country life
Island Life - April/May 2010
Photo: Grassland - Hampshire Wildlife Trust
International Year of Biodiversity
By Peter Hutchings, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust works to create a better future for wildlife and wild places
in Hampshire and the Island. As the leading local wildlife conservation charity, it looks after 57 wildlife
reserves, has 27,000 members and 1,000 volunteers. The Trust manages its own land and advises other
landowners how to manage their land with wildlife in mind. Staff and volunteers also carry out surveys
and gather data to monitor how our local wildlife is doing. Find out more at www.hwt.org.uk.
2010 has been declared the International
But did you know that half of those
Year of Biodiversity (IYB) by the United
questioned in a 2009 government survey
Nations. Biodiversity is the variety of life
said they knew nothing about biodiversity
on Earth.
and had never heard of the word.
It is essenti al for sustaining the natural
The IYB, supported by organisations like
food, drink, clothing, building materials,
fuel and medicines.
Living systems also provide the services
we take for granted such as clean air,
fresh water, fertile soil, breakdown of
living systems or ecosystems that provide
the Wildlife Trust, is an opportunity to
natural waste, plant pollination and
us with food, fuel, health, wealth, and
help create a better understanding of our
regulation of climate. Biodiversity is all
other vital services.
environment and remove the unwanted
around us; it shapes and enriches our way
jargon.
of life.
It includes every plant and animal as well
as micro-organisms such as bacteria and
viruses.
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Our lives are intertwined with nature.
We use plants and animals to produce our
We are an integral part of nature; our
fate is tightly linked with biodiversity, the
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