Ten facts about biodiversity in the Nordic Region

The state of nature in the world is deteriorating rapidly. Of the eight million species of animals and plants, one million are at risk of extinction. The Nordic Region is no exception to this crisis. Find out more about the state of biodiversity in the Nordic Region and what you can do to help reverse the trend.

FACT 1: Why there’s less of a buzz in the Nordic Region

It would be nice if that irritating hoverfly would just disappear. Wouldn’t it?
No. Not at all! Hoverflies are one of the most important insects in the Nordic Region, along with wild bees, bumblebees, and butterflies.

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FACT 2: Companion sought for the Nordic Region’s loneliest porpoise

Do you know how lonely this porpoise feels?
VERY LONELY!
There are only a few Baltic Sea harbour porpoises left.
Find out why here.

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FACT 3: One billion forest ants can’t be wrong

Half of the Nordic Region’s land area is covered with forest. That’s a big plus for biodiversity in the Nordic Region, right?
Well, forests may have the largest variety of species, but they also contain some of the most threatened species. Why is that?

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FACT 4: Come on Nordic Region – be the best when it comes to biodiversity!

The Nordic countries are the best in the world at almost everything, aren’t they? Well, we’re not exactly role models when it comes to biodiversity. Nor have we achieved all of the 20 goals linked to the UN convention on biological diversity, which should be met this year. Virtually no country in the world has.

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FACT 5: When the planet sneezes, we all catch a cold

The fact that we in the Nordic Region are part of a larger world has perhaps never been felt more strongly than during this coronavirus pandemic. After the virus was detected in Wuhan, it took only a few weeks for bars to close in Copenhagen and Reykjavik.

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FACT 6: Change your shoes and reduce your ecological footprint

How harmful can cake really be? Or this nice cotton top?
Really quite harmful, actually.

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FACT 7: You are what you eat, and so is the planet!

How many species did you eat for dinner yesterday? Far too few, probably.
Did you know that just three crops – wheat, corn, and rice – account for almost half of the world’s calorie consumption? Such unbalanced agriculture makes us vulnerable.

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FACT 8: It’s never too late to become a nature warrior!

Are you fighting for the climate? Good! Then you’re also fighting for biodiversity. And vice versa!
The climate and biodiversity are closely linked.

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FACT 9: What does a little new soil cost, Mr Worm?

You get your favourite pear, your clean water, your morning coffee, and your nice walk in the woods because nature still delivers.
But the loss of biodiversity and collapsing ecosystems are considered two of the biggest risks facing the planet in the next decade.

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FACT 10: Let the common dormouse snore in peace!

What does this common dormouse actually do? Well, it simply enjoys a nice nap!
There are around 60,000 species in the Nordic Region. They all benefit our ecosystem – spiders and snails, pike and skate, dormice and hedgehogs – but they also have the right to exist for their own sake, don’t they?

Read about FACT 10