Biodiversity

The United Nations has declared today to be the International Day for Biodiversity. Some scientists believe that our planet is in the midst of the sixth mass extinction event in the long history of the earth. Some extinction is inevitable. It is normal for species to evolve and become extinct over time. It is estimated that 98% of all species that have ever lives are now extinct. There are several things that cause alarm. The first is simply the rate of extinction. The extinction of species of plants and animals is now occurring at between 1,000 and 10,000 times more quickly than scientists would expect to see. Furthermore, the extinction can be directly related to the activities of a single species: homo sapiens, the most abundant and widespread species of primate on the planet. In addition, we humans are incredibly dependent upon the diversity of other species. We may be precipitating the extinction of our own species through our actions that threaten biodiversity.

Biodiversity is more than just a few selected and easily-identified species. It is the variety of all life on Earth - animals, plants, fungi and micro-organisms such as bacteria. These many and diverse species provide humans with everything we need to survive including fresh water, food and medicines. We cannot, however, get these benefits from individual species. We need a variety of animals and plants to be able to work together and thrive, in order for us to have a livable planet. We need biodiversity to survive.

the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has developed a red list of species in imminent danger of extinction. That list includes 40% of all amphibians, 34% of conifers, 33% of reef corals, 31% of sharks and rays, 27% of crustaceans, 25% of mammals, and 14% of birds.

Since time immemorial, humans have harvested other species to obtain the necessities of life. We have cut down trees to build homes and other items. We have hunted and fished to obtain food. We have picked fruit and grain and taken other plants for food. All of these activities have an impact on biodiversity, in part because we have been so successful that we have increased in number dramatically. Overpopulation by humans means that we are logging, harvesting, hunting and fishing at the highest rates in history.

It isn’t just the taking of other species for our needs, however. Many of the species most endangered are placed at risk because of the loss of habitat. Pollution, rapid industrialization, and over use of water are key factors in the dramatic habitat change that is affecting biodiversity. Plants and animals are faced with the need to adapt to huge changes in their habitat due to human activity including global warming. The UN says that if global warming was limited to 1.5 degrees C, global species extinction would be significantly lower.

Modern humans are different that our predecessors not only in our numbers, but in the impact of each individual. Ancient hunter/gatherer societies harvested, fished and hunted taking only the minimum amount needed for survival. Contemporary humans take more than is needed. Global overconsumption is evident in critical areas such as food and water, but also in our use of energy and precious minerals. Our planet is suffering because of the amount of human waste. All of that waste is not inevitable. We can change our patterns of behavior.

It is estimated that 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year. That is a lot of waste. The value of wasted food exceeds $1 trillion. That is a huge loss to human economies. Each time we make a trip to the grocery store or food market, we come home with more than we can eat. Food is lost due to the natural process of decomposition. By separating food waste from the normal stream of garbage and composting it we can decrease the impact of the waste, but the best way to avoid waste is to simply purchase smaller quantities and to pay attention to the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Living in an area with many orchards, we have become more aware of our consumption of fruit. We eat produce from our son’s small orchard year round. We freeze and dry fruit when it is ripe. This year we will have even more fruit because there is a plum tree and a cherry tree in the back yard of the home we have purchased. Fruit is seasonal. The abundance of the orchard is not year-round, but confined to summer and fall. I happen to enjoy apples, so when we don’t have fresh apples from the trees, I purchase apples from the grocery store, where they are available year round. But there is a big difference in grocery store apples. In the late summer and early fall, when we are purchasing new crop apples fresh from the orchards, the fruit has a pretty reasonable shelf life. However, at this time of the year, the apples in the store have been stored in controlled atmosphere where temperature, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and humidity levels are adjusted to put them into hibernation. Those apples begin to spoil much more quickly. They lose their crispness within a few days. While we can eat a case of apples fresh from the orchard without significant spoilage, this time of year, we find some spoilage before we can consume a small bag of apples.

We would waste less food if we maintained a balance of when we purchase and when we consume apples. And that is just one type of food. All of the food we eat comes in seasons. A couple of generations ago, our grandparents lived in synchronization with the seasons. They ate certain foods when they were available. They wasted less food.

The International Day of Biodiversity is an opportunity for me to examine the behaviors in my life that have an impact on other species. The hope is that we will go beyond individuals and engage corporate and community action to slow the loss of diversity. The survival of our species hangs in the balance along with the others.

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