{description}According to a 2007 report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, “16,119 species of animals and plants are threatened with extinction and many ecosystems – wetlands, forests – are being degraded and destroyed.”The consequences of humanity’s presence on Earth have increased in the past decade. Issues such as global warming, the collapse of fisheries, declining air quality and increasing water scarcity are coming to the fore in discussions held by political and public agencies around the globe.One of the most pressing concerns lies in the loss of biodiversity. “Biodiversity” encompasses all living things and their interactions with each other in a particular ecosystem. The study of biodiversity looks at the origins, maintenance and loss of many dimensions of diversity extending from genes to ecosystems. It is crucial that we come to understand the many facets and influences of biodiversity in order to better understand the forces that threaten to destabilize the very foundations of human survival.{/description}