Biodiversity, or biological diversity, describes the variety of life on Earth—from small organisms, or varying genes within an organism, to entire ecosystems, or even entire evolutionary processes. 

Biodiversity is responsible for the food we eat, the fuel we use, shelter and medicines we rely on. Biodiversity is behind ecological services like pollination, seed dispersal, regulation of climate, water purification, and nutrient cycling. 

Biodiversity holds great economic value (think crop production), but also great personal and cultural value—the beauty of nature, the relationships we hold with animals and the outdoors. 

“Biodiversity holds great economic value (think crop production).”

The more we learn about the world around us, the more valuable it becomes. Globally, ecological services are worth an estimated USD 125-140 trillion (US dollars) per year (EOCD.org).

As climate breakdown becomes more and more prevalent in our daily lives, the focus is often on fuel. How will we heat our homes or cool them? How will we continue to produce things for individuals to consume? In a capitalist society it’s not unexpected that we first look to production and keeping the same unsustainable pace, and this is of course an extremely important question. But I would also urge you to look outside. At that squirrel that keeps knocking down your bird feeder. The woodpecker that continues to destroy the siding of your house. The fireflies you remember catching in glass jars as a kid, awestruck by their glow-in-the-dark backsides. So much of the natural world we take for granted or categorize as a nuisance. But in a not-too-distant future, everything could change.

The more we understand the world around us, the more value it holds. We must hold on to that value, and fight to protect the diversity of plants and animals that surround us—those that fit into our consumerism, as well as those that don’t. Some things of value cannot be converted to dollar amounts. There’s no exchange rate for the memories of catching insects as a child or the ability to take part in that same activity with your children, or your children’s children.