Will you join us to address the Biodiversity Crisis? 

The Western New York Environmental Alliance is prepared to step into one of the most critical environmental issues of our time – the biodiversity crisis.  Our planet Earth is experiencing an extinction event that is higher than any time in human history. These extinctions are caused by ongoing human activity that results in habitat loss, distribution of invasive species, overexploitation of some species, pollution and climate change associated with global warming. Every place on earth is impacted, including our region. All of us are called to take action to protect functioning and regenerating ecosystems of native and endemic flora and fauna in all habitats, leading to greater social, economic, environmental and species justice. To that end, WNYEA proudly announces our commitment to support, facilitate and assist in biodiversity endeavors across the WNY and Great Lakes region for all our member organizations in a DECADE OF BIODIVERSITY.
 
We proclaim the critical importance of biodiversity and will work to educate the public, elected officials and ancillary organizations to include this broader ecological perspective in their work and decisions and to work for policy and legal frameworks that encode the protection of ecological systems as a priority. We must find ways to change the human activities that destroy healthy, functioning, diverse ecosystems in every locale and to restore those that have been damaged. 

​We must learn, as a culture, to appreciate the gifts of biologically diverse systems that:

• ensure a habitable living world for future generations
• are stable and yet more adaptable to changes, including climate destabilization and extreme events
• provide healthy environments such as clean water, soil, and air
• are the basis of our and all species’ food security
• provide aesthetic experiences, cultural identity, and remind us of our place within life’s web
• are the basis of all economic activity and therefore provide livelihoods.

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Members of the WNY Environmental Alliance are already engaged in many activities related to the protection, restoration, and management of biodiversity in our regional land and waters. We will facilitate and support organizational and partnership efforts to protect, restore and maintain healthy soil, water, wildlife, and people.
 
We are reaching out to partners to identify their ongoing biodiversity efforts to form ‘conversation tables’ around common interests, leading to greater public awareness and impactful collaborations. 
 
For example, we are bringing together common interests around bird friendly programs and policies such as “Lights Out;” and promoting ecologically grounded and food productive urban places through participation and implementation of strategies in Biophilic Cities.
 
We hope you will join us!!