Biodiversity? We have all heard that term but what does it mean?

Biodiversity is the diversity of life, from plants to animals to microorganisms and fungi. The more biodiverse the planet, the better. Biodiversity is important because each creature has a function within the grand scheme of things that we biologists like to refer to as their ecosystem and their biome. We can measure biodiversity by looking at how many species there are in a given area or location. 

 

It is difficult to estimate how many species there are in total, especially if we include bacteria and fungi in the mix. So far, estimates usually sit around 10 million different animal and plant species, omitting the other kingdoms of life for now. If we include bacteria and other microorganisms then those estimates can run up to 1 trillion species. The bottom line is, we do not know, so far we have “only” identified 1.3 million species. 

 

There are more than 300 000 species of beetles. There are more than 20 000 fish species and only around 5000 species of mammals. We mostly know the charismatic mammals because they are big, fluffy and cute. Mammals are actually the one of the least biodiverse groups of animals alive today. 

 

We are expected to drive more than 1 million species to extinction within the foreseeable future. Not kill 1 million animals but kill every animal or plant alive of those 1 million species, leaving nothing in their place. This is a global extinction event. Some ecosystems are expected to disappear entirely. This is only based on what we know but there is more that we do not know. 

 

Conserving and protecting biodiversity is an integral part of conserving the health of our planet, or what is left of it at this point. Each animal, plant, fungi or microorganism plays a role within their ecosystem. To give an example, crabs in mangrove ecosystems burrow in the soils among the mangrove root systems. This keeps the soil aerated and in favourable conditions for the mangroves to grow. When you remove these crabs, other animals such as mud lobsters, take their place in aerating the soils. When you take those animals away, you leave the soils unaerated. This makes it harder for mangroves to grow. 

 

The more biodiverse an ecosystem, the more organisms there are who fulfill the same function within that ecosystem. This makes that ecosystem more stable in the face of change. What we are doing is slowly eroding nature’s ability to be resilient by driving species to extinction, leaving less and less species to fulfill and maintain necessary natural processes for ecosystems to survive. 

 

Repeat after me… BIODIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT! Conservation is important for nature and humans. No matter how much we isolate ourselves from life, as COVID-19 has taught us, we are still connected. Each ecosystem is vital for the functioning of this planet and the life it holds. That includes us, people. 

 

Get started today and plant some mangroves. 

 

Some Links:

UNESCO

Can Genetic Engineering Save Our Planet’s Biodiversity?

How many species on Earth? Why that’s a simple question but hard to answer

Author:

Layla Olefs

Sustainability Manager and Co-Founder of White Green Blue.

Layla is on a mission to create positive impact and to spread awareness about our beautiful home. As a marine conservationist and PADI Dive Master her passion is the marine world and, of course, mangroves. She is the author of our Ecology and Culture blog series. Stephen Olefs, our Community Development Coordinator, is taking the lead in our Green Tech blog series.

Mangroves… What if we lost them all?

Mangrove trees are very unique as they can grow in saltwater habitats. Mangroves line the coastlines of the tropics and cover an area of approximately 16 million hectares. This is only 0.39% of the global forest coverage. One hectare of mangroves is estimated to be worth US$193 000. According to Pendelton et al, the world has lost US$ 19 trillion due to lost coastal ecosystem services. 

 

As ecosystems continue to degrade, the world will suffer more economic losses. Mangroves are responsible for US$65 billion worth of coastal protection across the globe each year. Without mangroves, wave damage and storm damage would be a lot worse for coastal communities. Mangroves can also be used for waste water treatments, aquaculture, fisheries, eco-tourism and small sustainable businesses such as bee keeping.  

 

These beautiful forests can be found along the coastlines and river estuaries of the tropics and some of the subtropics. Many of the world’s poorest communities can be found in these areas. Mangroves provide these communities with the opportunity to generate a sustainable income. Mangroves are very productive places to harvest shellfish and fish to feed local families and to sell on local markets. Ecotourism tours can be set up and employ local guides who have traditional knowledge of the areas. This knowledge base can be expanded to incorporate beekeeping, conservation and sustainable forest management. 

