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Biodiversity

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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

Long Mountain
July 06, 2020

Arizona's Santa Rita Mountains, ancestral land of the Tohono O'odham (who call it Ce: wi Duag, or "Long Mountain"), are renowned for their natural beauty and rare wildlife, including ocelots and jaguars. Despite this, a Canadian company seeks to blast a mile-wide, open-pit copper mine in this invaluable area.

For over a decade, a coalition of organizations and local governments has successfully resisted this project. A video, directed by Leslie Ann Epperson, features Austin Nuñez, Chairman of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham Nation, and allies recounting their tale of resistance.