Why should we care about biodiversity?
Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on.
You share the planet with as many as 13 million different living species including plants, animals and bacteria, only 1.75 million of which have been named and recorded.
This incredible natural wealth is a priceless treasure that forms the ultimate foundation of your human wellbeing.
Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost at a greatly accelerated rate. Felling or burning of forests, removal of mangroves, intensive farming, pollution stress, overfishing and the impacts of climate change are all destroying biodiversity.
These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on every day. But we can prevent them.
Why an ‘International Year of Biodiversity’?
The UN has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. It’s an opportunity to reflect on our achievements to safeguard biodiversity and focus on the urgency of our challenge for the future.
We can stop this loss, the question is will we? The International Year of Biodiversity is our chance to prove we will. Now is the time to act.
FFI is a partner in the International Year of Biodiversity. Our century of experience has led us to be continually amazed by the beauty, abundance and complexity of the natural world.
We have long been a champion for biodiversity. We are taking part in this important year to show not only how we have already done much to save endangered species and habitats, but more importantly, that we can - and must - do so much more.
Please join us in the global efforts to raise awareness and action for biodiversity. Your support is needed more than ever.
FFI works to safeguard wildlife and wild places in a myriad of ways:
We know that the scale of global biodiversity loss can make you feel helpless sometimes, but here are five things you can do to protect the variety of life.
FFI will be highlighting a different species or habitat every month in our new Focus on section. Discover more about May's Focus on - the pygmy hippo
The UN has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. It’s an opportunity to reflect on our achievements to safeguard biodiversity and focus on the urgency of our challenge for the future.