The United Nations has chosen this year as the time for people all over the planet to act now to safeguard our natural environment and reduce biodiversity loss brought about mostly by human activities.
What exactly is biodiversity? It is a long and complex sounding word that has quite a simple meaning – keeping nature in balance is the best way to keep it healthy.
Just like a healthy diet cannot consist of just one food group, our natural environment cannot survive and prosper without a wide variety of animals and plants in place. The Zoo’s aim is to highlight some practical ways that people can help ensure a brighter future for biodiversity everywhere.
Edy MacDonald, Manager Conservation and Sustainability at Wellington Zoo, said: “This year at the Zoo we want to show our visitors that making small changes to their lives really can make a difference to improving the biodiversity of their neighbourhood.
“It doesn’t have to be a mammoth undertaking. Keeping a pet cat in at night, for example, will eliminate the risk of it attacking a native bird while on its nocturnal prowl. This will help to keep bird numbers up in the area and contribute to a far healthier local environment.
“Our approach to this International Year of Biodiversity is to focus on solutions like this, as most people know what the issues are, what they don’t always know is how to counter them – hopefully this is where we can help.”
At the Zoo’s launch of the International Year of Biodiversity all animal talks on the day will incorporate a different biodiversity theme and a range of fun environmental activities for all visitors. Zoo staff will also be explaining why these activities are important in terms of enhancing the biodiversity of New Zealand.