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Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth. It refers to the number of different plants, animals, and microorganism species. It contains organisms from all of Earth’s by biodiverse ecosystems, including deserts, rainforests, coral reefs, grasslands, tundra, and polar ice caps.
Our biodiversity is critical to the health and well-being of our planet and all its inhabitants. Most cultures, at some point, recognized the value of conserving natural resources. Many continue to do so, but many do not.
Ecosystem health and biodiversity are important for our continued existence on Earth
Here are the 14 magical reasons why we need a Biodiverse Planet :
- Increase ecosystem productivity; each species in an ecosystem has a unique niche – a specific role to play
- Increase the number of plant species and, as a result, the variety of crops
- Attracting and safeguarding a larger degree of wildlife habitats for endangered species, and biodiversity
- Safeguard freshwater resources
- Encourage the formation and protection of soils
- Improves resilience to drought
- Allow for the storage and recycling of nutrients.
- Aid in breaking down pollutants
- Reduces air and water pollution
- Contribute to climate stability
- Speed up the recovery process from natural disasters
- Provide more food resources
- Provide more medicinal resources
- Offer environments for recreation and tourism
These are some of the reasons why it is so important for us to raise our environmental awareness so that we can foster more holistic well-being for all of life:
Biodiversity in the face of adversity is the best method to fight climate change!
We are faced with the reality of droughts every day, animals don’t have enough water or food and so they migrate to other areas, plants don’t thrive, they have enough to just survive or die trying. This is why it is of extreme importance to bring life back into this space. And with that, we began to ask ourselves, how can we change this? And the answer was – By creating Forests all around us!
Diversify life, diversify the abundance
Diversifying life increases the number of nutrients and microbial processes on the planet. With more diversity comes more health. Not to mention that greater global biodiversity can mitigate the negative effects of climate change and eliminate biodiversity loss forever.
Some of the positive effects of increasing biodiversity by planting in a variety of flora and fauna are :
Working regeneratively with nature
Having a biodiverse planet like the one that supported humans for millennia fosters optimism and connection to life. A lack of biodiversity significantly increases the risk of epidemics, due to more pathogens in pathogens hotspots which lead to increased geographical range of many microbial diseases. With more diversity, we can encourage regenerative and circular systems that work in harmony together. One being’s waste is another being’s food, and so, a circular way of life is facilitated through life and rebirth we work in harmony with Nature. This is something we integrate here in our regenerative-focused space in Alentejo, Portugal. Working with methodologies like permaculture, syntropic farming, biodynamic farming and more.
Restoring nature means restoring ourselves
Have you ever wondered why forests are always so alive with big green trees, clean lakes and streams and expressive mountains? Or why animals will often hide from humans as if we were monsters when in fact most of us don’t want anything more than to look at these beautiful creatures?
We do wonder, and that’s why we look to learn from Nature and learn with Nature. Methodologies like permaculture and others help us better understand nature and ultimately better understand ourselves through it, as we are Nature! When we restore Nature, we restore ourselves, a healthier natural system of Nature can help sustain us better and thus can not only help us fight climate change here in Alentejo Portugal, but help us thrive together in the world!
We need biodiversity for us to live from a space of abundance, to thrive as a collective on this planet.
If you want to learn more about how we are working with Nature and living with an aligned purpose to serve a larger than self mission, then you will find many useful resources on our website www.purposeflow.org or our social media @purposeflowliving.
<span”>If you want to volunteer in Portugal, help nature, heal your mind and body, you can check out our Workaway Volunteering page here.
Do you want to host an eco-event or need a space for a holistic wellness event in Portugal, see our come stay-with-us page and contact us for more details?
Do you want to co-create, co-exist and co-facilitate with us, let’s explore together?