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Biodiversity is life

Biodiversity is our life

2010 has been declared the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) by the United Nations. This is the website of IYB-UK, which is the UK partnership supporting IYB.

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. It is essential for sustaining the natural living systems or ecosystems that provide us with food, fuel, health, wealth, and other vital services.

Humans are part of this biodiversity too and have the power to protect or destroy it. Currently, our activities are destroying biodiversity at alarming rates.  These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on. But we can prevent them.

We need to reflect on our achievements to safeguard biodiversity and focus on the urgent challenges ahead. Now is the time to act.

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Tree sparrows © David Wells/BTO
National Nest Box Week

Encourage birds into your garden for National Nest Box Week, which runs from 14–21 February.

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The wren is found across the UK all year round. © DAdams NHM
Bird spotting surveys

If you’re interested in bird-watching and recording your sightings, the RSPB runs many different surveys that you can contribute to.

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Dormouse © Kate Merry
Golden Great Nut Hunt

Help save the once-widespread British dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, from the brink of extinction.

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Latest news

Dormouse © Janice Whittington/WTPL

Dormice detective success

Rare dormice have been recorded for the first time at a Woodland Trust wood near Chelmsford in Essex. Dormice are rare, small, nocturnal and extremely shy so they are not easy to track down. Finding out where they live requires persistence and detective work to spot the clues they leave behind.

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Did you know...

There are 17 species of bats found in the UK, representing almost a third of all UK mammal species.

Bat Conservation