THE International Day for Biological Diversity next Monday (May 22) is perhaps the most important one yet, with an increasing number of scientists highlighting a sixth great extinction facing the planet.

The United Nations (UN) now estimates we have as few as three years left to preserve the habitability of our world and the diversity of the species that inhabit it. So this requires nothing less than a radical change in our relationship with nature and other living beings.

The UN’s latest global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services highlights the responsibility of human activities in the massive loss of biodiversity. Not only are an estimated million plant and animal species now on the verge of dying off, but monitored wildlife populations have plummeted by an average of around 70 per cent in the past half-century as well. It is also estimated that the equivalent of around 90 hockey rinks’ worth of forest are being lost every minute.