Published: 26 December 2025 Last Updated: 26 December 2025
By Clwyd Probert
Biodiversity is important because it sustains all life on Earth through essential ecosystem services—clean air, fresh water, food production, climate regulation, and disease prevention. The 73% decline in global wildlife populations since 1970 threatens human health, economic stability (over 50% of global GDP depends on nature), and planetary resilience. Protecting biodiversity isn't optional; it's existential.
Delve into the science, economics, and ethics behind understanding biodiversity, and discover why protecting the natural world represents humanity's most urgent collective challenge. From the pollinators that sustain our food supply to the forests that regulate our climate, biodiversity underpins every aspect of human civilisation—and its accelerating loss threatens the very foundation of life as we know it.
Biodiversity drives the ecosystem services that make human life possible. These services—often invisible yet absolutely essential—range from the mundane to the spectacular, supporting everything from agriculture to climate stability.
Pollination stands as one of nature's most economically vital services. Insect pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hoverflies, contribute over £600 million annually to the UK economy alone, according to UK Research and Innovation. Globally, approximately 75% of the world's most important food crops rely on animal pollination, from apples and almonds to courgettes and coffee. The World Health Organisation reports that without pollinators, humanity would lose a significant proportion of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts that provide essential vitamins and minerals.
Beyond pollination, diverse ecosystems purify our water and regenerate our soils. Forests act as natural water filters, whilst wetlands remove pollutants and regulate water flow, preventing both droughts and floods. Forests alone absorb over 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, making them humanity's most powerful natural defence against climate change, according to the WHO's Biodiversity Factsheet.
The connection between biodiversity and human health operates through what scientists call "One Health"—the recognition that human, animal, and environmental health are fundamentally interconnected. Biodiverse ecosystems help regulate disease by maintaining predator-prey balances that prevent pathogen outbreaks. When ecosystems are degraded, wildlife is pushed into closer contact with human populations, increasing the risk of zoonotic disease emergence.
Genetic diversity within species provides the foundation for modern medicine. Historic breakthroughs like taxol (from Pacific yew trees, used in cancer treatment) and digitalis (from foxgloves, used for heart conditions) demonstrate how biodiversity serves as nature's pharmacy. Yet with species disappearing before they're even catalogued, we're losing potential medicines before we discover them.
Through photography and visual documentation, we capture these ecosystem services in action—from pollinators visiting wildflowers to forests purifying mountain streams. Visual storytelling helps communicate the invisible services that biodiversity provides, making abstract concepts tangible and inspiring deeper appreciation for the natural world.
The Office for National Statistics values UK ecosystem services at £1.8 trillion in total asset value, according to the UK Natural Capital Accounts 2024. This extraordinary figure represents the cumulative worth of services like carbon storage, water purification, pollination, flood prevention, and recreation that natural ecosystems provide to the British economy.
Breaking down this valuation reveals the specific contributions of different ecosystems. Woodland ecosystems alone account for £382 billion in value, primarily through carbon sequestration, timber production, and recreational benefits. The ONS Woodland Natural Capital Accounts 2024 demonstrate how even seemingly secondary ecosystem functions generate substantial economic value when properly quantified.
Globally, the economic dependency on nature is even more pronounced. The United Nations estimates that over 50% of global GDP—approximately £33 trillion annually—depends moderately or highly on nature and the services it provides. Industries from agriculture and fisheries to pharmaceuticals and tourism rely fundamentally on biodiversity to function.
What happens when these services collapse? The economic costs of ecosystem degradation far exceed the investments required for conservation. Pollinator decline alone could eliminate crops worth hundreds of billions globally. Water purification system failure would require massive infrastructure investments to replace what wetlands and forests currently provide for free. Climate regulation breakdown accelerates extreme weather events, each causing billions in damages.
For the UK, these economic realities take on special significance. As one of the most nature-depleted countries globally, Britain faces mounting costs from ecosystem service loss—from increased flood damages as wetlands disappear to declining crop yields as pollinator populations crash. The £1.8 trillion valuation isn't just an academic exercise; it represents the economic foundation upon which British society is built.
The UK confronts a sobering reality: it ranks amongst the most nature-depleted countries on Earth, with biodiversity levels that place it in the bottom 10% globally. The State of Nature 2023 report reveals that UK species abundance has declined by an average of 19% since 1970, with one in six species (16%) now at risk of extinction from Great Britain.
