Los Angeles is a Biodiversity Hotspot
While many people mistake Los Angeles for being an urban wasteland, Los Angeles is in fact one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. Biodiversity hotspots are regions with exceptional levels of biodiversity that are also severely threatened. Los Angeles County is home to more than 4,000 distinct species of plants and animals, including 52 endangered species — more than any county outside of Hawaii.
In LA, urban development has long presented a direct, immediate threat to species and habitats. Climate change is also expected to affect important environmental factors that support the region’s ecosystems.
To maintain healthy biodiversity requires effective and efficient management. For example, the linkages between habitats are critical to maintaining healthy populations of many species. Schoolyards are the perfect example of evenly spaced land throughout the city that could provide wildlife connectivity by planting native plants, trees, and pollinator/bird friendly landscapes to increase habitat quality and biodiversity.
Definitions:
Biodiversity:
The variety of living organisms in a given area. Biodiversity includes every living thing—from humans to organisms such as microbes, fungi, and invertebrates.
Ecosystem:
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. Our ecosystems are strongest when they are rich in the variety of species that belong there. They are weakest when biodiversity declines and we lose species.
Sources:
Conservation International
L.A. County’s Biodiversity is on the map, thanks to UCLA researchers
Biodiversity Atlas of LA
Our County Sustainability Plan
2020 Biodiversity Report Los Angeles
National Wildlife Federation - Schoolyard Habitats® Planning Guide