Biodiversity encompasses every living thing that exists on our planet and the environment in which they live.
From the smallest one-cell microbe to the enormous majesty of the blue whale. From the depths of the Pacific Ocean to peaks of our tallest mountains, biodiversity forms part of an intricate and interdependent web of life in which we are all a part.
www.environment.gov.au (September 2020)
Here at Perth NRM, biodiversity is central to many of our programs. While the links between biodiversity and our Threatened Species and Threatened Ecological Communities are clear, biodiversity also plays an important role across our coastal and bush conservation, water management, agriculture and land management activities.
During September, we will be running a social media campaign highlighting the connections between the work we do and the importance of protecting, conserving and improving biodiversity in our region.
This is particularly significant in Australia, which is one of only 17 countries throughout the world classified as ‘megadiverse’.
Australia is home to between 600,000 and 700,000 species, many of which are endemic, that is they are found nowhere else in the world. These include, for example, 84% of our plant species, 83% of mammals, and 45% of birds.
www.environment.gov.au (September 2020)
For anyone born and raised here, it is all too easy to lose sight of how incredible our region is, especially as a place of State, National and global significance.
Nationally, the Australian Government identified 15 National Biodiversity Hotspots, eight of which are in Western Australia, where it was determined that intervention could prevent long-term loss of environmental values, providing the highest return on conservation funding.
Of the eight National Biodiversity Hotspots in Western Australia, five of them are within the internationally recognised Southwest Australia Biodiversity Hotspot, which covers more than 350,000 square kilometres, including the entire Perth NRM region.
Throughout the month, we’ll be including news items, stories and links, so stay tuned!