Understanding the Importance of Biodiversity
Why biodiversity should matter to you
Native plants and animals thrive in large, well-connected patches of high quality habitat that meet their lifecycle needs – food, shelter and reproduction. It is estimated that Australia is home to about one million species of plants, animals and micro-organisms, many of which are endemic and cannot be found elsewhere in the world.
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity includes all the animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms that make up our ecosystems and work together to support life.
Biodiversity is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, food, wealth, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on.
Organisms, ecosystems and ecological processes supply us with oxygen and clean water. They help keep our lives in balance and regulate the climate. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities.
According to the 2014 Living Planet Report, our demand on the planet is more than 50 per cent greater than what nature can sustain, with dramatic declines in biodiversity since 1970.
CSIRO research shows that by 2070, the impacts of climate change on Australia’s biodiversity will be widespread and extreme. We need to take action now to preserve this irreplaceable natural wealth and reduce biodiversity loss.
8 Benefits of Biodiversity for Humans
1. Food security: Biodiverse areas are more resilient and have healthier soil for growing the food you buy from your farmer’s market or grocery store.
2. Medicine: Botanical products serve as the base for both the modern and traditional medicines you might use to fight illnesses and stay healthy.
3. Physical Health: Greener areas could help reduce your health issues including asthma, allergies and even heart disease.
4. Mental Health: Spending time in nature can increase your happiness , as well as reduce anxiety and depression.
5. Social Wellbeing: Nature reserves, local parks, urban forests and gardens provide a gathering place for your community.
6. Economy: Thriving nature provides you critical life-supporting services, such as clean water and food, as well as environmental services like flood protection and wind breaks.
7. Art & Inspiration: Nature inspires paintings, photography, poetry and writing. It captures your attention in film and television. It releases your creativity.
8. Carbon Capture: Biodiverse plantings can capture more carbon than monocultures, thereby reducing the carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
Australia: Global Biodiversity Hotspot
Conservation International, a world authority on biodiversity conservation, identified Southwestern Australia as one of only 35 globally significant biodiversity ‘hotspots’. These hotspots account for over 90% of all species on earth.
These hotspots are classed as areas that have over 1,500 endemic species of vascular plants. This number is equivalent to 0.5% or more of all known plant species in the world. In addition to this, a biodiversity hotspot has lost at least 70% of its original habitat, meaning what remains is vital to protect.
To our shame, it is also one of the few hotspots found in a developed nation.
Nationally, it is also recognised that 5 of Australia’s 15 national biodiversity hotspots are located within Southwestern Australia.
Conservation of biodiversity is the responsibility of all Australians – it is imperative that these ‘megadiverse’ areas be protected to ensure their survival and restoration. Our native tree plantings give you a unique opportunity to revive our rural landscapes, recreating natural habitats and growing the rich biodiversity of our native species, while producing valuable carbon credits.
- Trees are legally protected for up to 100 years on many sites
- Multiple native species of trees and shrubs are planted
- Reduce soil erosion
- Help combat salinity
- Provide wind breaks
- Improve biodiversity
- Provide habitat for native animals
- Many planting sites are in a global biodiversity hotspot
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Carbon Positive Australia is dedicated to the protection and conservation of Australia's biodiversity. We’re passionate about our native Australian landscape, and our focus is on developing biodiverse reforestation plantings and 'carbon sinks'.
