Biodiversity, we have all heard the word said or seen it written somewhere. Have you actually seen it? It's everywhere, all around us. Sadly, for most of us, we see less and less of it as concrete replaces topsoil. Every morning, one might hear two to three species of birds singing, maybe swat at three or four insect species throughout the day, hopefully swerve to avoid two to three mammal species on the daily commute and then maybe add another ten species of insects at the porch light before turning in for the night. For many Americans, we are only aware of biodiversity when we are visiting the local zoo. Something wrong with this.

Globally speaking, there are only two true biodiversity hotspot in the United States; the California Floristic Province and the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands. But if you look at biodiversity on a regional level, there are several areas with high number species that you can't find anywhere else. Many of these regions also have high species richness for different taxa. For example, if you are a fan of amphibians, the southeastern region and the Appalachian Mountains of the US have higher species of amphibians in the country. For birds, the Texas Gulf Coast, Chihuanhuan Desert and Sonoran Basin (download map here) of the US have highest bird richness.

Worldwide animal diversity looks like the above graphic, 1.6 million described animal species! By far, most of species are invertebrates. As far as vertebrates goes, fish species is top on the list, with mammalian species on the bottom. Currently, we are pretty close on finding every species of birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Each year, a small number of species are added, with most of them being reclassifications of existing species. For example, in 2009 the common kingsnake was divided into five distinct species! Maybe every few years, a bird species undescribed to science is found.

So, of the 1.6 million species. How come you are not seeing them? Well, first and foremost, you are not an Entomologist (biologist who studies insects), secondly: are you looking? The U.S. alone can provide you with around 1,000 species of birds, 500 species of mammals and over 300 species of reptiles. Many people call themselves birders or herpers, they actively keep a list of all the species they observed in the field. The current bird life list leader is Tom Gullick, with 8702 species of birds on his list. The hobby has taken him all over the world. Picking up a field guides is a start. It can help a nature newbie with identification and even suggest places to go. Pick one up and start verting (looking for vertebrates)!

The world knows more about animals than ever before, but at the same time we are losing them faster than ever. Of the 25,234 species of vertebrates evaluated by IUCN (out of 59,811 species of known vertbrates) in 2007, 23% of them are threatened. Percentages were even higher for invertebrates and plants! The day when the last tiger is shot is not far away, if we keep on going the way we are going. Just in December 2009, the last Indochinese Tiger (a subspecies of tiger) was shot in China. Its not just amphibian decline, there are bird declines, reptile declines and mammal declines. Scientists are even suggesting that in 50 years many common U.S. birds, such as American Goldfinches), will be on the threatened list. The United Nations had delegated 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity to bring to light the threats to biodiversity. Thousands of organizations such as World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Nature Conservancy Canada and Asean Centre for Biodiversity are promoting this. Both the UN & WWF has a great video on what is biodiversity and why it is important (Click here for WWF & UN videos).

With all these grim numbers, one logically will ask: What must be done to fix it? The solution isn't easy. Tens of thousands of pages have been written on the subject. The problem is so complex that if all humans disappeared tomorrow, the world would not be a better place. Author Alan Weisman states that if people were gone, "life on Earth would still have to contend with the still-deadly dreg of 441 nuclear plants" (Weisman 2007). After you have read the countless "50 Simple things you can do to save the Earth" or "What you can do to save threatened species," the Blair Society suggests that you make nature as important to your life as watching TV or going to a sporting event. Go buy a field guide (and use it!), get a state parks pass, visit your national parks, introduce children to wildlife, join wildlife organizations (WWF, Audubon, Nature Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife), write a letter to your congress men/women demanding more funding for national parks, demand more 5Live courses at Universities, consume less and read up on the 1.6 million animal species. We hope somewhere along the way of educating yourself about biodiversity, you run into terms like "ecosystem services," and understand how biodiversity can affect ecosystem services. How much is clean air and water worth to you? The Secretary General of the United Nationals says it well: " Biodiversity is life, biodiversity is our life."

Special Note: As more and more people get into wildlife watching and the more wildlife habitat we lose, it is essential that we making wildlife viewing activities nonconsumptive. Even herpers these days are being less consumptive, meaning not collecting animals, disturbing habitat less, doing more photography/observing and less catching. Please check out American Birding Association's birding ethics.

References