According to studies, scientists estimate that three out of four species will go extinct in the next 300 years. Yet these same scientists know that humans have the tools to slow, stop, and even reverse this trend. Now is the time to focus our efforts on protecting biodiversity at the individual, community, national, and global levels.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What can we do to protect biodiversity on Earth?
Researcher and biologist E.O. Wilson said, “Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.” Let’s look at some ways humans can avoid burning a priceless work of art—or a planet!
crustacean: a group of marine animals that includes crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and barnacles.
LAWS, TREATIES, AND POLICIES
One way to protect biodiversity is to pass laws. Local laws are a first step. Local policies can establish recycling programs, community gardens, parks, cleanups, and more. At a higher level, national laws can help protect biodiversity within a country. In the United States, one of the best examples of this is the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1973, when people started to understand the value of biodiversity and to recognize the threats to biodiversity.
The ESA created a program to help protect and recover endangered birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, crustaceans, flowers, grasses, and trees. It became illegal “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect” these species. The act also protects and monitors the habitats where these species are found.
As of 2017, there were more than 1,300 protected species in the United States!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protects species such as the California least terns by posting signs around their habitat to warn people to leave the birds alone.
credit: Pacific Southwest Region USFWS
credit: Miguel Vieira (CC BY 2.0)
The American alligator is a species that has been protected by law for more than half a century. Prior to the protection that it first received in the 1960s, the number of alligators had declined to the point they were in danger of extinction. Not only were the alligators hunted for their skins, but the habitats where they lived in the southeastern part of the United States were being destroyed. Once they were protected by a 1967 law and later by the ESA, alligator numbers increased. By 1987, the American alligator population had fully recovered. While the alligators are no longer endangered, they remain listed as “threatened” and they are still protected.
However, wild species don’t know or care about the boundaries between countries—they are free to move back and forth across national borders. A bald eagle, for example, doesn’t spread the word among fellow eagles to avoid crossing into Mexico, where pesticide use is not as well-regulated and monitored as it is in the United States. Plus, as you’ve learned, biodiversity loss in one area can affect biodiversity in another.
treaty: a formal agreement between two or more countries.
convention: an agreement among countries.
conservation: managing and protecting natural resources.
That’s why international cooperation is important, too. Once people started to understand how interconnected our world is, international laws and treaties were enacted so that countries could work together. One such agreement, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), was signed in 1975. This agreement bans the international trade of endangered species to prevent their extinction.
DID YOU KNOW?
May 22 is International Day for Biological Diversity. It was initiated in 1993 to bring awareness of biodiversity and the issues facing it.
Learn More
To learn more about a few of the many international efforts to protect biodiversity, visit these sites.
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The Sustainable Ocean Initiative is dedicated to finding a balance between sustainable use and conservation.
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The Convention on Biological Diversity promotes the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity.
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The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty that guides wetland use and conservation.
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides scientific evidence to influence global leaders’ policies regarding climate change.
Another example of international cooperation to protect biodiversity took place at the United Nations in 2015. Leaders from about 193 countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. One of the three major goals of this agreement was a commitment to combat climate change. These goals also called for finding a balance between human need and protecting the planet. All these international laws, treaties, and policies create a global community of advocates working together to preserve biodiversity.
CONSERVATION EFFORTS
In addition to laws, policies, and treaties, conservation efforts are taking place around the world to protect biodiversity. Some of these conservation efforts are run by governments, while others are run by private and nonprofit organizations or by individuals. These organizations influence environmental policy, support stronger laws to protect biodiversity, work on the ground to help individual species, push for more protected areas, and more.
Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir
One of the first environmental groups in the United States was the Sierra Club. It was founded by naturalist John Muir (1838–1914) in 1892, and today is one of the most powerful conservation organizations in the United States. In its history, the Sierra Club has played a role in protecting millions of acres of wilderness and in the passage of numerous environmental laws.
The Sierra Club has been involved in establishing many of the U.S. national parks. The park system is run by the U.S. government and today there are 58 national parks in the country and many other national monuments, lakeshores, and seashores. This system protects more than 84 million acres and provides educational experiences for more than 300 million visitors each year.
Other organizations work on the international level, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Its goal is to identify, protect, and preserve important cultural and natural sites.
Dozens of conservation groups around the world are dedicated to protecting biodiversity. Spend some time learning about the work of these organizations.
›The Nature Conservancy
›Environmental Defense Fund
›World Wildlife Fund
›Natural Resources Defense Council
›National Audubon Society
›Conservation International
›Greenpeace
›Ocean Conservancy
DID YOU KNOW?
Worldwide there are more than 15,600 marine protected areas. They cover an estimated 9.7 million square miles of ocean.
