Our planet’s natural systems are collapsing. Wild animals and plants are disappearing at alarming rates. We're starting to experience the fallout of nature’s collapses, including a hotter planet, deteriorating human wellbeing, pandemics and global economic breakdowns. ​

In response to the escalating biodiversity crisis, Animal Defenders International (ADI) and a diverse coalition of organizations are urging the Biden Administration to prioritize conservation through the creation of a comprehensive national biodiversity strategy.

Worldwide, 193 countries have developed a national biodiversity strategy in one form or another. The U.S. however, not only lacks such a strategy, but also lacks any comprehensive and coordinated approach to tackling the five main drivers of the biodiversity crisis: habitat loss, exploitation of species, climate change, pollution, and invasive species.

Today, a full-page letter has been published in the New York Times supported by ADI and ProtectBiodiversity.org, as part of a multi-organizational effort to mobilize a whole-of-government, ‘nature first’ approach.

We need to see an approach recognizing the fundamental role biodiversity plays within the realm of public health and the global economy, and encourage all tiers of government to ensure the protection and restoration of nature’s biodiversity. It needs to be acknowledged that biodiversity serves as a natural barrier against many diseases, including those that can potentially turn into a full-blown pandemic, and can lessen the impacts of climate change currently threatening our planet.

Jan Creamer, President of ADI, said: “The species we share this planet with are inherently valuable, all want to thrive, and all play an essential role. Biodiversity is not just about preserving the beauty of our world, it is integral to human survival. Nature is not simply shouting at us to act, it is screaming. Calling for a biodiversity strategy may seem dry and academic, but this is about life and death. We are losing more and more species and we, humans, are destroying our own home too.”

“We urge the Biden Administration to heed this united call to create a comprehensive biodiversity strategy,” said Azzedine Downes, President and CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). “This public, collective effort on behalf of such a diverse coalition of organizations representing human, animal, and environmental health and wellbeing demonstrates how fundamental the safeguarding of biodiversity is to ensuring the robust health and security of communities in the United States and around the world from here onward.”

Contributors to the outreach effort include the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Conservation X Labs, Defenders of Wildlife, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Health In Harmony, Jane Goodall Institute, Preventing Pandemics at the Source, the U.S. Wildlife & Health Alliance, Animal Defenders International, Endangered Species Coalition, FOUR PAWS USA, Humane Society Legislative Fund, Management Sciences for Health, Marked By COVID, One Health Lessons, OneNature Institute, The Humane Society of the United States, United Plant Savers, and WildEarth Guardians.

To read the letter to the Biden Administration and to take action now, visit ProtectBiodiversity.org

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