Biodiversity
Safeguarding biodiversity means protecting our future.
Because we are all part of it.
Safeguarding biodiversity means protecting our future.
Because we are all part of it.
Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variety of living beings that populate the Earth: a multitude of animals, plants and microorganisms that interact and supply each other with food, medicine, building materials and fuels; some purify water and air, others prevent soil erosion, regulate the climate, or support our cultural and spiritual identity.
For billions of years the loss of biological diversity has been caused by gradual natural occurrences such as glaciation or extreme events such as volcanic eruptions. However, for the last few thousand years the main cause has been the growth of the human population and the enormous pressure we exert on the planet. We transform natural ecosystems into agricultural fields and urban areas; we release pollutants, CO2 and invasive species into the environment which damage ecosystems, as do our own human actions; our economic pursuits cause the disappearance of animal and plant species.
The loss of biodiversity is therefore compromising the quality of our lives. We are part of the planet’s biodiversity, intimately related to our animal and plant ancestors and made of the same matter of which the Earth is made. If we lose the links with our “biological past” and ignore our responsibility towards all living beings we will inevitably end up destroying our future.
This is why we believe in the need for a change in perspective: thanks to technology, careful management of resources, correct approaches and an ever-growing group of people committed to protecting the environment, we can create systems in which man and nature can co-exist. In the interests of all.
Oikos takes care of biodiversity through the protection and proper management of the environment and its resources, which include soil, water, forests and animal and plant species.
We contribute to the knowledge of the state of the environment, to the conservation of species and habitats and to the recovery of degraded ecosystems. We work in protected areas (parks and reserves) and in “fragile environments” (savannahs, forests, wetlands, marine coasts) where the risks of desertification and environmental degradation are greater. We promote the reduction of CO2 production and the adaptability of populations to a changing climate.
We develop land use plans, we disseminate conservation objectives amongst local communities, we create participatory tools for the management of natural resources and we trial mechanisms to make environmental protection a reasonable and convenient option in ecological, socio-economic, cultural and climate change resilience terms.