One of the most well-known UNESCO natural sites is the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast of Australia. The world’s largest collection of reefs is an ecosystem supporting 1,500 species of fish.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are also important to preserving biodiversity. These areas are set aside to be protected and managed, just as a national park would be. This includes conserving the whole ecosystem and protecting the species that live there.
Want to know how much of the planet is protected? Use this interactive map to explore all the places on Earth that have been designated as protected areas. You can zoom in on the map and click on areas to learn their names or type the name of an area that interests you.
protected planet
sustainable: designed to minimize environmental impact.
biofuel: a fuel made from living matter, such as plants.
renewable energy: power that comes from sources that will never run out, such as the sun and wind.
turbine: a machine with blades turned by the force of water, air, or steam.
In the United States, MPAs are on every coast, as well as in the Great Lakes region. Internationally, the number of MPAs continues to grow. In 2018, Seychelles created two new protected areas in the Indian Ocean that will preserve an area the size of Great Britain.
While many protections are in place for ecosystems around the world, work still remains to be done. As of 2015, only about 15 percent of the land on Earth was protected, and less than 10 percent of our oceans were protected. Some experts assert that we must protect 50 percent of the planet to preserve biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and a healthy Earth.
THE ROLE OF SCIENCE
Science plays an important role in protecting biodiversity. Research helps us to better understand how we impact our world. It also helps us to create ways to live sustainably and protect biodiversity on land and in the water.
New buildings are designed to use less energy and create less pollution. Artificial wood was invented to use instead of trees—some of it is even made using recycled plastic!
Nets-to-Energy
Countless scientists and researchers around the world are exploring alternatives to fossil fuel. One program in Hawaii has not only found an alternative, but the alternative helps to clean up the ocean and shorelines. The Nets-to-Energy program collects discarded fishing nets, which are one of the leading types of marine debris. The nets are transported to a recycling facility where they are chopped into small bits. At another facility, the bits are burned. The steam produced drives a turbine that generates electricity. Since 2002, this program has used more than 800 tons of nets to create electricity.
Wind turbines harness the power of wind.
Cities are promoting alternative transportation. Researchers are exploring new ways to power cars, including the use of biofuel as an alternative to gasoline. Electric cars are becoming more affordable and more popular.
Scientists are also exploring ways to generate renewable energy to reduce or stop the use of fossil fuels.
One renewable source of energy is the wind. This technology uses turbines to collect the wind’s power. When the wind blows, it turns the blades of large, windmill-like towers. The turning blades create energy. Solar panels offer the potential to provide us with another source of renewable energy. When homes and businesses use solar panels, they capture the energy from the sun to generate electricity.
hydroelectric: energy from moving water converted to electricity.
innovation: a new invention or way of doing something.
captive breeding: the process of mating wild animals to produce and raise offspring in places such as zoos, aquariums, reserves, and other conservation facilities.
Perhaps one of the oldest forms of renewable energy is hydroelectric power. For thousands of years, people have used moving water to help them with their work. Today, water is used to generate electricity. As water flows through dams, it turns blades on a turbine, which generates power.
Energy from ocean waves is being explored. And, unlike the sun and the wind that come and go, waves never stop!
Scientific research is guiding sustainable farming practices.
This includes understanding the biodiversity in the soil itself, which promotes healthier crops. Now, many farmers are deciding against using pesticides and chemical fertilizers that destroy biodiversity. They are choosing practices that support it.
Seaweed Farming
Ocean farming is a new type of farming that is gaining popularity. This innovative type of farming uses acres of ocean to plant crops three-dimensionally—in rows across the surface and in columns going down into the water. Sugar kelp, a type of seaweed, is one of those crops. The best part? It doesn’t need fertilizer. And it doesn’t need to be watered. This mild-tasting seaweed is making its way onto more and more menus, and can also be used as animal feed and fertilizer. Even more importantly, these marine plants help to clean up the ocean. Like all other plants, kelp can help absorb some of the carbon dioxide in the oceans.
Inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
credit: Dag Endresen (CC BY 3.0)
An important innovation that draws from traditional farming methods is to plant a variety of crops in an area. It promotes biodiversity and at the same time can also increase crop production and natural resistance to pests.
Other scientists are concerned with directly conserving species. Captive breeding programs can help to bring species back from near extinction. Scientists in California have also created a Frozen Zoo. After collecting DNA samples from living species, the samples are brought to the zoo and frozen. The hope is to preserve life before it disappears so that maybe one day, scientists will be able to bring the extinct species back to life.
For plants, scientists have established seed banks. They are collecting and storing billions of seeds from all over the world.
If done right, these seeds will still be able to germinate in hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
DID YOU KNOW?