 

Ecologically, mangroves play important roles as fish nurseries. Approximately 60-80% of mangrove fish species are commercially important. Approximately 20% of mangrove fish species are also coral reef fish and make use of both habitats to be able to complete their life cycles. Both commercial fish and coral reef fish are important in maintaining biodiversity as some of these species are top-predators or important herbivores. If we would lose mangroves we would set a cascade in motion that would negatively impact many more ecosystems, not to mention it would impact the lives of millions of people. 

 

The silver lining here is that mangroves are hardy species and can bounce back unlike most ecosystems. Help the world today by conserving and restoring mangrove forests. 

 

References:

Coastal Ecosystems Value

Storm Damage

Mangrove Fisheries

 

Author:

Layla Olefs

Sustainability Manager and Co-Founder of White Green Blue.

Layla is on a mission to create positive impact and to spread awareness about our beautiful home. As a marine conservationist and PADI Dive Master her passion is the marine world and, of course, mangroves. She is the author of our Ecology and Culture blog series. Stephen Olefs, our Community Development Coordinator, is taking the lead in our Green Tech blog series.

 

 

 

Why Your Carbon Footprint Matters

Climate change is a symptom of our non-sustainable way of life. Many climate change models have been run to date, all predicting various levels of catastrophic changes. Most agree that planet Earth will survive and evolution as well as other natural processes, will continue to run course. However, most also agree that humans will take a very heavy hit if we do not adapt our lifestyles and economies immediately. Humanity will face numerous challenges from an increase in poverty and violence, to decreased health, cultural loss, mass migrations and loss of natural resources. Millions of species will go extinct as their ecosystems degrade. Some of those species and all of those ecosystems are socio-economically valuable to us. Storms will become more frequent and stronger. Sea levels will rise leaving coastal cities with immense costs of building dams or forcing millions to relocate. Farmlands will turn to deserts, coral reefs will turn to algae barrens and what remains of our forests will be plagued by fires, droughts and floods. All of this, and more, is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. 

 

Greenhouse gases can trap heat which lies at the basis of rising temperatures in many places across the globe. Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride are the six main greenhouse gases. The sun emits energy which is either reflected or absorbed by the earth. Some of the energy that is absorbed is re-emitted into the atmosphere as infrared radiation (i.e. heat). Greenhouse gases have the ability to absorb infrared radiation emitted by the sun causing the molecules to vibrate and produce more heat. The heat is then released in any given direction and can potentially be reabsorbed by another greenhouse gas, again, creating more heat. This cycle is a natural process that has allowed for life to grow as we know it today. Unfortunately, an increase of these gases in our atmosphere also means an increase in heat production which is at the base of a rapidly changing climate. 

 

Excessive carbon dioxide concentrations are responsible for two-thirds of temperature imbalances today. Many argue that our planet has seen similar changes of atmospheric and greenhouse gas concentrations before. This is true to a certain extent. With an atmospheric CO2 concentration over 400 ppm (parts per million) we have reached an all-time high of the last 800 000 years. The current spike in CO2 is not part of earth’s natural cycle, humans are the culprit of high levels of atmospheric CO2, speeding up a process that would usually take place over thousands of years. Nature needs time to adapt and even humans need time to adapt but our wanton burning of fossil fuels has put us both in a tricky position. It matters how much you emit, you are impacting other lives directly. 

 

Want to make a difference? Restore and conserve mangrove forests. Reduce your carbon emissions.

 

Author:

Layla Olefs

Sustainability Manager and Co-Founder of White Green Blue.

Layla is on a mission to create positive impact and to spread awareness about our beautiful home. As a marine conservationist and PADI Dive Master her passion is the marine world and, of course, mangroves. She is the author of our Ecology and Culture blog series. Stephen Olefs, our Community Development Coordinator, is taking the lead in our Green Tech blog series.