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本文作者： AGENCIES

　　Conserve Biodiversity

　　保持生物多样性

　　BIODIVERSITY is the variety and variability of life on Earth. This includes all of the plants and animals that live, grow, breathe, walk, fly, and swim on the Earth's surface, all of the habitats that they call home, and all of the natural processes of which they are a part. Biodiversity is the very foundation for all the Earth's essential goods and services. The air we breathe, water we drink, and the food we eat all depend on the Earth's rich biodiversity. Plants and animals provide people with food and medicine.

　　Forty per cent of all prescriptions written today are composed of natural compounds found in different species. An estimated 80,000 edible plants are found in the world, and one in every three mouthfuls of the food you swallow is prepared from plants pollinated by wild insects and animals.

　　While plants and animals keep you well fed and healthy, trees play an important role in absorbing greenhouse gases. Through photosynthesis, trees absorb and store atmospheric carbon, helping to combat global warming and purifying the air we breathe. Forests also control soil erosion and purify water.

　　Every aspect of our life is sustained by the Earth's biodiversity. Biological resources must be conserved if they are to continue supporting life on Earth.

　　Habitat loss and fragmentation is considered by conservation biologists to be the primary cause of biodiversity loss. Invasive alien species are the second greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide. Pollution is currently poisoning all forms of life, both on land and in the water, and contributing to climate change.

　　The best way to conserve biodiversity is to save habitats and ecosystems rather than trying to save an individual species.

　　Prevent Desertification

　　阻止土地荒漠化

　　DESERTIFICATION is the process which turns productive land into non-productive desert as a result of poor land-management.

　　Desertification reduces the ability of land to support life, affecting wild species, domestic animals, agricultural crops and people. The reduction in plant cover that accompanies desertification leads to accelerated soil erosion by wind and water. South Africa is losing approximately 300-400 million tonnes of topsoil every year. As vegetation cover and soil layer are reduced, rain drop impact and run-off increases.

　　Desertification became well known in the 1930's, when parts of the Great Plains in the United States turned into the "Dust Bowl" as a result of drought and poor farming practices, although the term itself was not used until almost 1950. During the dust bowl period, millions of people were forced to abandon their farms and livelihoods. Greatly improved methods of agriculture and land and water management in the Great Plains have prevented that disaster from recurring, but desertification presently affects millions of people in almost every continent.

　　To halt desertification, the number of animals on the land must be reduced, allowing plants to regrow. Soil conditions must be made favourable for plant growth by, for example, mulching. Mulch (a layer of straw, leaves or sawdust covering the soil) reduces evaporation, suppresses weed growth, enriches soil as it rots, and prevents runoff and hence erosion. Reseeding may be necessary in badly degraded areas.

　　Say "No" to White Pollution

　　反对白色污染

　　WHILE enjoying the benefits of modern technology, humankind is also paying a high price. One example of this concerns the plastic bag, which has brought great convenience to people, but has also done huge environmental damage. Made from polythene, plastic bags in landfill sites are supposed to last between a conservative 200 years to an estimated 1 million years. That may explain why the plastic bag was once branded the worst invention of the 20th century because it causes worldwide pollution.

　　Many countries are suffering from "white pollution," a term which means numbers of used plastic bags are blowing around on our streets, which makes serious pollution. So the production and use of degradable bags should be encouraged as a substitute for non-degradable plastic bags. This will offer a way out for both manufacturers of plastic bags and consumers.

　　Of course, promoting people's environmental consciousness should, as always, be given importance. The more they know about how severe "white pollution" is, the more voluntarily they will help address the problem.

　　