The Biodiversity Crisis
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of all living things including plants, animals, microbes, fungi and people. It also includes the places where plants and animals live (known as habitats), the interactions among living things (the web of life) and their environment (ecology). Biodiversity is all around us, everywhere and in our everyday life. It forms complex systems that sustain life on Earth.
Each part of the system is important no matter how small or trivial it may seem to us. Think of it as a puzzle; having a biodiverse system allows us to see the full puzzle but when we start to remove different pieces, or species, the picture loses important parts. We rely completely on biodiversity to provide us with the basic elements we need such as clean air and water, food, fuel, building products and medicines. We also rely on it for the many free ‘services’ such as nutrient recycling, pollination and water filtration etc. It is therefore vital that we make space for nature in our towns, villages and countryside for us to continue living full and healthy lives. Finally, we should respect the wonder of
nature in all its glory and diversity and recognise that it has its own intrinsic value i.e. that nature has value in its own right, independent of human uses, even if it does not directly or indirectly benefit humans.
Biodiversity underpins the functioning of the ecosystems on which we depend for food and fresh water, health and recreation, and protection from natural disasters. Its loss also affects us culturally and spiritually. This may be more difficult to quantify, but is nonetheless integral to our wellbeing.
Why protect Biodiversity?
A Biodiversity Crisis was declared by the Dáil in 2019. On the 29th May 2019, during a Dáil Eireann debate, the Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht Deputy Josepha Madigan made an address which included the following excerpts – the full address is available here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2019-05-29/35/
We are losing biodiversity around the globe at a rate unprecedented in human history. The number of plants, insects, mammals, and birds that are threatened or endangered grows every year, while the land, ocean and atmosphere are being altered to an unparalleled degree. A few weeks ago, the United Nations’ platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services published its global assessment report and advised that unless action is taken to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss, there will be a further acceleration in the global rate of species' extinction, which is already at least tens or hundreds of times higher than it has averaged in the past 10 million years. It is not just over there in the Amazon basin or Borneo. Although we cut down our forests centuries ago, biodiversity in Ireland still demonstrates worrying and ongoing declines…. My Department reports every six years to the EU on the status of habitats and species protected by the EU habitats directive. We recently submitted the draft report for the past six years and it shows that Irish habitats, especially the peatlands, grasslands, and some of the marine habitats, remain under enormous pressure…. I have also seen reports that insects are declining on a massive scale throughout Europe. Insects are the most abundant terrestrial organisms on the planet and of paramount importance to the ecosystem services that sustain life on earth. These are services such as pollination, natural pest control, nutrient recycling, and decomposition services. Of course, insects are also the main food for many fish, birds, and mammals. The occurrence and spread of invasive and non-native species in Ireland are also increasing for all environments. All of this makes for very sobering and worrying reading. To stop this decline, we will need to increase our efforts significantly at all levels of society.
Why is Biodiversity in trouble?
In 2019, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services1 (IPBES) listed seven major global drivers of biodiversity loss. This included two indirect drivers and five direct drivers. These global drivers are also affecting biodiversity at the national level and the local level in Co Kildare. For example, we continue to lose important habitats and see the spread of invasive species. This all confirms that the following key pressures on biodiversity must be tackled:
Main Drivers of Biodiversity Loss (IPBES).
- People’s disconnect with nature
Connectedness to nature is the extent to which people are aware of their natural world and dependence on it. As human societies became industrialised and urbanised this connection with the natural world was lost. Our disconnection from nature is at the heart of our environmental crisis and has allowed humanity to view the natural world as other and apart from human society. As most of the drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss are caused by humans (Pörtner et al., 2021)2, the solution to them lies in changing people’s behaviours, and attitudes to nature, at both the individual and collective levels (Nielsen et al., 2021)3. For this reason, transformative change – system-wide change across policies, economic systems and society – is needed (Pörtner et al., 2021).
- Lack of recognition for the value and importance of nature
A sustainable society and economy fundamentally relies on a healthy and valued natural environment. This value is intangible in that nature has an intrinsic value in itself and tangible based on societal, cultural, spiritual and financial value to the humanity. In many areas of human activity, nature has been taken for granted and the value of ecosystem services has not been counted.Ecosystem services encompass the biophysical structures and processes that support basic human needs economic activities and enrich human culture3.
- Invasive Species and Disease
Invasive species out compete native species for space, food and other resources and can fundamentally alter local ecosystems. Global trade in animals and plants also risks the spread of pathogens to which native species have no resistance, e.g. Ash Dieback Disease and Crayfish Plague.
- Pollution
Pollution is an important driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem change throughout the world, with particularly devastating direct effects on freshwater and marine habitats. In particular, pollution by nitrogen and phosphorus causes severe algal blooms and depletes oxygen in fresh water and sea water habitats. Plastic and micro-plastic pollution is also a global problem.
- Climate Change
The climate crisis is dismantling ecosystems at every level. Extreme weather events storms and flooding destroy habitats. Warmer temperatures are also changing the timing of natural events – such as the availability of insects and when birds hatch their eggs in spring. The distribution of species and their range is also changing.
- Direct exploitation of organisms
Logging, hunting, and fishing and the extraction of soils and water particularly at industrial scale has significant negative impact on species, habitats and ecosystems.
- Changing use of sea and land
Human land management for Agriculture, Deforestation, Industrialisation, Extractive Industries and Urbanisation leads to increase in Habitat Loss, Habitat Degradation and Habitat Fragmentation.
1. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: www.ipbes.net/
2. Pörtner, H. O., Scholes, R. J., Agard, J., Archer, E., Arneth, A., Bai, X., Barnes, D., Burrows, M., Chan, L., Cheung, W. L., Diamond, S., Donatti, C., Duarte, C., Eisenhauer, N., Foden, W., Gasalla, M. A., Handa, C., Hickler, T., Hoegh-Guldberg, O., … Ngo, H. (2021). Scientific outcome of the IPBES-IPCC co-sponsored workshop on biodiversity and climate change. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). zenodo.org/record/5101125
3. Nielsen, K.S., Marteau, T.M., Bauer, J.M. et al. Biodiversity conservation as a promising frontier for behavioural science. Nat Hum Behav 5, 550–556 (2021). www.doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01109-5
Ardclough Biodiversity Action Plan 2023-2028
One may feel powerless at this depressing list and yes, most of biodiversity loss will have to be addressed at a statutory level but the main thing to realise and understand is that these problems are occurring on our own doorsteps and therefore we can do something to make a positive change.
Habitat destruction refers to rainforests being cleared in Brazil and Borneo but it also refers to hedgerows being cut back too hard, herbicide being sprayed along ditches and verges, and wildflowers in our lawns being unable to flower due to over-mowing.
In the words of our former President and former UN Special Envoy on Climate Change Mary Robinson, current chair of The Elders, we need a ‘moon-shot mentality’ meaning we can still head into our best future world but positive leadership between civil society, business and governments is needed to deliver this. She feels that while the transition to net zero is generally depicted as sacrifices and costs, a green transition actually has the capacity to raise standards of living all over our planet. In her own words:
I think the world has to have a wake-up moment of responsibility now. It’s not a guilt trip. It’s not making accusations to people. It’s saying we have to manage this and manage it well, because our best world is still in front of us. We can get there.
So, what can Ardclough do?
This Biodiversity Action Plan was produced on behalf of Ardclough to act as a professionally guided tool with which to tackle the Biodiversity Crisis on their own doorstep. This BAP is also intended as a document to help inform all who are interested so that they can help on their own patches – private gardens, sports grounds, farms etc. There is no need to feel helpless in the face of this crisis – we can all do something to help!