Our world is home to many different life forms.

From animals to plants, and even bacteria, all living things on Earth work together to support different ecosystems.

BIODIVERSITY

This wide variety of life is called biodiversity, and is crucial to the well-being of our planet.

Humans rely on biodiverse ecosystems—they provide us with things like food and medicine.

However, scientists have warned that biodiversity is declining, with around one million plant and animal species facing extinction.

International Day for Biological Diversity

To increase awareness of these issues, the United Nations declared May 22nd as the International Day for Biological Diversity.

The day highlights the 2022 Biodiversity Plan, which aims to restore ecosystems impacted by human activities—such as deforestation, climate change and pollution.

If we act now, it’s hoped the plan could reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

The ocean is an ecosystem that covers over 70 percent of the Earth, but it remains one of the least explored.

The Ocean Census

The Ocean Census is a global mission to discover ocean biodiversity.

And recently, they announced they had found 866 new species under the waves.

Using submersible vehicles, underwater robots and human divers, they have discovered everything from sharks, to coral, in a range of different habitats.

Since 2023, hundreds of scientists from around the world have teamed up to identify these new species, a process that would usually take more than a decade.

And this year, Ocean Census will take on another 10 expeditions to try and uncover even more new species.

Each discovery helps us learn more about how to protect biodiversity and secure a sustainable future for our planet.

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