The historical context explains much of this depletion. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain, fundamentally transformed the landscape through intensive agriculture, urbanisation, and industrialisation. Centuries of land-use change converted wildlands into farmland, cities, and infrastructure at scales unmatched in most other nations. Ancient woodlands were felled, wetlands drained, and moorlands converted, fragmenting habitats and isolating wildlife populations.
Current habitat conditions paint a troubling picture of ongoing decline. According to the State of Nature 2023 assessment, only 14% of the UK's important habitats remain in good ecological condition. The remaining 86% are degraded, fragmented, or under severe pressure from agriculture, development, pollution, and climate change. This degradation affects species across all taxonomic groups, from insects and birds to mammals and plants.
Specific UK ecosystems face particularly acute threats. Chalk streams—90% of which exist in England, making them a globally significant habitat—suffer from over-abstraction and agricultural runoff. Ancient woodlands continue to disappear despite protection efforts. Wildflower meadows, once common across the British countryside, have declined by 97% since the 1930s, taking with them the pollinators, birds, and small mammals that depended on them.
Beccy Speight, CEO of the RSPB, captured the urgency of the situation: "We are already the most nature-depleted nation in the G7 and last year's seminal State of Nature report revealed many of our most loved species continue to decline." This isn't merely a conservation concern—it's a national emergency affecting the UK's natural heritage, economic stability, and quality of life.
Yet the UK's nature-depleted status also presents an opportunity. Unlike countries still debating whether biodiversity decline is occurring, Britain's crisis is undeniable and well-documented. This clarity enables targeted action. The challenge now is translating awareness into the large-scale habitat restoration, species recovery programmes, and systemic changes required to reverse centuries of degradation. Resources like the UK's biodiversity crisis analysis provide deeper context on the specific pressures facing British wildlife.
Habitat destruction remains the primary driver of biodiversity loss globally and in the UK. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reports that humans have significantly altered 75% of Earth's land surface. In the UK, this manifests as agricultural intensification, urban sprawl, and infrastructure development that fragments remaining natural habitats into isolated patches too small to support viable populations.
Climate change is rapidly emerging as the dominant threat. Research published in 2024 by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis projects that climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century, overtaking habitat destruction. Rising temperatures force species to migrate poleward or to higher elevations, disrupting ecological relationships and pushing species beyond their physiological tolerance limits. The University of York warns that without urgent action, climate-driven extinctions could accelerate dramatically within the next 25 years.
The WWF Living Planet Report 2024 documents particularly severe impacts in freshwater ecosystems, which have experienced an 85% average decline in monitored populations since 1970. Pollution from agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and plastic contamination degrades water quality whilst pesticides and herbicides eliminate the insects that form the base of food webs. In the UK, chalk streams face pollution from fertilisers and sewage discharge, threatening unique species found nowhere else on Earth.
Overexploitation continues to deplete wildlife populations through overfishing, hunting, and illegal wildlife trade. Global fish stocks face unprecedented pressure, with many commercially important species fished beyond sustainable levels. The illegal wildlife trade, valued at billions annually, drives species like pangolins and rhinos towards extinction whilst disrupting ecosystems across continents.
Invasive species compound these threats by outcompeting native wildlife, introducing diseases, and fundamentally altering ecosystem dynamics. In the UK, species like grey squirrels, Japanese knotweed, and signal crayfish displace native species and cause extensive ecological and economic damage. Managing invasive species costs millions annually whilst their impacts on biodiversity continue to intensify.
These threats rarely operate in isolation. Biodiversity loss typically results from multiple pressures acting synergistically—a habitat fragmented by development becomes more vulnerable to climate change, whilst pollution weakens species' ability to adapt to temperature shifts. Understanding these interconnected threats is essential for developing effective conservation strategies that address root causes rather than symptoms.
The connection between biodiversity and human health operates through multiple pathways, from food security and disease regulation to mental wellbeing and medical discovery. As biodiversity declines, these health safeguards erode, exposing humanity to risks that grow more severe with each passing year.
Food security depends fundamentally on biodiversity. The genetic diversity within crop species provides resilience against pests, diseases, and changing climate conditions. Wild relatives of domesticated crops harbour genes that plant breeders use to develop disease-resistant or drought-tolerant varieties. As biodiversity loss eliminates these wild relatives—many species disappearing before scientists even catalogue them—humanity loses the genetic toolkit needed to adapt agriculture to future challenges. The IUCN Red List 2024 reports that 46,337 species face extinction, representing 28% of all assessed species, with many providing direct or indirect food security benefits.
