Summary: 26 CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE, VOLUME 54, NUMBER 2
Biodiversity is critical to future health of
California's ecology and economy
Barbara Allen-Diaz
Each individual organism plays a
role in the birth-to-death cycle of
this planet. Ecologists often refer
to the web of life, describing the
interconnectedness of all organ-
isms and environments. Of
California's more than 4,800 na-
tive plant species, 29% are only
found here. Each species is the
repository of an immense
amount of genetic information.
Organisms provide direct eco-
nomic value to humans in the
form of marketable products
such as food and medicine, as
well as services like recreation,

Source: Allen-Diaz, Barbara - Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley

Collections: Environmental Sciences and Ecology