International Biodiversity Day

International Biodiversity Day

#Taronga Zoo Sydney

Posted on 22nd May 2014 by Media Relations

Today, 22nd March is International Biodiversity Day. Biodiversity is a very important aspect of wildlife conservation since it is the engine which keeps the natural world running, yet it is easy to overlook.I often compare the world of biodiversity to one of those children’s animated bug movies like ‘A Bugs Life’ or ‘Antz’, which tell of a fantastic but hidden world of life.Imagine if there was a whole bustling micro-world living right under our noses – invisible to humans except for a few of us with ‘special vision’.In reality, anyone can gain this ‘special vision’. All you have to do is take the time to stop and really listen and look – and the world of biodiversity will be revealed in all its glory!That rustle in the bushes might be a tiny bird.  Look closely and perhaps you’ll see the extraordinary colours of one of the most beautiful birds on the planet – the Spotted Pardalote.Walking through an inner city park, the miniscule insect settling on a flower might be a midnight blue native bee going about its important work.For me, biodiversity is about ‘the little things’ like soil fungi and invertebrates, which we don’t tend to notice but which are the very building blocks of ecosystems.They keep the soil and plants healthy, without which the bigger animals of course cannot survive.As the global ‘bee crisis’ is showing, without invertebrates we risk losing ecosystem function. So when thinking biodiversity, don your ‘special vision’ goggles and remember it’s often the LITTLE things that count the most!- Keeper, Wendy Gleen