Biodiversity
The guarantee of life on Earth.
Guide to the Page
- Biodiversity Index Map
- True or False: Southern California Is...
- Land Conservation as a Numbers Game (App)
- Soil Carbon Index: What Plants Do for the Planet
- Conserving a Multi-Species Southern California (films, storymaps)
- Community Science: Be Part of the Solution
- Co-Exist Infographics
- Explore Biodiversity Key Resources
Biodiversity Index
Southern California is one of the most biodiverse places on earth! The index "grade" of 2.9 is in comparison to the rest of California, through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Areas of Conservation Emphasis Index.
Below we have separated the biodiversity index components that make up the the broader index for biodiversity, including land-based, water-based, rare species, and unique habitat ratings.
To protect the precious environmental resources we have in Southern California, we need to be extra careful to plan for species other than ourselves.
Use the map above to EXPLORE your own neighborhood or community. Or visit our Make a Map page to create and add your own layers.
Land Conservation as a Numbers Game
It's off the charts wild, what is happening to the earth. But if there were ever something NOT to gamble on, it's our collective future.
Two global movements are placing their bets on conservation. 30x30 and The Half-Earth Project both aim to conserve open and working lands and coastal waters: 30% by 2030, and half the earth, respectively (see the StoryMaps and their websites below!).
Conservation means that the land will be permanently kept as open space, cooling things down, filtering water, nurturing pollinators and microbial life, supporting biodiversity, storing and exchanging carbon, and contributing to ecosystem and human health and wellbeing
Use our 30x30 App to see how much land is conserved open space in your area. Some of the results may surprise you!
The data show that we have a lot of land conserved in Southern California but that that many of our urbanized areas lack open space for humans and other species to thrive.
Center for Biological Diversity Map: U.S. Threatened and Endangered Species by County
Center for Biological Diversity is one of the premier defenders of multiple species in the United States. They have compiled a list of US endangered species in by County. Several groups in California track species of all statuses, but for endangered species, groups tend not to disclose specific locations in order to protect them.
From CBD's website:
For every county in the United States, the map below shows information on all the animals and plants protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as threatened or endangered.
How to Use It:
To see the number of federally protected species in a given county, zoom in on the map until the county boundaries appear and click on a point within the county; then click the arrow on the right in the popup window to go to a table. From there, to see a list of all the species in that county, click on the arrow to the right on the "Species List" line. From there, you can see information about each species by clicking the arrow on the line with its name.
True or False? Southern California Is....
A Biodiversity Hotspot
True!
California is home to more species than any U.S. state and is considered a biodiversity hotspot, meaning it has over 1500 endemic species (species that exist nowhere else) and has lost over 70% of its original habitat also. We have a duty to restore habitats and protect local species in our biodiversity hotspots.
The Most Biodiverse Place in California
TRUE!
AND THE U.S.! Yep, it's true. Southern California has beaches, mountains, deserts, oceans, and wetlands in more abundance and diversity than any other part of California or the nation. Unique places = unique species. Keep SoCal spectacular!
a National model for land conservation
Well...
We have visionary people and amazing organizations dedicated to habitat conservation and wonderful models for Multispecies Habitat Conservation Programs. But SoCal is also ground zero for development that encroaches on habitat. How can we strategize development to protect the coolest creatures and places we have?
home to the largest and oldest tree in California!
False!
Southern California is home to the oldest living thing in California and the third oldest living thing on the planet: a specimen of Palmer's Oak that has survived by cloning itself. The Jurupa Oak is not tall or large, but it is old! It was around when saber-toothed tigers were Southern California regulars, and it has the tree rings to prove it.
Home to the only East-West Mountain Ranges in the U.S.!
FALSE!
Southern California is home to the only major east-west mountain range in California. The other is in Utah. The so-called "transverse ranges" have more species unique to our area only (endemic). The lesson? Geography contributes to biodiversity!
the Best Blue whale watching place ever!
True!
In the world! The Pacific Ocean is an essential migration corridor for blue whales--the biggest creatures on earth. It seems fitting that these majestic creatures call the mighty Pacific Ocean home. You can go whale watching off the coast of San Pedro or Long Beach.
An Ecotone Wonderland!
True!
What the heck is an ecotone, you might be asking? An ecotone is when different ecosystems butt up against each other. And those places are where all the coolest stuff happens. We have lots of ecotones in SoCal and many unique species as a result!
home to the most protected desert in the US!
True!
The Mojave Desert is the most protected desert in the US and is the most protected ecosystem in Southern California. It also stores approximately 10% of carbon in Southern California--a magical place above and below ground. The work is never done, but many advocates have fought for the protection of our richly biodiverse desert lands.
Soil Carbon Index: What Plants Do for the Planet
This soil carbon index demonstrates that Southern California landscapes don't hold much terrestrial carbon--that means carbon in the soil that plants breathe in and humans breathe out. Maximizing the ability to take in and store carbon by healthy soils and plant materials must work in tandem with decreased emissions. When land cover changes due to fire, farming, or development, so does the capacity for soil-based and plant-driven carbon capture.
CLICK "OPEN MAP" to explore!
From our partners at The Nature Conservancy: "The dual crises of climate change and mass wildlife extinctions threaten to forever change our world, but there is hope. By protecting 30% of the planet’s oceans, lands, and freshwaters by 2030, people and nature can thrive together into the future."
From our partners at The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation: "In 2016, E.O. Wilson wrote a book called Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. In that book was a promise: if we protect half the Earth’s land and sea and manage sufficient habitat to safeguard the bulk of biodiversity, living Earth can continue to breathe."
Browse the Half-Earth Project Map!
Toward a Multi-Species Southern California
Short ecodocumentaries produced through a course collaboration between Intercollegiate Media Studies at the Claremont Colleges and the Robert Redford Conservancy at Pitzer College.
COMMUNITY SCIENCE! Be Part of the Solution!
Community science has revolutionized what we know about species and places.
iNaturalist is a citizen science social network that allows people to make observations and share them globally to an online community. The crowd-sourced sea of data is vetted by experts in the field and allows for a fast-paced analysis and predictions on climate change, habitat loss and other threats to natural resources. Add our data layer to your map or click here to make your own observations!
CO-EXIST
We human beings are so full of ourselves! But if we shift our priorities and perspectives, we can make room for a multi-species world. So much more interesting, right?
Click to enlarge, zoom, and download these infographics from Jordan Daniels' Philosophy Class on Ethics and Animals.
