Fife is fortunate to have a wealth of fantastic habitats, from its stunning coastline of cliffs and sand dunes, to the heathland of the Lomond Hills. These habitats support a huge amount of wildlife. In fact, over 10,000 different species of plants and animals have been found in the kingdom. This tapestry of habitats, and the plants and animals that they support, together make up biodiversity - the rich variety of life on earth.
Biodiversity plays a vital role in our everyday life. It strengthens the ecosystems that provide us with food, fuel, clean water, health and wealth. For instance:
Each ecosystem is finely balanced, and if one or more species are lost, the function of the ecosystem can become disturbed. Sadly, we are losing biodiversity at an alarming rate. This is due to human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, population growth, over-consumption and introduced invasive species. Scientists estimate 150 to 200 species are lost every 24 hours.
What many of us don’t realise is that by damaging the biodiversity we rely upon, we are in fact harming ourselves. It's in our interest to manage biodiversity.
We have to act urgently to protect biodiversity and safeguard our future. There are many simple ways to do this in your own home and garden, and we’ll give you some pointers in the sections above. You can also support two of our initiatives, the Fife Local Biodiversity Action Plan and the Fife Nature Records Centre.