Why is biodiversity important - with Sir David Attenborough | The Royal Society

Summary

In a compelling talk by Sir David Attenborough, hosted by The Royal Society, the significance of biodiversity is highlighted. Biodiversity not only fuels ecological interactions vital for a healthy planet but also directly supports human well-being. From the essential role of microorganisms in agriculture to the potential cancer-treating properties of fungi on sloths, every species plays a part. Despite these benefits, biodiversity is under threat due to human activities such as land-use changes, hunting, and climate change. Attenborough stresses immediate action—reducing carbon emissions, protecting biodiversity hotspots, and fostering sustainable human-nature coexistence—as crucial steps for safeguarding our planet's future.

Highlights

• Spider monkeys unknowingly help fight climate change by spreading seeds that promote forest growth. 🌳
• The cataloging of Earth's species is far from complete; millions await discovery. 🔍
• Biodiversity is fundamental to human life, providing food, medicine, and environmental protection. 🥕💊🌊
• Human-induced changes like deforestation, overhunting, and climate change threaten biodiversity. 🚫🔥
• Protecting biodiversity hotspots is crucial, but rebuilding biodiversity is necessary everywhere. 🌎
• Coexistence with nature is possible with sustainable practices and community involvement. 👥
• Reintroduction and hands-on management have successfully restored species like the white stork. 🕊️

Key Takeaways

• The spider monkey is an unsung hero, spreading seeds and assisting in forest growth. 🌳
• Humans have only cataloged 1.6 million species; there are millions more yet to be discovered! 🔍
• Biodiversity is crucial for food production, medicine, and protection against natural disasters. 🥕💊🌊
• Human activities, like deforestation and climate change, massively threaten biodiversity. 🚫🔥
• We must protect biodiversity hotspots and create pathways for coexistence with nature. 🌎
• Simple actions can help rebuild biodiversity, such as giving nature the space to thrive. 🌿

Overview

In the video by The Royal Society featuring Sir David Attenborough, the profound importance of biodiversity is beautifully explored. Biodiversity is essential for maintaining the planet's ecological balance and provides numerous benefits to humans, such as food, medicine, and protection against environmental hazards. However, human actions like deforestation and climate change pose significant threats to biodiversity.

Attenborough emphasizes that while large, charismatic species grab headlines, it's often the less glamorous organisms that play critical roles in ecosystem functioning. From pollinators to soil-enriching microorganisms, these species support global food production and human survival. Moreover, biodiversity holds cultural and spiritual significance across the globe, underscoring its multifaceted value.

To combat the biodiversity crisis, Attenborough calls for immediate action: reducing carbon emissions, protecting habitats, and implementing sustainable land and water use. Promoting cohabitation between humans and wildlife, and engaging local communities in conservation efforts are vital. With determined efforts, we can ensure a thriving planet for future generations.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Intro and Importance of Spider Monkeys The chapter introduces spider monkeys, emphasizing their role as crucial participants in the ecosystem. It describes how spider monkeys, by eating large quantities of fruit and dispersing the seeds through their dung, aid in forest regeneration. The forests, in turn, play a significant role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, highlighting the interconnectedness of these natural processes and the spider monkey’s inadvertent contribution to climate action.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Documenting Life on Earth Humans have documented 1.6 million species over hundreds of years.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Importance of Protecting Biodiversity This chapter discusses the significance of protecting biodiversity amid increasing human impact on the planet. It highlights that many species are yet to be discovered and could be lost before being identified. The narrative emphasizes the importance of all organisms, not just well-known species, in maintaining the planet's biodiversity.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Biodiversity's Role in Providing Food and Medicine The chapter discusses the critical role of biodiversity in sustaining our planet's health by providing essential resources such as food and medicine. It highlights the importance of microorganisms that enrich soil for crop growth, pollinators that facilitate fruit and nut production, and fish that serve as a primary protein source for about a billion people. Additionally, it emphasizes that many medicines originate from plants and fungi, underlining the invaluable contributions of biodiversity to human health and nutrition.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Natural World as Protection and Cultural Value The chapter explores the significance of the natural world as a source of protection and a bearer of cultural values. It highlights the potential of undiscovered natural elements, such as a fungus on sloths' fur, to provide medical benefits like cancer treatments. The chapter further discusses how natural formations like trees, shrubs, coral reefs, and mangroves play critical roles in protecting human settlements from environmental threats such as flooding and storm surges.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Human Actions Destroying Biodiversity Many human activities are detrimental to biodiversity, despite the clear advantages of a healthy planet.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Actions to Slow Down Biodiversity Crisis The chapter titled 'Actions to Slow Down Biodiversity Crisis' discusses the significant threat to biodiversity, highlighting that over 300 mammal species are endangered due to overconsumption. Additionally, climate change is exacerbating the crisis, significantly impacting wildlife globally. A specific example given is the Great Barrier Reef, where half of the coral population died in 2016 and 2017 due to rising sea temperatures.
• 06:00 - 07:30: Success Stories and Global Development The chapter emphasizes the urgency of addressing the environmental crisis by reducing carbon emissions and adopting sustainable land and water use practices. It highlights the importance of conserving biodiversity hotspots while also focusing on rebuilding and rehabilitating areas to support ecological balance and development.
• 07:30 - 09:00: Conclusion and Call to Action In the conclusion, the chapter emphasizes the importance of supporting biodiversity in any way possible. This can range from simply allowing space for plants and animals to thrive, to actively managing and intervening when necessary. An example provided is the successful hatching of white stork chicks in South England in 2020, after 600 years, thanks to expert intervention and management efforts.

