Biodiversity in Your Backyard! What It Is, and Why You Can Make a Difference

Written by Ella Stastney

February 2024

We often hear about preserving biodiversity as one of the main goals of the environmental movement, and sometimes that goal is simplified as stopping species loss and extinction. But why does it matter, and what can we all do to help?

Biodiversity is the existence and interrelationship between and among organisms that have been formed over millions of years to create the ecosystems we see on Earth today.

But why does it matter? The first critical contribution of biodiversity is “provisioning”—the foods we eat, the water we drink, the medicines we rely on. The second critical contribution is “regulating”—giving resilience to the things we need, whether it is resisting diseases through genetic diversity or an ecosystem’s ability to recover from disaster. 

Last are the contributions biodiversity can make that we have not even yet imagined. Does the key to curing cancer exist in the venom of a tree snake in the Amazon we have never seen? How exactly does the sea cucumber liquefy itself to escape predators, then re-solidify itself after? And what other amazing abilities and compounds exist? If biodiversity continues to decline at its current rate, we may never know. 

But like all seemingly huge, global, intractable problems, we wonder—what can one student living in New Jersey do? We cannot save the Amazon. We cannot reintroduce wolves into Yellowstone. How can we help in our own state? 

// The endangered bog turtle can be a striking sight. Image credit: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

You may be surprised to learn that although New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, it is also a highly biodiverse state. It exists at the intersection between the more northern and southern species, has 5 distinct ecosystems, and is the home to many species, some of which are nearly unique. And because so much of New Jersey’s land is privately held, a great deal of that biodiversity exists on private lands—including your backyard! Recently, for instance, the largest known population of bog turtles, the state reptile of New Jersey and an endangered species located predominantly here, was discovered on private land in our state. At least a few of those bog turtles are in my backyard right here in Marlboro (they like to walk up the driveway or even around our front porch after a heavy rain)!  

So what can we do? First, the easy things—respect all the wildlife you see around your home.  Just because something is in your backyard, or seems commonplace, does not mean it is unimportant. Every species plays a critical role in maintaining biodiversity, so do your best not to disrupt their environment.

Second, if you see something interesting or unique, report it. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has a reporting line for wildlife sightings that anyone can use. You never know—the animal you see may be an endangered species, or making an exciting entry into a new area. And even if it is not, the better we understand these species, the better we can help them survive and thrive.

Biodiversity is the key to our healthy and happy existence. By all contributing in whatever way we can, we can help maintain the biodiversity that remains and even reverse losses.  Next time you are out in your backyard, take a closer look; you never know how biodiverse it could be! ❧