Land and Forest Iceland
International day for biodiversity is today
22nd May 2025
Rapidly increasing land degradation is leading to a rapid loss of soil quality and biodiversity, with significant negative consequences for human health worldwide. All three major environmental threats must be addressed if humanity is to have a future on Earth.
This is the key message from an article by Anna María Ágústsdóttir, a geologist at Land and Forest Iceland, published in Vísir today, International Day for Biological Diversity. In her article, Anna María discusses three significant environmental threats: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Considering the state of these issues on this important day is both timely and beneficial. Anna María writes:
The decline in biodiversity is a significant concern with detrimental effects on the planet and human well-being. These factors are interconnected, so addressing one necessitates addressing the others simultaneously. Only through such comprehensive action can we secure a sustainable future for our planet.
She then provides an informative explanation of biodiversity, soil, and soil life, highlighting their importance to life on Earth, and also discusses the significance of international goals, agreements, and commitments.
It is time to acknowledge the crucial role of soil biodiversity and its management as an underutilised resource in achieving long-term sustainability goals related to global human health. This is important not only for improving soil health, food security, disease prevention, and water and air quality, but also because soil biodiversity is intrinsically linked to all life and provides a fundamental ecological basis for interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance human well-being.
Happy Biodiversity Day!
The article on Vísir (in Icelandic only)
