What is biodiversity and why is it important?
Issued: 20 Jun 8 mins read

Why is biodiversity important?

You might not notice it, but biodiversity is working for you every day. It’s in the clean air you breathe, the fresh food on your plate, and the green spaces that lift your mood. Every living thing in our environment has a role to play in keeping nature in balance, whether it’s microscopic fungi in soil or a massive blue whale in the ocean. Below, we talk about the main reasons why biodiversity is so important to our way of life.

Healthy ecosystem services

Biodiversity is seen in the ecosystem services we depend on. From forests and wetlands to oceans and rivers, these natural systems provide essential ecosystem services:

• Clean water for drinking and agriculture

• Pollination of crops by insects and birds

• Fertile soils for growing food

• Climate regulation through carbon storage in vegetation and soils

When ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and well-connected, they are more resilient and better able to recover from threats like drought or disease.

Cultural and spiritual significance

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, biodiversity is not just about the variety of life – it’s about relationships. Everything in Country is connected: plants, animals, people, landforms, weather, and spirits all form part of an interwoven system that has sustained communities for tens of thousands of years. These deep connections are central to identity, culture, and wellbeing.

Plants and animals are not only culturally significant – they are also vital to food, medicine, and materials. Many Traditional Owners continue to rely on this knowledge today, drawing on generations of lived experience and long-term observations to read and respond to changes in the land.

Managing biodiversity is hands-on and practical, often involving cultural practices like fire management or caring for species important to hunting and gathering. Protecting biodiversity means supporting these enduring relationships with Country – and listening to the people who have cared for it the longest.

A thriving economy

Biodiversity supports key Queensland industries. The fishing and seafood sectors rely on healthy marine ecosystems, while nature-based tourism and ecotourism – such as national park visits, bushwalking, and reef tours – contribute billions to the state’s economy.

Queensland’s unique native species also contribute to the biodiscovery industry, which develops natural products like pharmaceuticals, bioplastics, and pest control agents derived from plants, animals, and microbes. The Queensland Biodiscovery Act 2004 protects traditional knowledge as well as benefit-sharing for the state of Queensland, ensuring economic advantages and the wellness of our natural world remain balanced.

A foundation for future solutions

Biodiversity is more than a resource – it's a source of innovation. Nature has inspired solutions in fields ranging from medicine to engineering. Protecting biodiversity today ensures we can continue learning from it tomorrow, especially in the face of climate change and emerging global health challenges.

A safe environment for wildlife

Threats to biodiversity

Our biodiversity relies on a delicate balance of factors to stay in check. When this balance is threatened, it can cause biodiversity loss – and its effects can ripple across everything from ecosystems to the economy. The main threats to biodiversity in Australia include:

• Climate change: Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events alter habitats and food sources, putting pressure on species that may struggle to adapt quickly enough.

• Habitat loss and fragmentation: Clearing land for agriculture, development, or mining destroys natural habitats and breaks up ecosystems, making it harder for native species to survive and reproduce.

• Invasive species: Non-native plants, animals, and pathogens can outcompete, prey on, or introduce diseases to native species, disrupting ecosystems and pushing some species toward extinction.

• Pollution: Chemicals, plastics, and other pollutants contaminate land, waterways, and oceans, harming wildlife directly or degrading the ecosystems they depend on.

• Overexploitation of natural resources: Unsustainable fishing, logging, and water extraction can deplete populations of plants and animals and disrupt ecological balance.

Protecting our biodiversity

Keeping our state’s biodiversity balanced and healthy is a team effort. Policies and protections are crucial to keep Queensland’s biodiversity protected on a large-scale level, but individual action also makes a difference (not to mention it feels good!).

What the Government is doing

The Queensland Government is working to protect and enhance our state’s rich biodiversity through a range of initiatives – because there are many layers and levels needed to maintain balance.

Biodiversity Conservation Strategy

The Biodiversity Conservation Strategy provides a coordinated framework for conservation actions across the state – it's like a roadmap for robust biodiversity. The strategy focuses on protecting and managing biodiversity, restoring ecosystems and species, supporting adaptation to environmental changes, and connecting folks to biodiversity values.

Protected Area Strategy

The Protected Area Strategy supports the sustainable growth, management, and safeguarding of Queensland’s precious protected areas. Each of these areas – which encompass more than 1,000 national parks and other unique biodiversity hotspots – has a set of environmental and cultural values that that contribute to Queensland’s ecological richness.

These areas provide safe habitat for threatened species, preserve culturally significant landscapes, and support recreation, tourism, and research. The government also works closely with Traditional Owners, private landholders, and community partners to expand conservation efforts across public and private lands – helping ensure that biodiversity in Queensland is protected.

Threatened Species Program