Over the centuries, earth’s biological diversity has played a crucial role in the development and sustenance of our civilization. From energy to food and infrastructure to medicine, humans have relied on nature for existence. Sadly though, we have lost so much of our biodiversity through unsustainable human activities, leading to severe consequences, including challenges of food insecurity, desertification, biodiversity erosion, and climate change.
The United Nations proclaimed 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), an annual observance to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This year, the theme of the celebration is “Our solutions are in Nature”, signaling an admission of human dependence on nature and the need to pursue conservation, even as we continue to utilize the benefits found in the natural world.
![Roughly the length of a finger, the insects fly together by the millions and devour crops. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]](https://storage.googleapis.com/cgiarorg/2024/04/Tiksa-Negeri-Reuters-640x428.png)