text: **1. BIODIVERSITY – THE NEED FOR URGENT ACTION**
  
  From the world’s great rainforests to small parks and gardens, from the blue whale to 
  microscopic fungi, biodiversity is the extraordinary variety of life on Earth. We humans 
  are part of, and fully dependent on, this web of life: it gives us the food we eat, filters the 
  water we drink, and supplies the air we breathe. Nature is as important for our mental and 
  physical wellbeing as it is for our society’s ability to cope with global change, health 
  threats and disasters.**We need nature in our lives**. 
  
  Healthy and resilient societies depend on giving nature the space it needs. The recent 
  COVID-19 pandemic makes the need to protect and restore nature all the more urgent. 
  The pandemic is raising awareness of the links between our own health and the health of 
  ecosystems. It is demonstrating the need for sustainable supply chains and consumption 
  patterns that do not exceed planetary boundaries. This reflects the fact that the risk of 
  emergence and spread of infectious diseases increases as nature is destroyed1. Protecting 
  and restoring biodiversity and well-functioning ecosystems is therefore key to**boost our**
  **resilience and prevent the emergence and spread of future diseases**. 