Disease emergence and spread are intrinsically linked to ecosystem health. The WHO notes that approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic—transmitted from animals to humans. Biodiversity loss, particularly through habitat destruction that forces wildlife into closer contact with human populations, increases pandemic risk. Intact, diverse ecosystems naturally regulate disease by maintaining predator-prey balances that prevent pathogen reservoir species from exploding in population. When we degrade these systems, we remove nature's disease control mechanisms.
Mental health and wellbeing draw substantial benefits from contact with biodiverse environments. Research consistently demonstrates that exposure to nature reduces stress, improves mood, and enhances cognitive function. Urban green spaces rich in biodiversity provide greater psychological benefits than species-poor parks. As urbanisation intensifies and natural spaces disappear, populations increasingly suffer from what researchers term "nature deficit disorder"—a disconnection from the natural world that correlates with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and attention disorders.
Perhaps most concerning, biodiversity loss eliminates potential medical breakthroughs before they're discovered. Natural compounds from plants, animals, and microorganisms have provided the foundation for countless pharmaceuticals, from antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs to pain relievers and immunosuppressants. Species are going extinct at rates 10 to 100 times higher than the natural background rate, according to IPBES, with each extinction potentially representing the loss of compounds that could have treated diseases affecting millions.
The cumulative health impacts of biodiversity loss create what UN Secretary-General António Guterres described at COP16 in October 2024 as an "existential crisis": "Nature is life. And yet we are waging a war against it. A war where there can be no winner. Make no mistake. This is what an existential crisis looks like." The health of humanity cannot be separated from the health of the natural world—they are fundamentally, inextricably linked.
The international community has established ambitious frameworks to halt and reverse biodiversity decline, centred on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at COP15 in December 2022. This landmark agreement commits 196 nations to 23 targets aimed at protecting nature whilst supporting human wellbeing and sustainable development.
The framework's headline target—known as "30x30"—commits countries to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. Currently, only about one-fifth of key biodiversity areas enjoy complete protection, making the 30x30 target both urgent and achievable if nations follow through on commitments. Critically, the framework emphasises not merely designating protected areas on paper, but ensuring they're effectively managed, equitably governed, and ecologically representative.
Beyond protected areas, the framework addresses the economic drivers of biodiversity loss. Targets include eliminating or redirecting $500 billion in harmful subsidies annually by 2030, increasing financial flows to developing countries for conservation, and requiring large companies to assess and disclose biodiversity-related risks and impacts. These economic measures recognise that conservation cannot succeed whilst market incentives reward environmental destruction.
For the UK specifically, the Environment Act 2021 establishes legally binding targets to halt species decline by 2030, improve water quality, reduce waste, and enhance air quality. The Act introduces Biodiversity Net Gain requirements, mandating that new development delivers at least 10% more biodiversity value than existed before. Local Nature Recovery Strategies will identify priority locations for habitat creation and restoration, creating the coherent ecological networks that species need to thrive.
COP16 in Cali, Colombia (October 2024) marked the first major review of progress since the Kunming-Montreal Framework's adoption. Whilst some countries demonstrated genuine commitment through increased protected area designations and policy reforms, others lagged dangerously behind. The conference emphasised the need for greater financial resources, indigenous rights recognition, and corporate accountability to achieve the 2030 targets.
These global and national targets provide the policy architecture for biodiversity recovery. Success depends on translating commitments into funded programmes, enforceable regulations, and measurable outcomes—transforming political promises into ecological reality before time runs out.
Visual imagery possesses unique power to communicate biodiversity's importance in ways that statistics and scientific reports cannot match. A single compelling photograph can convey the wonder of the natural world, the urgency of conservation challenges, and the beauty worth protecting—all in an instant.
Wildlife photography creates emotional connections that inspire conservation action. When people see intimate portraits of endangered species, dramatic landscapes, or the intricate details of ecosystems, they develop personal stakes in protecting these subjects. This emotional engagement often proves more motivating than abstract discussions of ecosystem services or extinction rates. As Sir David Attenborough observed: "The greater the biodiversity, the more secure will be all life on Earth, including ourselves. We must rewild the world!" Photography helps audiences understand what rewilding means, making abstract concepts tangible.
