Washington is home to special landscapes, from snowcaps to shrub-steppes, orchards to seastacks. Within these wonders, life ebbs and flows with countless animals, insects, plants, fungi… people too. (And that’s just what our eyes can see.)

The bustle of life around the planet creates its biodiversity. Even you are a part of your ecosystem.

Biodiversity keeps our environment in balance—and feeds our bodies, economies and cultures.

But biodiversity is under threat—and climate change brings greater danger. Habitat destruction, pollution, resource exploitation and invasive species have taken a toll on biodiversity. Warming temperatures are taking a toll on ecosystems and around the world. Our window to protect the landscapes, animals and people that rely on biodiversity is closing.

There is still time to make a difference. We can turn the tide as champions for biodiversity! That starts with learning what’s here, and what we must protect.

It’s up to us—and it benefits us—to help Washington’s animals, plants, even protozoa thrive. When we understand our place in the natural world around us, we take action to protect it.