--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The value of biodiversity is that it…" description: "\"The value of biodiversity is that it makes our ecosystems more resilient, which is a prerequisite for stable societies; its wanton destruction is akin ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/johan-rockstrom-22603_biodiversity_the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-mak_2712784.jpg" --- # The value of biodiversity is that it makes our ecosystems… ![“The value of biodiversity is that it makes our ecosystems more resilient, which is a prerequisite for stable societies; its wanton destruction is akin to setting fire to our lifeboat.” quote by Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/johan-rockstrom-22603_biodiversity_the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-mak_2712784.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/johan-rockstrom-22603_biodiversity_the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-mak_2712784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/johan-rockstrom-22603_biodiversity_the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-mak_2712784.jpg) > “The value of biodiversity is that it makes our ecosystems more resilient, which is a prerequisite for stable societies; its wanton destruction is akin to setting fire to our lifeboat.” [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Biodiversity makes ecosystems resilient, essential for stable societies; destroying it is like burning our lifeboat. **In simple terms:** Biodiversity underpins societal stability. Key Takeaway Protect ecosystems to safeguard humanity. Themes environment sustainability society Mood urgent hopeful Type environmental activist When to use this quote - policy - conservation - education Key Concepts ecology climate change Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance development and biodiversity? - What policies protect ecosystems? A Different Perspective Economic pressures drive destruction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biodiversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biodiversity/) [Biodiversity Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biodiversity-makes-2820430/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Ecosystems Resilient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecosystems-resilient-2820429/) [Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Makes Ecosystems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-ecosystems-2820431/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value/) [Value Biodiversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-biodiversity-2820428/) ## Related quotes > [We need to act now. Otherwise the biodiversity that makes Australia so wonderfully unique is going to be lost to us forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristy-hinze/we-need-to-act-now-otherwise-the-biodiversity-that-makes-australia-so/) [Kristy Hinze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristy-hinze/) > [The only biodiversity we're going to have left is Coke versus Pepsi. We're landscaping the whole world one stupid mistake at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-only-biodiversity-we-re-going-to-have-left-is-coke-versus-pepsi/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Even if we act immediately, the world is doomed to lose many of its animal and plant species and this inturn will reduce the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achim-steiner/even-if-we-act-immediately-the-world-is-doomed-to-lose-many-of-its/) [Achim Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/achim-steiner/) > [We have to create a sustainable environment, worldwide, and we're not doing it. The best thing we can do with the rest of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-have-to-create-a-sustainable-environment-worldwide-and-we-re-not/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/look-closely-at-nature-every-species-is-a-masterpiece-exquisitely/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [“Biodiversity is a result of the process of evolution, and it is also a safety net that helps keep that process going. In order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/biodiversity-is-a-result-of-the-process-of-evolution-and-it-is-also-a/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Protecting biodiversity is just as important and critical to the survival of mankind as stabilizing the climate. Species protection and climate are interdependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klaus-topfer/protecting-biodiversity-is-just-as-important-and-critical-to-the/) [Klaus Topfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klaus-topfer/) > [The number of people displaced by dams is estimated at between 40 million and 80 million, most of them in China and India. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-brown/the-number-of-people-displaced-by-dams-is-estimated-at-between-40/) [Paul Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-brown/) > [We advocate biodiversity for biodiversity's sake. It may take our extinction to set things straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foreman/we-advocate-biodiversity-for-biodiversity-s-sake-it-may-take-our/) [David Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foreman/) > [“The bottom line answer to the question about why biodiversity matters is fairly simple: The rest of the living world can get along without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-a-earle/the-bottom-line-answer-to-the-question-about-why-biodiversity-matters/) [Sylvia A. Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-a-earle/) > [We see evidence that lakes and forests and wetlands can have different equilibria - so you have a savanna system that may be stable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/we-see-evidence-that-lakes-and-forests-and-wetlands-can-have/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [I will defend the absolute value of Mozart over Miley Cyrus, of course I will, but we should be wary of false dichotomies. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-will-defend-the-absolute-value-of-mozart-over-miley-cyrus-of-course/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-should-preserve-every-scrap-of-biodiversity-as-priceless-while-we/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The thing that I think about most often is the loss of biodiversity. We talk about these food issues so often with concern to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-terry/the-thing-that-i-think-about-most-often-is-the-loss-of-biodiversity/) [Bryant Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-terry/) > [Agricultural demand for water - probably the largest threat to freshwater species - continues to increase. ... Meanwhile, threats to terrestrial biodiversity - primarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indur-m-goklany/agricultural-demand-for-water-probably-the-largest-threat-to/) [Indur M. Goklany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indur-m-goklany/) ## More by Johan Rockstrom > [Protecting our planet is a moral imperative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/protecting-our-planet-is-a-moral-imperative/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [By decarbonizing the global economy and limiting climate change, world leaders can unleash a wave of innovation, support the emergence of new industries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/by-decarbonizing-the-global-economy-and-limiting-climate-change-world/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [Just as we demand that our governments address risks associated with terrorism or epidemics, we should put concerted pressure on them to act now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/just-as-we-demand-that-our-governments-address-risks-associated-with/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [Fundamentally, we need a mind-shift that reconnects our development to the biosphere to ensure good and safe lives for all in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/fundamentally-we-need-a-mind-shift-that-reconnects-our-development-to/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [Either we leave our descendants an endowment of zero poverty, zero fossil-fuel use, and zero biodiversity loss, or we leave them facing a tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/either-we-leave-our-descendants-an-endowment-of-zero-poverty-zero/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [Under stable and incremental conditions, a free-market economy spurs entrepreneurship, ensures efficiency, and generates wealth. Those conditions no longer apply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/under-stable-and-incremental-conditions-a-free-market-economy-spurs/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [Decarbonization has already