Home
Biodiversity

About This Collection

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. It is necessary for life to thrive on Earth.

Aldo Leopold, one of the great thinkers of conservation, observed more than half a century ago the importance of protecting species. "To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering," he wrote. Losing species is like throwing away one by one the engine parts of an airplane while flying.

Biodiversity is a major initiative of Conservation International.

Biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits to meet immediate human needs, such as those for clean, consistent water flows; protection from floods and storms; and a stable climate. 

Curated by mokiethecat

Protection for the Candy Darter and Habitat
November 27, 2018
Reason to celebrate: A vividly colored fish called the candy darter has been protected under the Endangered Species Act. More than 300 miles of streams in Virginia and West Virginia have also been proposed for protection. The feds’ decision comes in response to a petition and litigation from the Center for Biological Diversity and allies. The darter has been lost from at least half its range, typically because of pollution, competition or hybridization with other fish. It was first identified as needing federal protection in 1982. The Center sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2015 to get a court-binding date for a decision. “Nothing’s sweeter than imperiled animals finally getting help to avoid extinction,” said the Center’s Tierra Curry.