What Can You Do To Help Protect The Terrestrial Biodiversity?

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Saadia Iqbal, You Think!, The World Bank,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 6) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 6. Verbatim.

Here are a few things you can do to help protect terrestrial biodiversity:

:: Learn about biodiversity in your community. Which plants and animals are native to your area? Are they facing any threats? 

:: Help protect natural areas and “green spaces” in your communities, even ones as small as the neighbourhood park.

:: Try to buy locally grown and organic fruit and vegetables, when possible, but also remember that products sustainably produced in the developing world are important for people’s income and livelihoods. 

:: Buy products from certification schemes, which guarantee that certain environmental and social principles were followed in producing the product. Some examples are the Forest Stewardship Council, Marine Stewardship Council and Fair Trade.

:: Help keep your environment clean and beautiful; keep an eye out for litter, and choose household products (cleaners, paints, etc.) that do not contain any pollutants.

:: Ask your parents to avoid using pesticides in your garden. Start a compost pile to reduce waste in your home and to help fertilise the soil in your garden. 

:: Reduce your carbon emissions by turning off unused lights, switching to fluorescent light bulbs in your home, and using public transportation or walking and cycling whenever possible. Eating more veggies will help too!

:: Spread the word! Bug your friends, teachers, siblings and parents. Ask them to take these steps in their lives too. Together, we can all keep our Earth healthy, beautiful and full of life!

Learn More:

:: Amazon Conservation Association: www.amazonconservation.org  An organisation dedicated to preserving biodiversity in the Peruvian and Bolivian Amazon. 

:: Conservation International - Biodiversity Hotspots: www.biodiversityhotspots.org/Pages/default.aspx Explore the places on Earth that are the richest in plant and animal life—and also the most threatened.

:: Forest Graphics: grida.no/_res/site/file/publications/vital_forest_graphics.pdf

Learn about the different types of forests in the world and where they are located.

:: International Boreal Conservation Campaign: www.interboreal.org/globalwarming

Read about the boreal forest. 

:: The Nature Conservancy: www.nature.org

Find out about conservation projects around the world. 

:: World Database on Protected Areas: www.wdpa.org

Discover the world’s protected areas.