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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

Suit Filed to Protect 20 Coral Species
August 02, 2023

The Center has sued NOAA Fisheries to enforce actual protection for 20 endangered Caribbean and Indo-Pacific coral species, including pillar and lobed star corals. While NOAA officially protected these species under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 following a Center petition, it has since refused to implement regulations to counter major threats like collection and climate change, despite a 2020 petition for such measures.

The agency also declines to monitor trade in these species, even though the U.S. is the world’s largest importer of live corals. Center lawyer Emily Jeffers emphasized, "Protection for corals shouldn’t be in name only." Learn more: biodiv.us/3DKztQo