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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

Zoom into a Blue Morpho Butterfly Wing
May 15, 2019
The wings of blue morpho butterflies are iridescent blue — but contain absolutely no blue pigment! The color is achieved by tiny scales on the wings that have ridges, ribs and other structures that play with the physics of light at the nanoscale to reflect only bright blues.