On May 22, Biodiversity Day is celebrated, this date was created by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the biological diversity that exists on our planet. When we talk about biological diversity, we are emphasizing everything we know as life, from the microorganisms that help to fix nutrients in the soil, to the largest mammals in Africa.

However, the loss of biological diversity is one of the greatest challenges currently faced in Brazil and in the world. The loss of vegetation cover and native species occurs at an accelerated rate, some of the consequences of this are: the arrival of exotic species, increased pollution, the effects of climate change and increased deforestation.

The consequences of these losses, in addition to being irreversible, profoundly affect the ecosystem services on which we are totally dependent. Do you know why? Through ecosystem services we obtain food, medicines, fibers, industrial products and even primary materials for the development of technologies. Most of these resources we need to live come from tropical forests, of which Brazil has the greatest coverage, which is why it is considered a megadiverse country – with the greatest diversity of species in the world. The country has between 15% to 20% of the 1.5 million species described on Earth.

Our Biodiversity: the diversity of the Atlantic Forest

A good part of this richness in the country is in the Atlantic Forest: 44.17 % of Brazilian birds are found in this biome (850 species); 37.5% from mammals (270 species); 36,13% from amphibians (370 species); 26,28% from reptiles (200 species) and 7,71% from fish (350 species). The role of Atlantic Forest conservation is crucial for the maintenance of Brazil's biodiversity, and for the global panorama of diversity (Ministerio do Meio Ambiente, 2010).

How can we help to maintain this biological diversity, without leaving home?

All of us, at home, can help maintain the biodiversity we have around us! With simple habits in our day-to-day: how to buy food from small producers in the region, separate waste to facilitate recycling; buy and consume more consciously, reuse packaging and think about how to replace disposables with longer-lived materials; avoid using plastic.

Supporting environmental initiatives that plant trees and restore forests, that work for the conservation of wild fauna species is also an excellent contribution. Small habits in your life generate big changes for the conservation of diversity, start today!