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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

That's Wild: Rare Eel Gulps Itself Into Glory
July 12, 2023
From a submersible off the coast of Costa Rica, a very hard-to-find gulper eel — also called a pelican eel — has been caught on video 6,900 feet down with their body massively distended by a recent meal. The area they live in, called the Dorado Outcrop, is also home to recently discovered, extremely rare octopus nurseries. Watch the captivating footage of the gulper eel alone here, and see a mashup of the recent deep-sea Dorado expedition's greatest hits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhH42NS8ig4 #ThatsWild Video by Schmidt Ocean Institute, featured in Endangered Earth Online 1201, newsletter of the Center for Biological Diversity. Audio: Mothership via Canva