Today, more than 14 percent of the earth’s land (not including Antarctica) is protected. That’s close to 7,722,043 million square miles!
All this scientific research and experimentation guides world leaders. Armed with the best scientific information, leaders can make well-informed decisions about how to protect Earth’s biodiversity.
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
“Think globally, act locally” is a saying that is a call to action. If all of us help to preserve biodiversity in our communities, the whole planet will benefit. You might wonder how something such as recycling one plastic bottle or plastic bag can help save biodiversity. You are just one person after all! But think about what might happen if that bag isn’t disposed of properly and ends up in the ocean. Consider the sea turtle swimming around looking for a tasty jellyfish.
Poachers Become Protectors
In Namibia, a small African country, poaching was a way of life in poor, rural areas. Yet around 1980, people recognized that wildlife was disappearing. An organization called the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation approached the local communities. It proposed a radical idea—what if poachers were paid to look after the wildlife instead of killing it? Through this program, locals reclaimed their land and their connection to nature, and the wildlife populations rebounded. Now, these communities rely on conservation and tourism as the basis of their economy, which is founded on a renewed respect for biodiversity.
You can help to protect biodiversity in many ways right from your own home and community. Here are a few ideas.
1. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
2. Walk or bike as often as possible.
3. Save energy—turn off items that use electricity when not in use and use energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances in your home.
4. Eat local, sustainably farmed and harvested food.
5. Stop using single-use plastics such as bags, bottles, and utensils.
6. Be a smart shopper—don’t buy items that harm biodiversity or ecosystems.
7. Educate someone else.
Even more importantly, do some math. Let’s say you stop using plastic bottles completely and use a reusable water bottle instead. If you use it every day of the week for school, that’s five plastic bottles saved. Multiply that by every day of the school year, and that’s about 180 bottles saved. Now, what would happen if you convinced everyone in your family to do the same? And everyone in your class. It adds up!
Bizarre Biodiversity
Monkey Cup: This is a carnivorous type of pitcher plant. It lures insects into the pitcher with attractive odors. Once inside, the insect cannot grip the sides and falls into the water below.
credit: Richard W Sinyem (CC BY 2.0)
Potholes
Have you ever noticed small pools of water collected in a depression in a rock? These pools, called potholes, are their own mini-ecosystems! The rock pools can vary in size. Some of them hold water all the time, while others have water only part of the time. Some species of animals and insects use the pools only when they are full and other species live there permanently.
Each organism found in these pools is uniquely adapted to surviving in that environment. Some can burrow into the fine sediment at the bottom of the pool—their exoskeleton is waterproof and prevents them from dehydrating. Another adaptation of pothole species is a short lifespan. This ensures that the species reaches adulthood quickly in an environment where the water may not stick around very long. Other species lay eggs that do not hatch all at the same time, so at least one set of eggs survives to adulthood.
Probably one of the most fascinating adaptations is the ability of a species to lose up to 92 percent of the water in its body and still survive. This adaptation, called cryptobiosis, is generally one phase of the organism’s life cycle.
credit: James St. John
All these adaptations are critical to the survival of a species in these mini-ecosystems. Yet subtle changes in the habitat can destroy it. These changes can be caused by pollution, climate change, and human contact. Even putting your hand in one of these pools can alter the environment.
exoskeleton: a skeleton on the outside of a body.
dehydrate: to take the water out of something.
cryptobiosis: a temporary state in which an organism’s bodily process slows or stops under extreme conditions.
food miles: how far food travels from farm to table.
emission: something sent or given off, such as smoke, gas, heat, or light.
carbon footprint: the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service, or by a person or family in a year.
DID YOU KNOW?
American author Edward Everett Hale (1822–1909) said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”
The bottom line is that the choices we all make every day affect biodiversity, both directly and indirectly. The key is education. Sometimes, people simply don’t know how individual choices can have global impacts. If people were to stop buying items made of ivory, for example, poachers would no longer kill elephants. The same goes for animal furs. If there is no demand for a product, the trade will stop.
Even the food we eat has an impact on the environment. Consider eating only fish that is sustainably harvested to protect fish populations. Or focus on eating food that is grown locally, which reduces food miles and cuts down on carbon emissions. Avoiding meat or eating less meat is important, too! The meat industry has a large carbon footprint—greater than the transportation industry!
To help you make informed choices about the seafood you eat, use the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website or app.
seafood watch
It’s important that all of us make informed decisions in our everyday lives. We are living in a critical time. Right now, humans are at a crossroads. We understand our impact on biodiversity and our connection to it. And we have the intelligence and technology to make positive changes. But these changes will require a massive shift in how all of us think, live, and act. Can we make these changes, as individuals and as part of the human race?