begun, and the appeal of a fossil-fuel-free world is growing - not only because it would limit climate change, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/decarbonization-has-already-begun-and-the-appeal-of-a-fossil-fuel/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [Managing forests, rivers, grasslands, and coral reefs in sustainable ways makes them more resilient and increases their ability to absorb greenhouse gases, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/managing-forests-rivers-grasslands-and-coral-reefs-in-sustainable/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [The number of children in the world is not growing, and so we eventually have a chance to stabilize the population at around 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/the-number-of-children-in-the-world-is-not-growing-and-so-we/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [There is an old belief that solving environmental problems can only be achieved by first building enough economic wealth so we can 'afford to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/there-is-an-old-belief-that-solving-environmental-problems-can-only/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [We see evidence that lakes and forests and wetlands can have different equilibria - so you have a savanna system that may be stable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/we-see-evidence-that-lakes-and-forests-and-wetlands-can-have/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [Global sustainability is now the only avenue to future inclusive progress that can deliver the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/global-sustainability-is-now-the-only-avenue-to-future-inclusive/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [We've moved from a small world on a big planet to a big world on a small planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/we-ve-moved-from-a-small-world-on-a-big-planet-to-a-big-world-on-a/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [If we don't succeed on the climate change agenda, we risk getting feedbacks that undermine everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/if-we-don-t-succeed-on-the-climate-change-agenda-we-risk-getting/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) > [World leaders need to realize that the cost of transforming the global energy system is far less than coping with the consequences of burning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/world-leaders-need-to-realize-that-the-cost-of-transforming-the/) [Johan Rockstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) [Explore all 27 Johan Rockstrom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/) ## More Biodiversity quotes > [Agricultural demand for water - probably the largest threat to freshwater species - continues to increase. ... Meanwhile, threats to terrestrial biodiversity - primarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indur-m-goklany/agricultural-demand-for-water-probably-the-largest-threat-to/) [Indur M. Goklany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indur-m-goklany/) > [The thing that I think about most often is the loss of biodiversity. We talk about these food issues so often with concern to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-terry/the-thing-that-i-think-about-most-often-is-the-loss-of-biodiversity/) [Bryant Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-terry/) > [We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-should-preserve-every-scrap-of-biodiversity-as-priceless-while-we/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [I will defend the absolute value of Mozart over Miley Cyrus, of course I will, but we should be wary of false dichotomies. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-will-defend-the-absolute-value-of-mozart-over-miley-cyrus-of-course/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Man has created death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/man-has-created-death/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Civilization has ceased to be that delicate flower which was preserved and painstakingly cultivated in one or two sheltered areas of a soil rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-levi-strauss/civilization-has-ceased-to-be-that-delicate-flower-which-was/) [Claude Levi-Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-levi-strauss/) > [“The bottom line answer to the question about why biodiversity matters is fairly simple: The rest of the living world can get along without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-a-earle/the-bottom-line-answer-to-the-question-about-why-biodiversity-matters/) [Sylvia A. Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-a-earle/) > [If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/if-we-pollute-the-air-water-and-soil-that-keep-us-alive-and-well-and/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [We share this planet with many species. It is our responsibility to protect them, both for their sakes and our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-a-matson/we-share-this-planet-with-many-species-it-is-our-responsibility-to/) [Pamela A. Matson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-a-matson/) > [For us, not cooperating in the monopoly regimes of intellectual property rights and patents and biodiversity - saying "no" to patents on life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/for-us-not-cooperating-in-the-monopoly-regimes-of-intellectual/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [I can't imagine anything more important than air, water, soil, energy and biodiversity. These are the things that keep us alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/i-can-t-imagine-anything-more-important-than-air-water-soil-energy/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [An agricultural landscape produces food but it also provides water, requires biodiversity to underpin soil function, pollination and other useful services, and also has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-benton/an-agricultural-landscape-produces-food-but-it-also-provides-water/) [Tim Benton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-benton/) > [I came to all the realizations about sustainability and biodiversity because I fell in love with the way food tastes. That was it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-waters/i-came-to-all-the-realizations-about-sustainability-and-biodiversity/) [Alice Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-waters/) > [It is important to recognize that behind the razzmatazz of consumerism, we all remain dependent on basic natural resources - land, air, water and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klaus-topfer/it-is-important-to-recognize-that-behind-the-razzmatazz-of/) [Klaus Topfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klaus-topfer/) > [The byproduct of the main thrust to protect the biodiversity of a given place is that you get especially young people out to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/the-byproduct-of-the-main-thrust-to-protect-the-biodiversity-of-a/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) [Browse all 151 Biodiversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biodiversity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The value of biodiversity is that it makes our ecosystems more resilient, which is a prerequisite for stable societies; its wanton destruction is akin to setting fire to our lifeboat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Johan Rockstrom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-makes-our-ecosystems-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biodiversity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-makes-our-ecosystems-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/johan-rockstrom-22603_biodiversity_the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-mak_2712784.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/johan-rockstrom-22603_biodiversity_the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-mak_2712784.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/johan-rockstrom-22603_biodiversity_the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-mak_2712784.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The value of biodiversity is that it makes our ecosystems more resilient, which is a prerequisite for stable…” — Johan Rockstrom", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Johan Rockstrom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-rockstrom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The value of biodiversity is that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-makes-our-ecosystems-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-rockstrom/the-value-of-biodiversity-is-that-it-makes-our-ecosystems-more/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```