Home
Biodiversity

About This Collection

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

There's a New Jaguar in Town
March 24, 2021

Researchers have released stunning new footage of "El Bonito," a juvenile male jaguar, just three miles from the U.S.-Mexico border in Sonora, Mexico. This sighting suggests a female jaguar may live closer to the United States than previously believed, indicating potential breeding activity in the region.

El Bonito, like at least seven other male jaguars detected in the U.S. over the past 25 years, could eventually cross the border from Sonora. The last known female jaguar north of the border was killed in Arizona in 1963.

The video was captured by Ganesh Marin, a University of Arizona Ph.D. student and National Geographic Explorer, who leads this joint research project involving multiple institutions.