Photo: The natural lawn at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Germany provides a habitat for native plants and animals—courtesy Christine Muller.
The natural world, in all its wonder and majesty, offers profound insight into the essence of interdependence. From the biosphere as a whole to the smallest microorganism, it demonstrates how dependent any one life-form is on numerous others—and how imbalances in one system reverberate across an interconnected whole. (#1)
In the natural world, systems flourish through the interaction of highly diversified elements. Differences between various components can enhance the functioning of the whole and strengthen the resilience of the overall system. (#7)
One Planet, One Habitation: A Bahá’í Perspective on Recasting Humanity’s
Relationship with the Natural World, a Statement of the Bahá’í International Community
by Christine Muller
Each plant or animal has intrinsic value as God’s creation and offers known or still-to-be-discovered benefits to humanity, such as food, medicine, or natural resources. In addition, as the quote above explains, each species is essential for the well-being of the whole. Eradicating or diminishing certain species can bring entire ecosystems out of balance.
Last month, we talked about the five drivers causing the disappearance of many plants and animals (in other words, the loss of habitat): over-exploitation (hunting and fishing), climate change, pollution of all kinds, and invasive species. Read more here: Appreciate the Beauty of Diversity.
While these problems are enormous and must be addressed by governments from the local to the global level, there is much we can do as individuals to support the diversity of life.
· Supporting habitat for wildlife is a vast topic – here are just two things to consider:
We can diversify our yards. Lawn chemicals are not only harmful to human health, mainly affecting children, but they reduce the diversity of grasses and wildflowers. When we don’t use lawn chemicals, we can enjoy clover, dandelions, violets, and many other flowers and grasses that will grow without much maintenance and provide habitat and sustenance for wildlife.
What we eat can also make a big difference, though not visible to us. The enormously large monoculture fields of industrial agriculture have displaced native plants and are food deserts for pollinators. When we buy organically grown food, we support an agricultural method that is friendly to native species.
· We can also contribute to reducing over-exploitation (hunting and fishing) by choosing to buy sustainably harvested fish that are not endangered or being overfished. Farm-raised fish can be a good solution if the fish are grown in an environmentally sustainable way. However, most farm-raised fish today are grown in a manner that is very harmful to the environment.
· We can do much to reduce our impact on climate change by making wiser choices about satisfying our energy and transportation needs, eating less meat and dairy, avoiding food waste, and consuming less stuff.
· We can help reduce pollution by avoiding plastics, picking up litter, and not buying harmful chemicals for our lawns, gardens, and house-cleaning materials.
· We can help eradicate invasive species, for example, Japanese Knotweed or, in North America, Garlic Mustard, by pulling them out. We can also help prevent the spread of invasive alien species by following laws and regulations regarding the use of ponds or during international travel.
In addition, as individuals, we can have a positive influence on society:
· We can discuss the catastrophic loss of biodiversity with family, friends, and wherever opportunities for meaningful conversations present themselves. While many people are starting to understand that climate change threatens human existence, the awareness of biodiversity loss is still poor.
· We can support laws and regulations of governments and initiatives of environmental organizations that protect forests, prairies, and wetlands that provide habitat for wildlife or prohibit or restrict harmful chemicals, etc.
· We can support or initiate a project to restore an ecosystem in our community.
For more information:
Environmentally Sustainable Bahá’í Properties (PDF)
A Plea for Diversity in Gardens
Ethical and Easy Lawns (PDF)
The Bees and We (PDF)
Do Not Kill: Avoid Toxic Weed Killers in Your Garden and Yard (PDF)
