The United Nations declared that today, May 22nd, is  The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB). The aim of the day is to help increase the understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.  Sadly, today’s papers are scarcely packed with banner headlines on biodiversity issues.

Biological diversity or biodiversity is ‘shorthand’ for the variety of life on Earth, the sum total of all their inter-actions with each other and the materials with which the Earth is constructed.  It includes all the various ecosystems throughout the world, from  rich and lush tropical forests to dry, almost waterless deserts.  There are millions of species of plants, animals and microbes.  These together with their ecosystems provide us with what are termed ecosystem services. They maintain the conditions for life on Earth, they provide us with food and produce oxygen to breathe, supply of a vast range of raw materials to build homes and shelters, and some provide the 'building blocks' of various medicines.

• Biodiversity is lost through
• Habitat destruction
• Invasive species
• Pollution
• Over-exploitation
• Climate change

There have been a number of recent reports that have highlighted the threats to various species / wildlife, such as that published by DEFRA this week. The Woodland’s blog also has a number of posts about issues that threaten biodiversity / wildlife in the U.K.

• Cuckoos :
• Woodland birds
• Bumblebees
• Squirrels
• Ash trees
• Rhododendron ponticum
• Horse Chestnuts
• Oak trees
• Re-introductions
• Hedgerows
• Tree of Heaven

See also

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10139906.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/7750078/Quarter-of-UKs-endangered-species-declining-despite-government-action.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/report-on-failure-to-halt-wildlife-decline-is-buried-1979954.html