I’ve lived my whole
life in a tiny village up on a hill surrounded by fields and forest.
I’m very happy there. We’ve always had many animals, including
dogs, gold fish, chickens, pigeons, and turtles. There are quite a
few wild animals living around my house too. I’m very lucky to also
have a garden full of beautiful, colourful plants of all kinds.
Growing up in such a place inevitably made me keen on Nature! I love
to study plants, spot hidden animals or go birdwatching. During my
holiday trips, observing Mother Nature is my favourite activity.
I realized a long time
ago that plants and animals are threatened by human activity, and
more and more species are becoming extinct. Is this biodiversity loss
just sad and inevitable? Perhaps biodiversity loss is actually bad,
not just for our environment but for ourselves too, and we should do
something about it urgently…
“Biodiversity” means
the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular
habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important
and desirable. “Biodiversity loss” means a
decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given
geographical area, or the Earth as a whole. According to
the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, if biodiversity loss
continues at the current rate, forests and grassland in the world,
for example, will shrink by 10 to 20% by 2050. Climate change
accelerates this biodiversity loss. According to the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in 2018, 28% of the 96,951
species studied were threatened.
Maintaining biodiversity is vital to human beings: more than 70% of our cultures depend on animal pollination (no insects, we starve), and most molecules for our medical drugs come from plants and animals (they die, we suffer).
The United Nations, the
EU, States, local governments and thousands of Non Governmental
Organisations are all fighting biodiversity loss. However, not
enough is being done, despite the best efforts of all these
organisations, to stop the extinction of living beings; the figures
speak for themselves!
Pollution is the main
cause of climate change, which is the main cause of biodiversity
loss; a number of climate action mouvements and associations (Fridays
For Future, Extinction Rebellion, etc.) have been launched to put
pressure on governments to take more urgent and efficient action
against global warming. Will they succeed where the WWF and the
others have failed? Meanwhile, apart from taking part in some kind of
climate action, YOU can do something to fight biodiversity loss!
At the European
level, there are environment conservation projects in which young
people from across the continent can get involved in like the AVRIL
association, the European Voluntary Service, Goeco, and the European
Outdoor Conservation Association.
What can we do at
the local level to fight biodiversity loss? Let me give you
an example of what you can get involved in or organise closer to
home. My class went to the headquarters of the Livradois-Forez
regional Nature park a few months ago. An expert naturalist there
explained to us that, if we wanted to act for the environment, a
first step is to carry out a diagnosis (an audit) of the flora and
fauna that exists around our school. We will be using the
Eco-Schools Biodiversity Audit. With the help of our naturalist,
we will then be able to evaluate how diverse and plentiful and
“healthy” our school ecosystem is. At our school, we have several
impressive Sequoia trees (though two have been cut down because of
lack of water…). We also get swallows every year, but we suspect
that their population is dwindling. Then, we will take steps to
counter any biodiversity loss by placing bird and bug houses in
appropriate places, planting bee flowers, etc. Of course, we will
have to get the other pupils and the teachers and the Headmaster on
board first!
Here are some of our ideas to counter the biodiversity loss in our school (yes, we are anticipating the results of our audit!):
- ask a beekeeper to put a couple of hives at the far end of the grounds;
- create a huge vegetable and herb garden;
- build a hen house;
- build nests for birds under the roof ledge (I did that for swallows one year and it was totally successful!);
- leave a large space for wild plants;
- organize an arts project on the theme of recycling.
Why not join or even set up a local branch of a Nature conservation association? There are many and they all need a helping hand! In Auvergne, you can join the LPO, the Observatoire des Reptiles d'Auvergne, or l'Association Des Naturalistes d'Auvergne, among others.
Humans are the cause of
biodiversity loss. We can be the solution; we, the youth, can lead by
example and save the animals and plants from extinction, not just
because we care about plants and animals, but because we also care
about our future.
Hi Mali! thanks for your talk! I learnt a lot, and it's really... frightening!
ReplyDeleteI come from a country (the UK) where a lot of people (especially young people) are members of nature conservation associations (Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, RSPB, National Trust, etc.). I would like to know if, in France, young people are active members of similar associations? If not, why not?!
I really hope you manage to set up your "biodiversity" garden in your school! If you think about it, it's really surprising how few schools have real gardens (wild or otherwise)! Not only are they great places to study in (and to learn about Nature in), but they are, obviously, hugely important for preserving/boosting biodiversity!
An idea: why not suggest to your local Primary school to get the grand/parents to build flower boxes (one per class) so that the pupils can plant things like rosemary, lavender, sage, and camomille? Nice smells, great for the bees, tasty, pretty (and the kids can learn their names in different languages, etc.)!
Hello Mali,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your work! I advise you to conduct a kind of "consultation" with round tables to include the students and if possible the teachers and the administration. If you launch this initiative with only a few students it may not be accepted or appropriated by all.
I advise you to read the reports of the IPBES, the IPCC's equivalent for biodiversity. The first factor in the erosion of biodiversity is: land and sea use change, then direct exploitation of certain organisms, then climate change, then pollution and finally invasive alien species.
You had a very good intuition when you talked about the fact that human societies are directly dependent on biodiversity. The ecosystem services provided are very diverse: for supply (food, fuel, health), for regulation (of climate, floods, pollination), socio-cultural services (religion, recreation), and support services (soil maintenance). There is a lot of research to be done on the subject and the future is going to be busy!
