The Icelandic Youth Environmentalist Association is a non governmental organisation with the primary objective of giving young people a platform to positively influence the way society interacts with nature.
Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the diversity of life on earth. It can be measured from the genetic level, which explains the level of genetic difference between individuals, to the ecosystem level, which explains how many types of organisms share the same environment. Some environments have more biodiversity than others, but each must maintain it to stay healthy. Biodiversity is lowering because of the human impact of habitat loss and climate change, and this loss has a grave impact on our lives. It’s important to understand biodiversity in order to preserve it.
Photo from Co-creation project.
Extinction
Extinction is the process in which all the individuals of a specific species disappear forever. It is a natural process that happens through natural selection, when a species is not able to adapt to its changing environment. In the past, there were five massive extinction events where most species on earth disappeared. The most well known is the extinction of the dinosaurs. All five extinctions were caused by a change in the environment that was too sudden for most living things.
We are in a sixth extinction, this time caused by humans. No other events were caused by a living creature. It’s also worrisome because the previous mass extinctions were caused by changes in the environment that lasted through millions of years. This time, we can measure the changes year by year. It is way too fast to be natural. Fortunately, as humans started it, they can fix it.
Photo from Live Science.
Importance of biodiversity
Biodiversity is important because it is the foundation of a healthy ecosystem. We need ecosystems because we are living beings. We live there. Our agriculture relies on pollinators.
Our mental health relies on it too. We like to see wildlife. Iceland’s tourism industry is prolific because so many people want to see its unique ecosystem.
Photo by Julien Nayet-Pelletier.
Biodiversity in Iceland
Iceland may seem like it has a low biodiversity, and while it does, it is still very important. Iceland's climate is paleo-arctic and boreal. These environments, while lower in species than the tropics, show a lot of interconnections. Ocean creatures like the birds and the whales rely on Iceland’s position on the earth, between three fertile ocean currents, to feed during the summer. These birds bring in nutrients when they raise their young on cliffsides, through their excrement. These excrements promote the growth of plants, which helps insects. Some plants need these insects as pollinators.
Photo by Julien Nayet-Pelletier.
Threats to biodiversity in Iceland
Iceland's biodiversity is very interconnected, so it is also vulnerable to change.
Climate change
Climate change disturbs the natural balance of the environment, especially the arctic. Species there rely on specific seasonal changes to survive and any change can be lethal. A good example are polar bears who rely on sea ice to hunt seals during the winter. During the summer, they rely on their fat reserves accumulated during the winter. When the ice doesn’t last as long, bears can’t eat as much. Iceland doesn’t have polar bears, but the animals there still rely on seasons. Birds rely on the emergence of insects and whales rely on plankton blooms. Insects emerge when it's warm enough and birds time their nesting with these emergences. If it gets warm earlier, insects emerge earlier, and birds miss their timing.
Photo from But Why?
Ocean life
With plankton, they bloom during the spring with help from the East Atlantic Current bringing warm water. Climate change is weakening the ocean currents, which means that the bottom of the food web has a hard time growing, which also affects species that rely on them.
Photo by Julien Nayet-Pelletier.
Invasive species
Invasive species are plants or animals who are brought into the ecosystem and outcompete the native species. Iceland’s species are interconnected, therefore vulnerable to invasive species.
Lupine
The Alaskan Lupine was brought to Iceland to help minimise erosion. It’s a plant that grows very well in barren terrains, too well. Today, we can see the Lupine almost anywhere, which limits the other tundra plants. Having only one species take over is not just bad because other species are pushed out, but also because environments with a low diversity are even more vulnerable to changes.
Photo by Julien Nayet-Pelletier.
Insects
Trees are currently planted in Iceland to also limit erosion. Unlike the Lupine, trees require a high diversity to grow and they provide shelter to plants and animals. Unfortunately, new animals who need trees are doing too well without predators. Many species of insects like aphids, leaf beetles, and sawfies, either eat leaves or lay their eggs in trees. In their native habitats, they’re controlled by predators. Fortunately, they’re slowly making their way to Iceland as well.
Photo by Julien Nayet-Pelletier.