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What can we do to protect biodiversity on Earth?
GO ON AN ENERGY DIET
We use fossil fuels to heat and cool our homes, for electricity, food production, transportation, and more. Yet burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming. To slow, stop, and reverse this trend, all of us need to cut our use of fossil fuels. If we all do it, we could make a big difference!
›Go on an energy diet for a week. Begin by making a list of the ways you use energy—in the home, moving around town, and in what you buy at the store.
›Critically examine the list to determine ways you can cut your energy use. You may want to investigate on the internet to discover even more ways we use energy and how to cut its use.
›Make a plan for how you will cut your energy use for a week and record your plan in your science journal. What will you have to stop doing? What will you do instead? How else will using less energy affect your life?
Consider This
Have an adult help you to identify how much electricity your home uses in a week, on average, before you begin your diet. Then, compare the average to the electrical usage after you’ve been on a diet for a week. Consider encouraging everyone in your home to participate as well. You could also take your diet to your class and challenge the whole class to go on a diet. Finally, can you keep up the diet for two weeks? Three? A month? Calculate your energy savings.
Many internet resources can help you to calculate your carbon footprint or to identify ways to curb your energy use. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change has a calculator that is easy to use. NASA’s Climate Kids has additional information about what you can do to help the planet and its biodiversity.
NASA climate kids help
In the modern world, we often don’t know or don’t appreciate where our food comes from. But the food we eat may have a huge impact on the environment and biodiversity. To help protect biodiversity, you can make more informed food choices. For example, more than 75 percent of the ocean’s fisheries are over-fished or depleted. When you eat seafood, choose food that is harvested or farmed sustainably.
›Record what you eat for one week to get to know your food. Determine where that food has come from. Could you eat more sustainably? What foods could be purchased from local farmers at farmers’ markets or stores? Plan meals for one day that are more sustainable. Write your plan in your science journal.
›Land-based food includes meat, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and more. Even if you love eating meat, try cutting it out of your diet a day or two a week. This helps reduce carbon emissions because of the meat industry’s carbon footprint.
›When you do eat meat, try to find meat that is farmed locally and sustainably. This supports your local farmers and reduces food miles (and thus carbon emissions!) at the same time. Sustainable farms also treat animals better and use fewer chemicals and pesticides.
›Eat lots of vegetables! Try to eat those that are locally produced. You can even grow your own!
Consider This
Was planning a more sustainable diet easier or more difficult than you thought? Was finding local meat and produce easy or is this difficult in your area? Can you challenge your family to go meatless every Monday? Try planning a week’s worth of dinners that are more sustainable.
Cities and people around the world have joined the Meatless Monday movement for personal health and the health of the planet. Visit the website for more information about the movement and for meatless recipes that are easy to make at home.
meatless Monday
Many plants rely on bees and other insects for pollination to reproduce. Not only that, many of our crops depend on bees. Yet bees are at risk. Pesticides, habitat loss, monoculture farming, and disease are all threatening bee populations. You can help bees by creating a bee garden with a variety of plants that flower throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
›The bee garden can be in a spot in your yard or in a large planter on a balcony or outside a window. You could also talk to a ranger at your local park about planting bee-friendly flowers there. Research plants and bee species that are native to your area. In addition, find plants that flower at different times throughout the growing season.
›Draw a plan for your garden. You may even want to speak with an expert at your local garden store or farmers’ market for more information. Then start planting!
›How is your garden growing? Are bees coming to it? Did you see bees in spring, summer, and fall? Evaluate your garden. What did you do right? Consider what you could do better next season. Perhaps enlist the help of friends or family to make your garden bigger.
DID YOU KNOW?
Honeybees are the only insects that produce food that humans eat. One bee makes approximately 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
Do you know any beekeepers? There are many people who keep bees as a hobby. Do some research online or ask at an agricultural organization to find out if there are any beekeepers in your town. Sometimes, there are beekeeping clubs that meet or offer informational days you could attend to learn more about bees and their importance to the environment.
Happy Earth Day!
Every April 22 is Earth Day around the world. It is a day to celebrate Earth, its ecosystems, and its biodiversity. It is also a day to bring awareness to the many issues affecting the health of the planet. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, thanks to the efforts of a senator from Wisconsin named Gaylord Nelson (1916–2005), who saw a need to act to protect the planet. Earth Day is celebrated in communities around the world. You can be a part of it! Research events happening in your own community on the next Earth Day. Gather friends or family members and participate in an activity. Consider organizing your own event the next year. You might also challenge yourself, your friends, your family, and your classmates to consider every day Earth Day. What are simple things you could all do daily to help promote the health of our environment?
Learn more about this growing environmental movement and the various efforts underway across the globe.
Earth Day
