Biodiversity in the Garden

Diverse Ecosystems Allow for Resiliency

Biodiversity is a term used to describe the complex variety of all life in a given area. Plants, animals, microorganisms, and fungi associate and create a complex, interconnected web. Without sufficient diversity in our natural world, the network loses balance. Individual systems and populations may crash causing a domino effect, spreading the loss to more and more areas and populations.

Biodiversity…

is responsible for all the food that we eat; from the fish that live among the mangrove roots to the crops that rely on birds and insects for pollination;

ensures that forests capture and recycle rainwater and prevent erosion on mountainsides and that wetlands filter that water for our use;

guarantees that nutrients and raw materials are constantly being recycled to sustain new life;

creates all of the oxygen we breathe and recycles the carbon dioxide produced;

provides the materials for much of our clothing, houses and household and office goods;

treats our illnesses and diseases and provides the model for future medicines;

includes the genetic diversity of organisms that provide each species with the maximum ability to survive change in their environment.