BirdLife South Africa announced that Candice Stevens, BirdLife South Africa’s Policy & Advocacy programme manager and the South African government, represented by the Department of Environmental Affairs have been awarded the Pathfinder Award Special Commendation for their innovative work on biodiversity tax incentives.

But what exactly is biodiversity and why is it so important to us?

It is the variety of life on Earth, in all its forms and all its interactions. If that sounds bewilderingly broad, that’s because it is. Biodiversity is the most complex feature of our planet and it is the most vital. “Without biodiversity, there is no future for humanity,” says Prof David Macdonald, at Oxford University.

The impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems are already evident. Poleward shifts in the geographic distributions of species, catastrophic forest fires and mass bleaching of coral reefs all bear the fingerprints of climate change.

The European Commission unveils its much-awaited Farm to Fork (F2F) and biodiversity strategy on Wednesday (20 May), after several postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Around the world, biodiversity is dropping precipitously. In North America, about three billion birds have been lost over recent decades and amphibian populations are declining at a rate of about four per cent per year. Globally, insects are vanishing at a rate of about nine per cent per decade.

At least 30% of EU land and seas will be protected by 2030 to halt the decline of plant and animal species and restore carbon sinks to address climate change, under European Commission plans.

“I’ve long touted increasing the adaptive capacity of a given environment – vineyard and farm – improving its resiliency, makes it less vulnerable to climate change.

The Covid-19 pandemic is teaching us all some very important lessons. In particular, it is reminding us that our health, our economy and our way of life are built on a fragile foundation that is far too often taken for granted. 

Although soils are vital for agriculture, biodiversity and clean water, this below-ground world is often overlooked.

Biodiversity is important to most aspects of our lives. We value biodiversity for many reasons, some utilitarian, some intrinsic.

Produced by the UK think-tank Chatham House and backed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Compassion in World Farming, the study says that agriculture is threatening 86% of the 28,000+ plant and animal species known to be at risk of extinction.

Smaller farms have higher yields and biodiversity than their larger counterparts, new research suggests.

In the early 19th century, when Europeans began to settle on the island of Tasmania, around 5,000 of the striped, dog-sized creatures known as Tasmanian tigers roamed the landscape.

A framework to help countries develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of their natural resources is nearing completion.

The majority of the worlds’ poor live in rural areas and rely closely on biodiversity for food security, nutrition and employment, with agriculture providing the primary source of employment.

It is no exaggeration to say that science has saved humanity on multiple occasions. The most recent has been through the development of vaccines for the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The honeybee may be the best-known pollinator of plants, but there are thousands of pollinator species, including other bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and even some birds and mammals.

Biodiversity loss is reaching catastrophic levels globally, and along with climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing humanity.