feed complex food chains, and ultimately feed us.  Most medicines are derived from natural ingredients, most specifically plants. Many antibiotics are also derived from living micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi.
• Building materials including rubber, oil, woods and other types of fibres, dyes and adhesives all come from natural origins.

Threats to Biodiversity

The major threat to biodiversity is extinction. Any type of plant or animal can die out, meaning that in its absence, all of the ecosystems that it inhabited (the chains of which it was a link) must change or risk dying out themselves.  The loss of species and their habitats results in low quality, less healthy, less sustainable natural ecosystems.   Some of the major threats to biodiversity include:

• Habitat loss. Often habitats are demolished, for example to make way for buildings and roads. A specific type of habitat loss is deforestation, or cutting down trees.
• Invasion by foreign species. The introduction of non-native species (for example, stocking a pond with fish from another part of the world) again means that an ecosystem must cope with a threat to its natural order.
• Pollution. Pollution contaminates natural ecosystems and again poses a threat.
• Over-harvest (e.g., over-hunting, over-fishing) can dramatically reduce their numbers and endangers their species.
• Climate change. Differing temperatures, amounts of snowfall or rainfall and a variety of other symptoms of climate change can all affect ecosystems in a given area.

St. Williams N&EC is committed to helping to protect and restore natural biodiversity.

What we can do to help protect biodiversity?

• Cut down your "carbon footprint" which leads to pollution and ultimately climate change. Reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible.
• Prevent the spread of Invasive Species
• Support organizations and businesses that help to protect Biodiversity.
• Get involved.

How can we help to restore biodiversity in our area?

As a society we can support "ecological restoration" to help restore degraded ecosystems and increase the natural biodiversity in the places we live and work.  Government and conservation organizations (e.g., Nature Conservancy, Conservation Authorities. etc.) and businesses can support and undertake larger ecological restoration projects.   As individuals, one of the easiest ways to do ecological restoration and support biodiversity conservation is by gardening with native plants.

Buy your plants from "conservation" nurseries like St. Williams N&EC.  Not all nurseries are equally concerned or careful about biodiversity conservation or the plants they sell.  Many nurseries still sell invasive or exotic plants and this practice leads to habitat degradation and loss of natural biodiversity.  It is also important that we plant appropriate wild-type genetics in order to protect local genetic biodiversity.  Plants imported from distant sources can move invasive weeds and result in the loss of local genetic biodiversity.

Learn more.  The Ecology Centre at St. Williams is committed to teaching people about the importance of biodiversity conservation and supporting that by provided the products and services that support ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation.

Principles of Ecological Restoration

For more information, visit the Society of Ecological Restoration (SER).