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Biodiversity is built from three intertwoven<\/em> threads: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n Put simply, the more diverse these interwoven natural systems are, the more resilient they are to disturbances.<\/strong> The relationships between all living plants and animals create \u201cthe web of life\u201d, which can be seen as a safety net that helps ensure the survival and welfare of all living things on this planet, including us humans.<\/p>\n\n When there\u2019s balance, all these things work together to clean our water, purify our air, maintain our soil, regulate the climate, stop disease outbreaks, recycle nutrients and provide us with food.<\/p>\n\n But whenever a species disappears it\u2019s like a thread in the web is cut, leaving holes in the planet\u2019s safety net and shifting the finely balanced systems.<\/p>\n\n For example, corals create habitat for so many marine species that if they disappear, the whole ecosystem can collapse creating a cascade of wildlife mortalities and species loss. That\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening on Australia\u2019s Great Barrier reef, one of the world\u2019s most diverse reef ecosystems, which has lost more than half of its coral population<\/a><\/strong> since 1995 due to mass coral bleaching events and is dying before our eyes. <\/p>\n\n Just 15% of the world\u2019s forests remain intact<\/a><\/strong>, and only 3% of the world\u2019s oceans are free from human pressures<\/strong><\/a>. Mainly due to human pressures, the planet is losing species – its biodiversity – at an alarming rate, thought to be comparable only to the 5th mass extinction 65 million years ago.<\/p>\n\n As societies (and economies) have grown, so has their ecological footprint. Extractive capitalism<\/a> <\/strong>has commodified nature, and caused some to forget its true value. The pursuit of limitless economic growth is a huge source of injustice, exploiting people and the planet alike. <\/p>\n\n Destructive industries are exerting more pressure on our planet\u2019s web of life ore now than at any other time in human history. Mega corporations are burning polluting fossil fuels, setting forests on fire to clear land<\/a> <\/strong>for agricultural commodities and single-use products, and are plundering ever deeper and more remote areas of the oceans. They\u2019re also polluting politics<\/a> <\/strong>and holding our governments hostage in the process.<\/p>\n\n Rather than working on a solution, governments are propping up the problem. Bailing out pesticide giants<\/a> <\/strong>and destructive industrial farming with public money, or pumping billions into dirty energy.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n The pursuit of limitless growth, on a planet with finite resources, has a predictable end that\u2019s already in sight. So much of the wildlife on this planet is heading for extinction.<\/p>\n\n Governments must stop prioritizing corporate profits and rethink the way we produce and consume food and other goods to ease the pressures on nature. Transform our systems<\/a><\/strong> <\/a>to value both people and the planet we rely on, and to put our wellbeing at the heart of spending and policy decisions.<\/p>\n\n Governments need to restore the balance of power to communities and listen to the Indigenous custodians of lands and oceans<\/a><\/strong>. Working in partnership with people who are connected to, and rely on nature, is the surest way to protect wild places.<\/p>\n\n We need to protect what biodiversity is left, so that it can, to some extent, recover. Funding for carefully crafted Nature-Based Solutions<\/a><\/strong> and rights-based protections on land can help tackle climate breakdown, species loss, food security and the risk of future pandemics. <\/p>\n\n Important global agreements like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which holds its COP15 meeting in Kunming<\/a><\/strong> this year is an opportunity for governments to forge a new relationship with nature. If we protect nature, we can build up resilience to combat climate crises and future epidemics, and help protect people and the planet.<\/p>\n\n This year, Greenpeace is calling on governments to agree to an ambitious and implementable rehabilitation plan for nature. We\u2019re calling for a commitment to bold targets that protect at least 30% of our lands and oceans by 2030, with a clear plan<\/em> for how to get there in partnership with local and Indigenous communities, and enough funding and resources<\/em> to make it happen.<\/p>\n\n We cannot risk destroying the web of life that sustains us. We are part of nature, and if it disappears, our future will disappear with it. Protecting biodiversity is a way to protect ourselves.<\/p>\n\n The Spring 2021 budget is being designed as you read these words. Finance Minister Chystia Freeland herself has called this ‘the most significant budget of our lifetimes.’<\/a><\/strong> Why? Because the choices we make about where to put our tax dollars today will determine what the world will look like tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n Right now we have an opportunity to ensure that nature and wildlife protection play a leading role in Canada\u2019s COVID-19 recovery plans. The Federal government has made a commitment to protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030, but this is the absolute minimum science says is required. Even worse, such commitments are destined to become unfulfilled empty promises without proper planning and funding put in place – both absent from the Fall economic update.<\/p>\n\n The Spring budget will be a big test for how serious Justin Trudeau is about protecting wildlife right here at home. That means more money for nature jobs, and less for oil pipelines.<\/p>\n\n How serious are you? Take a minute out of your day on World Wildlife Day to get loud for Nature<\/strong> – Add your voice to the growing calls for a truly green and just recovery in Canada<\/a><\/strong> that would include:<\/p>\n\nHere are 5 ways biodiversity supports life on earth:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
![\"Orcas](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2018\/08\/47d79883-gp0strzze-1024x683.jpg\" "\\"Orcas")
So what\u2019s destroying our biodiversity?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
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How can we save nature – and ourselves?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
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What can you do right now<\/em>? Protecting what protects us:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
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