Citizen science increasingly relies on photography to document species distributions, monitor populations, and track ecological changes. Platforms like iNaturalist enable anyone with a camera or smartphone to contribute scientifically valuable observations. These collective photographic records help researchers understand species ranges, identify population trends, and discover rare or declining species. In the UK, initiatives like the National Biodiversity Network compile millions of species records, many submitted by amateur photographers documenting garden wildlife, woodland walks, or coastal explorations.
Educational content benefits enormously from high-quality biodiversity imagery. Complex ecological relationships become comprehensible when illustrated visually. Visual storytelling for conservation helps educators explain pollination, predator-prey dynamics, habitat types, and species adaptations in ways that engage students and inspire deeper curiosity about the natural world.
At Pixcellence, we celebrate animals as they should be—through photography that captures their beauty, behaviour, and ecological importance. Our Gallery showcases the stunning diversity of life on Earth whilst our Spotlight features highlight conservation success stories, threatened species, and the dedicated individuals working to protect biodiversity. By combining visual excellence with educational content, we bridge the gap between appreciation and action, helping audiences understand not just that biodiversity matters, but why it deserves our passionate protection.
Photography also documents the biodiversity crisis itself—deforestation's scars, polluted waterways, and declining species populations. These images of environmental degradation, whilst difficult to view, play crucial roles in awareness campaigns and policy advocacy. They provide irrefutable visual evidence that compels action from decision-makers who might otherwise dismiss abstract warnings about ecosystem collapse.
Supporting wildlife photographers, sharing conservation imagery, and using visual media to tell biodiversity stories represents a powerful contribution to conservation efforts. Every shared photograph, every documented species, and every visual story that inspires someone to care about nature creates ripples that extend far beyond the image itself.
Protecting biodiversity requires action at all scales—from individual choices to national policies. Whilst the challenge is immense, meaningful contributions are within everyone's reach, and collective action creates the momentum needed for systemic change.
Transform gardens and outdoor spaces into biodiversity havens. Even small urban gardens can support substantial wildlife when managed thoughtfully. Plant native wildflowers to provide nectar sources for pollinators. Create log piles and leave areas of long grass for insects and small mammals. Install bird boxes, bat boxes, and insect hotels. Avoid pesticides and herbicides that eliminate the insects forming the base of food webs. The Wildlife Trusts estimate that Britain's 16 million gardens collectively cover an area larger than all the country's nature reserves combined—imagine the conservation potential if each garden actively supported wildlife.
Consumer choices directly impact biodiversity through supply chains and market demand. Choose sustainably sourced products—look for certifications like FSC for wood products, MSC for seafood, and organic labels for agriculture. Reduce consumption of resource-intensive goods, particularly single-use plastics that accumulate in ecosystems. Support businesses that demonstrate genuine environmental commitments rather than greenwashing. Every purchase represents a vote for the type of economy you want to see.
Community involvement amplifies individual impact. Join local conservation groups like Wildlife Trusts, RSPB local groups, or community environmental organisations. Participate in citizen science projects that monitor species and habitats. Volunteer for habitat restoration projects—from tree planting to invasive species removal. These activities provide hands-on conservation experience whilst building the social movements needed for larger-scale change.
Support organisations working to protect biodiversity through donations, memberships, or fundraising. Charities we're connected with—including the Born Free Foundation, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, and initiatives like Sir David Attenborough and Brian May's "Hope For Apes"—demonstrate the diverse approaches conservation requires, from species-specific protection to habitat preservation and animal welfare.
Policy advocacy creates the frameworks that enable conservation at scale. Contact MPs about environmental legislation, respond to consultations on development plans, and vote for candidates with strong environmental commitments. The UK's ambitious biodiversity targets need public support to succeed—elected officials respond to constituent priorities, and vocal advocacy for nature protection shapes political will.
Education and awareness-raising extend conservation's reach exponentially. Share information about biodiversity importance with friends, family, and communities. Use social media to highlight conservation issues and success stories. Support environmental education in schools. The more people understand biodiversity's value, the stronger the constituency for protecting it becomes.
For comprehensive guidance on implementing these and other conservation measures, explore our resource on practical steps to protect biodiversity. Remember: protecting biodiversity isn't someone else's responsibility—it's ours, collectively and individually. Every action matters; every voice counts.
