As a mother, artist, and wildlife advocate, I experience a lot of grief over biodiversity loss. The thought of living through the sixth mass extinction feels like too much to bear. That is why the National Biodiversity Strategy Resolution recently reintroduced by Rep. Neguse D-Colorado, was music to my ears.
If we are to learn anything from COVID-19, we must address the connections between biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and our vulnerability to this virus.
For years, scientists have been warning us that when we invade wild landscapes and disrupt ecosystems, this creates opportunities for zoonotic viruses to spill over into humans. Disrupted ecosystems tend to lose their biggest predators first, leaving behind smaller animals that can reproduce in large numbers, which creates a host of issues. One of them is their ability to carry and transmit disease. The more diverse the ecosystem, the more able it is to regulate disease without ever reaching humans.
So, the health of our wildlife and habitat is directly linked to our health.
While multiple federal agencies are already tasked with protecting and conserving key aspects of biodiversity in the U.S., there is currently no coordinating policy to maximize these efforts or facilitate collaboration among them. The National Biodiversity Strategy Resolution addresses this with a “whole of government” approach by promoting collaboration among federal agencies and states, local governments, tribes, private landowners, and other non-governmental stakeholders and by addressing the five drivers of biodiversity loss (climate change, pollution, deforestation,
invasive species, and overexploitation) and securing and restoring ecosystem services while promoting social equity and justice.
There is so much hope in this resolution. I urge you to ask your Representative to cosponsor the National Biodiversity Strategy Resolution (H.Res.69).
Mariah Palmer
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 3/11/21