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What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is a word used to describe all of the different forms of life on Earth, including:
Us, as humans.
Animals living on land and in the water.
Plants on land and in the water.
Germs that make us sick like bacteria and viruses.
Why do we need to take care of all these living things?
If we don't, they will become extinct and will no longer be found on Earth.
We need plants and animals for food, medicine and materials.
Are we taking good care of all the living things in our planet?
No. Over the past twenty-five years, one quarter of life on the planet has disappeared.
Why are so many forms of life disappearing?
We are hunting animals too much.
We are burning fossil fuels that send harmful gases into the air, making the world warmer than it should be.
We are cutting down trees to build houses, which means that flowering plants and insects are also killed.
We are killing animals like tigers to make special ornaments and jewellery for people who visit the countries where they are found.
We are taking animals like bears away from their families and their natural homes, just so that people can enjoy looking at them.
We are using ocean drift nets and causing ocean pollution, which hurts animals such as turtles and dolphins who live in the sea.
What can you do to help?
Plant trees and shrubs.
Do not buy anything made from animals or plants that should be protected.
If you are going on holiday, always be careful not to hurt rare living things.
Learn more about the animals and plants that can be harmed.
Ask your parents to help zoos which are trying to raise wild animals and send them out to the wild.
Remember....
Just as we need our parents and families, we also need animals and plants to live in this world. If we do not take care of them, they can vanish forever.