Why are biodiversity projects extremely crucial right now ?

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At the time of writing this almost five million cases have been confirmed to have the disease Covid-19. More than 300,000 have died.

And while we’re all obligated to stay isolated at our homes, there is no better time to reflect what has brought us here!

When humanity is hitting a crisis and submerged in ‘fear of the future’, we still cannot force shut our eyes to the positive changes we all as a collective have witnessed in these past months.

Whether it’s the returning of species to their natural habitats or the water bodies that have miraculously cleared up, we cannot help but look at the blue, starry skies and take a whiff of clean air even if it is from our balconies.

It is said that disruptions tend to lead to big transitions, the sight of ‘change’ in this short period of time is a glimpse into what the world would look like if we were to make ‘sustainability’ our life choice and conserve our ‘natural resources’ for the betterment of our planet.

Just like the human body, our ecosystem is more resistant to disease when it is healthy and robust. Which means the ecosystem has space for diverse species and animal populations to cohabit and strive.

But we have obviously not taken heed to it earlier- the unparalleled bushfires in Brazil, United States and Australia, locust invasions in the Horn of Africa and the death of coral reefs and many more incidents are just a stark reminder of how shamelessly we have ‘used, misused and abused’ biodiversity.

The consumption and import/export of exotic markets seems to be the two conclusive reasons for exposing us to unnaturalised infectious agents -this has been the case in a string of zoonotic disease outbreaks including SARS and COVID-19. Going on to hunt for pure recreational purposes, the appeal of rare species, exotic meals and naive pharmacopeia.

Which goes on to show that the health of our planet is directly interlinked with our own. The good news is any pandemic is a display of the ‘courageous’ human spirit and the ‘immense power’ of the community as it comes together to battle and fight against any crisis.

So as the World Biodiversity Day approaches, we are demanded to ‘re imagine our relationship with nature’ and ‘take responsibility for the role we all have to play’.

Raise our voices and follow suit to create a ‘better world’ with more respect for nature, biodiversity and the planet.

That is our greatest takeaway from the tragedy of the current pandemic- to hope for a ‘more responsible world’ and build it.