We should care about biodiversity because it directly sustains human civilisation through essential services like food production, clean water, climate regulation, and disease prevention. With 73% of wildlife populations declining since 1970 and over 50% of global GDP depending on nature, biodiversity loss threatens not just wildlife but human health, economic stability, and our children's futures.
Continued biodiversity decline leads to ecosystem collapse, triggering tipping points from which recovery becomes impossible. We would face catastrophic food shortages as pollinators disappear, increased disease pandemics from degraded ecosystems, accelerated climate change as forests and wetlands vanish, and economic devastation as the £1.8 trillion in UK ecosystem services alone evaporates.
Biodiversity is measured using indicators like species richness (number of different species), abundance (population sizes), and diversity indices. The WWF Living Planet Index tracks 35,000+ populations of vertebrate species. The IUCN Red List assesses extinction risk for individual species. In the UK, the State of Nature report synthesises data from multiple monitoring programmes to assess overall biodiversity health.
Biodiversity loss is partially reversible through rewilding, habitat restoration, and species recovery programmes—but not completely. Once species go extinct, they're gone forever, eliminating unique genetic material and ecological functions. However, degraded habitats can recover given sufficient time and protection, and declining populations can rebound if threats are removed, as demonstrated by species like red kites and beavers in the UK.
The UK government has enacted the Environment Act 2021, establishing legally binding targets to halt species decline by 2030, committed to protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Framework, and introduced Biodiversity Net Gain requirements mandating that new development creates 10% more biodiversity than before. Implementation and enforcement remain critical challenges.
Biodiversity and climate change are deeply interconnected crises. Forests and wetlands absorb billions of tonnes of CO₂ annually, making biodiversity essential for climate regulation. Simultaneously, climate change drives species extinctions through habitat loss, migration disruptions, and ecosystem destabilisation. Research projects climate change could become the primary driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century, creating a vicious cycle.
Pollinators are crucial because 75% of global food crops depend on animal pollination. In the UK alone, pollinators contribute over £600 million annually to the economy through crop production. Without bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and other pollinators, we'd lose most fruits, vegetables, and nuts, facing catastrophic food security failures and economic collapse in agriculture-dependent regions.
Tropical rainforests—particularly the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asian forests—contain the highest biodiversity concentrations globally. Conservation International identifies 36 biodiversity hotspots worldwide, regions with exceptional species richness and endemism. In the UK, chalk streams represent globally significant biodiversity, with 90% of the world's examples found in England.
The importance of biodiversity transcends environmental concern—it represents an existential imperative for human civilisation. Every breath we take, every meal we eat, every medicine that heals us depends on the intricate web of life that biodiversity sustains. The 73% decline in wildlife populations since 1970 isn't just a tragedy for nature; it's a warning that the systems supporting human life are failing.
Yet within this crisis lies extraordinary opportunity. The UK's status as one of the most nature-depleted countries means British landscapes possess immense potential for restoration. Every garden transformed into a wildlife haven, every policy advocating for nature protection, every conservation organisation supported, and every photograph shared that inspires appreciation for biodiversity contributes to reversing centuries of decline.
Tanya Steele, CEO of WWF-UK, issued a stark warning alongside the Living Planet Report 2024: "A staggering 73% decline in just 50 years is truly shocking and must be a wake-up call for our leaders ahead of the crucial COP16 and COP29 summits. More worrying still is the prospect of reaching global tipping points, risking not just the survival of precious animal species, but the basis for human society as well."
The good news? We know what needs to happen. Protect and restore habitats. Create ecological networks that allow species to move and adapt. Eliminate harmful subsidies whilst investing in nature-based solutions. Support sustainable agriculture and fisheries. Address climate change alongside biodiversity loss. Transform our economic systems to value natural capital alongside financial capital.
The path forward requires hope alongside urgency. At Pixcellence, we believe in celebrating animals as they should be—showcasing the wonder, beauty, and ecological importance of wildlife through photography and education. By combining visual storytelling with rigorous information about biodiversity's value, we help build the appreciation and understanding needed to inspire conservation action.
Continue your biodiversity education journey by exploring our comprehensive guide on understanding biodiversity, discovering what biodiversity encompasses, and learning about the human activities driving biodiversity decline. Together, through knowledge, action, and collective will, we can ensure that biodiversity's importance is reflected not just in our words, but in the thriving, resilient ecosystems we leave for future generations.
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