Biodiversity is Life. Biodiversity is Our Life.

Biodiversity is defined as the variety of life on Earth. As humans, we depend on biodiversity for the natural spaces and the goods and services they provide to sustain our lives. These benefits are often referred to as "ecosystem services."

Here are just some of things that biodiversity provides all living organisms:

• Food and fuel
• Shelter and building materials
• Clean air and water
• Detoxification and decomposition of wastes
• A stable, moderate climate
• Moderation of floods, droughts, temperature extremes and the forces of wind
• Fertile soils
• Pollination of plants, including many crops
• Pest and disease control
• Cultural, spiritual and aesthetic benefits

The rate of biodiversity degradation is alarming. According to the United Nations, species have been disappearing at up to 1,000 times the natural rate, a figure that is expected to rise dramatically. Based on current trends, an estimated 34,000 plant species and 5,200 animal species, including one in eight of the world's bird species, face extinction.

What is the International Year of Biodiversity?

In an effort to raise biodiversity awareness and to promote the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) objectives, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). It is a year to celebrate, appreciate and integrate biodiversity into our lives. It is our chance to take action on behalf of future generations.

In April 2002, the CBD committed to "achieve a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level" by 2010. This declaration is also known as the 2010 Biodiversity Target which was later incorporated into the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

Recalling the commitment made by the CBD, the United Nations General Assembly declared, in 2007, that 2010 be the International Year of Biodiversity.

Nature Canada and the International Year of Biodiversity

Nature Canada has joined Countdown 2010, an initiative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to declare our commitment to help reduce biodiversity loss and ensure that all levels of government and society take action together to reduce biodiversity loss by 2010.

With the purpose of upholding our commitment to protecting biodiversity and attaining our 2010 Biodiversity Target we commit to:

• Support on-the-ground, community-based efforts to protect animals, plants and habitat for future generations
• Push for effective laws and supporting policies that protect endangered species
• Encourage the development of an effective network of parks and protected areas from coast to coast to coast
• Conserve bird habitat and promote biodiversity in Canada and abroad
• Help introduce thousands of children to nature every year
• Educate people about the benefits of nature to humankind
• Recruit more nature enthusiasts to the cause of protecting biodiversity and the processes that sustain it