PART 1: WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY POLICY AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

What is biodiversity?

When people hear "biodiversity," they might think of counting species or how many different animals and plants live in a particular place. But biodiversity is so much richer and more complex than that. It is the entire symphony of life on Earth, encompassing not just the number of different species, but the genetic variations within each species and the intricate ecosystems they call home.

Think of it this way: biodiversity is like a vast, interconnected web where every strand matters. Remove too many strands, and the entire web begins to collapse. This web supports all the processes that make life on Earth possible, from the soil microorganisms that help plants grow, to the complex predator-prey relationships that keep ecosystems in balance.

The Nordic region tells a particularly compelling biodiversity story. Our landscapes paint a picture of incredible diversity, shaped by ice ages, volcanic activity, and thousands of years of human interaction with nature.

Species Diversity: From the charismatic Atlantic puffins that nest on Iceland's cliffs to the reindeer that migrate across Norway's tundra, our region hosts species found nowhere else on Earth. But the real heroes of Nordic biodiversity often go unnoticed: the lichens that survive Arctic winters, the soil fungi that connect forest trees in underground networks, and the countless invertebrates that keep our ecosystems functioning.
Ecosystem Diversity: Take a journey from Greenland's ice sheets to Denmark's agricultural landscapes, and you will traverse some of the world's most distinct ecosystems. Arctic tundra gives way to vast boreal forests, which transition into coastal wetlands and marine environments. Each ecosystem supports unique communities of life while providing services essential to human well-being.
Genetic Diversity: Perhaps most fascinating is the genetic story written in Nordic species. Reindeer populations across different regions have evolved distinct genetic adaptations, some better suited to deep snow, others to coastal conditions. This diversity provides resilience and the potential to adapt, but nature evolves slowly. In a time of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change, it is a reminder of the importance of halting these crises to give ecosystems a chance to keep up.

Why biodiversity matters

Understanding why biodiversity matters requires us to see ourselves as part of nature, not separate from it. Every breath you take, every meal you eat, every glass of water you drink connects you to biodiversity.

The Services Nature Provides

Ecosystem Services: Nordic biodiversity works for us every day, often invisibly. Bees and other pollinators ensure that our apple orchards, crops and other farmlands produce yields. Wetlands across the region filter pollutants from water before it reaches our lakes. Old-growth forests store carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. These are not abstract concepts, they are concrete benefits worth billions of euros annually to Nordic economies.
Climate Resilience: Our region's peatlands represent one of the world's most effective carbon storage systems, locking away carbon accumulated over thousands of years. When these ecosystems are healthy and diverse, they are remarkably resilient to disturbances. But as biodiversity declines, this resilience erodes, making us more vulnerable to climate impacts.

Cultural Connections

For many Nordic communities, especially Indigenous peoples like the Sámi, biodiversity is not just about ecosystem services, it is about identity, tradition, and way of life. Reindeer herding practices developed over centuries represent sophisticated knowledge systems for managing Arctic ecosystems. Traditional fishing methods in coastal communities reflect a deep understanding of marine ecology. Skiers and hikers are drawn to the grandeur of the mountains. In short, our interactions with nature are part of what defines us, both as individuals and as communities.

Inherent value

Furthermore, biodiversity is not just a means to human ends. It can be argued that all living beings have inherent value - meaning they are valuable regardless of their contribution to human welfare. After all, humans are only one of more than two million identified species on planet earth. Within each of these species, there are countless individuals. Each and one of these individual beings, whether a stinging nettle, an earthworm or an elephant, are acting with a will to self-sustain, a will to live. As much as possible, we should respect this desire.

The Biodiversity Crisis

Here is the uncomfortable truth: we are living through what scientists call the sixth mass extinction, and unlike the previous five, this one is caused by human activity (UNEP, 2019). The numbers are stark, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimates that around one million species face extinction in the coming decades, representing an extinction rate 100 to 1,000 times higher than the rates in pre-industrial times (IPBES, 2019).

The Nordic Reality Check

Biological Integrity Under Pressure: Even in our Nordic landscapes, the wholeness of natural systems is fragmenting. Industrial forestry creates monoculture plantations where diverse old-growth forests once stood. Road networks and other infrastructure fragment habitats, making it difficult for species to move and adapt.
Genetic Erosion: Genetic diversity, the raw material for adaptation, is declining in Nordic species. Overfishing has reduced genetic diversity in Atlantic cod populations, for example. Small, isolated populations of Arctic foxes lack the genetic variation needed to adapt to changing conditions from climate change, to name another example.
Climate-Biodiversity Feedback Loops: Climate change and biodiversity loss amplify each other in dangerous ways. A concrete example, as Arctic ice melts, polar bears lose hunting grounds, but the loss of ice also reduces the Arctic's ability to reflect sunlight, accelerating global warming.

Some stark numbers

Farmland birds: Since 1970, populations of birds like skylarks and lapwings have declined by over 30% in Sweden and Denmark (The Local Denmark, 2018; Wretenberg, 2006).
Baltic Sea dead zones: Nutrient pollution, for example from agricultural runoff, creates oxygen-depleted areas covering thousands of square kilometers in the Baltic Sea (European Geosciences Union, 2018).
Old-growth forests: Sweden retains only about 3% of its original old-growth forests (Future Earth, 2022).
Forest cover: In Iceland, forest cover has declined from an estimated 25% at the time of the first settlers to just 1% today (Runólfsson & Ágústsdóttir, 2011).

Kullaberg, Mölle, Sweden. Photo by: Max Böhme on Unsplash