Biodiversity and ecosystem health

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity encompasses all the different kinds of life in the province and includes: 

• Microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and viruses  
• Plants like trees, flowers and grasses  
• Animals like birds, fish, reptiles, insects and mammals – including humans  

Biological diversity is vital to maintaining life on earth and to ensuring a clean, safe and sustainable environment. Biodiversity enhances ecosystem regulation and factors such as:   

• The air we breathe  
• The food we eat  
• Many other factors and benefits that support life    

Protecting biodiversity is essential and is only achieved through careful and responsible stewardship for future generations.  

Ecosystems refer to all the organisms within given ecological systems and the interactions between them and their environment. 

These systems encompass a variety of living and non-living components that are intrinsically linked through water, nutrients, climate, decay, predator-prey relations and other factors such as fire. 

Ecosystems develop in response to influences such as climate and weather patterns, soil types and topography. These systems can be found in various forms, from a single tree to an entire river basin.   

---

What is a healthy ecosystem?

Healthy ecosystems are resilient and sustainable. They can recover from a disturbance like a wildfire or a flood to survive and continue supporting life in various forms. Healthy ecosystems support us all and provide cultural, social and economic benefits. Although ecosystem health is under threat from climate change and other factors, rich biodiversity will help us build a future where sustainable economies, healthy communities and vibrant ecosystems all thrive. 

---

Ecosystem resilience 

The resilience of an ecosystem depends on the diversity of species within it, as well as its structure and how it functions.  

When an ecosystem becomes less diverse through species loss or other changes, it can become less resilient, which reduces its ability to withstand and adapt to disturbances. These disturbances could be natural (such as wildfire or flooding) or human-caused (such as resource extraction). Maintaining biodiversity is essential for ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of ecosystems.  

Maintaining biodiversity can be seen as an insurance policy to guard against undesirable changes in the function of ecosystems, either locally or on a global scale. 

Learn more about threats to ecosystems and biodiversity. 

---

Ecosystem services

“Ecosystem services” are the benefits that people obtain from ecosystems.  

There are four types of ecosystem services: provisioning services, regulating services, cultural services and ​supporting services.  

Provisioning services 

Provisioning services provide products such as:   

• Food derived from plants and animals  
• Fresh water  
• Natural medicines and raw materials used to make pharmaceuticals
• Resources (such as those derived from fisheries, forestry and agriculture) 

Regulating services 

Regulating services maintain environmental conditions that are favourable to life.   

These include critical processes such as:   

• Erosion control  
• Water filtration  
• Carbon storage  

Specific examples of regulating services include:  

• Pollinators for wild plants and field crops   
• Birds and other animals that disperse seeds   
• Water purification, through soil and subsoil filtration, that removes toxins  
• Wetlands that filter water, mitigate floods, remove pollutants and store carbon   
• Intact ecosystems that moderate microclimates and temperature   
• Vegetation and intact aquatic systems that act as buffers against damage from floods and storms  
• Vegetation that reduces erosion, retains soil and helps prevent landslides  
• Diverse forest composition and natural fire activity that can help mitigate the risk of larger, catastrophic wildfires  
• Trees that improve air quality (by trapping particulate matter in their leaves, needles and bark) and help reduce the impact of noise in communities

Cultural services 

Cultural services are non-material benefits that people gain from interactions with ecosystems, including non-material physical, emotional and mental benefits.  

Examples include:   

• Historically important landscapes and culturally significant species that have spiritual value  
• Inspiration for art, folklore and architecture   
• Natural landscapes that inspire people to participate in outdoor activities  
• Natural areas that support mental well-being  

Supporting services 

Supporting services are required by all the other services and include processes such as:   

• Biomass production (i.e., accumulations of vegetation and other biological matter)
• Provision of habitat  
• Soil formation and retention 
• Photosynthesis  
• Water cycling  
• Nutrient cycling