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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

Ringtails
May 28, 2018
Adorable ringtails in the borderlands! [Turn on sound to hear them sniffing about.] While some folks may call them ringtail cats and others think they look like lemurs, ringtails are actually related to coatis and raccoons, not felines or strepsirrhine primates. Ringtails are the official state mammal of Arizona and even make an appearance on the state's driver’s licenses. These small, nocturnal and painfully cute critters have oversized eyes and ears for finding their favorite foods at night: fruit, lizards, insects, snakes, birds and birds’ eggs, mice and squirrels. Footage by Russ McSpadden / Center for Biological Diversity