Biodiversity Conservation with Professor Ann Dale
On June 5th, 2024, CALL’s featured speaker was Professor Ann Dale, Professor Emerita at Royal Roads University addressing the critical topic of Biodiversity Conservation: Why does it matter? How you can make a Difference?
Biodiversity is life and without clean water, healthy soils, intact forest ecosystems and clean air, we cannot survive. The connections between biodiversity loss and climate change were highlighted. Natural habitat is becoming increasingly fragmented. This change in climate and natural habitat is shifting species distributions. Currently there are 1 million species at risk of extinction. These major environmental trends are often attributed to common anthropogenic drivers, including pollution, deforestation, and agricultural expansion and climate change. With biodiversity loss increasing at such a rapid pace, we are vulnerable to a 6th mass extinction.
Ann stressed that if we act now to stop destroying our natural environment and reverse the loss by maintaining our existing natural spaces and regenerating what has been lost, we still have a chance to save humanity, plants and animals. She gave us a list of things we can do as individuals to support the environment such as:
- Growing pollinator plants in our gardens
- Reducing our plastic use
- Joining community conservation initiatives
- Lobbying our members of parliament about biodiversity loss and the need for local, provincial and federal governments to follow through with conservation efforts
- Voting for environmentally progressive politicians.
Here are some further resources on biodiversity and also Ann’s meeting slides from her video webinar posted below.