What is biodiversity?

Malayan tapir and young born at the Zoo in 2005.

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by Rick LoBello

Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life on our planet including the millions of species of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life.

Protecting biodiversity is essential to healthy ecosystems where we live in the Chihuahuan Desert and in ecoregions on the land and sea around the world. The world’s biodiversity provides us with food, clean water, and clean air.  I have reminded zoo guests for years that if our world becomes unsafe for its biodiversity, it will certainly not be a safe place for humanity.

There is an incredible amount of knowledge about biodiversity and how it helps mitigate climate change, fights disease, and supports local communities and economies.  Learn more by subscribing to this blog and sharing with your friends, and take action whenever you can.

Discovering the worlds biodiversity at the Zoo

The Prevost’s squirrel is one of the most beautiful squirrels in the world. These tricolor rodents live in our Asia nocturnal section and have thick glossy fur with black on the back and top of the head, white on the sides and reddish-brown undersides.  In the wild they live in hollow trees building large nests of twigs and leaves. They make several vocalizations including harsh alarm calls and birdlike sounds.
Photo by David Ellis, Wikimedia Creative Commons.

In El Paso one of the most interesting and relaxing ways to connect with and discover some of the world’s biodiversity is to visit the Zoo. Here you will find hundreds of species of animals and plants identified by graphics along zoo pathways. Some are highlighted on our Smart Phone Walking Tour. You can learn more by visiting our Animal and Plants page on this blog.

“We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.”

E. O. Wilson, The Diversity of Life