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Biodiversity

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Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. It is necessary for life to thrive on Earth.

Aldo Leopold, one of the great thinkers of conservation, observed more than half a century ago the importance of protecting species. "To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering," he wrote. Losing species is like throwing away one by one the engine parts of an airplane while flying.

Biodiversity is a major initiative of Conservation International.

Biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits to meet immediate human needs, such as those for clean, consistent water flows; protection from floods and storms; and a stable climate. 

Curated by mokiethecat

BorderViews: Sonoyta Mud Turtle
February 19, 2020

The endangered Sonoyta mud turtle, an aquatic species, thrives in one of the Sonoran Desert's driest regions. This unique adaptation allows it to survive in extreme conditions.

Its habitat is severely restricted: a single spring on the U.S.-Mexico border within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona, and a small section of Mexico's Rio Sonoyta.