Why is biodiversity important - with Sir David Attenborough | The Royal Society Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] this spider monkey is an unwitting climate activist large fruit eaters such as this one spread the seeds of tropical hardwood trees in their dung helping to build up forests which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and this is just one of perhaps millions of interactions that guarantee a healthy and functioning planet
• 00:30 - 01:00 humans have spent hundreds of years documenting life on earth and we now have a catalog of around 1.6 million species however there may be seven or eight million more that we don't yet know about we have a good idea of the large animals such as mammals and birds but there are doubtless even some of these that we've missed
• 01:00 - 01:30 and the smaller you go the more species there are left to find as the human impact on the planet intensifies scientists fear that many species could be lost before we even discover them so why is it so important that we protect our planet's biodiversity when we think of protecting wildlife we tend to picture the superstars but the organisms that do most of the
• 01:30 - 02:00 hard work keeping our planet healthy are the unglamorous ones this biodiversity provides us with the food we eat from the microorganisms that enrich the soil where we grow our crops to the pollinators who give us fruit and nuts and the fish that are the main source of animal protein for around a billion people many of our medicines originate from plants and fungi
• 02:00 - 02:30 and many more may lie undiscovered in remote corners of the world for instance there's a fungus that grows on the fur of sloths that could help treat some forms of cancer the natural world shelters and protects us too trees and shrubs protect our homes from flooding and coral reefs and mangroves shield our coastlines from storm surges and all that is not to mention the great
• 02:30 - 03:00 spiritual and cultural value that nature holds for human beings the world over but despite the overwhelming benefits of a healthy planet many human actions are destroying biodiversity [Music] changes to habitats for grazing mining and crop production including the use of harmful fertilizers have had a huge impact on land and sea we hunt animals for meat and prize body
• 03:00 - 03:30 parts more than 300 mammal species risk being consumed to extinction and then there's climate change this affects the whole world putting huge pressure on wildlife in 2016 and 2017 half the corals in the great barrier reef died as a result of the warming of the seas
• 03:30 - 04:00 so what must we do now to slow down the crisis we are faced with in addition to cutting our carbon emissions we must find ways of using land and water that cause the least damage to the environment leaving enough space for natural habitats to thrive we must urgently protect the so-called biodiversity hotspots but equally we should be rebuilding
• 04:00 - 04:30 biodiversity wherever and however we can sometimes this is as simple as giving plants and animals the space they need to succeed and sometimes they need hands-on management from humans in 2020 with the help of reintroduction experts in the south of england white stalk chicks hatched for the first time in 600 years hands-on management was also critical to
• 04:30 - 05:00 restoring the population of mounting guerrillas in the virunga national park in central africa this included using a proportion of the money raised through tourism to help human communities coexist with their animal neighbors we must provide pathways for global development that work with rather than against nature and we need to give the communities affected a seat at the table
• 05:00 - 05:30 the benefits provided by nato are indispensable for making human life both possible and worth living we need all the riches of our living planet to help us live healthy happy lives long into the future [Music] find out more about biodiversity and its importance by visiting our online q and a go to royal society dot org
• 05:30 - 06:00 forward slash biodiversity