--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each species on our planet plays a role…" description: "\"Each species on our planet plays a role in the healthy functioning of natural ecosystems, on which humans depend.\" — William H. Schlesinger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/william-h-schlesinger-286973_biodiversity_each-species-on-our-planet-plays-a-role_2733112.png" --- # Each species on our planet plays a role in the healthy… ![“Each species on our planet plays a role in the healthy functioning of natural ecosystems, on which humans depend.” quote by William H. Schlesinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/william-h-schlesinger-286973_biodiversity_each-species-on-our-planet-plays-a-role_2733112.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/william-h-schlesinger-286973_biodiversity_each-species-on-our-planet-plays-a-role_2733112.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/william-h-schlesinger-286973_biodiversity_each-species-on-our-planet-plays-a-role_2733112.png) > “Each species on our planet plays a role in the healthy functioning of natural ecosystems, on which humans depend.” William H. Schlesinger ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem health, which humanity relies on for survival and wellbeing. **In simple terms:** Nature's variety keeps ecosystems healthy for people. Key Takeaway Protect and restore biodiversity. Themes biodiversity ecosystem health human dependence environmental stewardship Mood concerned hopeful Type statement educational When to use this quote - conservation planning - agricultural policy - urban development - climate adaptation Key Concepts ecology interdependence sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How does loss of a single species affect human life? - What actions can individuals take to support ecosystem health? A Different Perspective Complex socio‑economic pressures can hinder biodiversity protection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biodiversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biodiversity/) [Ecosystems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecosystems/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Our planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-planet/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [There is no waste in functioning natural ecosystems. All organisms, dead or alive, are potential sources of food for other organisms. A caterpillar eats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-tyler-miller/there-is-no-waste-in-functioning-natural-ecosystems-all-organisms/) G. Tyler Miller > [And by reducing carbon pollution in our atmosphere, we are protecting our air, water, mountains, forests, deserts, valleys, coasts and rivers - the astounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-wheeler/and-by-reducing-carbon-pollution-in-our-atmosphere-we-are-protecting/) [Ted Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-wheeler/) > [“There wasn't a rhyme or reason to the universe and those who occupied it. We were here. Some us for long durations and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/there-wasn-t-a-rhyme-or-reason-to-the-universe-and-those-who-occupied/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [While some livestock farms are much better than others, there are none in this country that look like natural ecosystems. Nature has no fences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/while-some-livestock-farms-are-much-better-than-others-there-are-none/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [“If we're going to survive as a planet with more than 6 billion people without destroying the complex balance of our natural ecosystems, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/if-we-re-going-to-survive-as-a-planet-with-more-than-6-billion-people/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Finding mechanisms for putting carbon back into landscapes enhances biodiversity. More biodiverse ecosystems store more carbon, more securely and are more resilient to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-steffen/finding-mechanisms-for-putting-carbon-back-into-landscapes-enhances/) Will Steffen > [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/) > [A diverse ecosystem will also be resilient, because it contains many species with overlapping ecological functions that can partially replace one another. When a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/a-diverse-ecosystem-will-also-be-resilient-because-it-contains-many/) [Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/) > [It is about time that the religious and environmental faithful joined forces. No one wins when divisive politics pits the right to human life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-bruce/it-is-about-time-that-the-religious-and-environmental-faithful-joined/) Alex Bruce > [The more complex the network is, the more complex its pattern of interconnections, the more resilient it will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/the-more-complex-the-network-is-the-more-complex-its-pattern-of/) [Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/) > [No piecemeal solution is going to prevent the collapse of whole societies and ecosystems ... a radical re-thinking of our values, priorities and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maude-barlow/no-piecemeal-solution-is-going-to-prevent-the-collapse-of-whole/) [Maude Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maude-barlow/) > [Lack of accountability weakens the environmental and health rights of citizens; it damages peace- building and reconciliation initiatives; impedes the implementation of global health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/lack-of-accountability-weakens-the-environmental-and-health-rights-of/) [Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/) > [I think that the environmental movement is wisely moving away from a largely emotion-based argument for the spiritual or intrinsic value of Nature with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-think-that-the-environmental-movement-is-wisely-moving-away-from-a/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [We are the only species on this planet without full employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-without-full-employment/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We have intelligent species on our planet that we are not even trying to communicate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-have-intelligent-species-on-our-planet-that-we-are-not-even-trying/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) ## 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 > [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 > [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 > [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 > [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": "Each species on our planet plays a role in the healthy functioning of natural ecosystems, on which humans depend.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William H. 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