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Biodiversity

About This Collection

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

Cesar Chavez Day
March 31, 2017
Today is Cesar Chavez Day, a day to celebrate an extraordinary man and recognize the plight of farmworkers in the U.S. and around the globe. César E. Chávez (1927-1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Although best known for his civil rights work, he was also a pioneer in the field of environmental justice. In 1988, to call attention to the threats posed by pesticides and fertilizers to agricultural workers, he began a hunger strike that lasted 36 days. This action inspired a flood of scientific research that ultimately revealed the devastating impacts of pesticides on human health and the environment. Through our Environmental Health program, the Center for Biological Diversity continues the critical work of uncovering and fighting these impacts. There's been progress, but this fight is far from over. #Pesticides still poison an estimated 20,000 farmworkers each year in the U.S. and pesticide use is higher in Latino and other minority communities and they disproportionately affect low-income communities. Learn more by reading our report on #glyphosate use in California: http://ow.ly/10642v #CesarChavezDay #laluchasigue