Théo writes: The planet is not in a good state, so improving our school environment is a good way to restore biodiversity a little. But the same thing would have to be done in very many places of the Earth to try to preserve as much territory as possible. It's great that young people are interested and take part in the conservation of our planet by joining associations and acting the best they can at their level.
ReplyDeleteAlexandre writes: I find the idea of planting flowers in schools ingenious. We can also preserve biodiversity by diversifying habitats like: piling up heaps of dead wood, dead leaves or even stones, putting up embankments of sand and earth, leaving tufts of tall grass and moss, placing nest boxes and insect hotels in the right places, planting hedgerows of native trees and shrub (hornbeam, maple, willow, hawthorn, blackthorn, elderberry, viburnum, mountain ash, etc.), encouraging bee-forage climbing plants (ivy, honeysuckle, clematis), digging a pond for frogs, toads, newts and aquatic insect larvae (damselflies and dragonflies, etc). We have to constitute a habitat that is good for insects and birds. We must absolutely replace chemical fertilizers or pesticides by using the compost plant legumes (clover, alfalfa, sainfoin) which naturally fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available for other plants.
ReplyDeleteLilou writes: I was captivated from start to finish by your talk! I think it is well documented; I learnt a lot about biodiversity, endangered species, and the associations that exist. Your thoughts are very clear and the percentages and figures make us aware of the terrible reality. Your talk is very useful and will help us clarify our thoughts. It was written and thought out with care; it is a very good job, thank you! However, I think you could have mentioned more environmental conservation projects, detailing their actions, because associations are essential in the fight to save the planet.
ReplyDelete12 easy expert ways to rewild your garden!
ReplyDeleteGo to:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/may/12/more-birds-and-bees-please-12-easy-expert-ways-to-rewild-your-garden
Maximilien writes: I found your speech very interesting and rich in knowledge on the subject, so I learned much and I thank you for it. You talked essentially about local biodiversity because your advice is about how to counter its loss in our school environment. Maybe you could also have mentioned something that is really important: the loss of marine biodiversity due to pollution and the warming of oceans?
ReplyDeleteEmma BESSON (pupil at Saint-Julien in Brioude) writes: Hello Mali! Congratulations, you did an excellent job in this talk! We are kind of the same, in fact I also grew up in an environment surrounded by “Mother Nature” and many animals. And I totally agree with you: we humans are destroying biodiversity and so we must act as quickly as possible.
ReplyDeleteFirst, you talk about the different associations and projects that fight against “biodiversity loss”. I'm ashamed to admit, I didn't know even half of them. Associations need to advertise themselves more! With more members, they would be in a stronger position to save Nature. Don't you agree?
Then, you talk about your amazing project for your school. I think every school should adopt it! Only Primary schools seem to have garden and eco-friendly educational projects; why can't we have something similar in Secondary schools?!
Finally, you have very good ideas to deal with the biodiversity loss. We can add to the list: encouraging the use of renewable energies (like solar energy)! They will help reduce our dependency on carbon-based energy sources and therefore reduce pollution and so help mitigate the climate crisis. Also, we should replace chemical fertilizers by eco-friendly ones. There's so much to do!
Because our survival depends on protecting Nature, we all have to change our daily lives a little. Living “greener” lives is not a “step backwards”. If we do not change, it will soon be too late. So, if your dad has three SUVs, try and make him feel a little guilty about it!
Your talk helped me to remember how important Nature is. Thank you, Mali!
Lison DURAND writes: Mali obviously loves Nature and animals and loves to study plants. Observing Nature is her favourite activity. She has realized that some species are being destroyed by human activities. More and more species are even becoming extinct. This is not just bad for the environment, it's also bad for ourselves too. She says we must do something to save biodiversity. There are environment conservation projects at the Europpean level; I did not know this. At our level, we can do things like put up bird and bug houses. At her school they are going to start a project to boost biodiversity. I wish our school would set up a project too! Mali's talk has inspired me to adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle!
ReplyDeletePaula writes: Nature is an important part of our culture and identity. Animals and plants are a source of inspiration for artists and designers. For example, a lot of species are used as symbols for countries. Sadly, a lot of these species are threatened by Man. For example, the Bald Eagle is a symbol of the United States, and it was threatened for a long time. Now, government biologists have taken several initiatives to rescue it, and now this animal is coming off the endangered list (cf. https://www.infoplease.com/math-science/biology/plants-animals/bald-eagle-removed-from-endangered-species-list) But it is only one animal that has been rescued, there are still very many animals that need to be saved.
ReplyDeleteI think that Mali’s idea for a school project can work if a sufficient number of pupils take part in this project. I would take part if it is done with activities where everyone can have fun.
I think that young people are more aware of what is going on with biodiversity than the adults because we see it a lot in school, and the teachers make us aware of how important it is to react to save biodiversity. There can be a lot of things done against biodiversity loss, and Mali has listed a lot of things we can do.
For me, all the EDYF talks are great because all of them expose problems we have in the world and make us aware of how important it is to react against them; even small actions will help.
Here is the link to a TED talk on why restoring nature is the best way to protect humans:
ReplyDelete//www.ted.com/talks/kristine_tompkins_let_s_make_the_world_wild_again?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button__2020-05-26
Here is the link to an article in The Guardian about EU financing of biodiversity initiatives:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/20/eu-pledges-20bn-a-year-on-boosting-biodiversity-aoe?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Gmail