We all rely on this diversity to provide us with the food, fuel, medicine and other essentials that we simply cannot live without. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities; some plants and animals for example are less able to resist or react to growing threats posed by climate change, deforestation and urbanisation of the planet.

Defra’s new Biodiversity Calendar will be available to view throughout the year.  Each month, the plight of a different threatened species will be highlighted along with information on what we are doing to address that threat in partnership with others both domestically and overseas. Those featured include the Adonis Blue Butterfly, the Greater Horseshoe Bat and the Honey Bee.

Defra is also providing support to the Natural History Museum to build an IYB Partnership and so far more than 200 parties ranging from Non Government Organisations (NGOs), museums, universities, media organisations and theatre companies have come together to promote the huge benefits of biodiversity to society.

This year will see further publications of Pavan Sukhdev’s Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, showing the huge economic benefits of our natural environment; the report into the first phase of the National Ecosystems Assessment and the establishment of new post-2010 global biodiversity targets, to be agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October.

You can look for ways to get involved closer to home, simply check out the Natural History Museum’s ‘Biodiversity is Life’ pages or go to Defra's own MuckIn 4Life site on environmental volunteering and be sure to visit Defra’s Biodiversity Calendar each month.

Sourced form DEFRA Jan 2010