International Day for Biological Diversity | May 22

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International Day for Biological Diversity

Credit: Mandarin fish by Luc Viatour [CC BY-SA 2.0] via @Trodel Flickr

Teachers: Visit the free MY HERO Lesson Plan for International Day for Biodiversity. Includes discussion guide and learning outcomes.

Film

A Walk Through The Land of A Thousand Hills

Chema Domenech

Claver Ntoyinkima, a native park ranger, shares the secrets of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda as he guides us through the forest.

Tiger Talk

Produced by:Ravi Prakash, Ashutosh Joshi

Animated documentary celebrating those who fight to save the tiger population in India. The story is told through the eyes of a tiger. Made for the WWF-India.

Looking After Our Environment: James Price Point

Produced by:Mark Pearce

Mark Jones speaks out against a gas development complex that spells doomsday for some species living around James Price Point.

Nancy Caruso

By: Anabelle Vo

Nancy Caruso is a marine biologist who helped bring kelp forests back to the California coast.

Biodiversity is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

2021 Theme: “We’re part of the solution.”

"Biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges. From nature-based solutions to climate, health issues, food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity is the foundation upon which we can build back better."

Enjoy stories of heroes from all over the world fighting for biodiversity. Consider how one person can have a lasting impact on the future, and think about how you too can make a change.

Tuy Sereivathana | Cambodia

Producer: Tom Dusenbery

Tuy Sereivathana works to mitigate elephant mistreatment in Cambodia by introducing innovative low-cost solutions.

Protecting the Amazon by Advancing Indigenous Rights

PAUL PAZ Y MINO

Since 1996, Amazon Watch has protected the rainforest and advanced the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. We partner with indigenous and environmental organizations in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability, and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems.

Last Stand - The Vanishing Caribou Rainforest (Trailer)

Produced by:David Moskowitz

The forthcoming documentary “Last Stand” puts the Caribou Rainforest on the map before it’s too late.

The Arctic Garden

Produced by:Will Parinello/Tom Dusenberry

Caroline Cannon, an Inupiat indigenous leader, takes aim at offshore oil drilling that threatens her people and the biodiversity in the Arctic Sea.

Stories

MY HERO recommends this excellent essay by Harold Wood, Jr. about his hero, John Muir. Muir was a famous California conservationist with a radically non-anthropocentric view of nature.

John Muir

By: Harold W. Wood, Jr.

This is an excellent essay about John Muir, the famous California conservationist, and his radically non-anthropocentric view of nature.

The following stories are about heroes working to preserve the Amazon rainforest and coral reefs--two incredibly important ecosystems that are part of the earth's biodiversity.

Chico Mendes

By: Jeff Trussell

Chico Mendes died a martyr defending the rainforests.

Help Mary Save Coral

By: Amanda Molinaro from Irvine

Help Mary Save Coral works to repopulate the world's coral.

Thomas Lovejoy is called the "grandfather of biodiversity." Read about him in this exciting newswire story told from the "lungs of the earth"-- the Amazon.

Camp Amazon: Inside the 'lungs of the Earth'

By: Amanda Paulson - CSM Staff writer

Dr. Lovejoy, the "godfather of biodiversity," brings celebrities and scientists to the Amazon to sleep in hammocks and see our biggest environmental crises: climate change and biodiversity loss.

Vanda Shivah protects the biodiversity of farmers' crops by preserving original seeds.

Dr. Vandana Shiva

By: David Kemker

Dr. Vandana Shiva works to preserve biodiversity for the planet.

Art

This Eco-Visionaries mural was created at the request of the Endangered Planet Foundation to celebrate conservation heroes

By: Students working with Endangered Planet Foundation

Rachel Carson raised awareness of the environmental and health risks associated with the proliferating use of chemicals

By: Robert Shetterly

John Muir, Naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness areas painted by Robert Shetterly

By: Robert Shetterly

Jane Goodall 's efforts to save the chimpanzees and her global conservation foundation are celebrated in this artwork by a student

By: Samantha Gamble from the United States (Age 11)

These short films feature a variety of styles with a consistency of substance in that these heroes are prioritizing the importance of biodiversity.

My Hero suggested viewing

TED Ed | Why is Biodiversity Important?

An excellent introduction video which explains the three components of biodiversity: ecosystem, genetic and species. Learn about the Amazon rainforest, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world; coral reefs.

Links

National Geographic

Indigenous peoples defend Earth's biodiversity—but they're in danger. Comprising less than 5% of the world's population, indigenous people protect 80% of global biodiversity.