Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of all living things on the planet. There are three categories under biodiversity which are genetic, species and ecosystem diversity.
Biodiversity is important not only for environmental health but is vital to human health providing us with clean water and air, a variety of food to eat, shelter and even the clothes we wear.
When we change the landscape for example by removing trees for development of homes and other infrastructure or increase water temperature through climate change we run a serious risk of changing the balance of living things in our environment, possibly even losing some forever.
Fast Facts
- We only ‘know’ 15 per cent of all species that exist
- It is estimated that 130 species are vanishing from Earth per day. Most of these are species have not even been identified yet.
- Most of the extinction is occurring on tropical rainforests such as the Daintree or the Amazon which occupy a mere 6 per cent of the land’s surface but contains at least 50 per cent of all species on Earth
- From a single tree in the Tambopata reserve of Peru 43 different species of ant were found. This is roughly equal to the entire ant fauna of the UK.
- In one small peninsular of the Amazon rainforest 2,500 tree species were identified, this compares with 700 in all of continental United States and Canada.
What can I do?
- Plant native species which provide food and habitat for native birds, mammals, insects and reptiles
- Remove weeds from your garden
- build and install nestboxes to provide habitat for possums, sugar gliders and birds
- Keep pets such as dogs and cats inside at night to avoid them mistaking native animals for a snack!
- Build a frog bog or lizard lounge
- Draw up an Environmental Management Plan to help you consider the impact of your whole home/school/farm or other local area on the environment. Consider areas that could be revegetated, areas which may be damp and boggy or suffering from erosion, look at which parts of buildings are exposed to the harsh summer sun and conduct energy, water and waste audits. More information on School Environmental Management Plans here (This example is a NSW based resource however similar examples should exist in every state)
- Encourage your school to apply for a Yates School Environmental Management Planning (SEMP) grant. This grant may support activities which improve biodiversity as long as it is part of your school environmental management plan. Click here for more information.
Useful Resources
Australian Museum Online
Australia's Biodiversity
Fact Sheets About Biodiversity
CERES Community Environment Park
Sustainability Facts and Figures
Australian Government - Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Biodiversity for a Sustainable Future
National Pollutant Inventory - NPI Primary School Kids Quiz
Biodiversity Index
Conserving Australia's biological diversity: teacher's notes and display materials
Biodiversity: Nature's variety, our heritage, our future
Futurescapes, Gould Group
Future Scapes (you will need Adobe Flash 5 to view this site)
Wildlife Resources
Australian Government - Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the ArtsGreen Kids guide to threatened species
Threatened Species, extinction is forever
