Biodiversity is under threat like never before, populations of insects, birds and other species are collapsing at unprecedented rates, a UN report from May 2019 talks of unprecedented decline with species extinctions increasing. There is no doubt that our planet is now in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals - the sixth wave of extinction in the past half-billion years. It may all sound like doom and gloom, and it is serious, but there are things you can do in your backyard to stem the tide and create a garden for native biodiversity. Leave lawns uncut and allow native plants to populate areas of your garden – weeds are only a matter of definition! Give them and other native plants a home and allow your garden to go wild. Nature conservation really does begin in your backyard!

What Biosphere Expeditions does: We tackle the problem from the other end, by not having centralised office space, which needs buildings that destroy green spaces. Instead we work with existing business centres around the world and run a highly decentralised operation with people working from home (or in the field) for the overwhelming majority of their time. We encourage staff and partners to create as many green spaces as possible and educate them about biodiversity gardening.